« previous | MUCK HOME | next »
AP: WH Aide Resigns, WH Refers Case to Justice Department
The White House says an aide to President Bush has resigned because of the alleged misuse of grant money from U.S. Agency for International Development.Presidential spokesman Scott Stanzel says the former aide, Felipe Sixto, had been a special assistant to the president for intergovernmental affairs. Stanzel said Sixto was promoted to that position on March 1 and that he came forward on March 20 to tell his superiors about the alleged wrongdoing.
Stanzel said it involved improprieties involving the use of grant money and Sixto's former employer, the Center for a Free Cuba. Stanzel says the matter has been turned over to the Justice Department.
Update: Frank Calzon, executive director of the Center for A Free Cuba, told me that the center "became aware of the allegations weeks ago, and we informed USAID immediately." He said that the USAID inspector general had been investigating Sixto's possible misuse of the funds. He said he had "no idea" how much money was missing, but that "we're anxious to cooperate in any way shape or form to get to the very bottom of it. We expect that all funds in question will be returned to the American taxpayer."
Sixto has worked at the Center for approximately three years, he said. Sixto joined the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs at the White House in July of last year.
The Center for a Free Cuba describes itself as "an independent, non-partisan institution dedicated to promoting human rights and a transition to democracy and the rule of law on the island."
Update: Here's how Stanzel puts the allegations, according to the AP:
"Mr. Sixto allegedly had a conflict of interest with the use of U.S. AID funds by his former employer," Stanzel said. He said he did not know how much money was involved or the particulars of the allegations.
Comments (17)
Felipe Sixto was also Chief of Staff for the Center for a Free Cuba. With a name like that, you can bet what they are up to:
March 28, 2008 3:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
According to the Center For A Free Cuba's 900s at Guidestar, almost all of its revenue comes from government grants which were approx. $2 million in 2006 and 2005. "Supplies" expense was about $500k.
March 28, 2008 3:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh, so it's fine for the White House to have the DoJ investigate things, but they won't investigate for the Congress. I care a bit more about the actions of people with actual power—Meirs, Bolton, and the rest—than a "special assistant to the president for intergovernmental affairs."
Sixto may or may not have misused funds, but the others have misused the Constitution and the American people.
March 28, 2008 4:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is a strange story. Since when is a little embezzlement a reason to resign Bush's White House?
It will be interesting to learn his political crime, it must have been huge.
March 28, 2008 4:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Exactly my thoughts.
March 30, 2008 2:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
From the 990's here are the government funds that flowed to this organization:
2006 - $2,112,766
2005 - $1,992,817
2004 - $1,476,916
2003 - $1,180,334
2002 - $ 888,152
Here are the contributions and other $ that the organization collected on its own (non-govt):
2006 - $197,000
2005 - $248,548
2004 - $183,765
2003 - $174,570
2002 - $141,927
So over the life of the organization (reported through 2006) it was
Government Funds - $7,650,985
Private Funds - $945,810
(As long as this was accurately reported).
March 28, 2008 4:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
"The Center for a Free Cuba describes itself as "an independent, non-partisan institution dedicated to promoting human rights and a transition to democracy and the rule of law on the island."
Weird. Via
http://www.mediatransparency.org/recipientgrants.php?recipientID=1892
It's been getting grant money from http://www.donner.org/
"The Trustees and Officers of The William H. Donner Foundation have held steadfast to two key philanthropic principles of the founder--acceptance of clearly defined risks and the judicious use of incentive grants to advance thoughtful, creative projects."
March 28, 2008 4:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
Esto huele mal, chico! [= this doesn't smell right]
This center is nothing more than an anti-Castro PAC, whose members are rich Miami Cubans that have given generous contributions to Jeb's and W's respective campaigns hoping that in exchange, they would finally "liberate" Cuba from its opressor, Fidel.
March 28, 2008 4:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
regarding the donner foundation that gave money to the center for a free cuba ... the foundation board of trustees includes curtin winsor jr (and his son)...
he was Reagan/Bush Sr's Ambassador to Costa Rica from 1983 to 1985 ... can you say contra war?
donner foundation sounds like a front/laundry
here's the bio:
Curtin Winsor (jr) was born in Philadelphia, PA on April 28, 1939. He received his B. A. (English Lit.) from Brown University in 1961. His Masters (MA) was received in 1964, in Latin American Area Studies and his Ph.D. degree was in International Studies from the School of International Service of American University, Washington, DC, in 1971. Dr. Winsor was a Research Assistant at the Special Operations Research Office of American University from 1964-67. He entered the career US Foreign Service in February, 1967.
