At Least 11 Members of Congress Now Under Investigation

[maddezmom]

At Least 11 Members of Congress Now Under Investigation
Submitted by Elliott Fullmer on Thu, 05/03/2007 - 15:47.
Topics: democracy | U.S. Congress | U.S. government
While Congress has been busy dealing with issues such as the Iraq War, the U.S. attorney firings controversy, and the federal minimum wage this year, some members have had their attention diverted by legal problems. By our count, eleven members of Congress (and ten former members who departed with the 109th Congress) are currently the subject of an ongoing criminal investigation. Over the past few weeks, new details have emerged in several of these cases. Here’s a quick rundown of the latest info (with the appropriate background):

Rep. John Doolittle (R-Calif.) is under investigation by the Justice Department for his ties to convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff. In past years, Doolittle accepted large amounts of campaign contributions from Abramoff, allegedly aided Abramoff’s tribal clients in dealings with the Interior Department, and also helped the lobbyist win a contract from the Northern Mariana Islands by endorsing a politician there. In addition, Doolittle's wife, Julie, was paid a retainer by Abramoff for event planning services from 2002 to 2004. In 2004, Julie Doolittle was subpoenaed for documents in connection with the probe. Last month, the FBI raided John and Julie Doolittle's Northern Virginia home, seizing materials related to Sierra Dominion Financial Solutions Inc. (Julie's firm). John Doolittle resigned from the House Appropriations Committee days later.

Rep. Tom Feeney (R-Fla.) has been mentioned multiple times in court documents filed by the Justice Department as "Representative #3" in the criminal investigation of Mark Zachares, a former congressional aide to Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) and lobbyist who, last month, pleaded guilty to accepting tens of thousands of dollars in gifts from Jack Abramoff. The FBI recently asked Feeney for information about his dealings with Abramoff as part of its ongoing investigation into the lobbyist. Feeney is one of three House members who previously accompanied Abramoff to Scotland on golfing trips — the others being convicted former Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) and indicted former Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas). In January 2007, the House announced that Feeney had violated chamber rules by allowing Abramoff to pay for the trip.

Rep. Gary Miller (R-Calif.) is under investigation by the Justice Department for his real estate transactions. In 2000, Miller appeared at a Monrovia, California city council meeting to lobby city officials to purchase 165 acres of his land in order to convert it into a wilderness preserve. In 2002, Miller sold the land to the city, earning a profit of over $10 million. The money earned from the land deal was then subject to both federal and state taxes, at a 31% rate. Miller, however, told the IRS and the state of California that Monrovia had forced him to sell the property under the threat of eminent domain. This, in his view, allowed him to shelter the profits from capital gains taxes for more than two years before having to reinvest the money. Miller had previously claimed the same exemption in two Fontana, California property transactions. Several months ago, Monrovia officials claimed that Miller sold the land willingly and that the congressman had not been forced to sell.

more:http://www.prwatch.org/node/6013

and from the Bush Administration:

Some recent incidents:

_ World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz, one of the architects of the Iraq war as deputy defense secretary, acknowledged he erred in helping a female friend he is dating to get transferred to a high-paying job at the State Department while remaining on the World Bank payroll. The revelations fueled calls from the bank's staff association for him to resign.

_ Matteo Fontana, a Department of Education official who oversaw the student loan industry, was put on leave after disclosure that he owned at least $100,000 worth of stock in a student loan company.

_ Lurita Doan, head of the General Services Administration, attended a luncheon at the agency earlier this year with other top GSA political appointees at which Scott Jennings, a top Rove aide, gave a PowerPoint demonstration on how to help Republican candidates in 2008. A congressional committee is investigating whether the remarks violated a federal law that restricts executive-branch employees from using their positions for political purposes.

_ Julie MacDonald, who oversees the Fish and Wildlife Service but has no academic background in biology, overrode recommendations of agency scientists about how to protect endangered species and improperly leaked internal information to private groups, the Interior Department's inspector general said.

~snip~

For instance, Philip Cooney, a former oil-industry lobbyist who became chief of staff for the White House Council on Environmental Quality, acknowledged to a House committee last month that he edited three government reports to eliminate or downplay links between greenhouse gases and global warming - and defended the changes. He left the government in 2005 to work for Exxon Mobil Corp. (nyse: XOM - news - people )

Former Air Force procurement officer Darleen Druyun served nine months in prison in 2005 for violating conflict-of-interest rules after agreeing to lease Boeing (nyse: BA - news - people ) refueling tankers for $23 billion, despite Pentagon studies showing the tankers were unnecessary. After making the deal, she quit the government to join Boeing.

Scooter Libby, former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, became the first high-level White House official to be indicted while in office in more than 100 years.

more:http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/04/22/ap3638689.html

[maddezmom]

1. TPMuckrackers List

The Muckraker's Reference Section

Below you'll find entries to explain the involvement of the various players in the widening array of national corruption scandals. We've done our best to concisely explain, with little or no commentary, why certain names keep cropping up. It's just the facts.

The entries will be updated as the investigations, along with ours and others' muckraking, proceed. The list isn't exhaustive, and no doubt we'll be adding entries as readers request them. Does some name keep cropping up in these stories and you have no idea why? Let us know, and we'll explain.

The U.S. Attorney Firings Scandal:

Kyle Sampson
Monica Goodling
Paul McNulty
William Moschella
Michael Elston
J. Scott Jennings
Harriet Miers
William Kelley


The Duke Cunningham Investigation:

Duke Cunningham
Brent Wilkes
Kyle "Dusty" Foggo
Mitchell Wade
Rep. Virgil Goode (R-VA)
Rep. Katherine Harris (R-FL)
Thomas Kontogiannis
Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA)
Jeffrey Shockey


more:http://tpmmuckraker.com/reference.php

[Demeter]

4. Thanks for the Reference, That Was Very Helpful!

In other words, round up the ones wearing flag lapel pins....

