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Petition Seeking Pardon For Cunningham Has Just 13 Signatures After Three Years
The clock's running out on the Bush administration, which leaves just 56 days for the president to wipe criminal slates clean. Former California GOP congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham officially filed for a presidential pardon back in July, but sympathy for the man one author dubbed the "most corrupt congressman in history" appears pretty lackluster.
We noticed that there are only 13 signatures on an online petition designed to demonstrate public support for a pardon, even though it was posted nearly three years ago -- just two days after Cunningham pleaded guilty to accepting more than $2.4 million in bribes.
The 66-year-old, who has a history of prostate cancer, was later sentenced to 100 months in prison.
Fred Johnson III is listed as the organizer of the petition. Mr. Johnson did not respond to an e-mail, sent through the petition site, asking for his thoughts on Cunningham's odds. We'll settle for yours.
Josh
Zachary
Unfortunately Duke Cunningham is just the kind of sleaze ball we can expect "presient" bush to let off the hook. Afterall he's a repignican, crooked as a snake, and is great at generating money for the party. Those are enough reasons for bush to pardon Cunningham.
November 25, 2008 2:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
If "Mickey Mouse" signs the Duke's petition, can we then accuse him of orchestrated voter fraud?
November 25, 2008 2:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
That makes me feel better; in the last three years, my petition for a Constitutional Amendment To Ban Religious Marriage has garnered, even excluding the obvious "fake" signatures, well over 300 signings; and I meant it as a kind of joke. I mean, make all marriage civil unions? Who'd want that?
Well, more people than advocates for Duke.
http://www.petitiononline.com/putnam/petition.html
November 25, 2008 3:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
See what happens?...you shine a spotlight on the Duke's lack of support and they come crawling out of the woodwork to help out...the petition is now up to 15 signatures! I hold TPM responsible for the imminent pardon.
November 25, 2008 3:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Gee, George Bush just signed at #16. Bias I'd say. Can Chimpy influence himself? Can he find dick in the bathroom or does he just open and spray.
November 25, 2008 3:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
How about a blanket pardon for every Republican member of the 109th session of Congress who was or might be indicted on corruption charges?
Think about who would be off the hook:
Tom Delay
John Doolittle
Jerry Lewis
Curt Weldon
Bob Ney
Rick Renzi
Don Young
Tom Feeney
John Sweeney
Charles Taylor
Gary Miller
and, of course,
The Dukester.
Did I leave anyone out?
(As an aside, don't forget the Dukester has the goods on Mitchell Wade. At least three top DIA officials were involved with MZM and there is also matter of that oddball $200k White House contract awarded in July 2001.)
November 25, 2008 4:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
Mrs. P:
I've oftentimes wondered if that $200k oddball contract with MZM might have been to build the Vice President's "man sized" safe where they keep all the secret specially classified documents. I believe the contract was for office furniture.
November 25, 2008 4:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
(Correction: MZM's $200k White House contract was awarded in July 2004, not 2001.)
Sounds plausible to me. Cheney may have already decided to buy the safe and just re-routed the purchase through Wade so Wade could buy the Dukester's yacht for $200k in August.
If that was the case, it would go a long way toward explaining why Wade hasn't been sentenced yet.
So many corrupt deals, I don't remember them all but I seem to recall that Thomas Kontogiannis was also somehow involved with yacht. Maybe when the Dukester bought it?
Keep in mind, too, Paul Kiel's post about one Matthew Puskin of Pushkin Operational Consultants, was also awarded a $247k White House contract in August 2004.
Josh Marshall also reported that Wade had registered the mysterious "Iranian Democratization Foundation" in DC in April 2004 but if you follow the link, it now turns up the name of another company, Trinet HR Corporation, registered in March 2004.
If Cunningham, Kontogiannis and Brent Wilkes all get pardoned, we'll at least have a good idea why.
November 25, 2008 6:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
Duh. I really screwed up the facts on this one.
According to an American Prospect post by Laura Rozen, Wade's first White House contract was for $140k and was awarded in July 2002.
A month later, Wade bought the yacht for Cunningham for $140k.
In April 2004, Wade registered the Iranian Democratizaton Foundation and then later that year, MZM was awarded $254k in White House contracts.
November 26, 2008 7:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Up to 60 signatures now, although the signature list is now closed from public view.
I'm sure Duke thanks you for drawing attention to this petition.
November 26, 2008 9:50 AM | Reply | Permalink
Pyhre:
Actually, dear, Keith Olbermann drew attention it last night on his show - so I think you owe the OP an apology.
November 26, 2008 3:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, there are 60+ signatures, but I know that at least one is from Enver Hoxha, late dictator of Albania...
November 26, 2008 3:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Out of curiousity, I googled "Fred Johnson III" and I think he might be the Fred Johnson who ran against Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-MI) this year.
Fred lost.
November 26, 2008 7:36 PM | Reply | Permalink