Mary Beth Buchanan

Report: Republican US Attorney With Role In Firings Scandal Mulls Bid For Congress

Justin Elliott | October 9, 2009, 1:50PM

Mary Beth Buchanan

Via Main Justice, we note with interest that
U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan, who has been accused of pursuing politically motivated prosecutions and who played a role in the US attorneys firings scandal, is reportedly looking at a run for Congress in Pennsylvania.

Buchanan is consulting with state and national GOP leaders and is "50-50" on whether to run, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports, quoting a local Republican county chair.

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American Police Force

Early Agreement Said APPF Would Provide Hardin With Police Force For $250K

Justin Elliott | October 9, 2009, 10:04AM

APPF SUVs with 'Hardin Police Dept.' decal, 9/30/09

Here's a nice get by the Billings Gazette, which went to court to pry another document from the hands of Hardin, MT, officials on the town's deal with the shadowy American Private Police Force.

The August 18 agreement, signed by APPF's Michael Hilton and Hardin economic development chief Greg Smith, who resigned this week, makes clear that Smith wanted APPF to provide a police force for the town, which doesn't have its own department. Read the whole thing here.

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Charles Rangel

House Ethics Panel Expands Probe Of Rangel

Justin Elliott | October 8, 2009, 4:16PM

Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY)

The House ethics committee, which for over a year has been investigating alleged financial misconduct by Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY), voted unanimously to expand the probe, it announced today.

The New York Post reports:

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American Police Force

Anonymous APPF 'Investor' Comes Forward, Claims Jail Project Still Alive

Justin Elliott | October 8, 2009, 11:36AM

Just when we thought the American Private Police Force saga might be over, a putative APPF "investor" has come forward -- anonymously.

KULR in Montana reports on a "California man" who claims, under condition that his name not be used, that he is one of several private individuals who gave APPF money for the Hardin jail project.

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Denny Rehberg

Rehberg: Boat Driver Who Allegedly Drank Scotch And Wine All Night Didn't Seem Drunk To Me!

Justin Elliott | October 7, 2009, 6:53PM

Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-MT)

Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-MT), who was injured in a boat crash in August that led to felony charges against the allegedly drunk driver today, says his friend "didn't appear to be impaired."

Here's Rehberg statement on the charges against Montana State Sen. Greg Barkus, as reported by KECI in Missoula:

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American Police Force

The Tragedy Of Becky Shay: Beleaguered APPF Spox Presses On

Justin Elliott | October 7, 2009, 6:36PM

Becky Shay

It's been a rough couple of weeks for Becky Shay, the spokeswoman for the American Private Police Force.

Amid it all -- the tearful press conference, the confrontations with a conspiracist shock jock who parachuted in from Texas, the media scrutiny of her abrupt career shift from Billings Gazette reporter covering APPF to the public face of APPF, and, above all, the persistent charges that her new company is a fraud -- Shay has kept her eye on the ball.

And, she told TPMmuckraker in an interview today, she's damn proud of it.

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Denny Rehberg

MT State Senator Charged With Felonies In Allegedly Drunken Boat Crash With Rep. Rehberg

Justin Elliott | October 7, 2009, 2:23PM

The scene of the Aug. 27 accident, State Sen. Greg Barkus (R-MT) inset.

Montana State Sen. Greg Barkus, who crashed his boat in a lake with four passengers aboard, including Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-MT), was charged today with one count of criminal endangerment and two counts of negligent vehicular assault, the Flathead county attorney's office confirmed to TPMmuckraker.

The charges, which can be read in full here, allege that Barkus was drunk on the night of August 27 and that his actions on Flathead Lake endangered the life of Rehberg.

Reached at his home this afternoon by TPMmuckraker, Barkus said he had not heard of the charges, all of which are felonies. He said he had no comment on the matter.

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Charles Rangel

Escalating Campaign Against Rangel, GOP Demands He Give Up Chairmanship

Justin Elliott | October 7, 2009, 12:59PM

Rep. John Carter (R-TX) and Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY)

House Republicans plan to introduce a resolution today calling on Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY), who has been dogged by charges of financial misconduct and influence peddling, to resign from his powerful post at the head of the Ways and Means Committee.

