November 15, 2009 - November 21, 2009

Gerald Walpin

GOP Inquiry Fails To Show Obama's Firing Of AmeriCorps IG Was Politicized

Justin Elliott | November 20, 2009, 6:52PM

Gerald Walpin and Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson

A congressional GOP inquiry into the firing of the inspector general for AmeriCorps has been garnering headlines mostly for revealing details of allegations of sexual misconduct by Sacramento Mayor and Obama ally Kevin Johnson. But on the key question of whether the IG, Gerald Walpin, was fired for improper political reasons, the report brings little new to the table.

Prepared by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the report asserts that the White House's "failure to use a transparent process to effectuate Walpin's removal deprived the President of an opportunity to explain his action in an appropriate way."

Swiftboating

Notorious PR Firm That Reps Swift Boaters, Creationists, PhRMA Now Helping Fired IG

Justin Elliott | November 20, 2009, 5:12PM

Gerald Walpin

A heavy-hitting conservative public relations firm that flacked for Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and boasts an impressive array of right-wing clients is now helping Gerald Walpin, who was fired this summer by President Obama as the inspector general for AmeriCorps.

Creative Response Concepts Public Relations (CRC) is representing Walpin, a secretary who answered the phone at the company confirmed to TPMmuckraker today.

Mark Sanford

Lawmakers To Take Up Impeachment Proceedings Against Sanford

Zachary Roth | November 20, 2009, 1:25PM

Gov. Mark Sanford (R-SC)

South Carolina lawmakers will next week take up impeachment proceedings against disgraced governor Mark Sanford.

House Judiciary committee chair Jim Harrison told the AP that an ad hoc panel of four Republicans and three Democrats will begin meeting Tuesday. Harrison said he expects a resolution to impeach will be ready before Christmas. That would then be considered by the full committee.

PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (2)
Topics: Impeachment, Mark Sanford, Sex

Roland Burris

Senate Ethics Panel Admonishes Burris Over Blago Dealings, Moves On

Justin Elliott | November 20, 2009, 12:01PM

Sen. Roland Burris (D-IL)

In a letter of qualified admonishment released today, the Senate ethics panel criticizes Sen. Roland Burris (D-IL) for his "inconsistent, incomplete and misleading" testimony surrounding discussions with Gov. Rod Blagoveich's brother and associates before Burris' appointment last year.

The full letter, which the Washington Post observes is the mildest form of rebuke in the panel's quiver, is here.

Mary Landrieu

CREW Files Complaint Over Landrieu Camp's 'Mysterious' $25K Donation

Zachary Roth | November 20, 2009, 11:04AM

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA)

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington has filed its complaint with the FEC over that mysterious $25,300 donation made to the US Treasury by Sen. Mary Landrieu's campaign -- framing the issue as one of transparency.

The Landrieu camp continues to refuse to reveal the reason for the donation, citing the need to protect the privacy of the original contributors. That's prompted CREW to suggest that the campaign may have feared a federal probe into the source of the money.

Doug Hampton

Hampton: 'Crystal Clear' That Ensign Payment Was Severance

Zachary Roth | November 20, 2009, 10:05AM

Sen. John Ensign (R-NV)

Doug Hampton's campaign to bring down the man who slept with his wife continues.

Hampton's latest blast at Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) came in a sit-down with ABC News's Nightline. In excerpts teased on the ABC News site, Hampton doubles down on his contention that the $96,000 he and his wife received from Ensign's parents, after the affair was discovered, was a severance package, not a gift as Ensign has claimed. A severance payment would have violated campaign-finance laws.

Muslim Mafia

Muslim Mafia Author Appears To Completely Fold In CAIR Lawsuit

Justin Elliott | November 20, 2009, 9:43AM

Muslim Mafia Co-Author David Gaubatz

The author of the book Muslim Mafia, which was based on documents taken by the author's son while he was posing as a Muslim intern at the Council on American Islamic Relations, has agreed to return all documents and recordings obtained during the time at CAIR, according to a draft consent order filed in court yesterday.

