June 13, 2010 - June 19, 2010

C Street

Ethics Office Clears C Street House In Rent Probe

Justin Elliott | June 18, 2010, 4:30PM

C Street House

The Office of Congressional Ethics has sent letters to several residents of the C Street Christian fellowship house informing them that there is no "probable cause" to believe legislators are getting improper gifts in the form of below-market rent, Roll Call reports.

Alvin Greene

Alvin Greene, The Laura Ingraham Interview

Justin Elliott | June 18, 2010, 3:14PM

SC-SEN candidate Alvin Greene (D)

A bemused Laura Ingraham talked to Alvin Greene today in perhaps the most gratuitously mean Greene interview to date.

The conservative radio show host opened the interview by asking if President Obama, or Harry Reid, or Nancy Pelosi had called to congratulate him. (No, Greene answered, again and again.) Ingraham then asked Greene his stance on the threat of stagflation.

Ken Cuccinelli

Cuccinelli Still Won't Give Fake Vets Group Donations To Real Veterans

Megan Carpentier | June 18, 2010, 2:10PM

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R)

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R) took $55,000 in campaign contributions from the U.S. Navy Veterans Association (USNVA) founder Bobby Thompson before it was revealed that the USNVA was quite possibly a scam that existed solely for the personal enrichment of one Bobby Thompson. After his fellow state Republicans discovered it, they hastily turned around and gave the tainted donations to actual non-profits that help individual veterans. Not Cuccinelli, though: he insisted on keeping them even as he told reporters that he also would not be initiating any investigation into Thompson or USNVA.

Responding to pressure today, Cuccinelli announced a slight change of plans. Taking a page from BP, he deposited $55,000 of his campaign war chest into an escrow account pending the outcome of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services' investigation into the charity.

Justice Department

Holder: CIA Torture Review Almost Done

Justin Elliott | June 18, 2010, 11:23AM

Attorney General Eric Holder

Attorney General said Thursday evening that the Justice Department prosecutor conducting a review of torture of detainees by the CIA, which was launched last August, is "close to the end of the time that he needs and will be making some recommendations to me," Main Justice reports.

Times Square

Indictment: Failed Times Square Bomber Had Help From Pakistan

Justin Elliott | June 18, 2010, 9:12AM

Faisal Shahzad

On Thursday alleged Times Square would-be bomber Faisal Shahzad, who was previously charged with the attempted car bombing, was indicted by a grand jury on ten new charges in New York. And the indictment alleges that Shahzad had operational help from an unnamed person in Pakistan.

Check out this section from the indictment:

Barack Obama

Blago Lawyers Try To Tie Kickbacks To Obama Donation

Jillian Rayfield | June 17, 2010, 5:12PM

Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich

As the Rod Blagojevich trial wears on, defense attorneys are attempting to tie the shady dealings that took place during the former Illinois governor's tenure to donations made to Barack Obama's presidential campaign.

Joe Barton

Barton's Top Campaign Contributor Is Implicated In Gulf Oil Disaster

Justin Elliott | June 17, 2010, 3:07PM

Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX)

It's well-known that Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), the congressman who made headlines today for apologizing to BP for the "$20 billion shakedown" of the new escrow account, has been drenched in oil and gas industry money for years.

But here's a nice catch by 538:

Jeff Greene

Greene's DC Ad: Investigate Meek Over Earmark Scandal (VIDEO)

Eric Lach | June 17, 2010, 1:41PM

Jeff Greene, the eccentric billionaire running for Senate in Florida, has released a new ad calling for an investigation of his opponent in the Democratic Primary, Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-FL), over the earmarks the Congressman sought for a developer now facing fraud charges. The ad isn't targeted at voters, however. It's up in the DC market, making the case for Congress to look into the matter.

Financial Disclosures

Personal Financial Information Of Members Of Congress Released

Justin Elliott | June 17, 2010, 11:35AM

Personal financial disclosure forms from members of Congress, showing assets and other information as of the end of last year, are now available for perusal.

There are lots of fun tidbits. For example, Sen. John Ensign's wife was paid $2,350 in salary by HairArts LLC of Las Vegas. Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) got dividends from Pizza Hut (Yum! Brands).

