January 31, 2010 - February 6, 2010

Barney Frank

Frank Doubles Down: Fund Is 'Congenital And Habitual Liar'

Zachary Roth | February 5, 2010, 5:41PM

Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) and John Fund

We told you earlier about the spat between Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) and Wall Street Journal columnist John Fund, which was triggered by Fund's erroneous claim that Frank has been working on a "universal voter registration" bill.

As we reported, Fund is continuing to claim that Frank supports the concept of universal voter registration, which Fund says would overturn state laws and undermine safeguards designed to protect against vote fraud.

PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (9)
Topics: Barney Frank, John Fund, Voting

Campaign Contributions

Defense Contractor Will Plead Guilty On False Statements Charge

Zachary Roth | February 5, 2010, 2:35PM

A politically connected British defense contractor has agreed to plead guilty to having misled the government about payments that may have been used to help win contracts Saudi Arabia, the Justice Department has announced.

In a joint agreement with the U.S. and U.K., BAE Systems will pay a $400 million fine.

Landrieu Phone-Tampering Scandal

Out On Bond, Phone-Tamper Defendant Surfaces As Journo At Tea Party Convention

Justin Elliott | February 5, 2010, 2:01PM

Joseph Basel

Landrieu phone-tampering defendant Joseph Basel isn't letting a little thing like felony charges hang over his head and prevent him from achieving professional goals.

With a week until he's due in federal court in New Orleans for a Feb. 12 hearing, Basel has been spotted at the national tea party convention in Nashville by the Washington Independent's Dave Weigel.

Barney Frank

Frank: John Fund Is 'A Liar And A Coward'

Zachary Roth | February 5, 2010, 1:24PM

Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) and John Fund

Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), and Wall Street Journal columnist John Fund are engaged in a bitter war of words stemming from an inaccurate charge made by Fund against the congressman in a speech last fall.

In an interview with TPMmuckraker, Frank called Fund "a liar and a coward," and launched a broadside at "the right-wing echo chamber" that picked up on Fund's erroneous charge against the congressman. For his part, Fund called Frank's outrage "a little sad."

Tom Tancredo

Tancredo: Obama Elected Because 'We Do Not Have A Civics, Literacy Test'

Zachary Roth | February 5, 2010, 10:44AM

Fmr. Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO)

Organizers of the National Tea Party Convention, who have been at pains to present their confab as a gathering of patriotic and mainstream Americans, may not have been pleased by the speech given by their opening-night speaker.

Former congressman Tom Tancredo declared that President Obama was elected because "we do not have a civics, literacy test before people can vote in this country."

Todd Palin

Internal Emails Show Robust Role For 'Shadow Governor' Todd Palin

Justin Elliott | February 5, 2010, 10:40AM

Todd Palin

A nice get from MSNBC.com: a huge batch of internal e-mails released in response to an Alaska open records request show that Todd Palin played a big role in his wife's administration, often corresponding directly with the governor's staff on matters ranging from appointments to contract negotiations.

Todd Palin was known as the "shadow governor" and was a key figure in the Troopergate scandal that dogged Sarah Palin during the 2008 campaign. In recent months, there's evidence that he is still his wife's most important protector: he personally drew up the now-famous "banned list" barring unfriendly media from a Palin book event in Wasilla.

Norm Coleman

American Action Network: Coleman Et Al. To Launch Right-Wing 'Action Tank'

Justin Elliott | February 5, 2010, 9:05AM

Former Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN), American Action CEO

Several top Republicans are launching what they call a "think-and-do tank" that will focus on conservative economics and business issues and will openly advocate for political candidates, the New York Times is reporting.

At the forefront of the new American Action Network are former senator Norm Coleman and Douglas Holtz-Eakin, who was a policy adviser for John McCain and a frequent face of the McCain presidential campaign on television.

Rod Blagojevich

Blagojevich Re-Indicted In Response To Review Of Honest Services Law

Justin Elliott | February 4, 2010, 2:46PM

Former IL Gov. Rod Blagojevich

With prosecutors aiming to preempt problems that could arise from an expected Supreme Court decision, former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was re-indicted today on corruption charges including that he tried to sell his appointment of Barack Obama's successor in the Senate, the AP reports.

The new 24-count indictment does not include new allegations of wrongdoing.

PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (3)
Topics: Rod Blagojevich

Northwest Flight 253

McCain Again Cites Bogus Abdulmutallab 'One-Way' Ticket Meme (VIDEO)

Justin Elliott | February 4, 2010, 2:01PM

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)

A couple of weeks ago, Sen. John McCain got into a heated exchange with an Obama counterterrorism official who corrected the senator's false statement that the accused Christmas bomber traveled to Detroit on a one-way ticket.