The draft order, agreed to by attorneys for CAIR as well as for Dave Gaubatz and his son Chris, was filed along with a joint motion asking the judge to enter the order.

Oil Business

CREW Calls On State Dept. To Probe Galbraith Over Kurdish Oil Dealings

Justin Elliott | November 19, 2009, 6:30PM

Peter Galbraith

A good government group is calling on the State Department to investigate the role of former ambassador Peter Galbraith in drafting Iraq's constitution in 2005 while he held a lucrative stake in a Kurdish oil field.

The letter from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington to the State Dept. Inspector General asks whether State approved Galbraith's activities, and cites a recent New York Times exposé that built off work of the Norwegian newspaper Dagens Naeringsliv.

Republican Governors Association

Florida GOP Gov Hopeful To RGA: Time To Give Back Rothstein's $200K

Justin Elliott | November 19, 2009, 3:06PM

Bill McCollum and Scott Rothstein (inset)

Bill McCollum, the likely GOP nominee in the Florida gubernatorial race, is calling on the Republican Governors Association to give back a $200,000 donation from accused fraudster attorney Scott Rothstein, whose political support has become a hot issue in the race.

The statement from McCollum, who is in Austin for the RGA conference this week, comes on the heels of a demand from the Democratic Governors Association that McCollum ask the RGA to give the money back.

Jay Bybee

Legal Defense Fund For Torture Memo Author

Zachary Roth | November 19, 2009, 2:35PM

Jay Bybee

One of the authors of the Bush Justice Department's notorious memos approving torture has set up a legal defense fund to help pay anticipated lawyers' fees in connection with the episode.

A website for the Bybee Legal Defense Fund "explains how contributions may be made to help Judge Jay S. Bybee pay costs and expenses he is incurring or may incur in connection with claims, investigations or proceedings relating to his service as Assistant Attorney General for the Office Legal Counsel in the U.S. Department of Justice or his service on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit."

John Ensign

Will Ensign Escape Criminal Probe?

Zachary Roth | November 19, 2009, 12:03PM

Sen. John Ensign (R-NV)

Is the Justice Department leaning towards laying off Sen. John Ensign (R-NV)?

That's the direction in which Politico's reporting seems to point. According to the new site, DOJ officials "signal that the case is a low-priority matter for them." It adds that "no one close to Ensign or the Hamptons has been contacted by any federal investigators." And it notes that the Senate Ethics committee, which usually stands down when Justice is involved, has been forging ahead with its probe of the philandering Nevada senator.

Mark Sanford

SC Ethics Panel Finds Probable Cause To Charge Sanford With Violations

Justin Elliott | November 19, 2009, 11:54AM

Gov. Mark Sanford (R-SC)

The remaining 14 months of South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford's term may be about to get still more excruciating. The state ethics panel announced today it is moving ahead with its investigation of Sanford's travel and use of state funds in connection with his affair with an Argentinian woman, The State reports.

PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)
Topics: Argentina, Ethics Panel, Mark Sanford, Sex

Ken Starr

Strange Bedfellows: To Weaken Campaign-Finance Law, Starr's Group Defends Edwards Backer

Zachary Roth | November 19, 2009, 11:25AM

Ken Starr

A heavy-hitting group of conservative lawyers led by Ken Starr and Ed Meese is jumping to the defense of a Democratic trial lawyer and major John Edwards backer.

No, Starr, Meese et al. haven't suddenly undergone a political conversion. Instead, they see a chance to undermine campaign-finance laws they never supported in the first place.

Bill Richardson

After Campaign Donations, Richardson Admin. Gave Big Contract To Alleged Ponzi Schemer's Firm

Justin Elliott | November 19, 2009, 10:56AM

Hassan Nemazee and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson

An investment firm partly owned by Democratic mega-fundraiser and accused Ponzi schemer Hassan Nemazee was awarded a New Mexico state contract in 2007 after Nemazee and an associate contributed to Bill Richardon's gubernatorial fund, according to an excellent Forbes story published this morning.

