DAILY BRIEF: Congressmen Subpoenaed in Bribery Case

[cascadiance]

Source: Conde Nast Portfolio.com

Sep 17 2007 8:01PM EDT

Defense lawyers have subpoenaed several members of Congress, of both parties, to testify in an upcoming trial of one of the men accused of bribing a former California congressman, people close to the House Appropriations Committee told Portfolio.com.

The subpoenas mark a new tactic by lawyers for Poway, California, businessman Brent Wilkes, who has been indicted in two separate cases stemming from an investigation into the bribery of Representative Randy Cunningham, a San Diego Republican.

The subpoenas involve Wilkes' first trial, scheduled to start this month, which relates to his dealings with the now-imprisoned Cunningham. Wilkes was the owner of defense contracting firm ACDS, which obtained lucrative contracts, including intelligence-related contracts, allegedly with behind-the-scenes help from Cunningham in exchange for bribes.

The subpoenas and the names of the House members are due to be made public this evening on the House floor. House rules require such public disclosure if a member or congressional staffer receives a subpoena in a criminal case.

...

Read more: http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/daily-brief/2007/09/17/congressmen-subpoenaed-in-bribery-case

---

Hot off the presses folks! Wonder who these congress critters are! Sounds like we'll be hearing who they are shortly. This was just published this last hour. Maybe Jerry Lewis? Duncan Hunter? Speculations?

[orleans]

1. sorry. dupe. (HI MOM!)

[orleans]

2. let me know when you find out.

here's my wishful thinking: peter king of ny

[cascadiance]

3. Still no news yet...

It seems a bit weird timing that these subpoenas are being issued by Wilkes lawyers just about the same time they got access to the sealed court decision/transcripts of the Kontogiannis case, who was just violating his bail spending time in Greece and on the Riviera on "gubmint business". This all sounds even too strange for a spy novel plot!

[aquart]

4. Really? Tell me more.

Do you think he's in it or you simply want him gone?

[orleans]

6. i just want him gone. check out post 5. the list is in. n/t

[cascadiance]

5. Just IN!!! 9 Republicans, 4 Democrats subpoenaed!

This looks like the list that Brent Wilkes and his legal team want to talk to. It's interesting that Intelligence Committee chair Sylvestre Reyes also had been noting for trying to keep the Cunningham FBI report secret some weeks back too!:

Democrats:
Ike Skelton, D-Mo.
Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas
John P. Murtha, D-Pa.
Norm Dicks, D-Wash.

Republicans:
Duncan Hunter, R-California
Jerry Lewis, R-California
Roy Blunt, R-Mo.
J. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill.
Joe Knollenberg, R-Mich.
Peter Hoekstra, R-Mich.
Darrell Issa, R-California
John T. Doolittle, R-California
Jerry Weller, R-Ill

http://public.cq.com/docs/cqt/news110-000002585644.html

CQ TODAY – CONGRESSIONAL AFFAIRS
Sept. 17, 2007 – 11:17 p.m.
House Members Resist Subpoenas in Case Linked to Cunningham Bribery Scandal
By Alan K. Ota and Toby Eckert, CQ Staff

More than a dozen House members from both parties have been served with subpoenas in the case of defense contractor Brent Wilkes, who is facing charges stemming from the bribery conviction of former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham.

The 13 lawmakers have joined forces behind the scenes to try to fight the wave of subpoenas they have received in recent days from an attorney for Wilkes.

A source familiar with discussions among the lawmakers and lawyers said they were organizing the joint effort on grounds that the subpoenas are overly broad requests for testimony and documents. Mark Geragos, Wilkes’ lawyer, has asked all of them for information related to Wilkes’ trial.

Five of the 13 lawmakers received subpoenas for both documents and testimony: Armed Services Chairman Ike Skelton, D-Mo.; Intelligence Chairman Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas; Duncan Hunter of California, ranking Republican on Armed Services; Defense Appropriations Chairman John P. Murtha, D-Pa.; and Jerry Lewis of California, ranking Republican on Appropriations.

The other lawmakers all received subpoenas that requested only testimony. They included Minority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo.; former House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill.; Michigan Republicans Joe Knollenberg and Intelligence ranking member Peter Hoekstra; California Republicans Darrell Issa and John T. Doolittle; Jerry Weller, R-Ill; and Interior-Environment Appropriations Chairman Norm Dicks, D-Wash.
...

[orleans]

7. thanks. kicking & recommending. n/t

[DemReadingDU]

12. Thanks for the list!

[Demeter]

13. OH GOODIE! HOEKSTRA!

Yes! Let it be damning! Let it be lancing the boil on Michigan's backside! Please, God, let it be the beginning of the end!

[wake.up.america]

8. Duncan Hunter would be a "nice" target of an investigation.

[Skittles]

9. LOL

"he 13 lawmakers have joined forces behind the scenes to try to fight the wave of subpoenas they have received in recent days from an attorney for Wilkes."


