Shoot The Messenger
November 9th 2009 18:58
A short while ago, a congressional staffer, working for the House Ethics Committee, took home a file containing a list of congressmen and women and House staffers who were being investigated for ethics violations. With the press of a key on her computer, the file was made available to an internet file sharing site where its information became public knowledge. Now, I can understand why the Ethics Committee would want to keep the information secret: the investigations are ongoing, the names listed may or may not be guilty of some crime, others named may be assisting in investigations, etc. On the other hand, as a political voyeur, I am always interested in the miseries and potential miseries of politicians, so this is a good thing. Of course, the Ethics Committee fired the staffer; they shot the messenger.
Depending on which report of the exposure you read, as few as nineteen representatives and as many as thirty-three were being investigated, and as many as eleven staffers were also being investigated. Among the luminaries who are squirming, now that the sun is shining on them, is Democrat Charles Rangel of New York, who attended a Congressional Black Caucus conference during November 2008 at a luxury resort in St. Martin, with the tab being picked up by such corporations as Citigroup, Pfizer, and AT&T. The problem with this is when the Democrats gained control of Congress, they passed a law forbidding private companies from paying for congressional trips. Mr. Rangel is probably thinking that this is the least of his problems, as he attempts to hold on to his chairmanship of the House Ways and Means Committee; Mr. Rangel is also under investigation for, among other things, cobbling together a luxurious apartment suite from multiple rent stabilized apartments in New York City while claiming his Washington, D.C. home as his primary residence for tax purposes (how could he do that and represent Harlem, Spanish Harlem, Washington Heights, Inwood, Morningside Heights, part of the Upper West Side, and part of Astoria?).
How about Democrat Jane Harman of California: she might have agreed to assist an Israeli agent in obtaining leniency for two Israeli lobbyists in exchange for the agent’s help in getting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to name her chairwomen of the intelligence committee. This sounds like an oxymoron.
Then there’s Democrat Maxine Waters of California who is a member of the House Financial Services Committee and who might be under investigation because OneUnited Bank of Massachusetts asked the Treasury Department for $12.1 million from the bank bailout program. What’s the problem? Mrs. Water’s husband holds $250,000 in OneUnited stock. Is this a conflict of interest? I don’t know, but it’s juicy.
Democrat Laura Richardson of California may have failed to disclose property, income and debt on her required financial disclosure form. This doesn’t sound too serious, right, but wait, here’s the juicy part: she might have received a gift from a lender, a rescission of a foreclosure on a property she owned. Lenders don’t usually give congresswomen such gifts without expecting something in return, so the Ethics Committee is investigating.
The leaked file also showed that the Ethics Committee was looking into the machinations of the defunct lobbying firm PMA Group and the campaign contributions it may have given to such congressional luminaries as Democrats John Murtha of Pennsylvania, Peter Visclosky of Indiana, and James Moran of Virginia in exchange for the steering of appropriations to the clients of the firm. It seems that the founder of PMA Group, Paul Magliocchetti was, at one time, a senior staffer for Mr. Murtha on the Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Defense, a subcommittee that Mr. Murtha currently chairs. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, CREW, currently list Mr. Murtha as one of the most corrupt politicians in Washington.
You may have noticed that I only discussed some of the Democrats on the list. Usually, I attack Republican/Conservatives because they are always so self-righteous, which makes them ripe for criticism. Since there are so many Democrats on the list, I thought I would give the Republican/Conservatives a break today, especially after my mocking of the Palininians the other day. But, I know it won’t be long before they give me an opportunity I can’t resist.
Depending on which report of the exposure you read, as few as nineteen representatives and as many as thirty-three were being investigated, and as many as eleven staffers were also being investigated. Among the luminaries who are squirming, now that the sun is shining on them, is Democrat Charles Rangel of New York, who attended a Congressional Black Caucus conference during November 2008 at a luxury resort in St. Martin, with the tab being picked up by such corporations as Citigroup, Pfizer, and AT&T. The problem with this is when the Democrats gained control of Congress, they passed a law forbidding private companies from paying for congressional trips. Mr. Rangel is probably thinking that this is the least of his problems, as he attempts to hold on to his chairmanship of the House Ways and Means Committee; Mr. Rangel is also under investigation for, among other things, cobbling together a luxurious apartment suite from multiple rent stabilized apartments in New York City while claiming his Washington, D.C. home as his primary residence for tax purposes (how could he do that and represent Harlem, Spanish Harlem, Washington Heights, Inwood, Morningside Heights, part of the Upper West Side, and part of Astoria?).
How about Democrat Jane Harman of California: she might have agreed to assist an Israeli agent in obtaining leniency for two Israeli lobbyists in exchange for the agent’s help in getting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to name her chairwomen of the intelligence committee. This sounds like an oxymoron.
Then there’s Democrat Maxine Waters of California who is a member of the House Financial Services Committee and who might be under investigation because OneUnited Bank of Massachusetts asked the Treasury Department for $12.1 million from the bank bailout program. What’s the problem? Mrs. Water’s husband holds $250,000 in OneUnited stock. Is this a conflict of interest? I don’t know, but it’s juicy.
Democrat Laura Richardson of California may have failed to disclose property, income and debt on her required financial disclosure form. This doesn’t sound too serious, right, but wait, here’s the juicy part: she might have received a gift from a lender, a rescission of a foreclosure on a property she owned. Lenders don’t usually give congresswomen such gifts without expecting something in return, so the Ethics Committee is investigating.
The leaked file also showed that the Ethics Committee was looking into the machinations of the defunct lobbying firm PMA Group and the campaign contributions it may have given to such congressional luminaries as Democrats John Murtha of Pennsylvania, Peter Visclosky of Indiana, and James Moran of Virginia in exchange for the steering of appropriations to the clients of the firm. It seems that the founder of PMA Group, Paul Magliocchetti was, at one time, a senior staffer for Mr. Murtha on the Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Defense, a subcommittee that Mr. Murtha currently chairs. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, CREW, currently list Mr. Murtha as one of the most corrupt politicians in Washington.
You may have noticed that I only discussed some of the Democrats on the list. Usually, I attack Republican/Conservatives because they are always so self-righteous, which makes them ripe for criticism. Since there are so many Democrats on the list, I thought I would give the Republican/Conservatives a break today, especially after my mocking of the Palininians the other day. But, I know it won’t be long before they give me an opportunity I can’t resist.
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