Office Contacted About Williams Contract

[Eugene]

Office Contacted About Williams Contract

By NANCY BENAC
The Associated Press
Friday, October 14, 2005; 11:57 AM

WASHINGTON -- Investigators at the Education Department have contacted
the U.S. attorney's office regarding the Bush administration's hiring
of commentator Armstrong Williams to promote its agenda.

The action was disclosed by Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., who has
pressed for a criminal fraud investigation focused on questions about
whether Williams actually performed the work cited in his monthly
reports to the Education Department.

Last month, congressional auditors concluded that the Education
Department had engaged in illegal "covert propaganda" by hiring
Williams to promote the No Child Left Behind Act without requiring
him to disclose that he was being paid.

In an Oct. 6 letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Lautenberg
and Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., said questions of fraud remained.
Lautenberg also asked the Education Department's Office of Inspector
General to more fully investigate the contract. The inspector
general's office told Lautenberg in a letter released Friday that it
was working with the U.S. attorney's office for the District of
Columbia.

<snip>

More: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/14/AR2005101400747.html

[CGrantt57]

1. Pass the popcorn...

flavored with a wee bit o' schadenfreude.

Yum-o!

:popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:

[htuttle]

2. Huge flocks of chickens coming home, everywhere you look nowdays

We're going to need a bigger roost!

[ChairmanAgnostic]

4. the roosters are crowing home? no, mixing metaphores just doesn't

capture the glee I feel at these shitheads' situation.

First Rove, then Miers, maybe Cheney will resign for health reasons as they search for his heart, and all we need is for the shrub to hit the road, because he ain't having fun

no more, no more, no more, no more,

[1932]

That is perfect.

Those contracts SURELY required that he do something more than just write friendly articles about Bush. And I'm so sure that neither Williams nor the federal official who wrote the contract expected that he'd really do those things.

This is a great angle for investigation this issue.

This is going to be a disincentive at the recieving and giving end of this kind of propaganda.

If Williams claimed he did things he didn't do, Williams is in trouble. If the person in the gov't responsible for making sure he did the things he said he did didn't make sure he did them, that person is going to be in trouble.

[1932]

3. That is perfect.

Those contracts SURELY required that he do something more than just write friendly articles about Bush. And I'm so sure that neither Williams nor the federal official who wrote the contract expected that he'd really do those things.

This is a great angle for investigation this issue.

This is going to be a disincentive at the recieving and giving end of this kind of propaganda.

If Williams claimed he did things he didn't do, Williams is in trouble. If the person in the gov't responsible for making sure he did the things he said he did didn't make sure he did them, that person is going to be in trouble.

[swag]

5. Kick one for the Ministry of Propaganda.

[NVMojo]

6. Love Lautenberg!!!

[stopbush]

7. CNN: Armstrong Williams contract referred to U.S. attorney

Armstrong Williams contract referred to U.S. attorney
Questions about work for Education Department

Friday, October 14, 2005; Posted: 1:57 p.m. EDT (17:57 GMT)


WASHINGTON (AP) -- Investigators at the Education Department have contacted the U.S. attorney's office regarding the Bush administration's hiring of commentator Armstrong Williams to promote its agenda.

The action was disclosed by Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-New Jersey, who has pressed for a criminal fraud investigation focused on questions about whether Williams actually performed the work cited in his monthly reports to the Education Department.

Last month, congressional auditors concluded that the Education Department had engaged in illegal "covert propaganda" by hiring Williams to promote the No Child Left Behind Act without requiring him to disclose that he was being paid.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/10/14/education.probe.ap/index.html?section=cnn_latest

[Renew Deal]

8. These guys are going down in flames.

Nice!!!

[Hobarticus]

9. Kick in the door, and the whole rotten house falls down...n/t

[merh]

10. And the hits keep coming!

:thumbsup:

[rodeodance]

11. U.S. attorney eyes Education Department deal (NCLB and A. Williams)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9698802/

U.S. attorney eyes Education Department deal
GAO says commentator promoting agenda engaged in ‘covert propoganda’
Updated: 6:34 p.m. ET Oct. 14, 2005

WASHINGTON - Investigators at the Education Department have contacted the U.S. attorney’s office regarding the Bush administration’s hiring of commentator Armstrong Williams to promote its agenda.

The action was disclosed by Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., who has pressed for a criminal fraud investigation focused on questions about whether Williams actually performed the work cited in his monthly reports to the Education Department.

The Government Accountability Office has concluded that the Education Department engaged in illegal “covert propaganda” by hiring Williams to promote the No Child Left Behind Act without requiring him to disclose that he was being paid. The Education Department’s inspector general has also reviewed the Williams deal, which was part of a broader contract that the education agency had with Ketchum, a public relations firm.......

Now the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia is investigating whether Williams accepted public money without performing his required duties, said Dan Katz, chief counsel for Lautenberg. The attorney’s office has a range of potential remedies, from suing to recover the money to possible criminal charges, Katz said.