Alvin Greene

Alvin Greene: I Am The Next Time Magazine Man Of The Year

Justin Elliott | June 17, 2010, 9:23AM

SC-SEN candidate Alvin Greene (D)

Ten days of constant and often mocking media coverage has done nothing to damage the self-esteem of South Carolina Democratic Senate candidate Alvin Greene -- just the opposite.

Time catches up with Greene at his Manning, South Carolina, home as he begins to show signs of megalomania:

Amy Bishop

Alabama Professor Charged With Murder In Disputed 1986 Shooting

Justin Elliott | June 16, 2010, 6:03PM

Amy Bishop

Amy Bishop, the Alabama biology professor who allegedly shot three colleagues to death in February, was indicted today in Massachusetts for the murder of her brother at their Braintree, Massachusetts, home in 1986.

As TPMmuckraker has reported, the shooting of Bishop's brother Seth was presented as an accident at the time. She was not charged. But after the alleged Alabama shootings this year, media reports indicated the investigation of the 1986 incident was rife with irregularities.

MacDill Air Force Base

The Mysterious MacDill Air Base Incident: What Do We Know (VIDEO)

Justin Elliott | June 16, 2010, 1:28PM

Christopher Kilburn

It hasn't gotten much attention nationally, but on Monday a man and a woman in their 20s showed up at an entrance to one of the most important military bases in the country with a car full of guns and fraudulent military ID.

The pair was promptly arrested at a gate of Florida's MacDill Air Force Base -- which is home to U.S. Central Command, among other important units. But what they were intending to do is still not publicly known. Here's a look at what we do know:

Office of Congressional Ethics

Reports: OCE Probe Focused On Fundraisers, Auto Dealer Exemption

Rachel Slajda | June 16, 2010, 12:14PM

Rep. Mel Watt (D-NC)

The House Office of Congressional Ethics investigation into eight lawmakers is focusing on fundraisers held in the two days before the final vote on financial reform legislation, according to news reports.

According to The Hill, the OCE is specifically looking into a fundraiser held for Rep. Mel Watt (D-NC) two days before he pulled an amendment that could have hurt certain auto dealers.

Mark Souder

Souder: Regular Prayers And Hymns Failed To Stop Affair

Justin Elliott | June 16, 2010, 10:30AM

Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN)

If only Mark Souder had listened to Dan Quayle, everything would have turned out better.

Souder, the Indiana Republican congressman who resigned last month after admitting to an affair with a staffer, is still giving interviews. In the latest, with the Christian WORLD magazine, Souder says that when he was first elected to Congress in 1994, Quayle called and advised him to move his family to Washington. Souder now regrets not taking the advice.

Gary Brooks Faulkner

Brother Of Bin Laden Hunter: 'I Felt He Had A Good Chance' (VIDEO)

Justin Elliott | June 16, 2010, 9:29AM

Scott Faulkner

Scott Faulkner, brother of so-called Bin Laden Hunter Gary Brooks Faulkner, fully approved of his brother's "plan" to track down the terrorist mastermind in the mountains of northern Pakistan. He even gave his brother a ride to the airport.

"Gary's an adult," said Scott Faulkner, a Colorado doctor, on the Today show this morning. "And he wasn't harming anyone else, he was not engaged in illegal activity. So the rest of us felt, if that's what he needed to do, that's what he needed to do."

Gary Brooks Faulkner

'Bin Laden Hunter' Has Criminal Record

Justin Elliott | June 15, 2010, 6:08PM

Gary Brooks Faulkner

The man who was reportedly arrested in Pakistan with a gun, a sword, night goggles, and Christian literature on a mission to kill Osama bin Laden, has a substantial criminal record in his home state of Colorado.

The Denver Post reports on Gary Brooks Faulkner:

Alvin Greene

CREW Calls For Investigation Of South Carolina Primary Shenanigans

Christina Bellantoni | June 15, 2010, 2:55PM

SC Sen candidate Alvin Greene (D)

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) today joined Democrats calling for a state criminal investigation into the mysterious candidacy of Senate nominee Alvin Greene. Greene (D-SC) was able to capture 59 percent of the vote and win the party nomination last Tuesday despite having never campaigned. CREW also filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission over alleged reporting violations by Greene and two other no-name Democratic candidates in South Carolina.

