Birthermercial

New Birther Infomercial Running In Seven Southern States (Bonus TPMtv Highlight Reel Included)

Justin Elliott | September 25, 2009, 5:11PM

Gary Kreep

That birthermercial we told you about earlier is running in seven states, one of the men behind the program tells us.

Gary Kreep of the United States Justice Foundation says his group will decide soon on a second buy for the 28-minute program that asks late-night viewers to give $30 to have a faxes sent to government officials demanding Obama produce his birth certificate. As a thank you, contributors also get a special Birther bumper sticker.

The first buy covered Sept. 10 through Sept. 27.

For your viewing pleasure, here's the grand list:

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Hassan Nemazee

Nemazee's Brother-In-Law Charged As Accomplice In Alleged Ponzi Scheme

Zachary Roth | September 25, 2009, 4:52PM

Hassan Nemazee

Hassan Nemazee's brother-in-law has been charged as an accomplice in the same alleged $292 million Ponzi scheme that Nemazee himself was indicted for earlier this week.

Shahin Kashanchi, 46, of Telluride, Colorado, was charged with helping Nemazee -- a major fundraiser for the Democratic party -- to submit fraudulent documents and correspondence to the banks Nemazee allegedly swindled.

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David Vitter

Vitter Wants EPA To Delay Rules On Pollutant -- Mirroring Stance Of Industry That Backs Him

Zachary Roth | September 25, 2009, 4:20PM

Sen. David Vitter (R-LA)

Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) is blocking an EPA nomination because he wants the agency to delay establishing safety procedures for formaldehyde. Meanwhile, major emitters of the dangerous chemical have been generous contributors to the senator's reelection campaign.

Vitter met yesterday with EPA administrator Lisa Jackson, who sought, unsuccessfully, to convince him to remove the hold he had placed on Paul Anastas, who has been nominated to be the EPA's assistant administrator in charge of its Office of Research and Development, reports the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

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John Lewis

Rep. Lewis' Office On US Attorney Story: Is It Wrong 'For Politicians To Be Involved In Politics?'

Justin Elliott | September 25, 2009, 4:14PM

Rep. John Lewis (D-GA)

The office of Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) says the Wall Street Journal story suggesting the congressman improperly blocked a pick for US Attorney is no story at all.

In a statement given to TPMmuckraker, Lewis' office says all he did was offer his opinions in the case of Sally Yates, a Georgia prosecutor whose name was cut from a list of candidates sent to the White House by the state's Democratic congressmen.

Yates previously prosecuted a longtime friend of Lewis, Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell -- a fact Lewis' office says had nothing to do with "any reservations" he raised.

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Birthers

As Seen On TV! Birthermercial Asks, Where Was Obama Really Born?

Justin Elliott | September 25, 2009, 2:31PM

Gary Kreep

A new birther infomercial running on a CBS affiliate in Texas and elsewhere around the country tells viewers a "got a birth certificate?" bumper sticker can be theirs for the low price of $30.

The 28-minute program -- quite possibly the first ever birthermercial -- features community access production values, heavy use of foreboding strings soundtrack, and standard-issue Birther ideology.

For a $30 contribution, viewers also get a fax sent in their name to the 50 state attorneys general and Attorney General Eric Holder demanding that President Obama produce his real birth certificate.

Here's the TPMtv highlight reel of the infomercial:

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Mike Ross

Rep. Ross Blames 'Left-Wing, Special Interest Conspiracy' For Pharmacy Sale Story

Justin Elliott | September 25, 2009, 12:26PM

Rep. Mike Ross (D-AR)

The AP has now taken a crack at the story of the sale of Rep. Mike Ross's family pharmacy, for a possibly inflated price of $420,000, to a big drug store chain.

And it elicited yet another response from Ross, Democrat of Arkansas, on the 2007 sale of the pharmacy. He can't remember how he and USA Drug settled on the price for the land and the building. From an interview with AP:

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FBI

Coroner Confirms "Fed" Written On Sparkman's Chest

Zachary Roth | September 25, 2009, 9:28AM

Bill Sparkman

The local coroner has confirmed that the word "Fed" had been written on Bill Sparkman's chest when he was found dead earlier this month.