[Old and In the Way]

2. One Big Happy Crime Family

How was this issue addressed by Mr. Hardball in the debates? Just long enough for Duncan Hunter* to say, "Democrats do it too." Well done Chris, now, let's talk about Clinton's in our White House....

*I'm so looking forward to Mr. Hunter having to drop out of the campaign to spend more time with his defense lawyers....

[maddezmom]

3. how has he escaped the Cunningham controversy?

Cunningham case only hints at extent of rot

December 8, 2005

The recent resignation of Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Rancho Santa Fe, has focused the spotlight once again on the reprehensible ways that defense contractors work with lawmakers to win fat contracts for their services, whether they help the nation's defense or not.

Cunningham's bribe-taking was repulsive. But one of the biggest problems in contractors' and congressmen's mutual back-scratching isn't Duke-style corruption. It is what's perfectly legal.

This was underlined by the Union-Tribune article, "Contractor a master of gaining political access," by Dean Calbreath and Jerry Kammer. It detailed how Cunningham and House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter, R-El Cajon, worked closely with two local companies – ADCS Inc. of Poway and Audre Inc. of Rancho Bernardo – to make the Pentagon pay for converting printed documents to computer files. They and a few other lawmakers got Congress to allocate $190 million for "automated data conversion" projects from 1993 to 2001.

Did the Pentagon want this "help"? No. As a 1994 General Accounting Office report noted, it already had the tools for such work.

But Cunningham, Hunter and their House allies didn't care. Audre and ADCS were generous with contributions – and ADCS executive Brent Wilkes allegedly was bribing Cunningham. No matter who griped, lawmakers could always add "earmarks" for pet projects to bills and get their way.

more; http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20051208/news_lz1ed08top.html:

[progressoid]

5. 3 Democrats......18 Republicans

• Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.)
  
  
• Rep. John Doolittle (R-Calif.)
  
• Rep. Tom Feeney (R-Fla.)
  
• Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.)
  
• Rep. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.)
  
• Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.)
  
• Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.)
  
• Rep. Gary Miller (R-Calif.)
  
• Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-W.V.)
  
• Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Pa.)
  
• Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.)
  
  
• Former Rep. Bob Beauprez (R-Colo.)
  
• Former Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.)
  
• Former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham (R-Calif.)
  
• Former Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas)
  
• Former Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.)
  
• Former Rep. Jim Gibbons (R-Nev.)
  
• Former Rep. Katherine Harris (R-Fla.)
  
• Former Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.)
  
• Former Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio)
  
• Former Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.)

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Members_of_Congress_under_investigation

Sure am glad they brought integrity back to Washington

[maddezmom]

6. TPM had a tip that JD Hayworth might be on someone's list

hope it is true

[POAS]

9. Which proves

a vast left wing conspiracy!

:sarcasm:

[maddezmom]

7. Paper trail links D.C. think tank to 'slush fund'

Paper trail links D.C. think tank to 'slush fund'

Mark K. Matthews | Washington Bureau
Posted May 5, 2007

WASHINGTON -- When U.S. Rep. Tom Feeney first told Congress about a 2003 golf junket he took with lobbyist Jack Abramoff, the Oviedo Republican named a conservative think tank called the National Center for Public Policy Research as the trip's sponsor.

In the years since -- and as recently as January -- the think tank's directors said it played no role in the Scotland visit.

But congressional records show a direct link between the Washington-based policy group and a foundation identified by Senate investigators as Abramoff's personal "slush fund" that he used to evade taxes and lavish luxuries on his friends on Capitol Hill.

Financial statements show that the National Center for Public Policy Research gave $450,000 to Abramoff's Capital Athletic Foundation in 2002 and $250,000 in 2003.

The NCPPR was nothing more than a "front organization" for Abramoff, who was one of its officers until 2004, according to an October minority report from Democrats on the Senate Finance committee.

more:http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-feeney0507may05,0,2548020.story?track=rss

[maddezmom]

8. Ex-aide could be liability for Rep. Doolittle

Ex-aide could be liability for Rep. Doolittle
What Kevin Ring tells prosecutors may determine lawmaker's fate


Updated: 12:39 p.m. ET May 4, 2007
WASHINGTON - As California GOP Rep. John Doolittle awaits prosecutors' next move in the Jack Abramoff influence-peddling scandal, his future is tied to that of a former aide who also worked with Abramoff.

Kevin Ring, Doolittle's one-time legislative director, quit his lobbying job last month, the same day FBI agents raided Doolittle's Virginia home. They had a search warrant for a fundraising business run there by Doolittle's wife, Julie, that had done work for Abramoff's firm.

Doolittle said Thursday he understands his wife's work might be under scrutiny.


That's the issue, apparently, that Julie didn't do any real work ... their theory seems to be that she's a conduit," Doolittle told reporters. "And there's clear evidence that disproves that."

The Abramoff connection
Ring, a 36-year-old married father of two, figures prominently in his former boss' connections to Abramoff, a friend of Doolittle's who gave the congressman campaign cash and use of his sports box. Doolittle, who has denied wrongdoing, tried to advance the agendas of Abramoff's clients both in Congress and with the Bush administration.

What Ring tells prosecutors could determine Doolittle's fate.

more:http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18489328/

[maddezmom]

10. Young aide's link to Abramoff sheds new light on Marianas bill (Zachares)

Young aide's link to Abramoff sheds new light on Marianas bill

By RICHARD MAUER
Anchorage Daily News

Published: April 29, 2007
Last Modified: April 30, 2007 at 05:45 PM

The guilty plea last week by a former senior committee aide to Rep. Don Young sheds new light on the circumstances surrounding Young’s success seven years ago in blocking reforms of the sweatshop industry on the Mariana Islands.