Well apparently McCain, the third-ranking Republican on the Homeland Security Committee, didn't learn his lesson. Last night on Fox he once again claimed that the "fact" that Umar Abdulmutallab was traveling on a one-way ticket should have been a red flag.

Bank of America

Cuomo Charges BofA, Lewis, With Securities Fraud

Zachary Roth | February 4, 2010, 12:18PM

Former Bank of America CEO Ken Lewis

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has filed civil securities fraud charges against Bank of America and the firm's former CEO Ken Lewis, reports (sub. req.) the Wall Street Journal.

Cuomo alleges that Lewis, Chief Financial Officer Joe Price, and other BofA execs, chose not to disclose to shareholders the extent of the losses at Merrill Lynch before BofA bought the ailing Wall St. investment bank in late 2008.

Israel-Palestine

GOP Senate Contender Kirk Is Favorite Of Pro-Israel PACs

Justin Elliott | February 4, 2010, 11:28AM

Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL)

Republican Rep. Mark Kirk enters the Illinois Senate race as the member of the House who has consistently reaped the biggest contribution totals from pro-Israel PACs, making a name for himself through five terms in Congress as a hardline leader on legislation relating to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Kirk, who is considered a moderate Republican on most issues, sailed to an easy victory in the GOP primary this week and goes into the general election race as a strong contender for Barack Obama's old Senate seat.

Scott Lee Cohen

Illinois Lieut. Gov. Nominee Was Arrested For Domestic Violence

Zachary Roth | February 4, 2010, 10:08AM

IL candidate for Lt. Gov. Scott Lee Cohen (D)

The little-known pawnbroker who won this week's Democratic primary election for Illinois lieutenant governor was arrested in 2005 after his prostitute girlfriend alleged that he put a knife to her throat and pushed her against the wall -- an incident that could create a major headache for Governor Pat Quinn.

Scott Lee Cohen denies that he laid a hand on the woman, and says he didn't know she was a prostitute -- he thought she just worked in a massage parlor.

Guantanamo

False 'Recidivism' Meme Lives On In Obama Admin Letter, ABC Report

Justin Elliott | February 3, 2010, 5:54PM

President Obama and John Brennan, deputy national security adviser

The Obama Administration has adopted the flawed rhetoric of "recidivism" to discuss former Guantanamo detainees who are now said to be engaged in violence, according to a new ABC report, which uses the same problematic language.

The item by ABC's Jake Tapper, titled "Brennan: All Transferred Detainees Who Returned to Terrorism Were Released by Bush, No Recidivism for Those Released by Obama," broke the news of a letter from national security adviser John Brennan to Nancy Pelosi that states:

Tea Party Express

CNN On Tea Party Infighting (VIDEO)

Zachary Roth | February 3, 2010, 5:52PM

Tea Party Express strategist Sal Russo

CNN has a lengthy (for TV) report on the infighting that, as we've detailed, is besetting the Tea Party movement.

The high-note comes when CNN gets on camera the GOP consultants who run the Tea Party Express to answer charges that their "grassroots" Tea Party group is little more than a front for the Republican Party.

AIG

AIG Paying Bonuses To Unit That Helped Trigger Crisis

Zachary Roth | February 3, 2010, 3:57PM

American International Group (AIG) office

It's hard to blame people for tuning out the periodic reports of bailed out financial firms still paying huge bonuses to their staff. After all, there's only so much outrage a person can summon over the long haul.

But here's one that's worth a fresh round: AIG, the bailed-out insurance behemoth whose lavish "retention payments" triggered the first round of fury last year, plans more payments this month, worth $100 million, reports the Washington Post. And this week, the employees scheduled to cash in are from the firm's financial products division. That's the unit whose dodgy credit default swaps triggered the billion dollar losses that led to the financial crisis, and subsequent bailout, in the first place.

Obama Administration

Holder To GOP: We're Simply Doing What Bush Did

Justin Elliott | February 3, 2010, 2:24PM

Attorney General Eric Holder

In a letter to Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Attorney General Eric Holder is continuing the push back against GOP attacks on the Obama Administration's decision to handle Umar Abdulmutallab in American courts.

"Since the September 11, 2001 attacks, the practice of the U.S. government,
followed by prior and current Administrations without a single exception, has been to
arrest and detain under federal criminal law all terrorist suspects who are apprehended
inside the United States," Holder writes (emphasis in original).

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab

Are Military Tribunals Really Tougher On Terrorists Than Criminal Courts?

Justin Elliott | February 3, 2010, 1:27PM

Flight 253 bomb attack suspect Umar Abdulmutallab

With the debate over how to handle captured terrorists heating up, it's a good time to look back at the record of how military tribunals have worked in practice, and examine the uninterrogated assumption underlying the debate: that tribunals are tougher on terrorists than the criminal justice system.