Jim Trosper, the Clay County coroner, confirmed the information to TPMmuckraker moments ago, adding that the word appeared to have been written in felt tip marker. He declined to give additional details.

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Mike Ross

Rep. Ross Responds Further To Pharmacy Sale Story, Again Attacks News Org

Justin Elliott | September 24, 2009, 5:54PM

Rep. Mike Ross (D-AR)

After spending much of yesterday attacking as "leftist" the news organization that published the story about the 2007 sale of his family pharmacy, Rep. Mike Ross (D-AR) today released a fuller response and a letter from the buyer.

The new responses don't address the key question of whether the pharmacy chain USA Drug paid an inflated price of $420,000 for the land and pharmacy building owned by Ross and his pharmacist wife, which was significantly more than the county's $263,000 assessment and a price tag of $198,000 from an appraiser hired by ProPublica this year.

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FBI

FBI: Sparkman Was Found Touching Ground, Not Hanging From Tree

Zachary Roth | September 24, 2009, 5:48PM

Bill Sparkman

Bill Sparkman, the Census worker found dead in Kentucky recently was not found hanging from a tree, according to an FBI spokesman. Rather, David Beyer told TPMmuckraker, Sparkman's feet were planted on the ground. A rope around Sparkman's neck was attached to a tree.

An anonymously sourced AP report said that Sparkman was hanging from a tree, and that he had the word "Fed" scrawled on his chest.

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Census Bureau

Dead Census Worker Was Warned To "Be Careful" In Rural Kentucky

Zachary Roth | September 24, 2009, 4:48PM

Bill Sparkman was warned about the danger of going into rural parts of Kentucky to conduct Census interviews, a retired state trooper who knew him told TPMmuckraker.

Gilbert Acciardo, who ran an after-school program at a southeastern Kentucky high-school where Sparkman was a substitute teacher, said that when Sparkman -- a Florida native -- first started doing the Census work, "I said, you're going into rural Kentucky, isolated areas. Be careful over there -- people may not understand that you're there to gather statistics."

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Bill Sparkman

Census Worker Found Dead In Kentucky -- What Do We Know?

Zachary Roth | September 24, 2009, 2:54PM

Over the last 24 hours, we've been tracking a gruesome story developing involving the death of a Kentucky Census Bureau worker. The potential political implications of what happened are already generating a lot of attention around the internet -- so it's worth taking a moment to lay out what we know.

On September 12th, the body of Bill Sparkman, a 51-year old part-time Census worker and teacher was found in a remote area of the Daniel Boone National Forest, in Clay County, in rural southeast Kentucky. Sparkman reportedly had died on the morning of the day before.

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FBI

Feds: Zazi Bought Beauty Products To Build Bomb

Zachary Roth | September 24, 2009, 12:26PM

Najibullah Zazi

The accused terror plotter indicted this morning by the Feds seems to have spent a lot of time in recent months shopping for beauty and home improvement products.

According to a document filed by prosecutors, the FBI found on the computer of Najibullah Zaz instructions for making explosives, including Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP). That's the explosive that was used by the London train bombers of 2005, and by Richard Reid, the "shoe-bomber," in 2001. It's made from hydrogen peroxide, acetone, and strong acid such as hydrochloric acid.

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FBI

Alleged Terror Plotter Indicted

Zachary Roth | September 24, 2009, 11:11AM

Najibullah Zazi

Najibullah Zazi has been indicted on a charge of conspiracy to use a weapons of mass destruction -- explosive bombs -- the Justice Department has announced.

Zazi, who lives outside Denver, had previously been charged with making false statements to investigators, after he was questioned by the FBI in connection to that New York City terror probe.

