Ethics cloud over California Republicans

Source: AP

WASHINGTON - Hollywood party girls don't have a monopoly on trouble in California. A disproportionate number of the state's congressional Republicans are facing ethics questions that threaten to sink their careers and their party's political fortunes too.

Of 201 House Republicans, at least six are known to have attracted the attention of federal investigators — and four are from California. Their woes come in the wake of the lurid corruption scandal that sent ex-GOP Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham of San Diego to prison last year for taking $2.4 million in bribes.

~snip

"When your seat is so safe that you're not concerned about perception, you become too wedded to Washington and you lose touch with your constituency, and you lose touch with your real purpose," said Karen Hanretty, a Republican strategist and former California Republican Party spokeswoman.

Rep. John Doolittle (news, bio, voting record), a nine-term Northern California conservative under investigation in the influence-peddling scandal around jailed GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff, has his own theory about why federal corruption investigations seem to be concentrated in California.

"I think it's part of this manufactured culture of corruption that the Democrats have come up with and they decided to, given what's happened with Duke Cunningham, they decided that California Republicans on the Appropriations Committee would be a great place to start," said Doolittle, who plans to seek re-election next year.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070609/ap_on_go_co/california_congress

"I think it's part of this manufactured culture of corruption that the Democrats have come up with...." --Rep. John Doolittle

Oh, right, he's a Republican! ("Delusion" is thy name.)

And you're right, it is a typical delusional remark from a typical Republican criminal. There are so many of them now.

He still came real close to losing.

I know that was a stretch, but maybe he could be defeated next time. The winner would probably be one-term though...

He will NOT win next time, we are starting grass roots campaigns now. Charlie Brown is already making appearances throughout the district. We are going after that seat with a vengence!

he's despicable! even the constituents that voted him in want him out now!

http://www.texaskaos.com

Remember, the greatest conspiracy is that there is no conspiracy.

It is always about money. And a quick gestalt view of the scandal will make it easier to see.

So let's follow a couple money trails, and why Carole Lam would have been fired:

Trail 1
Defense Funds ->
Rep. Duke Cunningham ->
Brent Wilkes ->
Wilkes Corporation ->
Perfect Wave Technologies ->
Texans for a Republican Majority ->
Tom DeLay ->
Republican National Committee ->
Abramoff's 60
(including Texas candidates, this trail was exposed because they stupidly sent the check for the same exact amount back and forth. Nice.)

Trail 2 (loopy style!)

Defense Funds ->
Rep. Duke Cunningham ->
Brent Wilkes ->
Wilkes Corporation ->
Perfect Wave Technologies ->
Alexander Strategy Group ->
Christine DeLay ->
Rep. Duke Cunningham ->
Navy Contract (Defense Funds ->
Rep. Duke Cunningham ->
Brent Wilkes ->
Wilkes Corporation ->
Perfect Wave Technologies ->
Alexander Strategy Group ->
Christine DeLay ->
Rep. Duke Cunningham ->
Navy Contract (Defense Funds) ->
(repeat force feedback loop till exposed, side feed over flow to RNC)
(This trail was exposed because of antics in Trail 1)

A trail less traveled will also include MZM Inc.

At the end of the day, bad. But while we go after Fredo, the fact that defense funds in a time of war were cleverly laundered into the campaign coffers of Republican candidates is the true story.

So as long Alberto maintains himself as the center of the controversy, I am with President Bush, he is doing his job. Because can you imagine the wrath of the American people if they found out we are short on money for the war because the Republicans have been filtering said defense funds to get themselves re-elected to, well, filter yet more defense funds?

That is why Carol Lam was fired, with the others to add cover, because this is one the worst scandals in American political history, double whammyed by the fact it was done in the time of war.

Google the above for your references, it is all out there, plain as day, but we couldn't see the forest because of the trees.
<snip>

IN PLAIN SIGHT!