CREW and others have said the investigation should focus on how Greene came up with the more than $10,000 filing fee. Officials with the watchdog group asked South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster (R) to investigate whether Greene was "induced" to run in a violation of state law. That's an echo of the calls from the state Democratic Party and House Majority Whip James Clyburn, who has suggested Greene's candidacy was part of some sort of conspiracy.

National Board of Ophthalmology

Rand Paul's Dissident Ophthalmology Group Still Certifying Doctors

Justin Elliott | June 15, 2010, 2:48PM

Rand Paul, Republican U.S. Senate candidate from Kentucky

It seems that Kentucky Republican Senate candidate Rand Paul's rogue ophthalmology certification outfit, the National Board of Ophthalmology, is still recertifying doctors even though the group has virtually no public footprint.

Ben Smith at Politico reports on the group Dr. Paul founded to protest changes in the national American Board of Ophthalmology's certification policies:

South Carolina

GOP Operative Hired By S.C. Democrat: There's No Plot Here!

Christina Bellantoni | June 15, 2010, 10:23AM

Preston Grisham (inset), former aide to Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC)

The Republican consultant at the heart of accusations of mischief in the South Carolina Democratic primary said in an interview he worked for a Democratic candidate because he opposed higher taxes and seemed qualified to serve in Congress.

Preston Grisham, a longtime campaign operative for Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC), said his new firm Stonewall Strategies was just getting its first clients together when Gregory Brown gave him a call out of the blue to ask for some help with his primary campaign against House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC). Though the nearly $24,000 in payments (the largest expense for the Brown campaign) are listed as for "marketing," both Grisham and Brown said Stonewall did initial polling and helped Brown set up his Web site. (It was housed here last week but now is a dead link.)

NY-GOV

GOP Aide, Charged With Stealing $1.1M From Bloomberg, Works For NY-GOV Candidate Paladino

Rachel Slajda | June 15, 2010, 8:43AM

NY Republican operative John Haggerty

John Haggerty, a New York Republican political operative who was indicted Monday for allegedly stealing $1.1 million from Mayor Michael Bloomberg's campaign, was hired recently by gubernatorial candidate and TPM favorite Carl Paladino.

Paladino is the Tea Party candidate whose campaign took a beating after revelations that he regularly sent racist and sexually explicit emails to friends. It took so much of a beating, in fact, that delegates at the recent NY GOP convention voted that he not be allowed to speak.

Alvin Greene

CNN Anchor To Alvin Greene: Are You 'Mentally Sound?' (VIDEO)

Rachel Slajda | June 14, 2010, 5:04PM

Alvin Greene

The Alvin Greene interviews just keep getting weirder, as the interviewers become increasingly desperate to get something -- anything -- out of the Democratic nominee for Senate in South Carolina.

Over the weekend, CNN's Don Lemon asked Greene if he was "mentally sound" and "impaired by anything" during the interview.

SC-GOV

Clyburn Says All Three Dem Candidates He Thinks Are 'Plants' Hired GOP Firm (VIDEO)

Christina Bellantoni | June 14, 2010, 5:02PM

Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC)

We've been keeping a close eye on the accusations and rumors coming out of South Carolina in recent days following a very strange Democratic primary. It's far from clear whether any of the mysterious candidates who performed better than expected for being little known were "plants" or part of any larger plot.

Today House Majority Whip James Clyburn accused all three candidates he's already suggested were "plants" of hiring Stonewall Strategies, a firm run by former aide to Rep. Joe Wilson. On MSNBC today charged that Democratic candidates Gregory Brown, Ben Frasier in SC-01 and Alvin Greene in the Senate race had employed Stonewall. Preston Grisham, who runs Stonewall, flatly denied the charge in an interview.

