Two Republican Congressmen Eschew Investigation

[Judi Lynn]

Jan 8, 2006 2:24 pm US/Pacific

Two Republican Congressmen Eschew Investigation

(AP) LOS ANGELES Two Republican congressmen from Northern California used their positions to try to stop a federal investigation of a Texas businessman who had given them political contributions.

The Los Angeles Times reports that Representatives John Doolittle and Richard Pombo, along with former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas, fought an investigation by federal banking regulators of Houston millionaire Charles Hurwitz.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) was seeking $300 million dollars from Hurwitz for his alleged role in the collapse of the United Savings Association of Texas, which cost taxpayers over $1.5 billion dollars.
(snip/...)

http://cbs2.com/topstories/local_story_008172806.html

[EFerrari]

1. "Eschew"? As if it were their choice?!

:rofl:

[Dr.Phool]

2. Isn't Anna Eschew a Congresswoman from N. California?

[EFerrari]

6. You know what's going to be hilarious?

Watching the presstitutes try to soften or obscure the truth they're forced to report.

This is going to be fun, FINALLY!

LOL

[EST]

3. Are we going to have a popcorn shortage?

Mhat a bunch of crooks!:popcorn: :popcorn:

[Jim Sagle]

4. Nice and chewy popcorn at that.

[DoYouEverWonder]

9. We need to switch to something less fattening

Especially for us low carbers.

[depakid]

5. Charles Hurwitz no less

Of course, the story doesn't mention that this piece of trash used a leveraged buyout to take over Pacific lumber, whereupon he proceded to clearcut some of the last remaining ancient redwood forests to pay off his junk bond debts. Might have known that Pombo would be involved in protecting him.

Why the Dems haven't gone after Pombo every year with both barrels is a mystery to me. It's not like he represents a hopelessly Red district.

[Indykatie]

7. So Many Scandals

so little time.

[MagickMuffin]

8. here's the link to the LA Times

It has a longer detailed article about this "newest scandal", if anyone is interested.:evilgrin:

Thanks for posting this it offered me the opportunity to blog about it.

The effort to help Hurwitz began in 1999 when DeLay wrote a letter to the chairman of the FDIC denouncing the investigation of Hurwitz as a "form of harassment and deceit on the part of government employees." When the FDIC persisted, Doolittle and Pombo — both considered proteges of DeLay — used their power as members of the House Resources Committee to subpoena the agency's confidential records on the case, including details of the evidence FDIC investigators had compiled on Hurwitz.

Then, in 2001, the two congressmen inserted many of the sensitive documents into the Congressional Record, making them public and accessible to Hurwitz's lawyers, a move that FDIC officials said damaged the government's ability to pursue the banker.

The FDIC's chief spokesman characterized what Doolittle and Pombo did as "a seamy abuse of the legislative process." But soon afterward, in 2002, the FDIC dropped its case against Hurwitz, who had owned a controlling interest in the United Savings Assn. of Texas. United Savings' failure was one of the worst of the S&L debacles in the 1980s.

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-banker8jan08,1,6932217,print.story?coll=la-headlines-politics

[AlCzervik]

10. They are so screwed, my local news covered this the other night, they

were up in Doolittle's very red district and the man on the street was most unhappy with both men.

[underpants]

11. Okay Republicans repeat after me-If you have nothing to hide...

you have nothing to worry about.

Isn't that what you say when privacy and rule of law issues come up?

[WCGreen]

13. Great, UP!!!!!

[chat_noir]

12. more on Hurwitz/Maxxam

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=364&topic_id=79776