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Bloch Party
Some more detail in this morning's papers on that raid yesterday at the Office of Special Counsel that involved two dozen FBI agents serving subpoenas on 17 employees in a raid that lasted more than five hours. All indications remain that this is a probe focused on Special Counsel Scott Bloch, but Government Executive reports that the scope is surprising:
But OSC employees said the grand jury subpoenas seek a wide range of information that goes beyond Bloch's deletion of computer files or treatment of agency employees.Investigators have demanded all files on OSC's investigation last year into allegations of improper political activity by Lurita Doan, the former head of the General Services Administration, who was forced to resign last week by the White House.
In addition, investigators demanded documents related to OSC's investigation into allegations that Secretary of State Rice used federal resources to travel to campaign appearances supporting President Bush's re-election in 2004. Bloch's office closed the case, finding no violation by Rice.
Oh, and don't forget the towels:
An official present during the raid yesterday said federal agents asked for access to computers and e-mail messages from Bloch and from the mid-level workers who received subpoenas. Investigators also sought credit card receipts, an agency employee said. Some staff members had complained that Bloch used agency funds to buy for his office restroom $400 hand towels decorated with a special OSC seal, according to another person familiar with the raid.
The towels were a legit perk, a spokesman told Justin at ABC:
"Scott, as a presidentially-appointed, Senate-confirmed member of the administration gets an allowance for things," spokesman Jim Mitchell explained. "He paid about $300 for some towels that had the OSC seal on it. He took a couple home, which he paid for himself."





Comments (15)
The fact that Doan high-tailed it a week before the raid is indicative of the potential that the Administration was warned...
I doubt they find anything concrete that fingers WH cabinet officials of Hatch violations.
Wagers?
May 7, 2008 2:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
**This could be Way more interesting than it appears at the moment. I'm gonna keep watching it.
May 7, 2008 2:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Would the General Services Administration be in charge of, oh say, using taxpayer money to back loans for private investors to build golf courses and amusement parks in Baghdad?
May 7, 2008 3:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Now that everything Bloch has touched in the last four years has been sequestered as evidence, I'm sure we'll be able to get to the bottom of this imbroglio in no time at all.
May 7, 2008 3:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
How awesome can those hand towels possibly be? I mean, seriously, I think I'd have to spend a long time searching for a bathroom towel even approaching $100, and that would have to be from 100% organic yak hair hand-knit by tibetan monks fused to some sort of miracle organic Egyptian double fiber eleventy billion thread count cotton.
May 7, 2008 3:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Reminds me of a story a DEA agent friend told me about one of their field office chiefs in Pakistan in the 1970s (so this kind of indulgence has been going on in federal govt for a long time). The guy had an area rug made for his office with a huge DEA seal on it, along with his nickname for himself. I don't recall what the guy's name was, but the nickname was like a play on Lawrence of Arabia, in this case, Joe of Karachi or something like that. Just shows you how stupid and self-important these guys can get, and they look at taxpayer dollars as their own private slush funds for buying whatever exotic and pricey trinkets they feel they deserve.
May 7, 2008 4:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
What is it with neocons and monogrammed towels?
May 7, 2008 4:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wow that's good. Well you know, macho guys with towels and all.... :)
May 7, 2008 5:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
Do we know how many hand towels he bought for $400? Because if it was 50, that's only $8/towel.
May 7, 2008 6:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is only the half of it. This administration is the most secretive in history.
Imagine if George W. Bush had a say in our government until the day he died. Well he does. One of his famous executive orders has given him the right to control what we know about his administration forever!
Read Orders and Acts and Lies. Oh my!
When are these cowards who are supposed to represent us, you know, We The People going to do something for this country? What happened to open government? What happened to our right to know?
If this administration is allowed to get away with this, no matter what happens in the future, America will never be the same.
PssssT....DO SOMETHING!
May 7, 2008 6:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
Can a new president rescind a previous president's executive order?
It seems bizarre and absurd if a president can issue an order it it stays effective for eternity.
Maybe we do have a monarchy here.
May 8, 2008 10:19 AM | Reply | Permalink
I did some surfing and it looks like the going rate for such towels is $25 each plus a one time set up fee of $100 or so.
http://www.logosoftwear.com/customlogofaq.php
The basic towel is less than $5. Its the embroidery that you are paying for.
So $300 buys about 8 towels or 4 towels in each of two sizes.
Seems like embroidered towels are something of a Republican fetish. Giuliani spent NYC taxpayers money on RG monogrammed towels for his love nest, sorry emergency control center. Having a personal monogram takes it a step further of course as they will be useless when the next mayor takes over.
May 7, 2008 9:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
As we say in the South: HOW TACKY!
May 8, 2008 6:43 AM | Reply | Permalink
I am JUST FLABBERGASTED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Imagine all this. . . I hope it's brought to the attention of VP Cheney, so he can be sure that the
"right path is pursued". (The path of the $$$, that is).
May 8, 2008 8:24 AM | Reply | Permalink
Come on! it is clear that it is $400 per towel. Fifty would cost $20,000. But, I would guess you could get some kind of discount.
May 8, 2008 10:34 AM | Reply | Permalink