Nemazee, who was indicted in September on charges he bilked several banks out of $292 million, had a 24.9% stake in the investment firm, Carret Asset Management. In 2007 it won the contract to manage $200 million from the State Investment Council, the agency that controls oil and gas leasing fees. The firm has netted nearly $2 million on the deal.

Scott Rothstein

That Was Quick: Jindal Giving $10K From Accused Fraudster To Victims' Fund

Justin Elliott | November 18, 2009, 7:35PM

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Scott Rothstein (inset)

Gov. Bobby Jindal will give $10,000 in contributions that he received from accused fraud attorney Scott Rothstein (and from his law firm) to a victims' compensation fund once one is created, says Kyle Plotkin, the governor's press secretary.

The move comes just four hours after TPMmuckraker first reported the news of the donations from Rothstein. The money was given at a pre-game reception held in Jindal's honor before the UF-LSU game in Florida in October 2008. Rothstein was one of nine co-chairs for the event.

Scott Rothstein

Dem Govs Group Blasts Florida GOP Candidate Over $200K Rothstein Donation

Justin Elliott | November 18, 2009, 5:12PM

Scott Rothstein (inset)

The Democratic Governors Association is going after Bill McCollum, the likely GOP nominee in the race for Florida governor, in the wake of TPMmuckraker's report that the Republican Governors Association got a $200,000 from accused fraudster Scott Rothstein.

"Bill McCollum is spending the week with RGA leadership at their annual fundraiser - in fact, this is the same fundraiser where Rothstein contributed his $200K last year," said DGA communications director Emily DeRose in a statement. "McCollum has two choices: Will he ask the RGA to return the fraudulent money, or will he thank them for using it to boost his chances in Florida?"

Mary Landrieu

Scott Rothstein

Hut, Hut! Jindal Chomped Up $10K From Accused Fraudster Before Big UF-LSU Game

Justin Elliott | November 18, 2009, 3:18PM

Florida's Jeffrey Demps leaves LSU defenders in the dust, 10/11/08; Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Scott Rothstein (inset).

Just hours before the University of Florida Gators administered a 51-21 trouncing of LSU last year, Gov. Bobby Jindal was rubbing elbows with well-heeled Florida supporters at a fundraiser-cum-tailgate party held in a private home north of Gainesville.

One of the co-chairs of the October 2008 reception was none other than Scott Rothstein, then a prominent Fort Lauderdale attorney, now accused of a fraud worth $1 billion.

Eric Holder

Holder: OPR Torture Report Should Be Out By Month's End

Zachary Roth | November 18, 2009, 1:46PM

That long-awaited report on the Justice Department's role in the Bush administration's torture program could finally be ready to see the light of day.

During his testimony before Congress today, Attorney General Eric Holder said that the report, by the Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility, is "in its last stages," and that he expects it will be released by the end of the month.

Health Care

MoJo Turns Spotlight On Far-Right Doctors' Group

Zachary Roth | November 18, 2009, 12:14PM

Dr. David McKalip

Mother Jones takes a close look at the far-right doctor's group to which David McKalip -- the Florida neurosurgeon who sent that racist picture of President Obama as a witch doctor -- belongs.

Lately, the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) has been teaming up with the Tea Partiers to fight health-care reform. But as Mother Jones shows, the group is so far out there it makes its Tea Party allies look like David Broder.

Muslim Mafia

Tom Coburn Joins Campaign Against Muslim Group

Justin Elliott | November 18, 2009, 10:53AM

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK)

Via Dave Weigel, it looks like Tom Coburn (R-OK) has become the first senator to cast his lot with the group of House Republicans pursuing a campaign against the Council on American Islamic Relations.