But the plea also raises new questions about why Young, R-Alaska, took the actions he did.

Former Alaskan Mark Zachares, a Mariana Islands official when Young blocked the reforms, admitted Tuesday that he later conspired to illegally use his official position on the House Transportation Committee to enrich disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, once the lobbyist for the island commonwealth.

Zachares admitted engaging in the conspiracy for nearly four years - including more than two years under the noses of Young, the committee chairman, and the committee’s chief of staff, former Alaska state Sen. Lloyd Jones, a long-term Young aide from Ketchikan.

more:http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/8838800p-8739449c.html

[maddezmom]

11. Robert Coughlin Senior Justice Dept. official resigns amid Abramoff probea( Kevin Ring)

Senior Justice Dept. official resigns amid Abramoff probe

WASHINGTON — A senior Justice Department official has resigned after coming under scrutiny in the department's expanding investigation of convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff, according to federal law enforcement officials with knowledge of the case.

Making the situation more awkward for the embattled Justice Department, Robert Coughlin was deputy chief of staff for the criminal division, which is overseeing the department's probe of Abramoff.

Spokesman Bryan Sierra said Coughlin had recused himself from the Abramoff investigation and "played no role in any aspect of the investigation during his tenure in the criminal division."

Coughlin stepped down effective April 6 as investigators in Coughlin's own division escalated their investigation of lobbyist Kevin Ring, Coughlin's longtime friend and a key associate of Abramoff.

Coughlin held two senior staff positions at Justice while Ring was lobbying the department on behalf of Abramoff's clients.

more:http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/politics/4757360.html

[maddezmom]

12. Abramoff's Go-To Earmarker..Zachares( Young, Delay, etc)

How the recent indictment of a congressional staffer connects Congressman Don Young with Washington's most famous crooked lobbyist.
By Sarah Posner
Web Exclusive: 05.03.07

Print Friendly | Email Article

Another casualty in l'affaire Abramoff emerged last week when a little-known former congressional staffer, Mark Zachares, pleaded guilty to conspiring to obtain government favors in exchange for a golfing trip to Scotland, a ride on a Gulfstream jet, other entertainment, and prospective employment by the lobbyist. The favors Jack Abramoff sought in return included, among other things, "federal support for a multi-million dollar highway development project benefiting a businessman." At the time Abramoff sought that particular favor, Zachares worked for the House Transportation Committee, whose chair, Republican Don Young of Alaska, notoriously lavished his own state with $450 million worth of earmarks for two "bridges to nowhere." The Zachares guilty plea, which a spokesperson for Young said the congressman would have no comment on, sheds new light on the connections between the king of pork and the fallen king of K Street.

Zachares, "the go-to guy on Alaska issues for the transportation committee," met Abramoff in the 1990s when he served in the government of the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands (CNMI), where Abramoff represented sweatshop interests. At the time, Young chaired the House Resources Committee, which oversaw matters relating to U.S. territories like the CNMI, and was Abramoff's willing accomplice in preventing any labor and immigration reforms from becoming law. Under the supervision of the Committee's then-counsel and chief investigator, Duane Gibson -- who in 2002 went to work for Abramoff -- Young's committee blocked legislation that would have regulated Abramoff's sweatshop clients in the Western Pacific.

Throughout 1997, Abramoff's subordinates regularly met with or spoke to Gibson. Gibson traveled to the CNMI capital, Saipan, in late 1997, one of many junkets that Abramoff bragged would ensure that CNMI has "many friends on the Appropriations Committees in the Congress." Island government officials were assured by Tom DeLay that he had convinced Young to "back off" of reform legislation for the CNMI. Young also supported the DeLay/Abramoff-backed candidate to be speaker of the CNMI House in 1999. In an open-letter advertisement in the Saipan Tribune, paid for by his campaign, Young wrote that CNMI Governor Benigno R. Fitial's "efforts to cut taxes across the board for businesses and individuals are right in line with the national Republican Party's goals." Fitial later recalled an Abramoff-arranged meeting with Young during an official CNMI delegation visit to Washington in April 2000, during which Young promised that he could block a Senate measure to raise the minimum wage in the Resources Committee.

In addition to blocking the reform legislation, according to several congressional sources, Young's committee interfered in federal government lawsuits against Republican allies under the guise of the Committee's oversight responsibilities and conducted DeLay-ordered political witchhunts of Clinton Administration officials, including Interior Department official Allen Stayman, who was targeted by Abramoff for his support of sweatshop reform.

more:http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewWeb&articleId=12741

[maddezmom]

13. L.Coyote're research thread from GD

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=831278&mesg_id=831278

[maddezmom]

14. Rep. Doolittle hits back at feds over home search

Rep. Doolittle hits back at feds over home search
Source: FresnoBee

GOP Rep. John Doolittle accused the government Sunday of leaking word of an FBI search on his home to coincide with Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' Senate testimony on the fired U.S. attorneys controversy.

Doolittle, who's under scrutiny in the Jack Abramoff influence peddling scandal, made the allegation in an op-ed published in the Auburn Journal in his Northern California district.

FBI agents executed a search warrant on Doolittle's home in Virginia on Friday April 13. News of the search became public on Wednesday April 18, and Gonzales appeared before a Senate committee on April 19.

"I do not believe it was a coincidence that the leak came the day before Attorney General Alberto Gonzales testified before Congress on charges that his office was overly partisan in its firing of eight U.S. Attorneys," wrote Doolittle, "especially considering Gonzales specifically cited his recent prosecution of Republican members of Congress as evidence to the contrary."