There's a bunch of important info posted at the link below.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=853813&mesg_id=872228

:rofl: :woohoo: :rofl:

http://www.beyonddelay.org/report

The 20 Most Corrupt Members of Congress
Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT)
Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN)
Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA)
Rep. Roy Blunt (R-MO)
Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA)
Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA)
Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL)
Rep. Katherine Harris (R-FL)
Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA)
Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA)
Rep. Gary Miller (R-CA)
Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-WV)
Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R-CO)
Rep. Richard Pombo (R-CA)
Rep. Rick Renzi (R-AZ)
Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX)
Rep. John Sweeney (R-NY)
Rep. Charles Taylor (R-NC)
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA)
Rep. Curt Weldon (R-PA)

Over the course of the 109th Congress, the issue of congressional ethics has taken on new resonance. Where questionable conduct was once shrugged off as “business as usual,” now both the public and the press are demanding greater accountability from members of Congress. An August 2006 Harris poll shows that 77% of Americans have a negative view of Congress and while a May 2006 Gallup poll indicates that 83% of Americans consider corruption a serious issue, and 64% believe that dealing with corruption should be a high priority for Congress.

In the last two years, the careers of three members have ended as a result of corruption: former Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) has been indicted in Texas and is facing possible federal indictment in the Jack Abramoff scandal; Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham is now serving an eight-year jail term for bribery though the federal probe into his activities remains open and may yet encompass other members of Congress; and Rep. Bob Ney has agreed to plead to guilty to crimes that will likely result in a minimum two-year prison term. In addition, several other members, including Reps. William Jefferson, Alan Mollohan and Jerry Lewis, and Sens. Conrad Burns and Bill Frist are also under federal investigation.

...more...

Ousted
Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT) (by Jon Tester)
Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) (by Bob Casey, Jr.)
Rep. Richard Pombo (R-CA) (by Jerry McNerney)
Rep. John Sweeney (R-NY) (by Kirsten Gillibrand)
Rep. Charles Taylor (R-NC) (by Heath Shuler)
Rep. Curt Weldon (R-PA) (by Joe Sestak)

Replaced
Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN) (Unfortunately, Bob Corker took his spot)
Rep. Katherine Harris (R-FL) (Unfortunately, Vern Buchanan took her spot)

Still in the House
Rep. Roy Blunt (R-MO)
Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA)
Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA)
Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL)
Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA)
Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA)
Rep. Gary Miller (R-CA)
Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-WV)
Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R-CO)
Rep. Rick Renzi (R-AZ)
Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX)
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA)

ol' Jerry Lewis' lobbyist Brent Wilkes was indicted along with his college sweetheart Kyle Dusty Foggo (former #3 @ CIA)the day before the US Attorney Carol Lam was forced to resign. And that another US Attorney Debra Yang resigned and went to work at the law firm representing Lewis.

they have history here, they do...

Diane Feinstein passed millions of dollars in military contracts to her husband while she was on the Senate Subcommittee on Military Construction Appropriations and all her actions while on that committee, now suspect, should be investigated.

Speaker Pelosi, already found guilty of wrongdoing in 2003 for campaign finance fraud for which she paid a menial fine, should also be investigated for her role in the Presidio Partners, Hunters Point Redevelopment and any and all other real estate scams in which she has been involved.

"Last November, the American people spoke clearly for change in the way business is done in Washington. They demanded not just high ethical standards, but also transparency, disclosure, and accountability to make these standards effective." - Nancy Pelosi

Both women have given the appearance of wrongdoing and that is enough cause for a thorough and complete investigation of their actions in keeping with Speaker Pelosi's dictum for high ethical standards, transparency, disclosure, and accountability.

Until you acknowledge the VAST number of your party that is part of the corruption machine, your complaints about Democrats fall on deaf ears.

This article still doesn't even discuss FAR more well-placed rumors about other California Republicans that also should be investigated! Duncan Hunter for his house assessment/payout scheme as well as the very same money and relationships with Brent Wilkes and the MZM money machine that Cunningham was. Brian Bilbray for his scheme to be declared a California resident which was investigated by a Grand Jury, and others.

So see ya!

We do not tolerate these kinds of posts. Beat it.