Clyburn (D-SC) has spent the last several days suggesting that something was amiss during Tuesday's primary, during which Frasier and Greene prevailed despite a lack of campaigning and no recognition from the state Democratic party.

Office of Congressional Ethics

Report: OCE Asks Lobbyists For Info On Eight Congressmen

Rachel Slajda | June 14, 2010, 2:57PM

K Street in Washington, DC

The Hill reports today that the House Office of Congressional Ethics has asked lobbyists for information and documents relating to eight House members: five Republicans and three Democrats.

The members are Reps. John Campbell (R-CA), Joe Crowley (D-NY), Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), Christopher Lee (R-NY), Frank Lucas (R-OK), Earl Pomeroy (D-ND), Tom Price (R-GA) and Mel Watt (D-NC). All of them serve on either the Financial Services Committee or the Ways and Means Committee.

Jack Abramoff

Doolittle: DOJ Dropped Case Against Me

Rachel Slajda | June 14, 2010, 2:36PM

Fmr. Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA)

Former Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA), who retired in 2008 while under investigation as part of the probe of lobbyist Jack Abramoff, announced last week that the Department of Justice has closed its investigation of him and will not press charges.

The DOJ declined to comment to TPMmuckraker.

Abramoff had hired Doolittle's wife's firm for event planning work; Abramoff gave Doolittle's office $140,000 over the years; and Abramoff allegedly gave gifts like tickets to the Washington Redskins to Doolittle's staff in exchange for legislative favors.

Rand Paul

Rand Paul Defends His National Board of Ophthalmology In Certification Flap

Ben Frumin | June 14, 2010, 2:18PM

KY-SEN candidate Rand Paul (R)

The Louisville Courier-Journal has a much-discussed story today about Kentucky Republican Senate nominee Rand Paul and his lack of certification from a mainstream ophthalmology board.

As we reported last month, Paul is the founder and president of the National Board of Ophthalmology, a certifying board for eye doctors that has left little public record, and whose legitimacy seems unclear at best. He hasn't been certified by the mainstream board since 2005. He is certified by the NBO.

The Courier-Journal points out today that Paul's board "is not recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties, which works with the American Medical Association to approve such specialty boards."

Afghanistan

Gov't Geologist Spoke Of Vast Economic Benefit Of Afghan Minerals -- Over Two Years Ago

Justin Elliott | June 14, 2010, 12:38PM

The Hindu Kush mountains overlooking the Bamiyan Valley in Afghanistan

American geologists who assessed Afghanistan's mineral deposits realized the potentially vast economic benefits of the minerals as far back as 2007, according to U.S. Geological Survey documents from that time.

The New York Times story this morning reporting the "discovery" in Afghanistan of a $1 trillion trove of minerals like lithium has already been the focus of plenty of scrutiny from journalists questioning how new this discovery, which was presented by the Obama Administration as a potential game-changer, really is.

Alvin Greene

The Alvin Greene Story: No One Heard Of Vic Rawl, Either

Rachel Slajda | June 14, 2010, 12:34PM

Vic Rawl (D-SC)

Alvin Greene, as you probably know, didn't do any campaigning before getting nearly 60% of the vote in the South Carolina Democratic primary for Senate. He didn't have yard signs or a web site, and he didn't attend the state party's big political events, including the convention and the Galivants Ferry Stump.

His opponent, Vic Rawl, did campaign, and now he's alleging possible wrongdoing in the primary and protesting the results.

But something that's been all but ignored over the past week is the fact that, for all his campaigning, Rawl had no more name recognition than Greene.

South Carolina

Vic Rawl Files Protest Of Alvin Greene's Primary Win In SC

Ben Frumin | June 14, 2010, 12:30PM

SC Sen candidate Alvin Greene (D) and primary opponent Vic Rawl

South Carolina Judge Vic Rawl -- who was beaten badly by the unheard of Alvin Greene in last week's South Carolina Democratic Senate primary -- announced today that he's filed a protest of the election results with the state party.

"We have filed this protest not for my personal or political gain, but on behalf of the people of South Carolina," Rawl said in the statement. "There is a cloud over Tuesday's election. There is a cloud over South Carolina, that affects all of our people, Democrats and Republicans, white and African-American alike."