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John Guandolo

Report: Therapist Of Philandering FBI Agent Advised Him To Draw Up List Of Sexual Conquests

Justin Elliott | September 24, 2009, 10:27AM

John Guandolo

We told you yesterday about the FBI agent who resigned after superiors found his list of sexual conquests, including a key witness in the corruption probe of Congressman William Jefferson, and who now appears to be hyping the threat of Islamic terrorism professionally.

But what left us scratching our heads, and what a court filing didn't address, is why the exactly the agent, John Guandolo, would write and then keep a document listing affairs with female FBI agents and a witness in a high-profile corruption case.

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FBI

NYPD Official Transferred After Misstep With Imam Disrupted Terror Probe

Zachary Roth | September 24, 2009, 10:18AM

Najibullah Zazi

Fallout from that New York City terror probe...

The New York Times reports:

The New York Police Department has removed a senior official from one of its two sometimes competing antiterrorism units, after it played a role in disrupting a sensitive federal terrorism investigation, current and former police officials said on Wednesday. He was replaced by a top official from the other unit.

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Mike Ross

Rep. Ross Lashes Out At News Org As 'Leftist Group' After Pharmacy Sale Story Runs In Politico

Justin Elliott | September 23, 2009, 7:01PM

Rep. Mike Ross (D-AR)

Yesterday, Politico and ProPublica published a story suggesting Rep. Mike Ross (D-AR) sold his family pharmacy in Prescott, Arkansas, to a big drug store chain for above market value.

In response, Ross, who is the lead Blue Dog Dem working on the health care bill, has responded only partially to the story's substance, without denying the key issue, and has repeatedly attacked ProPublica as illegitimate and "leftist."

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ACORN

ACORN Hidden Camera Scandal Being Probed By Feds, Brooklyn DA

Zachary Roth | September 23, 2009, 4:54PM

ACORN has been contacted by the FBI and the Brooklyn district attorney's office in connection to the recent scandal in which staffers were caught on video advising two people posing as a pimp and a prostitute on how to break the law.

The news was revealed by Arthur Schwartz, ACORN's general counsel, on a conference call with reporters moments ago. (Full disclosure: Almost a decade ago, I was hired by Schwartz to work on a political campaign.) Schwartz said that the requests for information were not subpoenas, but confirmed that they were part of investigations into possible criminal activity revealed by the videos. He added that ACORN is cooperating with those requests.

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Hassan Nemazee

Nemazee's Attorney: This Case Is Not About Political Donations

Justin Elliott | September 23, 2009, 3:51PM

Hassan Nemazee

Hassan Nemazee's lawyer wants to make something very clear: The alleged $292M fraud case has nothing to do with Dem super-fundraiser Nemazee's political activities.

That's what Paul Shechtman of Stillman, Friedman & Shechtman emphasized to TPMmuckraker in an interview and to other news organizations in court this morning.

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John Guandolo

The Strange Case Of The Philandering, Muslim-Threat-Hyping FBI Agent

Justin Elliott | September 23, 2009, 2:01PM

John Guandolo

An FBI agent who worked on the corruption case of former Louisiana Congressman William Jefferson resigned after superiors found a list he wrote of his sexual conquests with agents and a confidential source, according to court documents.

The same agent, John Guandolo, who is married and who unsuccessfully solicited a $75,000 donation for an anti-terrorism group from a wealthy witness in the Jefferson case with whom he was having an affair, resigned from the FBI and appears to have landed on his feet on the speaking circuit playing up the threat of Islamic terrorism.

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Barack Obama

ACLU And Nadler: New State Secrets Policy Falls Short

Zachary Roth | September 23, 2009, 1:03PM

Civil libertarians are criticizing the Obama administration's new policy limiting the government's ability to claim state secrets, saying it doesn't go nearly far enough in reversing the expansion of executive power.

Ben Wizner, a lawyer with the ACLU, told TPMmuckraker that the new Justice Department policy, announced this morning in a memo by Attorney General Eric Holder, "falls far short" of what's needed.