Though not explicitly invoked in a new letter to the IRS, the effort stems from purported revelations in the book Muslim Mafia, whose author recently made -- then retracted -- a call for a "backlash" against Muslims in the wake of the Fort Hood shootings.

Health Care

Business Lobbyist: Health-Care Study Should Be Buried If It Comes Out Positive

Zachary Roth | November 18, 2009, 10:32AM

A lobbyist working with the Chamber of Commerce says that if a planned study on the economic impact of health-care reform doesn't support the business community's agenda, he'd recommend burying it.

"If you're doing something like this you want it to be back up the position you've taken," Brian Worth of the International Electrical Contractors (IEC) told TPMmuckraker. If the report showed that reform wouldn't cause significant job losses, said Worth, "I would say sit on it, and don't release it."

C Street

Watch: Maddow On C Street

Zachary Roth | November 18, 2009, 9:30AM

MSNBC's Rachel Maddow picked up our report -- with credit -- on the C Street house losing its tax exempt status last night.

She tied residents of the Christian house to the effort to stop health-care reform, and interviewed Jeff Sharlet, the author of a book on the shadowy religious group that owns the house.

PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (2)
Topics: C Street, Media

Pete Hoekstra

Lacking Evidence, Hoekstra Blames Obama Admin. For Fort Hood

Zachary Roth | November 17, 2009, 6:12PM

Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI)

Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) is ramping up his campaign to use the Fort Hood shootings to paint the Obama administration as soft on terrorism.

At a press conference today, where he was joined by several GOP colleagues, Hoekstra, the ranking Republican on the House Intelligence committee, called for an immediate congressional investigation into the shootings, to determine whether the intelligence community needs enhanced tools to combat terror. Hoekstra and his colleagues also suggested, without citing evidence, that the administration had restricted the use of crucial terror-fighting tools that could have been used to stop the attacks.

Don Siegelman

Obama Administration Opposes Siegelman's Supreme Court Appeal

Justin Elliott | November 17, 2009, 3:54PM

Fmr. Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman

The solicitor general of the Obama Administration is arguing against former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman's appeal of his controversial bribery conviction to the Supreme Court.

The Friday development, first reported by the Birmingham News, hinges on the argument by Siegelman and co-defendant Richard Scrushy, former CEO of HealthSouth Corp., that their case throws into doubt standards for determining whether bribery has occurred.

C Street

C Street House No Longer Tax Exempt

Zachary Roth | November 17, 2009, 1:40PM

Sen. John Ensign (R-NV), Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Gov. Mark Sanford (R-SC)

Residents of the C Street Christian fellowship house will no longer benefit from a loophole that had allowed the house's owners to avoid paying property taxes.

Previously, the house -- despite being home to numerous lawmakers -- had been tax exempt, because it was classified as a church. That arrangement had allowed the building's owner, the secretive international Christian organization The Family, to charge significantly below market rents to its residents. In recent year, Senators John Ensign (R-NV), Tom Coburn (R-OK), Sam Brownback (R-KS) and Jim DeMint (R-SC), and Reps. Zach Wamp (R-TN), Bart Stupak (D-MI) and Mike Doyle (D-PA) have all reportedly called C Street home.

CREW

CREW: Bachmann Rally May Have Violated House Rules

Zachary Roth | November 17, 2009, 12:29PM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

A recent rally against health-care reform, organized on the Capitol steps by Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), may have violated House rules.

The good-government group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington is asking the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) to probe whether Bachmann misused her congressional website in publicizing the rally.

Chamber of Commerce

Chamber Funding Study To Show Health-Care Reform Will "Kill Jobs"

Zachary Roth | November 17, 2009, 11:48AM

The Chamber of Commerce, an ardent foe of health-care reform, is raising money to fund an economic study on the impact of the legislation on the economy. Unsurprisingly, the Chamber anticipates that the study will find that reform will "kill jobs."

James Gelfand, the Chamber's senior health policy manager, wrote an email to allies that suggested spending $50,000 to hire a "respected economist" to put together the report. The email was obtained by the Washington Post.