THIS is what it takes for Democrats and repukes to work together? :o

[The Doctor.]

10. Well...

at least what it takes to get Republicans to work with Democrats.

Either way, good stuff.

[annabanana]

11. Oh Dear oh dear... WHAT will Corpomedia do now?

How will they ever smear those Rotten Cheatin' Dems and still claim the whole thing is a partisan witch hunt against the poor beleaguered Repugs?

Maybe they'll use some mathematical formula.. "Let's see. . umm... 9 victims, 4 perps...nope, let's not fill the airways with this one.. just a few 3 second spots here and there"

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

14. Fox News Headline: Four Democrats Subpoenaed!

nt

[Fly by night]

15. I nominate Tom Feeney, the voting machine "fixer" of South Florida elections ...

... who Clint Curtis testified about (under oath) as having hired Clint to write the voting machine hacking code (only 24 lines of code, folks) to fix Florida's elections.

The Tom Feeney who still refuses (three years later) to take a lie detector test about Clint's allegations

The Tom Feeney who still has the Abramoff stink all over him

The Tom Feeney who is Jed Bush's ass-hole buddy and the Smirkster's smiling co-conspirator

Yes, that Tom Feeney.

[cascadiance]

16. More links to stories on these subpoenas..

TPM Muckraker just released their writeup on this:

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/004214.php

Wilkes Subpoenas 13 Lawmakers
By Paul Kiel - September 18, 2007, 11:36AM

... (quotes from the AP article linked below)

It's not clear what the method is behind the madness. Wilkes' lawyers didn't respond to the AP's calls and the lawmakers say the subpoena comes out of left field. They also say that they've been advised by the counsel that it would be against House rules for them to comply.

It's a pretty impressive roster Wilkes' is after (9 GOPers, 4 Dems), including House Appropriations defense subcommittee chairman John Murtha (D-PA) and former House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jerry Lewis (R-CA). Some, like Lewis, Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) and Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA), had been reported to be involved with Wilkes. Most of the others have not.

So it's anybody's guess as to what Wilkes' lawyers got cooking. Wilkes came out last year to offer the defense that he didn't bribe lawmakers -- it was the other way around: they shook him down. "Transactional lobbying" (i.e. no free favors) was his phrase for it. Perhaps the subpoenas were part of that defense strategy?

Wilkes' trial for his alleged bribes of Cunningham was originally scheduled for October, but that seems unlikely to happen, meaning that a more likely trial date would be early next year.

In the AP piece these congress critters are "puzzled by the mystery" of them being subpoenaed and aren't intending to comply with them.

Hard to know what might be going on with Wilkes' lawyer Mark Geragos's mind, who I'd thought at one point had dropped out being a lawyer for Wilkes when he was asked to go through a security background check. Could this be a lot of "false flag" subpoenas to mask the ones they really want to have called into court? Will they try to have these court proceedings "sealed" like they did Tom Kontogiannis?

From:
http://www.examiner.com/a-941371~13_lawmakers_say_they_ll_defy_subpoenas_in_bribery_trial.html

3 lawmakers say they'll defy subpoenas in bribery trial

Sep 18, 2007 8:31 AM (28 mins ago)
By ERICA WERNER, AP

WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert of Illinois, House Republican Whip Roy Blunt and 11 other members of Congress have been subpoenaed to testify in the trial of a defense contractor charged with bribing jailed former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham.

All the lawmakers, including Rep. Jerry Weller, R-Ill., said they do not intend to comply with the subpoenas.

The subpoenas were sought by attorneys for contractor Brent Wilkes, who faces a trial in San Diego later this year on more than 30 counts of bribery, fraud, money laundering and conspiracy in connection with his relationship with Cunningham.

Cunningham, a Republican who represented a California district in Congress, is serving an eight-year prison after pleading guilty in 2005 to taking $2.4 million in bribes from Wilkes and others in exchange for millions of dollars in government contracts. As part of his plea deal, Cunningham agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.

...

Other links to this AP story:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-09-18-subpoenas_N.htm
http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_6926994

[defendandprotect]

17. 13 lawmakers subpoenaed in bribery trial

Source: By ERICA WERNER, Associated Press Writer

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13 lawmakers subpoenaed in bribery trial By ERICA WERNER, Associated Press Writer
10 minutes ago



WASHINGTON - Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, House Republican Whip Roy Blunt and 11 other members of Congress have been subpoenaed to testify in the trial of a defense contractor charged with bribing jailed former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham.

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All of the lawmakers said they do not intend to comply with the subpoenas.

The subpoenas were sought by attorneys for contractor Brent Wilkes, who faces a trial in San Diego later this year on more than 30 counts of bribery, fraud, money laundering and conspiracy in connection with his relationship with Cunningham.

Cunningham, a Republican who represented a California district in Congress, is serving an eight-year prison after pleading guilty in 2005 to taking $2.4 million in bribes from Wilkes and others in exchange for millions of dollars in government contracts. As part of his plea deal, Cunningham agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.

