Senator demands resignation of HUD Secretary for 'don't like Bush' dispute

[kpete]

Senator demands resignation of Housing Secretary after 'don't like Bush' dispute

RAW STORY
Published: Tuesday May 9, 2006

Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) called on President Bush to ask for the immediate resignation of the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Alphonso Jackson if a report about government contracts being awarded based on the contractor's opinion of President Bush are accurate, RAW STORY has learned.

The article that reported the Secretary’s comments below can be found here: http://dallas.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/2006/05/08/story1.html

After discussing the huge strides the agency has made in doing business with minority-owned companies, Jackson relayed a conversation he had with a prospective advertising contractor.

"He had made every effort to get a contract with HUD for 10 years," Jackson said of the prospective contractor. "He made a heck of a proposal and was on the (General Services Administration) list, so we selected him. He came to see me and thank me for selecting him. Then he said something ... he said, 'I have a problem with your president.'

"I said, 'What do you mean?' He said, 'I don't like President Bush.' I thought to myself, 'Brother, you have a disconnect -- the president is elected, I was selected. You wouldn't be getting the contract unless I was sitting here. If you have a problem with the president, don't tell the secretary.'

"He didn't get the contract," Jackson continued. "Why should I reward someone who doesn't like the president, so they can use funds to try to campaign against the president? Logic says they don't get the contract. That's the way I believe."

“If Secretary Jackson really said this, then President Bush should ask for his resignation. Government contracts must be based on merit, not on political favoritism,” Lautenberg said in a release.

http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Senator_demands_resignation_of_Housing_Secretary_0509.html

Update to add:

Jackson’s conduct appears to be in violation of federal law. From the Federal Acquisition Regulations, 48 CFR 3.101-1: http://acquisition.gov/comp/far/current/html/Subpart%203_1.html#wp1139245

Government business shall be conducted in a manner above reproach and, except as authorized by statute or regulation, with complete impartiality and with preferential treatment for none. Transactions relating to the expenditure of public funds require the highest degree of public trust and an impeccable standard of conduct.

more at:
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/05/09/jackson-canceled-contract/

[BrklynLiberal]

1. Jackson bragged about it because he knew there would be no price to pay.

[ProfessorGAC]

6. Maybe True 2 Years Ago. The Winds Have Changed Direction

Or haven't you noticed the heads rolling in the administration. Admiteedly, they're grasping at straws, because Goss or McLellan, et al, or hardly the real problem. But, even they are running scared, and every piece of bad PR is the last thing they need. I think the HUDSec is done!
The Professor

[BrklynLiberal]

10. Hope you are right, but whomever * puts in there will be just as bad.

[MissWaverly]

2. Kick to the Greatest Page

funny, they don't turn anyone down who's a democrat when they're loading the planes for Iraq,
ain't it funny!

[babylonsister]

3. Good. That's no way to do business. If the contractor was

qualified, his political persuasions shouldn't matter. Lautenberg-tryin' to keep 'em honest!

[stillcool]

4. can't these people be sued....

..like every last one of them? I think we should file a 'class-action' suit against the federal government...wrongful life..or something.

[noamnety]

5. it's not just political favoritism

If he's awarding contracts based on the probability of getting campaign funds, we should use the word kickbacks, no?

[The Backlash Cometh]

7. It's only fair. It's time for Republicans to make amends.

[SeattleGirl]

8. One more disgusting -- but not surprising -- example of the

ugliness of this administration.

[yellerpup]

9. Lautenberg has guts.

Still, we would probably never heard about it if Jackson hadn't snitched on himself.

[Polemicist]

11. Jackson is a tool of the elite....

I work in the housing industry and deal with HUD on a regular basis. Jackson and his predecessor, Mel Martinez have worked hard to reward top Republican allies both with contracts as well as favorable new rules and regulations.

They are most certainly the enemy of the small businessman and tools of huge banking and real estate interests. And they are both dishonest, duplicitous, and operate with mendacity.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

12. K & R. This Is Pretty Telling Stuff. No Way In Hell Should Contracts

be denied for such a reason. If this is true (which of course it is), then it absolutely needs to be investigated and resignation demanded. That's my senator, I'm proud of him. I hope he keeps up the pressure on this.

[kpete]

13. Rep. Waxman and Rep. Frank Call for Full Investigation

A second release:

Rep. Waxman and Rep. Frank Call for Full Investigation Into HUD Contracting Under Secretary Jackson

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today Rep. Henry A. Waxman and Rep. Barney Frank called for a full investigation of all HUD contracting decisions during the tenure of Secretary Alphonso Jackson. In a letter to Secretary Jackson, they demanded all documents related to the advertising contract discussed in his April 28 speech as well as contracts he was involved with during his time at HUD.

"The Bush Administration has a track record of rewarding its friends and ignoring the rules," said Rep. Waxman, Ranking Member of the House Government Reform Committee. "The government has no right to blatantly withhold contracts simply because an American citizen dislikes the President. This raises new questions about the integrity and judgment of the Bush Administration."

"Politics has no place in the awarding of federal contracts. If the report in the Dallas Business Journal is accurate - and it is a highly respected publication - then President Bush must repudiate these comments, reverse HUD's course and assure the American people that politics plays no role in the government contracting process," said Rep. Frank, Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee.

more at:
http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Senator_demands_resignation_of_Housing_Secretary_0509.html

[Canuckistanian]

14. That picture always give me the willies

Jackson beaming away, unaware that he's being totally humilated, and that bizarre expression on Shrub's face - like he's getting wood or something.

Ew.

[tanyev]

15. Jackson looks like he's enjoying it.

Double ew.