...
Dr. Winsor became Special Assistant to Senator Bob Dole, the Chairman of the Republican National Committee, in June, 1971. He wrote speeches and did issues work for the Chairman and other key Republicans on foreign policy subject. He held this position until May 1973, when he moved to the private sector, as Manager for International Affairs at the Washington Office of the Chase Manhattan Bank. He was a registered representative of the Bank with the US Congress and Executive Branch from 1973 to 1979. At the request of Chase's Chairman, David Rockefeller, he became the Deputy Director of the Alliance for Free Enterprise, a not for profit entity, formed to support free trade and free market issues by David Rockefeller (and US Senator Russell Long), from 1979 to 1983.
Dr. Winsor became one of the early foreign policy advisors to the Presidential Campaign of Ronald Reagan in February of 1980. He was sent as Special Emissary to the Middle East by President-elect Ronald Reagan immediately following the 1980 election. He met with the Chiefs of State of Egypt, Oman and Tunisia in this capacity, and he returned to serve on the Reagan Transition Teams for the Department of State (NEA and OES Bureaus) and AID. He was subsequently offered positions at the beginning of the Reagan presidency, but problems in his own newly formed company initially interfered. When President Reagan subsequently asked Dr. Winsor to serve as US Ambassador to Costa Rica from 1983 to 1985, he was able to serve. His mission was to assist the reform of Costa Rica's then overly static economic structure and to help the country to resist problems arising from the neighboring Communist Sandinista regime in Nicaragua.
March 28, 2008 5:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Friday Resignations!!!
It's my favorite weekly column here at TPM.
March 28, 2008 5:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
"we're anxious to cooperate in any way shape or form to get to the very bottom of it."
Translating from the original Bush-ese:
"we're anxious to make Sixto the fall guy, and make it appear that he acted on his own, so that the full extent of our corrupt activities does not become known."
March 28, 2008 5:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
Looks to me that the "Center For A Free Cuba" spent some of the government money re-propagandizing the Agency that gave it the money...
I'm sure Foley showed everyone a good time.
March 28, 2008 6:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
Translated correctly.
Seriously? We gave someone millions of taxpayers dollars to bash Castro? Why? People already do that for free.
March 28, 2008 6:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
One more reason to get rid of the Balart brothers and Ileana Ross. Let's support Joe Garcia, our first real shot to defeat the repub. in South Florida in a generation.
By the way, Debbie Dubya, why do you support the republicans in the race?
March 28, 2008 6:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
Reaction by Joe Garcia:
"Today's developments underscore the fundamental flaws of a policy designed to win votes in Miami and patronize partisan supporters -- not bring freedom to Cuba.
As I have consistently stated in the past, millions of dollars intended to fuel a democratic change in Cuba are ending up in the hands of Bush/Diaz-Balart cronies and never make it to the island. While some of the funds are being properly used, and the program should continue, it is shameful that Bush/Diaz-Balart sidekicks have used it to take advantage of the generosity of the American taxpayer in order to enrich their friends and political allies.
In 2006, the Bush administration was warned by the Government Accountability Office that federal funds to Cuba were being grossly mismanaged and they did nothing. The GAO uncovered that "USAID's internal controls over the awarding of Cuba program grants and the oversight of grantees do not provide adequate assurance that the grant funds are being used properly or that grantees are in compliance with applicable laws and regulations." The report further detailed instances where the review process for granting awards was never completed. The USAID also failed to follow-up with several award recipients to ensure proper use of the funds.
Presented with this compelling evidence, the Bush administration sat on their hands and allowed taxpayer dollars to be wasted. Accordingly, American policy should require that at least 80% of these funds make it to dissident groups on the island. It's time to move beyond the Bush/Diaz-Balart do-nothing politics of cronyism and corruption."
March 28, 2008 6:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
More found at Dailykos.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/3/28/18154/2724/785/486352
March 28, 2008 6:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Even though the White House turned this over to DOJ, this case screams for a Special Prosecutor. How can DOJ investigate anyone in the White House without assurances of absolutely no political influence or Command influence?
This is just window dressing.
Two months from now... There's nothing here... Move along... LOOK! A SHINY OBJECT!!! A Blonde White Girl is in Trouble!!!
Nothing will happen.
March 31, 2008 9:27 AM | Reply | Permalink