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Barack Obama

Obama Admin. Announces New Policy On State Secrets

Zachary Roth | September 23, 2009, 12:03PM

Over the last few months, we've given voice to concerns that the Obama administration has been mimicking its predecessor in its approach to executive power and the war on terror -- in particular by invoking the states secrets privilege in seeking to hide information relating to national security tactics.

But today brings news that may represent a sharp break with the Bushies' failed policy on that issue. In a memo signed by Attorney General Eric Holder, the Justice Department has announced new limits on the government's ability to assert the privilege. (You can read the memo here.)

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Hassan Nemazee

Nemazee Pleads Not Guilty To Fraud Charges

Justin Elliott | September 23, 2009, 10:50AM

Hassan Nemazee

Democratic fundraiser Hassan Nemazee plead not guilty this morning to charges that defrauded banks in a $292M Ponzi scheme, the AP reports.

The AP adds this from Attorney Paul Schechtman, identified as one of Nemazee's lawyers:

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Terry McAuliffe

McAuliffe Mum On Ties To Nemazee

Zachary Roth | September 22, 2009, 6:24PM

Hassan Nemazee with Arthur Sulzberger Jr. and Terry McAuliffe at book party for McAuliffe's "What a Party! My Life Among Democrats." January 22, 2007.

Powerhouse fundraiser Hassan Nemazee had a lot of friends in Democratic circles. And one of the most important appears to have been the party's money-man par excellence, Terry McAuliffe.

But since the news broke yesterday that Nemazee had been charged with running a $292 million Ponzi scheme, the normally loquacious McAuliffe hasn't been his usual voluble self.

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AHIP

Who Else Has Been Pressuring Medicare Beneficiaries to Lobby Against Health Reform?

Brian Beutler | September 22, 2009, 5:24PM

Zack asked this question earlier, and we're still waiting for an official answer, but news stories from back in April strongly suggest that Humana wasn't the only insurance company enlisting seniors (legitimately and otherwise) to lobby against changes to Medicare Advantage. In fact, the problem may have been industry-wide.

Here's an April 13 story from the Eagle Tribune in Massachusetts:

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Bill Clinton

In 90's, Nemazee Courted Clinton, Gore -- And GOP

Zachary Roth | September 22, 2009, 5:05PM

Hassan Nemazee

We've told you about Hassan Nemazee's leading role in raising money for the Democrats' climb back to power over the last few electoral cycles. But a longer look back shows that the New York financier -- who was charged yesterday with running a $292 million Ponzi scheme -- began building his influence by wrangling cash for the Clinton-Gore team during the 90s. And that his largesse also extended to the GOP.

Based on news reports accessed via Nexis, here's a quick time-line on Nemazee's political and fund-raising work during those years:

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Health Care

Republican Leaders Rush to Defend Insurer Humana from "Gag Order"

Brian Beutler | September 22, 2009, 4:50PM

Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

As Zack noted in great detail here, the Obama administration is investigating the activities of health insurance giant Humana--a participant in Medicare Advantage that's been telling its aging consumers that the government plans to slash benefits, and urging them to tell Congress not to touch the program as it reforms the U.S. health care system.

Medicare Advantage plans are private health care plans that seniors can buy into with federal assistance in lieu of participating in traditional Medicare. Under terms the government erected when it created the system, those insurers face strict limits on how they communicate to beneficiaries--regulations that exist to protect seniors from acting under the pressures of insurers, who control their benefits. In response to a request from Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services has demanded the lobbying effort cease, and is investigating the company to determine whether it violated those rules.

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Hassan Nemazee

Nemazee Spent Millions On Luxury Car, Plane, Lots Of Real Estate

Justin Elliott | September 22, 2009, 4:08PM

Hassan Nemazee with Arthur Sulzberger Jr. and Terry McAuliffe at book party for McAuliffe's "What a Party! My Life Among Democrats." January 22, 2007.

Besides showering Democratic politicians with hundreds of thousands dollars -- probably several million in all -- what was Hassan Nemazee spending all that money on?