Wilkes' attorney, Mark Geragos, did not immediately return messages Tuesday. Some lawmakers declined comment while others issued statements saying they didn't know why they had been subpoenaed and had no information to provide.

"Despite requests for further information from the law firm, we do not know why Mr. Blunt has been issued this subpoena. We have absolutely no information," said Blunt spokeswoman Antonia Ferrier.

"The House counsel has determined that compliance with this subpoena is inconsistent with House rules," she added.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070918/ap_on_go_co/lawmakers_supoenaed

[Stargazer99]

18. Republicans aren't required to respond to a supeona?

It looks like this is a Republican disease....where's the cure?

[rodeodance]

19. 4 Dems are in this group

In addition to Issa, Blunt, R-Mo., and Hastert, R-Ill., Wilkes' attorneys are seeking testimony from:

_Rep. Jerry Weller, R-Ill.

_House Intelligence Committee Chairman Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas.

_House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton, D-Mo.

_House Appropriations defense subcommittee chairman John Murtha, D-Pa.

_California Republican Reps. Duncan Hunter, John Doolittle, and Jerry Lewis. Hunter chaired the Armed Services Committee and Lewis chaired the Appropriations Committee in the last Congress.

_Republicans Reps. Peter Hoekstra and Joe Knollenberg of Michigan. Hoekstra chaired the House Intelligence Committee in the last Congress.

_Democratic Rep. Norm Dicks of Washington.

The subpoenas from U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California were read on the House floor late Monday in accordance with House rules requiring lawmakers to inform the House speaker if they've been subpoenaed.

[cascadiance]

24. I suspect this might explain Reyes and Hoekstra being on this list

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/07/critics-slam-in.html

[PassingFair]

20. Would sure look good if dems complied......n/t

[defendandprotect]

21. Democrats Ike Skelton and John Murtha . . . .

Full list --
but here are the 4 Democrats first --

_House Intelligence Committee Chairman Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas.

_House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton, D-Mo.

_House Appropriations defense subcommittee chairman John Murtha, D-Pa.

_Democratic Rep. Norm Dicks of Washington.

----------------------------


"This subpoena is a mystery," said Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., who represents a district near Cunningham's. "I have no knowledge of information pertaining to the charges pending against Mr. Wilkes that would aid either the defense or the prosecution in this case."

In addition to Issa, Blunt, R-Mo., and Hastert, R-Ill., Wilkes' attorneys are seeking testimony from:

_Rep. Jerry Weller, R-Ill.

_House Intelligence Committee Chairman Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas.

_House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton, D-Mo.

_House Appropriations defense subcommittee chairman John Murtha, D-Pa.

_California Republican Reps. Duncan Hunter, John Doolittle, and Jerry Lewis. Hunter chaired the Armed Services Committee and Lewis chaired the Appropriations Committee in the last Congress.

_Republicans Reps. Peter Hoekstra and Joe Knollenberg of Michigan. Hoekstra chaired the House Intelligence Committee in the last Congress.

_Democratic Rep. Norm Dicks of Washington.

[defendandprotect]

22. And we had that cute little exchange between Skelton & Duncan Hunter last week ---

re "Code Pink" being assholes who pissed him off ---
buddies?

[lonestarnot]

23. And they all plan to FTA.

hhhmmmmf lawmaker - FTA, now there is a contradiction in terms! :toast:

[Dollface]

25. Hoekstra, Knollenberg asked to testify in bribery trial

Source: The Associated Press

Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, House Republican Whip Roy Blunt and 11 other members of Congress have been subpoenaed to testify in the trial of a defense contractor charged with bribing jailed former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham.

All of the lawmakers said they do not intend to comply with the subpoenas.

The subpoenas were sought by attorneys for contractor Brent Wilkes, who faces a trial in San Diego later this year on more than 30 counts of bribery, fraud, money laundering and conspiracy in connection with his relationship with Cunningham.




Read more: http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/michigan/index.ssf?/base/news-46/1190132346276200.xml&storylist=newsmichigan

[Torn_Scorned_Ignored]

26. All of the lawmakers said they do not intend to comply with the subpoenas

Doesn't that mean Jail?
Maybe because their Congressmen/women they don't have to comply with the law?

[Dollface]

27. Silly me. I didn't know they were above the law.

[struggle4progress]

28. Hastert, Weller get subpoenas in bribe case

By Jim Tankersley | Washington Bureau
6:30 PM CDT, September 18, 2007

WASHINGTON - Former Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), Rep. Jerry Weller (R-Ill.) and 11 of their House colleagues are fighting subpoenas to testify in a criminal case linked to disgraced former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham of California.

In addition, Weller has landed on a Washington watchdog group's list of the "22 most corrupt" members of Congress ...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-weller19sep18,1,2134216.story

[bobthedrummer]

29. .

IMPEACH CHENEY FIRST