A spokesman for the Justice Department did not immediately respond to a voicemail message seeking comment. FBI spokesman Richard Kolko declined comment.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2836496

[RedEarth]

15. KR

[maddezmom]

16. Patricia Poe(wife of Jason Poe)Chief of Staff Drops Role as Renzi's Top Fundraiser

Renzi’s Chief of Staff Drops Role as Congressman’s Top Fundraiser
By Rachel Van Dongen
Roll Call Staff
May 8, 2007

Patricia Roe, Rep. Rick Renzi’s (R-Ariz.) chief of staff, has quit her fundraising duties for the lawmaker to spend more time concentrating on her Congressional job while her boss is engulfed in legal troubles.

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/52_121/news/18375-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS

Patricia Roe, Rep. Rick Renzi’s (R-AZ) chief of staff, has quit her fundraising duties for the lawmaker to spend more time concentrating on her Congressional job while her boss is engulfed in legal troubles.” Roe’s husband, Jason, who was formerly the chief of staff to Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL), also recently resigned from the campaign of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/05/08/thinkfast-may-8-2007/

[maddezmom]

17. Foggo: CIA former No.3 man asks for separate trial

CIA former No.3 man asks for separate trial

By: WILLIAM FINN BENNETT - Staff Writer

Attorneys for the CIA's former No. 3 official have asked a San Diego federal court judge to sever his case from that of his childhood friend, Poway defense contractor Brent Wilkes, and to transfer their client's legal proceedings to Washington.

Kyle "Dusty" Foggo and Wilkes were indicted by a San Diego federal grand jury in February on charges of fraud, conspiracy and illegal money transfers -- charges that stem from the investigation that sent former 50th Congressional District Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham to prison in early 2006.

Foggo, who grew up with Wilkes in the San Diego area, allegedly used his position to funnel lucrative government contracts to Wilkes and supply inside information to help him land millions of dollars in defense business for his Poway-based ADCS Inc., according to the indictment.


In addition to the indictment against Wilkes and Foggo, a separate indictment filed against Wilkes charges him with bribing Cunningham with lavish vacations, money and evenings with prostitutes to win lucrative defense contracts.

more:http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/05/03/news/top_stories/1_03_245_2_07.txt

[maddezmom]

18. Prosecutors say Wilkes, Foggo trial should remain here

Prosecutors say Wilkes, Foggo trial should remain here
Source: Union-Tribune

May 8, 2007

DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO – Prosecutors in the federal corruption case against former Poway defense contractor Brent Wilkes and his friend, ex-CIA official Kyle “Dusty” Foggo, filed documents yesterday rejecting defense arguments to split the case in two and move the Foggo trial to Washington.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Phil Halpern said lawyers for Foggo were mistaken when they claimed that most of Foggo's alleged crimes occurred in Washington, and that he had been unfairly linked to sensational allegations of bribery leveled at Wilkes and disgraced ex-Congressman Randy “Duke” Cunningham.

“The heart of the conspiracy remains in San Diego and the relevant events related to the conspiracy took place in myriad of locations around the country and the world, but most of all in San Diego,” Halpern wrote.

A grand jury in San Diego issued two indictments in February. One charges Wilkes and Foggo with conspiracy, money laundering and honest services fraud. The government said Foggo used his influence at the CIA to direct $1.7 million in business deals to Wilkes, who in turn lavished Foggo with gifts, expensive dinners, trips to Scotland and Hawaii, and promises of high-paying future employment, the government alleged.



http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2839633&mesg_id=2839633

[maddezmom]

19. Feds wanted an admission of guilt, Doolittle says

Feds wanted an admission of guilt, Doolittle says
By David Whitney - Washington Bureau
Published 2:54 pm PDT Wednesday, May 9, 2007

WASHINGTON - Rep. John Doolittle said Wednesday that the Justice Department tried to get him to admit to criminal behavior before agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation raided his house looking for evidence in connection with the Jack Abramoff political corruption scandal.

In a 40-minute interview with Tom Sullivan on KFBK radio in Sacramento, the Roseville Republican said that "as a result of my refusal to admit to a crime I did not commit, the government searched our house in what we believe was little more than an attempt to intimidate and pressure us."

The interview ratchets up Doolittle's effort launched over the weekend to turn the tables on the Justice Department, bringing in for the first time his wife Julie, who has been largely silent during the three-year investigation that started with a subpoena for her business records.

Julie Doolittle said she was not a "patsy" who allowed her company, Sierra Dominion Financial Solutions, to be a conduit for Abramoff money intended to buy the influence of her husband on Capitol Hill.

"This isn't a fly-by-night business I am involved in," she declared. "It's real."

But she said the FBI has questioned each of her clients, whose names she has not publicly disclosed. "They have effectively ruined my business," she said.

more:http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/173577.html

[maddezmom]

24. Transcript: The Doolittles talk with Tom Sullivan

~snip~

Sullivan - In this, I think it's pretty dicey and it's from my standpoint a gamble. I presume you're getting advice from some people that say you should do this and others saying you should not, but what you are saying is that you are accusing the attorney general of playing politics by using you to make himself look like he's fair and balanced.

John Doolittle - Well, Tom, I'm not accusing any specific person, and indeed the attorney general himself may have no knowledge of this, that's entirely possible, but I do believe as I said in the article that it was no coincidence that the so-called raid quote unquote on our house, which was a search warrant executed during the day time. They knocked on the door, and Julie opened the door. So, you know, I don't think that would constitute a raid as we might understand the term in television, you know, where people have their guns drawn and are breaking into the house. But, nevertheless, that did occur, and the timing I think was suspicious given the fact that the hearing that the attorney general testified at in the Senate Judiciary Committee was just a couple days, well, it was several days after the -

Sullivan - Wasn't it supposed to be that day except for the shootings at Virginia Tech, the attorney general was supposed to go that day or the day next, and it was postponed just a couple of days. But what you're suggesting, though, John, is that in order to keep some cover from being accused of firing U.S. attorneys because of the fact that they were investigating Republicans, that he thought he better go find some Republicans to investigate so it looks like he is equal and fair?