Unlike Bernie Madoff or 'Sir' Allen Stanford, Nemazee's alleged Ponzi scheme did not involve bilking individual investors. The Feds put the fraud at $292 million since 1998. Even taking into account that some of the money was allegedly borrowed to pay off other loans, a person would have to spend hard and often, on more than just political donations, to burn through that kind of cash.

And, the indictment suggests, Nemazee did just that.

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Hassan Nemazee

As Democrats Reclaimed Power, Nemazee Was Key Fundraiser

Zachary Roth | September 22, 2009, 12:47PM

Hassan Nemazee

Hassan Nemazee may not be a household name. But as Democrats returned to power over the last few election cycles, the New York financier -- who yesterday was charged with running a $292 million Ponzi scheme -- has been among the most important players in drumming up the campaign funds that have enabled that success.

Let's start with the 2004 cycle. Nemazee had been a top fundraiser for the Clintons in the 1990s, but he appears to have courted John Kerry since at least 2002. By January 2004, he was described in news reports (via Nexis) as "one of Kerry's chief fundraisers." Subsequent reports from that year describe him as Kerry's "New York City finance chair."

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Hassan Nemazee

Flashback: Alleged Fraudster Was Wheeled Out To Defend Hillary Camp After Discovery Of Different Fraudster

Justin Elliott | September 22, 2009, 12:36PM

Hassan Nemazee and Norman Hsu

Remember the strange case of Norman Hsu that roiled the Hillary Clinton campaign during the Democratic primary back in 2007?

Hsu was a top bundler for the campaign who was found to have hidden his past as a crook and Hillary was forced to return over $800,000 in donations. He later plead guilty to a Ponzi scheme and was convicted on campaign finance charges.

Hsu, who currently resides in federal prison, reimbursed so-called "straw donors" drawn from his fraudulent business to get around contribution limits.

At the time of the crisis, Hassan Nemazee, indicted yesterday in his own alleged Ponzi scheme -- considerably larger than Hsu's $20 million operation -- was a national finance chair for the Hillary campaign.

And guess who the campaign dispatched to talk to reporters to tamp down the Hsu story? One Hassan Nemazee.

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Health Care

Obama Admin. Suggests Other Health Insurers May Be Getting Customers To Lobby Against Reform

Zachary Roth | September 22, 2009, 10:08AM

Is Humana just the tip of the iceberg?

Yesterday we reported on the campaign by health insurer Humana Inc. to enlist beneficiaries to lobby lawmakers against a key cost-saving measure in Sen. Max Baucus's health-reform bill. Humana's letters to its customers, urging them to contact their member of Congress, are currently being probed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which contracts with Humana, among other firms, to provide Medicare Advantage.

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U.S. Attorneys

Did Rep. Lewis Cross A Line In Objecting To U.S. Attorney Candidate?

Justin Elliott | September 21, 2009, 7:18PM

Rep. John Lewis (D-GA)

The Wall Street Journal is out with a story suggesting Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) exerted untoward influence over a US Attorney pick for Georgia by blocking an experienced candidate who had prosecuted a longtime friend.

Is there anything to the story?

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Hassan Nemazee

Alleged Fraudster Nemazee Poured Dollars Into Dems' Coffers For Years

Justin Elliott | September 21, 2009, 6:36PM

Hassan Nemazee

Just how big a Democratic donor was Hassan Nemazee?

He and his wife (mostly he) gave the Democratic House and Senate campaign committees $191,700 over the past three election cycles, 2006, 2008, and 2010.

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Justice Department

Big Dem Donor Nemazee Indicted In Alleged $292 Million Scheme

Zachary Roth | September 21, 2009, 6:10PM

Hassan Nemazee

Federal prosecutors have accused a major Democratic fundraiser with ties to Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton of orchestrating a Ponzi scheme that involved swindling several major banks out of hundreds of millions of dollars, and using some of the proceeds to fund political candidates and PACs.