Scott Rothstein

GOP Govs Group Got Whopping $200,000 From Accused Fraudster

Justin Elliott | November 17, 2009, 9:56AM

Scott Rothstein (inset)

The Republican Governors Association got a $200,000 donation last year from Fort Lauderdale attorney Scott Rothstein, who is being accused of a fraud worth as much as $1 billion. The RGA did not respond to requests for comment about the contribution, and it's not known whether the money has, or will be, returned.

Rothstein was until his fall a top donor and fundraiser for Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, who is now locked in a hotly contested U.S. Senate primary with conservative Marco Rubio.

Muslim Mafia

Wanted (Urgent): Winnebago, Two Motorcycles, $25K For Muslim Watcher's Latest Project

Justin Elliott | November 16, 2009, 3:24PM

Dave Gaubatz (inset)

Muslim Mafia scribe Dave Gaubatz is planning an investigative counterterrorism project in the Sunni mosques of North Carolina, and one lucky donor to the project will be invited to join his crack team of researchers. Needed for the job, according to an "urgent" post on Gaubatz's blog: $25,000, two motorcycles, and use of one class A RV for 30 days.

The project starts Dec. 5 and the "highest donor can travel on team" and "will work alongside Dave Gaubatz the entire 30 days," according to the cached version of the blog post.

Lobbyists

Lawmakers' Statements On Health-Care Reform Were Ghost-Written By Lobbyists: Report

Zachary Roth | November 16, 2009, 3:05PM

Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC)

Here's one of those stories that point up the utter sleaziness of the cozy lawmaker-lobbyist relationships that continue to shape so much of what Congress does.

The New York Times reports that lobbyists for a major biotech company, Genentech, wrote statements that were then put into the Congressional Record under the names of more than a dozen lawmakers of both parties.

PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (2)
Topics: Health Care, Joe Wilson, Lobbyists

Jeff Larson

Lies, Ex-Cons, And 'Nasty' Bathrooms: Behind The Scenes At A Top GOP Outreach Firm

Zachary Roth | November 16, 2009, 12:21PM

FLS Connect logo and Karl Rove

A top Republican political fund-raising and outreach firm gives convicted felons access to political donors' credit-card information, according to three former employees.

Minnesota-based FLS Connect uses low-wage workers to make fund-raising calls for a bevy of prominent GOP clients. And many of those workers -- including those responsible for processing credit-card transactions -- have felony convictions, the former employees said.

Hardin Jail

Bureau Of Prisons Shoots Down AP Report On Hardin As Gitmo Site

Justin Elliott | November 16, 2009, 12:20PM

Two Rivers Detention Center

The Bureau of Prisons is not looking at the empty jail in Hardin, Montana -- which was recently at the center of the American Police Force con -- as a potential site for Guantanamo inmates, contrary to an AP report today, a spokesperson for the bureau tells TPMmuckraker.

Mary Landrieu

Landrieu Camp Mum On $25K "Donation" To U.S.

Zachary Roth | November 16, 2009, 10:10AM

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA)

So here's an intriguing mystery...

Why did Sen. Mary Landrieu's campaign last year donate $25,300 to the U.S. Treasury Department? The donation was buried in the campaign's lengthy FEC report, from which it was picked out by CREW, the tireless good-government watchdog.

Scott Rothstein

Crist Photo With Accused Fraudster: 'Scott -- you're amazing!'

Justin Elliott | November 16, 2009, 9:45AM

Photo with Gov. Crist from Scott Rothstein's office

A photo hanging in the law firm office of accused fraudster Scott Rothstein shows the Fort Lauderdale attorney in a full embrace with Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and features a handwritten note from Crist: "Scott --- you're amazing!"

The story of Rothstein's alleged $1 billion fraud, which TPMmuckraker has been following, was featured on the front page of the weekend edition of the Wall Street Journal, illustrated by the Crist-Rothstein photo.

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November 15, 2009 - November 21, 2009