A recent study by the liberal Center for American Progress found that in the very few cases of captured terrorists being tried in tribunals, the defendants were given lighter sentences than comparable cases in the criminal justice system.

Mitch McConnell

McConnell Raised Big Bucks From Foreign Defense Contractor Probed For Bribery

Zachary Roth | February 3, 2010, 1:15PM

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).

In the wake of the Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has been quick to denounce a bid by Democrats to stop foreign corporations from pouring money into U.S. elections, claiming current law already bars such spending. As we've reported before, it's not nearly as simple as that -- but McConnell should know: The GOP Senate leader has raked in campaign cash from a subsidiary of a major foreign defense contractor that's currently being investigated by the Justice Department for bribery.

As we reported yesterday, McConnell, a longtime foe of efforts to get money out of politics, last week took to the Senate floor to pooh-pooh the notion that the court's decision could allow a flood of foreign money to sway our elections, citing an existing law that prevents foreign nationals, including corporations, from spending on U.S. elections. But that ban doesn't cover the U.S. subsidiaries of foreign companies, or to foreign-owned corporations that incorporate in the U.S.

Clare Short

Ex-Official: Blair Cabinet Was 'Misled' On Iraq War (VIDEO)

Justin Elliott | February 3, 2010, 9:56AM

Clare Short

Things heated up yesterday in Britain's official examination of the lessons of the Iraq War, with a former member of Tony Blair's cabinet charging that the British government was "misled" into believing the war was legal.

Since last July, a steady stream of current and former British officials have been testifying before the Iraq Inquiry, led by Sir John Chilcot. But thus far, it's been relatively short on fireworks -- until yesterday's testimony by former International Development Secretary Clare Short.

Tea Parties

'We Might As Well Be Able To Vote For Disney': Tea Partiers Slam Citizens United Ruling

Zachary Roth | February 3, 2010, 9:20AM

Tea party in Hartford, Connecticut in 2009

Some Tea Partiers are expressing vocal opposition to the Supreme Court's recent ruling striking down the ban on corporate political spending -- a stance that puts them at odds with the Republican Party and the broader conservative movement.

Just hours after the court ruled last month, RNC chair Michael Steele praised the decision, calling it "an important step in the direction of restoring the First Amendment rights" of corporations.

Mitch McConnell

McConnell Fighting Effort To Block Political Spending By Foreign Corporations

Zachary Roth | February 2, 2010, 3:40PM

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).

You'd think that if there were one Democratic initiative that Republicans in Congress might be bashful about opposing -- especially given the current anti-corporate climate in the country -- it would be a bid to stop foreign corporations from pouring money into our elections.

You'd be wrong. In fact, they're willing to stand up in support of those foreign corporations' right to do so.

Rod Jetton

Report: FBI Investigating Rod Jetton In Strip Club Bill Probe

Justin Elliott | February 2, 2010, 3:34PM

Former Missouri House Speaker Rod Jetton

Rod Jetton, the former Missouri pol charged with assault after a November sexual encounter, is now reportedly under scrutiny in an FBI probe into the killing of a bill to regulate strip clubs.

Details of the pay-to-play probe -- including a grand jury interview with the legislation's sponsor today -- have been bubbling up for a while. The Kansas City Star first reported late last month that Jetton is under scrutiny.

PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (4)
Topics: Bob Johnson, Rod Jetton, Strip Clubs

James Catledge

Investment Advice Guru Who Gave Big To GOP Accused Of Ponzi Scheme (VIDEO)

Justin Elliott | February 2, 2010, 12:52PM

James Catledge

A Nevada motivational speaker-cum-investment guru who is also a major GOP donor is being accused in court documents of operating a Ponzi scheme in which investors were promised big returns for buying real estate in the Dominican Republic.

While the FBI is reportedly investigating the businessman, James Catledge, he has not been charged with a crime by the government. The accusations against Catledge are leveled in the lengthy report of a special master who was appointed by a federal judge in Florida as part of a civil suit brought by aggrieved investors.

Landrieu Phone-Tampering Scandal

Chastened O'Keefe: I'll Be 'A Little More Thoughtful' In The Future (VIDEO)

Justin Elliott | February 2, 2010, 8:51AM

James O'Keefe and Sean Hannity

In a 12-minute interview with Fox's Sean Hannity last night, a subdued James O'Keefe said he is cooperating with the U.S. Attorney in Louisiana and that in the future he will "try to be a little more thoughtful about how I approach these things."

"This is a huge misunderstanding," said O'Keefe, who is criminally charged with three other men in the Landrieu phone tampering case.