According to a Justice Department press release, Hassan Nemazee was indicted this afternoon by a grand jury, charged with using fake documents and signatures to bilk Citibank, Bank of America, and HSBC out of over $290 million, in an alleged scheme that dates back to 1998. Nemazee alleged used the Citibank money to repay the B of A loan, and vice versa. And even after being questioned by FBI agents about the Citibank loan last month, Nemazee allegedly went to HSBC to fraudulently draw down a line of credit, which he tried to access funds to pay back Citibank.

You can read the indictment here.

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ACORN

DOJ To Review Whether It Funded ACORN

Zachary Roth | September 21, 2009, 5:22PM

Some Republican foes of ACORN have been calling since last week for a Justice Department investigation of the beleaguered group, in the wake of the now-famous hidden camera scandal.

And it looks like a DOJ probe, of a kind, will indeed go forward.

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William Jefferson

Judge Denies Ex-Rep. Jefferson Request For New Trial

Justin Elliott | September 21, 2009, 3:15PM

Fmr. Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA)

Ex-Rep. William Jefferson of Lousiana, convicted in August of 11 counts of corruption after cash was found in bricks in his freezer, has lost his bid for a new trial, the AP reports.

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Orly Taitz

Taitz: Ex-Client's Letter Renouncing Me In Birther Case May Be A Forgery

Justin Elliott | September 21, 2009, 1:59PM

Orly Taitz and Capt. Connie Rhodes

Oh sweet irony.

Birther attorney Orly Taitz tells TPMmuckraker she believes a letter sent by her now ex-client renouncing Taitz -- in a case alleging that Barack Obama's birth certificate is a forgery -- may itself be a forgery. It's worth noting that Taitz submitted as evidence in the original filing in the "birther soldier" case of Army Capt. Connie Rhodes a "Kenyan birth certificate" that is itself an obvious forgery.

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Health Care

Health Insurer Probed For Enlisting Beneficiaries To Fight Reform Proposal

Zachary Roth | September 21, 2009, 12:19PM

Health insurer Humana Inc. portrays itself as a guide through the treacherous waters of health-care coverage. The company's tagline is "Guidance When You Need It Most," and switchboard operators at its Louisville headquarters answer the phone by asking callers: "How can I guide you?"

But is Humana guiding its customers a little too much in enlisting them to oppose a key aspect of health-care reform?

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Orly Taitz

Army Captain Client Threatens Taitz With Bar Complaint: She Doesn't Speak For Me

Justin Elliott | September 21, 2009, 11:01AM

Orly Taitz

The Orly Taitz "birther soldier" case playing out in U.S. District Court in Georgia finally jumped the shark Friday.

The moment came when Army Capt. Connie Rhodes, the client of Birther agitator Taitz, sent a letter to the judge renouncing her ex-counsel and saying she intends to file a complaint against Taitz with the California bar.

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ACORN

Obama: ACORN "Should Be Investigated"

Zachary Roth | September 21, 2009, 10:10AM

President Obama said yesterday that ACORN should be investigated -- though he didn't specify by who.

Speaking on ABC's This Week, as part of yesterday's talk-show blitz, Obama said that what he'd seen on the now-famous ACORN videos "was certainly inappropriate and deserves to be investigated."

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Mohammed Zazi

FBI Arrests Three In Ongoing Terror Investigation

Ben Frumin | September 20, 2009, 8:45AM

Najibullah Zazi

The Justice Department announced Saturday that it had arrested three men -- two in Colorado and one in New York -- as part of an ongoing terror investigation.

In Colorado, the FBI arrested Najibullah Zazi, 24, of Aurora, CO -- who is a legal permanent resident from Afghanistan -- and his father Mohammed Wali Zazi, 53, also of Aurora and a naturalized U.S. citizen from Afghanistan.

In New York, FBI agents arrested Ahmad Wais Afzali, 37, of Flushing. He's also a legal permanent resident from Afghanistan.

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