John Doolittle - I am saying it was no coincidence that the search occurred and that they, I believe, leaked it to the media and that that news came out just two days before the hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Sullivan - All right, and you're suggesting this not only for yourself but also there are others that are in similar straits, it looks like. One of them is a congressman, Rick Renzi from Arizona, who is a Republican, who also had his place raided by the FBI either the same day or about the same day just the day before (Attorney General Alberto) Gonzales was to appear before the Senate panel.

more:http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/174074.html

[maddezmom]

20. Wilkes-Foggo leak probe unneeded, prosecutor says

May 9, 2007

DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO – Allegations that the federal government leaked secret grand jury information to the media before indictments were issued against Brent Wilkes and Kyle “Dusty” Foggo are under investigation by the Justice Department.


AdvertisementThat means a request by defense attorneys for a separate investigation is moot, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Forge stated in documents filed in federal court late Monday.
Forge was responding to motions by the defense urging the judge to dismiss the case against Wilkes, based on leaks. The prosecutor wrote that the request should be denied because it is “bereft of evidence to establish that the alleged violations substantially influenced the grand jury's decision to indict him.”

The indictments against Wilkes, a former Poway defense contractor, and Foggo, the former third-highest-ranking CIA official, stem from former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham's bribery scandal.

A grand jury in San Diego issued two indictments Feb. 13. One charges Wilkes with 25 counts of conspiracy, fraud, money laundering and bribing an official. The document details $700,000 in gifts Wilkes allegedly bestowed on Cunningham, from prostitution services to luxury vacations, so the Rancho Santa Fe Republican would steer $100 million in federal government contracts toward Wilkes' flagship company, Poway-based ADCS Inc.

more:http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/20070509-9999-7m9wilkes.html

[maddezmom]

21. Alaska Newsreader on Sen ted Stevens and Alaska Fisheries Marketing Board

Another day, another pile of news about the corruption probe. No earthquakes as on Friday and Monday, but lots of news bits from here and there. Let’s sort ’em out:


> The Capitol Hill publication Roll Call (paid subscription or via archive services like Nexis) reports that Sen. Ted Stevens has dropped his support for the Alaska Fisheries Marketing Board, the program he created that’s funneled more than $100 million in federal money to the seafood industry. The story says Stevens believes continuing funding “will be almost impossible given the current anti-earmark environment on the Hill.” His son, former state Sen. Ben Stevens, once chaired the board, and some of the money went to groups with ties to him and his ex-business partner (and former Ted Stevens aide) Trevor McCabe.


Citing anonymous sources, the story says the program “has become a key element” in the FBI’s corruption probe. The story also reports this: Nearly $300,000 went to the Alaska-based dog-treat company Arctic Paws, “owned by Brett Gibson and his brother Duane Gibson, a former top aide to both Stevens and (U.S. Rep. Don) Young who left Young’s shop in 2002 to join now-incarcerated lobbyist Jack Abramoff at (lobbying firm) Greenberg Traurig.”

http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/newsreader/story/8868154p-8768838c.html

[maddezmom]

23. FBI in Alaska closing in on Ben Stevens

FBI in Alaska closing in on Ben Stevens
May 9, 2007
By Dennis Zaki - With the indictments of Bill Allen and Rick Smith, the CEO and vice-president of VECO, and the arrests of four Alaska legislators, it is now just a matter of time before ex-Senate president Ben Stevens is arrested and exposed for what he is, a co-conspirator, and professional bribe-taker.


Veco's bribes of $243,250 to Stevens between 2002 and 2006 documented in charges against Allen precisely match the amount Stevens reported on his financial disclosures as consulting income to his company, Ben Stevens and Associates.

"Although Allen and Veco characterized these payments … as being for consulting services (to Ben Stevens), Allen acknowledges that in actuality the payments … were in exchange for giving advice, lobbying colleagues, and taking official acts in matters before the legislature," the FBI said in a statement when Bill Allen was indicted.

Stevens, the son of yet-to-be-indicted Senator Ted Stevens, has also pocketed over $659,000 in illicit funds from the At-Sea Processors Association (APA) and other fisheries companies to serve as a "consultant" between 2000 and 2005. The APA, the Alaska Fisheries Marketing Board, and Senator Ted Stevens are all currently under FBI and IRS investigation.

more:http://www.alaskareport.com/z45886.htm

[maddezmom]

28. Slow switch to electronic filing mars legislative ethics overhaul

Slow switch to electronic filing mars legislative ethics overhaul
By Dermot Cole
Staff Writer
Published May 11, 2007


LIMITED ACCESS: After a pair of VECO executives admitted they had lavished money and other favors on state legislators, I called the Alaska Public Offices Commission to get the financial disclosure form filed by former state Senate President Ben Stevens after he left office.

I wanted to see how much money he reported receiving last year from VECO and compare the statistic with the plea agreements by Bill Allen and Rick Smith. They said they had paid a senator as a consultant, but gave him no consulting work to speak of. Allen said that the unnamed “Senator B” was asked to “use his official position” to advocate or kill legislation favored by VECO.

The financial disclosure form for Stevens is a public document, but it is not available anywhere in Fairbanks. The same goes for the financial reports filed by other state officials.

It’s true that the APOC office in Anchorage promptly faxed the 13-page Stevens document to me when I asked, along with a bill for $3.25.

more:http://newsminer.com/2007/05/11/6951

[L. Coyote]

22. kick to the top

[maddezmom]

25. New charges filed against former top CIA official, defense contractor (Foggo and Wilkes)

New charges filed against former top CIA official, defense contractor (Foggo and Wilkes)
Source: Associated Press

New charges filed against former top CIA official, defense contractor

Published: May 11, 2007

SAN DIEGO: New charges have been filed alleging that the CIA's
former No. 3 official used his influence in that role to support a
proposed $100 million (€74.15 million) government contract for his
best friend, a defense contractor, in return for lavish vacations,
private jet flights and a lucrative job offer.

