Wall Street Journal: Rep. Young Under Criminal Investigation

[Blue_In_AK]

Source: Anchorage Daily News

U.S. Rep. Don Young is under criminal investigation, the second member of Alaska’s congressional delegation to be part of a federal corruption probe, a newspaper reported.

Young is being investigated for his alleged ties to VECO Corp., the Anchorage-based company whose former top two executives -- including former CEO Bill Allen -- have pleaded guilty to bribing Alaska state lawmakers, the Wall Street Journal, citing anonymous sources, reported on its Web site late Tuesday.

Investigators are trying to determine whether Young or U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens took bribes, illegal gratuities or unreported gifts from VECO, the newspaper reported, citing only “people close to the case.”

<snip>

Meanwhile, the state’s junior senator, Republican Lisa Murkowski, has come under scrutiny by watchdog groups for allegedly benefiting from a questionable land deal. She and her husband purchased a prime piece of property on the banks of the Kenai River at about $100,000 below market price. The land was purchased from the lot’s adjacent neighbor and longtime Murkowski friend, Bob Penney, who also is a friend and a longtime business associate of Stevens.

Penney, who recently testified before a federal grand jury in the Stevens’ investigation, said he was satisfied with the sale to Murkowski and her husband and received three times more than he paid for the property.



Read more: http://www.adn.com/front/story/9161135p-9077742c.html

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It's all coming apart. :)

[villager]

1. couldn't happen to a nicer scumbag

n/t

[brentspeak]

5. That's for sure

:)

[EST]

2. They're trying to be too nice and charm with understatement.

"Investigators are trying to determine whether Young or U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens took bribes, illegal gratuities or unreported gifts from VECO, the newspaper reported, citing only “people close to the case.”"

Those investigators know damn good and well these two are crooks. They are making sure the case is nailed down tight and confirmed six ways to sunday--you don't piss around with a couple of powerful political types and get more than one shot. A crook doesn't just suddenly spring into full fledged crookism, either; there is, no doubt, a long history of corner-cutting and -slick dealing and a bunch of foul smelling ordure to uncover.

I do wish they'd pick up the pace a little, however. I don't do waiting and fidgeting as well as I used to .

[rpannier]

3. The republikkans would have us believe it's another case of criminalizing politics. When it's really

another case of criminals in politics.

[Toots]

4. Is your whole damn state corrupt?

I read earlier that Governor Murkowski is also suspect in this VECO thing. That means all three state representatives, Governor and at least four state legislators with more being investigated. The father Murkowski and the daughter who is a Senator now and the father Stevens and son who was top state senator. I guess corruption is a family value..

[Blue_In_AK]

6. It's what happens when Big Oil takes over your state.

Back during the Pipeline construction days, most of the corruption cases up here were against the Democrats because a very powerful and not always scrupulous Teamsters Union pretty much ran things. Now it's the Republicans' turn because of their ties to Big Oil through Bill Allen and VECO. There's been a dramatic shift here, though. Governor Sarah Palin, although a socially-conservative Republican, ran and won on an ethics platform and as someone outside the "establishment." In fact, she blew the whistle on the corruption of the state Republican Party chairman Randy Ruedrich, big points in her favor, and so far at least she hasn't been heavy-handed about her social beliefs. Diane Benson without any outside help from corporations or the DCCC gained over 40 percent of the votes against Young last year, which was a huge surprise to everyone. And we have heard that Ethan Berkowitz will be running against Ted in 2008 (assuming Ted isn't in jail by then). Ethan was minority leader in the House and also a whistleblower -- he was trying to call attention to the VECO influence in the state legislature long before these indictments came down.

So things are looking up here.