Congressional Panel To Investigate If Government Was Out To Get Spitzer

[babylonsister]

Congressional Panel To Investigate If Government Was Out To Get Spitzer

Panel Asks How Inquiry Began on Spitzer Banking

By DANNY HAKIM
Published: November 25, 2008


ALBANY — Eight months after a federal investigation into a prostitution ring brought about the downfall of Gov. Eliot Spitzer, the question still persists in some circles: Was the federal government out to get Mr. Spitzer?

No evidence has surfaced to support such an assertion, and investigators have said that politics played no role in their pursuit of Mr. Spitzer. But that has not put to rest suspicions, expressed on left wing blogs, that Mr. Spitzer, a zealous pursuer of Wall Street wrongdoing who some thought could one day be president, had been singled out.

Now, a congressional committee has called for what would be the first public examination of the events that prompted the initial inquiry into his bank transactions, which showed he was sending money to a front company for Emperor’s Club V.I.P.

The House Financial Services Committee intends to take up the matter early next year and tentatively plans to hold hearings that could include testimony from the United States Treasury’s law enforcement unit, along with Mr. Spitzer’s bank, North Fork, and HSBC, a bank used by a company connected to the prostitution service.

“The question was: Why were they looking for this? Is this political retribution?” said Representative Michael E. Capuano, a Massachusetts Democrat and a member of the committee who has been critical of the increased scrutiny of banking transactions, which increased greatly under the passage of the Patriot Act.

more...

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/26/nyregion/26spitzer.html?hp

[Ian David]

1. Subponae Roger Stone. n/t

[Robbien]

2. And after all the investigations and the guilty proven guilty, nothing will happen

No one will be indicted, punished or jailed.

Why investigate if all action ends with just the investigation?

[babylonsister]

3. I keep thinking that has to change. Maybe with more Dems

in the driver's seat? Otherwise, you're right. Why bother.

[Independent_Liberal]

4. Actions speak louder than words.

Right babylonsister. How can we be a nation of laws if we just investigate but don't enforce the laws?

[dixiegrrrrl]

11. Except we had all those Dems in the driver's seat 2006.remember?

remember Pelosi saying how important Dem win was in 2006 so we could solve all those problems and fix all those...unfixed things?
And then the Dems continued to vote whatever the hell Bush wanted?

[babylonsister]

12. A rethug was pretzeldent: that makes a big difference, for starters. nt

[many a good man]

7. We live in the era of "frozen scandal"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=103&topic_id=403649&mesg_id=403649

[VP505]

5. Yep, its sure hard to get excited

about another hearing when nothing seems to come from the ones already held.

[fascisthunter]

6. Oh, he Definitely was....

[camera obscura]

8. Either way... I can't believe he threw all his promise away for a few nights with a hooker.

Guess it's one of those man things I'll never understand.

[Robbien]

9. The use of hookers in the Bush Admin is so prevalent that using them

is the norm, not a risky venture. Hookers are given out as perks by lobbyists to everyone in the government. Abramoff's trial described how hookers were given out as frequently as skybox tickets to sports events. Cunningham's trial said the same thing.

OMB's investigation of Bush Admin credit card use had hookers predominately on the list of the annual $2 billion fraudulent credit card use by government workers.

It is so prevalent in the DC current scene, people there forget it is wrong.

[Cults4Bush]

10. Sure it was, but.....

Its the hypocrisy stupid. At least for me it is.