The indictment, returned Thursday by a federal grand jury in San
Diego, supersedes charges brought in February against career CIA
man Kyle "Dusty" Foggo and defense contractor Brent Wilkes. The
charges grew from the bribery scandal that landed former U.S.
Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham in prison.


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2843035&mesg_id=2843035

[maddezmom]

26. Conservative blogger attacks GOP leaders over appointment(Calvert for Doolittle)

WASHINGTON A conservative blog is criticizing House Republican leaders for filling a committee post vacated by Congressman John Doolittle, who is under an ethics investigation, with another lawmaker with ethics concerns.

RedState-dot-com is urging readers to complain about the appointment of Congressman Ken Calvert to the House Appropriations Committee, otherwise G-O-P leaders "will not take us seriously."

A year ago, an F-B-I agent pulled copies of Calvert's annual financial disclosure forms following a Los Angeles Times article questioning federal funding Calvert got for a planned freeway interchange 16 miles from property he sold for a large profit.

more:http://www.ktvn.com/Global/story.asp?S=6505416

[maddezmom]

27. Calvert defends record after attack from blog

Calvert defends record after attack from blog
By Jackie Kucinich
May 11, 2007
Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.) defended his record in Congress and again denied allegations of ethical impropriety after a conservative blog Friday called for a grassroots effort to force GOP leaders to rescind their decision to place Calvert on the powerful Appropriations Committee.

The House Republican Conference Thursday ratified Calvert as its choice to replace Rep. John Doolittle (R-Calif.) on Appropriations, even though the lawmaker faced stiff opposition from conference members concerned that ethics allegations against him could hurt the party.


“This week my colleagues gave me a welcome opportunity to refute the allegations made against me in a scurrilous 2006 Los Angeles Times story,” Calvert said in his own entry on the www.redstate.com blog. “I’m proud to have done so in an open and thorough fashion, and I write today to do the same for Red State readers.”

Erick Erickson, the editor of the blog, which is popular with conservatives, declared “war” on the House GOP leadership following its decision to appoint Calvert to the panel.

“The House Republican Leadership just does not get it and they will not take us seriously until we flex our muscle against them,” Erickson wrote. “We must fight the House GOP and we must fight today.


more:http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/calvert-defends-record-after-attack-from-blog-2007-05-11.html

[Demeter]

29. What Do You Call Any # of Republicans Under Investigation?

A good start, but not yet enough!

[maddezmom]

30. TPMuckracker: Gov. Gibbons, a Friend To Defense Contractors and a Gentleman

By Laura McGann - May 18, 2007, 12:05 PM
Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons (R) has had a few brushes with the law recently over vacationing with defense contractors and grabbing a woman in a parking garage. Now that federal investigators are bearing down on him over an alleged cash-for-contracts scheme, Gibbons is likely to remain in the limelight.

Federal investigators are probing former Republican House member Gibbons’ involvement with the tiny Nevada software company eTreppid Technologies. Gibbons admits he opened doors for the company, which has secured millions of dollars in defense contracts. Gibbons has, in some instances, called gifts from eTreppid appropriate because of his longtime friendship with the company's owner Warren Trepp. Other times Gibbons has denied accepting lavish gifts. Gibbons and Trepp lived the high life together at least once on a Caribbean cruise, of which there are photos, but it's unclear who picked up the tab. At a minimum, Gibbons has accepted $100,000 in campaign contributions from Trepp, according to disclosure records.

Trepp’s company nabbed at least a few “black-budget” contracts, which are those kept off the publicly-available Congressional budget because of their sensitive nature. Gibbons may have helped the company secure a $100 million contract last year for work with the U.S. Special Operations Command in Tampa, Fla. eTreppid got another black-budget contract, for $3 million, to provide “target-recognition technology,” able to identify objects from streaming video. The technology would likely be beneficial in satellite surveillance.

The corruption allegations against Gibbons surfaced after a former eTreppid employee, Dennis Montgomery, sued the company saying they are wrongfully using software he created. Montgomery has given the press photos from the Caribbean cruise where, in one shot, Gibbons cradles two women and smiles along with the other nine around him. Gibbons’ wife was on the cruise, but it is unclear if she is one of the 11 women in the photo. Montgomery has said he saw his former boss give Gibbons $100,000 in cash and casino chips on the same trip.

more:http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/003247.php

[maddezmom]

31. Feds Eye Stevens Home Remodeling Project

Feds Eye Stevens Home Remodeling Project
Source: Anchorage Daily News

The FBI and a federal grand jury have been investigating an extensive remodeling project at U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens' home in Girdwood that involved the top executive of Veco Corp. in the hiring of at least one of the key contractors.

Three contractors who worked on the project said in recent interviews with the Daily News that the FBI asked them to turn over their records from the job. One said he was called to testify about the project before a federal grand jury in Anchorage in December.

The remodeling work, which more than doubled the size of the house, occurred in the summer and fall of 2000. The four-bedroom home, about two blocks from the day lodge parking lot at the Alyeska ski resort, is Stevens' official residence in Alaska.

An old friend of Stevens in Girdwood, longtime Double Musky restaurant owner Bob Persons, has been questioned by the FBI about the project. He monitored the remodeling for Stevens and his wife while they were in Washington, D.C. "I will be testifying. That's all I can tell you," Persons said in a brief interview last week. "It is an ongoing investigation that I'm not supposed to talk to or see anybody about it."

<snip>


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2862078

[maddezmom]

35. TPMuckracker: Sen. Stevens Denies Search of Home and Office

By Laura McGann - May 31, 2007, 4:15 PM
What did the FBI search in the tiny Alaska town of Girdwood last summer? The mystery continues.

