Embattled Rep. Don Young (R-AK) may have improperly spent $20,000 from his campaign account last quarter on a Seattle law firm, according to recent campaign filings. It is unclear whether the fees were related to the ongoing federal probe into Young or if they were for campaign-related expenses. FEC guidelines forbid candidates from using campaign funds for non-campaign related matters. Young, who is tight-lipped about the federal probe, has been under investigation by the Justice Department for over a year — possibly related to his notorious earmarking. (Anchorage Daily News)
Sen.-elect Mark Begich (D-AK), who beat Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) in a week-long contested race in November, said he doesn’t believe it is “appropriate” to send the 85-year-old Stevens to jail. Stevens, who was convicted on corruption charges in October, asked for a new trial on Friday. (AP/Roll Call)
Attorneys general will attend conferences this month funded by corporate sponsors that may have legal issues, including drug companies and tobacco firms. The financial ties “represent at least the appearance of a conflict of interest for the attorneys general, and could be improper,” reports theKansas City Star. (Kansas City Star)
The Marine Corps denied troops in Iraq blast-resistant vehicles, opening soldiers to roadside attacks, concludes a Pentagon investigation to be released today. Commanders chose to invest in armored Humvees rather than the “MRAPs” initially requested. The report did not cite criminal negligence during the decision making process. (AP)
Five security guards for Blackwater, the largest private security firm working in Iraq, will face trial in D.C. for the 2007 killing of civilians in Baghdad. The men, who could receive a minimum sentence of 30 years in prison under a strict firearm law, had hoped to move the trial to Utah, a more gun-friendly environment. The trial is set for Jan. 6.(AP)
Five Guantanamo Bay detainees accused of planning the 9/11 attacks offered to plead guilty Monday, in an apparent attempt to die as martyrs at the hands of the U.S. The guilty pleas were ultimately not entered because the men wanted to make them before a military jury — a condition that must be met in order to receive a death sentence. “Their demeanor showed a complete absence of contrition … It was clear to me they know what they did and are willing and want to plead guilty,” said Hamilton Peterson, who was present at the hearing and whose father and stepmother died when United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. (LA Times)