Tea Party Nation

Palin Tea Party Convention Speech To Be Broadcast Live

Zachary Roth | February 1, 2010, 3:38PM

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin

The much-maligned Tea Party group organizing the National Tea Party Convention this week has announced that portions of the controversial confab, including Sarah Palin's speech, will be broadcast live.

In a press release, Tea Party Nation (TPN) spokesman Mark Skoda writes:

Landrieu Phone-Tampering Scandal

Breitbart Claim: Jailed O'Keefe Couldn't Access Attorney For Hours

Justin Elliott | February 1, 2010, 2:21PM

Andrew Breitbart

Interviewed on Fox just moments ago, Andrew Breitbart claimed that alleged Landrieu phone tamperer James O'Keefe "sat in jail for 28 hours without access to an attorney."

Breitbart, who has been on a public campaign defending O'Keefe, a paid contributor to Breitbart's BigGovernment.com, also charged that the U.S. Attorney's office in Louisiana leaked information to the press "helping" them to frame the episode as "Watergate Junior."

Joe Arpaio

Arpaio Tactics Causing Fear And Loathing In Maricopa County

Zachary Roth | February 1, 2010, 1:43PM

Sheriff Joe Arpaio

Sheriff Joe Arpaio's crusade against Maricopa County officials has created a "year-long emotional roller-coaster" for some county employees, they tell the Arizona Republic.

Arpaio, whose controversial immigration enforcement tactics have made him a nationally known figure, is reportedly being probed by a federal grand jury. The investigation is considering whether the sheriff abused his power by going after political opponents and others who crossed him, including several county supervisors and judges.

Stephen Worth

GOP's Key Anti-Union Witness Underpaid Workers, Violated Wage Laws

Zachary Roth | February 1, 2010, 12:05PM

Stephen Worth

House Republicans held a forum last month to slam the Obama administration's alliance with organized labor, charging, among other things, that government favoritism toward the labor movement was unfairly preventing non-union companies from getting contracts. But GOP lawmakers declined to mention that a key witness at the event, the CEO of a Pennsylvania construction firm, had in fact agreed to be temporarily barred from receiving government contracts after being found to have violated state wage laws by underpaying workers.

Stephen Worth, who runs Worth & Company, appeared in late January alongside Steve Forbes and Elaine Chao as a witness at a Capitol Hill forum entitled "A Culture of Favoritism: The Obama Administration's Labor Agenda." The event, organized by Rep. John Kline (R-MN), the ranking Republican on the House Education and Labor committee, was designed to showcase, as a GOP press release put it, how "Washington Democrats have sought to reward political allies" in the labor movement, "at the expense of working Americans."

Landrieu Phone-Tampering Scandal

Before Caper, O'Keefe And Co. Crashed At House Of Activist 'Mentor'

Justin Elliott | February 1, 2010, 11:12AM

From left to right: Joseph Basel, Stan Dai, Robert Flanagan, and James O'Keefe

A 28-year-old Loyola law school student and conservative activist named Ben Wetmore has emerged as the Fifth Beatle of the Landrieu phone-tampering case.

Wetmore, who hired alleged phone tamperer James O'Keefe at the Leadership Institute a few years back to help launch conservative media outlets on college campuses, this month offered up his New Orleans house as a crash pad for O'Keefe and co-defendants Joseph Basel and Stan Dai, the New York Times reports.

Tea Party Express

In Damage Control Mode, Tea Party Express Slams 'Smears'

Zachary Roth | February 1, 2010, 9:52AM

Lloyd Marcus

In an aggressive damage control effort launched in the wake of a barrage of negative publicity, a leading Tea Party group created by a Republican consulting firm is pushing back against what it calls "false and malicious attacks."

The Tea Party Express (TPE) yesterday sent an email to supporters slamming "attack hit pieces" by TPMmuckraker and other outlets. The recent stories, writes TPE's Lloyd Marcus under the TPE banner, amount to "a range of rumors, accusations, allegations, smears and mischaracterizations of what we at the Tea Party Express are supposedly about." Marcus, the African-American country singer who has become a prominent TPE spokesman, promises another email soon that will "debunk" the "smears."

Justice Department

Reports: DOJ Torture Memo Probe Clears Yoo, Bybee

Justin Elliott | February 1, 2010, 9:21AM

John Yoo

A long-awaited internal Justice Department report will essentially clear the lawyers who crafted the legal justification for the Bush Administration's torture policies, reversing the tougher findings of a draft version of the report, according to Newsweek.

The draft version of the Office of Professional Responsibility report recommended that John Yoo and Jay Bybee -- who served in the Office of Legal Counsel and are now a law professor at Berkeley and a federal appeals court judge in Nevada, respectively -- be referred to state bar associations for potential discipline for their role in writing memos that concluded torture was justified.

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January 31, 2010 - February 6, 2010