A spokesman for Sen. Ted Stevens’ (R-AK) told me today it wasn’t his boss’ home or office -- two favored guesses.

Stevens has been tightlipped in the FBI’s broad probe into oil company Veco Corp.’s dealings with Alaska state and federal lawmakers. But today his office opened up slightly. Stevens’ spokesman Aaron Saunders denied a raid of Stevens' home or office and sent me a copy of this local television story with the following portions underlined:

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/003326.php

[maddezmom]

32. Doan’s fate up to president

Doan’s fate up to president
By DANIEL FRIEDMAN
May 28, 2007
President Bush will decide whether to fire General Services Administration chief Lurita Doan in the wake of a new finding that she violated the Hatch Act.
Special Counsel Scott Bloch found Doan in “serious violation” of the law and accused Doan of lying to deliberately mislead investigators.
Bloch will recommend Bush take “appropriate disciplinary action.” Typically the penalty for such violations is removal from office. The president is not required to comply with the recommendation.
So far, the White House has declined to defend Doan even as it goes to bat for other embattled administration officials such as Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. A White House spokeswoman said May 23 that she would have no comment until the president officially receives the report, which was completed May 18.

But the Hatch Act violation is not Doan’s only concern.
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry Waxman announced plans to hold a June 7 hearing to look into the OSC findings. In a May 24 letter to Doan, Waxman blasted demeaning remarks Doan made to investigators about subordinates at GSA who were called to testify in the Hatch Act probe. Doan is quoted in the Office of the Special Counsel (OSC) investigation report as saying the GSA officials who discussed her case were poor performers who were biased against her.

more:http://federaltimes.com/index.php?S=2786524

[maddezmom]

33. Republicans fear fallout from new ethics probes

Updated: 12:02 p.m. ET May 31, 2007
WASHINGTON - A half dozen federal investigations into the activities of Republican lawmakers are raising new worries for GOP leaders who hope to regain the House majority they lost last fall.

In recent weeks, two veteran Republicans surrendered prominent committee seats after FBI agents raided the offices of family businesses. Others have long-running investigations hanging over them. Some conservative activists are criticizing the party's handling of the matters.

Democrats say at least six GOP House members are under some degree of Justice Department scrutiny, although Republicans question whether all the inquiries are active.

more:http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18957105/

[maddezmom]

34. New charges against Tom Noe

New charges against Tom NoeWTVG--May 31, 2007 - The Ohio Elections Commission has recommended prosecutors go after Tom Noe with new charges. These charges allege Noe illegally funneled campaigning money to state candidates.

The case is based largely on an article The Blade published last September in which Sue Metzger, Noe's former executive assistant, said she funneled $5,000 Noe gave her to state candidates.
Using the article, the election commission made allegations against Noe that happened in October of last year. Hearings on the case were delayed until today and in that time, the Commissions Chief Attorney says Noe never answered questions about the allegations.

Phil Richter says, "He was given the time to deny these allegations. No denial was ever submitted, and so the commission had the ability to consider the failure to deny as an admission, and the commission did."

more:http://abclocal.go.com/wtvg/story?section=local&id=5357114

[maddezmom]

36. Miller tightens rules on aid requests

Miller tightens rules on aid requests
By Mark Petix Staff Writer
Article Launched: 05/24/2007 11:39:21 PM PDT


Reacting to what he calls "unfounded allegations in the press that I have used my office to benefit certain individuals or private business," Rep. Gary Miller said Thursday he has adopted a strict new rule for cities or counties who come to him seeking federal aid.

"From this point forward," he wrote in a letter to the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, "any city or county submitting an appropriations request to my office will be required to certify in writing that the request is for the benefit of the community and not the specific benefit of any individual, organization or business entity."

In early 2005, the San Dimas Republican recommended adding three provisions to a transportation bill that would have benefited projects proposed by real estate developer Lewis Operating Corp.

In those same months, Miller, who ran for re-election unopposed, took $8,100 in campaign contributions from top executives at Lewis.

Lewis Corp. Executive Vice President Randall Lewis has defended the company's relationship as proper and ethical.

Miller said he has been above board in his dealings and was within legal and ethical boundaries in both his business and political life.

more:http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/health/ci_5982732

[maddezmom]

37. Rep. Young raises national eyebrows for earmarked money

Rep. Young raises national eyebrows for earmarked money



by Megan Baldino
Thursday, June 7, 2007

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The road is thousands of miles from Alaska: Interstate 75 near Estero, Florida. Yet a proposed interchange here at Coconut Road is causing Alaska Rep. Don Young some trouble. Young appropriated $10 million for the project in a 2006 transportation bill. He also accepted campaign contributions from an investor who stands to gain if the interchange is built. He is real estate developer Daniel Aronoff.

Today young denied any wrongdoing.

"This is old news. When you are the chairman of the largest committee in the U.S. House and a senior member and in charge of writing a $290-odd billion bill, it's a guarantee that you are going to be raising more money than other less senior members. It's also a guarantee that there will be a plethora of projects for people to look at and pick apart," said Young, R-Alaska.

Young is no longer the chair of the powerful Transportation Committee.

Yet two years after the earmark, many who live and represent that area say they never asked for the money.

http://www.ktuu.com/global/story.asp?s=6629913

[maddezmom]

38. Double trouble for Alaska congressmen

Double trouble for Alaska congressmen
Published: June 7, 2007 at 1:03 PM
WASHINGTON, June 7 (UPI) -- Two Republican congressmen from Alaska are dealing with fallout over earmarks and a donor they have in common -- energy company executive Bill J. Allen.
U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, told The Washington Post that the FBI has asked him to "preserve records" for an investigation into possible corruption involving Allen, one of the senator's biggest supporters.