Since Greene's surprising victory last week, the unemployed Army vet has made the cable news rounds -- and has come across as thoroughly not ready for prime time. Watch the highlights. Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) has gone so far as to suggest that Greene may be a "plant."

Michael Bloomberg

Top Bloomberg Aide Indicted For Allegedly Stealing Campaign Funds

Jillian Rayfield | June 14, 2010, 12:16PM

NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg

The Manhattan District Attorney's office announced today that John F. Haggerty Jr., a top campaign operative for New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, has been indicted for allegedly stealing $1 million in campaign funds.

Ted Kennedy

FBI Releases Ted Kennedy File

Justin Elliott | June 14, 2010, 10:14AM

Late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA)

The FBI today released its files on the late Ted Kennedy -- over 2,200 pages in all and covering such areas as death threats against the senator, J. Edgar Hoover's interest in Kennedy's meeting with leftists abroad, and Chappaquiddick (though the FBI was actually not involved in investigating the case).

Download the files, which cover a period from the early 1960s through the early 1990s, here. See anything interesting? Leave a comment below or send us an email.

Alvin Greene

Expert: Obscenity Charge Brought Against Alvin Greene Extremely Rare (VIDEO)

Justin Elliott | June 14, 2010, 8:35AM

SC-SEN candidate Alvin Greene (D)

An expert in obscenity law tells TPMmuckraker that the statute being used to prosecute South Carolina Democratic Senate candidate Alvin Greene for allegedly showing a college student porn is on the books in every state but is almost never enforced.

As media outlets have repeated again and again in the coverage of Greene's mystery Senate candidacy, he was charged in November with disseminating, procuring, or promoting obscene material -- a felony. (See court documents here.) As University of South Carolina student Camille McCoy, 19, described the incident in an interview on Fox Friday, Greene allegedly showed her pornographic images on a computer (of "woman-on-man porn, pretty much sex I guess") at a university computer lab, and then remarked, "Let's go to your room now."

TPMMuckraker June 13, 2010 - June 19, 2010

Justin Elliott | June 18, 2010, 4:30PM

Justin Elliott | June 18, 2010, 3:14PM

Megan Carpentier | June 18, 2010, 2:10PM

Justin Elliott | June 18, 2010, 11:23AM

Justin Elliott | June 18, 2010, 9:12AM

Jillian Rayfield | June 17, 2010, 5:12PM

Justin Elliott | June 17, 2010, 3:07PM

Eric Lach | June 17, 2010, 1:41PM

Justin Elliott | June 17, 2010, 11:35AM

Justin Elliott | June 17, 2010, 9:23AM

Justin Elliott | June 16, 2010, 6:03PM

Justin Elliott | June 16, 2010, 1:28PM

Rachel Slajda | June 16, 2010, 12:14PM

Justin Elliott | June 16, 2010, 10:30AM

Justin Elliott | June 16, 2010, 9:29AM

Justin Elliott | June 15, 2010, 6:08PM

Christina Bellantoni | June 15, 2010, 2:55PM

Justin Elliott | June 15, 2010, 2:48PM

Christina Bellantoni | June 15, 2010, 10:23AM

Rachel Slajda | June 15, 2010, 8:43AM

Rachel Slajda | June 14, 2010, 5:04PM

Christina Bellantoni | June 14, 2010, 5:02PM

Rachel Slajda | June 14, 2010, 2:57PM

Rachel Slajda | June 14, 2010, 2:36PM

Ben Frumin | June 14, 2010, 2:18PM

Justin Elliott | June 14, 2010, 12:38PM

Rachel Slajda | June 14, 2010, 12:34PM

Ben Frumin | June 14, 2010, 12:30PM

Jillian Rayfield | June 14, 2010, 12:16PM

Justin Elliott | June 14, 2010, 10:14AM

Justin Elliott | June 14, 2010, 8:35AM

Inside TPM

Latest

Most Popular

All

TPMMuckraker

TPMDC

TPMLiveWire

TPM Top News

TPMMuckraker
June 13, 2010 - June 19, 2010