It occurs to me that I should, when the opportunity presents itself, point out excellent but little known an underutilized resources on the Web that can help bring transparency and accountability to Congress. Given that congressional travel seems to still be a rich vein of potentially unethical behavior -- see Rep. Alan Mollohan's latest trouble (chronicled here thanks to The Influence Peddler) and reference to the special interest-sponsored Hawaiian vacations favored by Rep. Hal Rogers here -- I'd be lax in not pointing out the Power Trips database put together by MarketPlace, American RadioWorks and students from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.
Continue readingVolz Factual Proffer
Oy Ney! If you're a congressman you don't want to read something like this on a Monday. Here's a link to the Neil Volz Factual Proffer (courtesy TPM Document Collection), which provides an incredibly detailed account of what Abramoff, Scanlon, and company provided to Bob Ney (R-OH) in exchange for favorable action and legislation. If I were Bob Ney I could only feel that this is the Worst. Monday. Ever.
Continue readingMSNBC: Foggo Gone:
MSNBC just reported that K. Dusty Foggo, the number three man at the CIA, has resigned. From Raw Story:
Foggo's resignation was reported Monday on MSNBC. The email, which the network did not provide, allegedly stated that in light of CIA Director Porter Goss's departure, Foggo is stepping down.UPDATE: Foggo's resignation is no longer limited to internal CIA emails. The Associated Press just reported that Foggo has resigned and that the FBI is investigating Foggo for improperly awarding contracts to Brent Wilkes (who is also accused of bribing Duke Cunningham).
The FBI recently opened its own probe of Foggo, a longtime and close friend of Wilkes, the official said, speaking only on condition of anonymity because the investigation is under way. ... FBI agents also have been looking into whether Wilkes supplied Cunningham with prostitutes, limousines and hotel suites. Foggo sometimes attended poker parties at the hotel rooms, but he said there was nothing untoward about his presence.Josh Marshall previously blogged about this FBI investigation. Continue reading
In Blog Daylight:
- Nico at Think Progress writes about the importance of "Nine Fingers". For those who haven't been following the Cunningham/Wilkes/Prostitution scandal as close as others "Nine Fingers" is a CIA agent who attended the infamous poker parties that Wilkes threw at the Watergate and Westin hotels. These poker games are alleged to have turned into hooker parties.
- Also at Think Progress, Judd writes that Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) inserted a provision into a Defense Appropriations bill that was written by the vaccine industry. The provision "granted vaccine manufactures near-total immunity for injuries or deaths (even in cases of “gross negligence”) caused by their drugs during a viral pandemic, such as an outbreak of the avian flu." The vaccine industry's lobbyist was none other than Hastert's son, Joshua Hastert.
- Raw Story picks up a Roll Call story that shows more trouble for Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-WV). Taking trips to Spain paid for by non-profits that you created and then funnelled millions of dollars in federal earmarks to while receiving campaign contributions from the directors of said non-profits is bound to raise some eyebrows.
Except For All the Others
Via InstaPundit, a timely reminder that corruption isn't limited to the United States, or to democracy, the worst form of government except for all the others...
Continue readingFoggo Expected to Fall:
Brian Ross and Richard Esposito of ABC News are reporting that K. Dusty Foggo, the Executive Director of the CIA is expected to resign soon. Foggo has been the subject of an internal CIA investigation regarding his role in the Duke Cunningham bribery/contracting scandal. Foggo is also known to have attended late night poker games thrown by defense contractor Brent Wilkes - referred to as co-conspirator #1 in the Cunningham plea deal - which allegedly led to even later nights with prostitutes. Foggo is an old friend of Wilkes and was handpicked by the recently resigned Porter Goss to be the number three man at the CIA. For details on Foggo, Wilkes, and the scandal I would check out Laura Rozen's blog, War and Piece.
Continue readingBigger Picture, Bigger Problem
Russ Baker, writing for TomPaine.com, makes what I think is the crucial point when it comes to tales of congressional corruption: It's not just an individual problem, it's an institutional one:
No matter how big the affair grows, though, it is likely to follow in the path of so many of its predecessors—distracting public attention from a larger and more important reality: Today, “the largest corruption scandal in a century” is not WatergateGate—it is the everyday performance of the U.S. government. The worst sleaze in Washington is mainly legal... Continue reading
Does Aloha Mean “Earmark” Too?
The National Taxpayer's Union is calling for scrutiny of an earmark that awarded a Homeland Security contract:
ALEXANDRIA, Va., May 4 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of its ongoing effort to ensure the best value for the money Americans send to Washington, the 350,000- member National Taxpayers Union (NTU) today urged Congress to scrutinize a legislative earmark inserted by Representative Harold Rogers (R-KY) into the 2006 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations Law. The provision would give an untested consortium responsibility for a major homeland security program under the auspices of a contract that was not competitively-awarded.The beneficiaries of the eamrark are, according to NTU, a company called Daon--the firm is privately held--and the American Association of Airport Executives. Continue reading
The Untouchables
The hottest talk around Washington these days is all about the Democrats’ chances of taking back control of Congress in the 2006 elections. Republicans are understandably nervous at the prospect, especially as the President’s approval ratings continue their long, slow slide. Some Democrats are downright giddy.
Both sides seem to have locked on the image of post-election Washington that would emerge if the Democrats won control: a non-stop cavalcade of congressional investigations into Iraq, oil prices, pharmaceutical costs – you name it. All of this, of course, is seen as prologue to the 2008 presidential contest.
Continue readingCongressman: The Process Will Be Abused:
Matt Stoller catches telecom industry stockholder Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI) accidentally speaking the truth. From the Austin American Statesman:
The lawmakers admit their goal is not to pass definitive legislation in public in the coming weeks. Instead, they want to pass separate bills, regardless of how different they may be. The final version would be negotiated, largely in private, by about a dozen senators and representatives on a conference committee. The Senate just needs to pass "anything to get us into conference," where the real decisions will be made, House telecommunications subcommittee chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., said Tuesday at a telecom forum hosted by National Journal's Technology Daily.Emphasis added. This is a complete abuse of the conference process and for Upton to just say this out loud is outrageous. Or as Stoller puts it, "Pretty brazen". Continue reading
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