Stevens said he is complying with the FBI request.

Allen, a former director of Veco Corp., and an unnamed company executive pleaded guilty in May to bribing Alaska legislators. The executives wanted passage of legislation funding a natural gas pipeline. Veco stood to gain "billions of dollars," the newspaper said.

more:http://www.washingtontimes.com/upi/20070607-115418-9288

[maddezmom]

39. Fundraiser pleads guilty in lobby probe

Fundraiser pleads guilty in lobby probe
By JOHN HEILPRIN - Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON --Italia Federici, an ally of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, pleaded guilty Friday to tax evasion and obstructing a Senate investigation into the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal.

Federici's plea was part of a deal with the Justice Department that two people close to the case said could lead investigators to officials in Congress and the Bush administration.

Federici served as a go-between for Abramoff, who currently is in prison, and J. Steven Griles, a deputy Interior secretary who also has pleaded guilty to lying to Senate investigators.

In court Friday, Federici acknowledged lying about this relationship when she testified before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, which in 2005 was investigating Abramoff's dealings with the Interior Department.

http://www.centredaily.com/news/politics/story/119552.html

[maddezmom]

40. Feeney sets up legal fund amid Justice inquiry

Feeney sets up legal fund amid Justice inquiry
Mark K. Matthews | Washington Bureau
June 23, 2007

WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. Tom Feeney has established a legal-defense fund to pay costs relating to an ongoing Justice Department inquiry into his ties with convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

"Department of Justice lawyers and our lawyers have been speaking. We will cooperate," the Oviedo Republican said Friday in a brief interview. He again denied that he is the target of a federal probe.

When asked why he established the fund, Feeney said he was being cautious and that money raised through the account would be used to "demonstrate conclusively that I always have acted with honesty and integrity."

Establishment of the fund -- the papers were signed Wednesday -- is the latest evidence that investigators are continuing to scrutinize the third-term congressman's dealings with Abramoff, the disgraced lobbyist who made a practice of wining, dining and flying members of Congress to curry favor with them on behalf of his clients.


more;http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-feeney2307jun23,0,4287626.story?track=rss

[maddezmom]

41. Clouds — Not Storm Warnings — Enter Forecast for Alaska's Stevens and Young

Published: June 21, 2007
Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens and the state’s sole U.S. House member Don Young, both Republicans, have dominated their elections, and have done so over an extraordinary length of time. Stevens was first elected in 1970 after receiving a Senate appointment in 1968 — a tenure that in April made him the chamber’s longest-serving Republican ever. Young was first sent to the House in a 1973 special election.

But the 83-year-old Stevens, a former chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and the 74-year-old Young, who has chaired both what is now the House Natural Resources Committee and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, head into their planned 2008 re-election campaign under unusual clouds of controversy, stemming largely from their ties to a company that is at the center of a corruption scandal involving the Alaska legislature.

So the Alaska Democratic Party paid the Hays Research Group to include questions about the political standing of Stevens and Young in its monthly “Opinion Counts” survey of Alaska residents.


more:
http://www.nytimes.com/cq/2007/06/21/cq_2933.html

[maddezmom]

42. Prosecutors Press for Prison Time for Interior Official Caught Up in Abramoff Scandal (Griles)

Prosecutors Press for Prison Time for Interior Official Caught Up in Abramoff Scandal
Emma Schwartz
Legal Times
June 25, 2007

Printer-friendly Email this Article Reprints & Permissions

Jack Abramoff had a problem. It was September 2003, and a film crew was shooting "National Treasure" at the Navy Memorial, located next to what was then Abramoff's restaurant, Signatures.

The crew's trailers and equipment were lined up near the building, and Abramoff, at his zenith as a big-time lobbyist with Greenberg Traurig, was concerned that they were blocking his valet parking area. This could be bad for business, but the crew, which had a permit from the National Park Service, refused to budge.

So Abramoff called J. Steven Griles, and within hours the deputy secretary for the Department of the Interior had the park service tell the film crew to move. "I have already chatted with Griles and am all over their asses," Abramoff e-mailed a colleague that night.

It wasn't the only time Abramoff asked Griles for help, prosecutors say, which is why they are pushing for prison time when Huvelle sentences Griles on Tuesday.

Griles, 59, pleaded guilty in March to lying to the Senate about his ties to Abramoff, who is now serving time in a federal prison in Maryland for his illegal lobbying activities. Under the sentencing guidelines, Griles faces 10 to 16 months in prison, but the Justice Department is asking for the lower end of the range, with the time split between prison and home confinement. That isn't low enough for Griles. His lawyers are asking for probation, three months' home confinement, 500 hours of community service and a fine.


more:http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1182503159069&rss=newswire

[maddezmom]

43. Ex-Doolittle aide provides records in federal probe

Ex-Doolittle aide provides records in federal probe
By David Whitney - Bee Washington Bureau

David Lopez, a former chief of staff to U.S. Rep. John Doolittle, last year turned over campaign finance records to federal officials investigating the lawmaker's ties to imprisoned lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Lopez's lawyer, Bill Portanova, said Monday that Lopez complied with "a couple of" federal subpoenas asking for documents. He said his client has no reason to believe that Doolittle did anything illegal and that Lopez has not been engaged in extensive conversations with Department of Justice officials.

"They are talking to as many people as they can," he said, referring to former Doolittle aides. "Due diligence is being done by the Department of Justice to do the typical investigation of allegations."

Portanova said Lopez is not a focus of the investigation: "He's just a person who worked in the office."

Lopez, who left his job as Doolittle's chief of staff in early 2005, had served in the post since Doolittle's election to the House of Representatives in 1990. He now works as director of stewardship and parish administration for Holy Trinity Parish, a Catholic church in El Dorado Hills.

more:http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/241795.html