Rep. John Carter (R-TX), who is leading the charge against Rangel and wrote the resolution -- which House Dems are vowing to block -- said in a statement:

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Rick Renzi

DOJ Adds Five New Charges Against Ex-Rep. Renzi

Justin Elliott | October 7, 2009, 9:47AM

Fmr. Rep. Rick Renzi (R-AZ)

Former Arizona Congressman Rick Renzi, who was indicted on 36 counts of corruption in February 2008, now faces an additional five charges, The Hill reports.

The newspaper explains:

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Gun-Toters

Revealed: MN Gun-Toter's Grocery Store Parking Lot Pepper Spray Case Records

Justin Elliott | October 6, 2009, 6:04PM

Josh Hendrickson

Remember the rash of right-wing protesters who showed up to Obama events in August and September armed -- sometimes to the teeth?

In the middle of September, the gun-toter du jour was Josh Hendrickson, who came to an Obama health care speech in Minneapolis with a Glock and a Kel Tec 380 in his back pocket. But Hendrickson was a little different from the other gun-toters: he showed up at the event just after getting out of jail for a pepper-spraying incident.

And based on court records we've obtained, that episode appears to have been an unfortunate flareup of Mall Cop Rage. It resulted in a fifth degree assault misdemeanor conviction.

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American Police Force

APPF's 'Major Security Firm' Parent Company: Does It Exist?

Justin Elliott | October 6, 2009, 12:49PM

Michael Hilton

One of the abiding mysteries of the American Private Police Force story is who, if anyone, provided the financial backing the private security company claims to have.

As the project unravels and more of APPF's claims are shown to be dubious, it seems like the key question is not who the parent company is, but: does it actually exist?

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American Police Force

Hardin, Montana, Puts Jail Deal With APPF On Ice

Justin Elliott | October 6, 2009, 9:08AM

Michael Hilton

Spooked by a man who turned out to be a convicted felon and who appears to have repeatedly lied on his way to acquiring a lease for an empty jail in Hardin, MT, town leaders yesterday put the deal with American Private Police Force on hold.

Last week, the state attorney general launched a probe of the deal that was pushed through by a man calling himself "Captain" Michael Hilton.

The AP reports on the Hardin board meeting yesterday that put a stop to the whole project:

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American Police Force

APPF's Dubious Story Gets Even More Dubious

Justin Elliott | October 5, 2009, 6:46PM

We've known since last week that the story surrounding a deal that handed an empty jail in Hardin, MT, to shadowy private security company American Private Police Force just wasn't adding up. Today, it became still more clear that APPF has a lot of explaining to do.

Let's review the developments:

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American Police Force

Hardin Official: Unnamed But 'Highly Qualified' APPF Director Of Ops In Afghanistan Right Now

Justin Elliott | October 5, 2009, 6:08PM

American Private Police Force has hired a director of operations for the Hardin jail project who will not be publicly named until next week but who is a "highly qualified" retired U.S. military person doing training in Afghanistan, a Hardin official tells TPMmuckraker.

"I've got his resume and it looks pretty nice," says Al Peterson of the Hardin economic development agency, which brokered the jail deal with APPF.

Peterson wouldn't say who the director of operations is, but confirmed it was not a Hardin local.

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American Police Force

Another Blow To APPF's Credibility: Contractor Says Web Site Material Was Lifted

Justin Elliott | October 5, 2009, 4:35PM

From Allied Defense Systems Web site

The head of a California defense contractor says that American Private Police Force brazenly copied information from its Web site and that it's considering legal action against APPF.

CEO Edward Angelino of Allied Defense Systems told TPMmuckraker that APPF's "Mike Hilton came to us for our help looking for supplies and equipment" for the mysterious project at an empty jail in Hardin, Montana.

After a bit of due diligence, Angelino deemed that Hilton and APPF were not fit to do business with -- but not before referring APPF to Allied Defense Systems' Web developer.

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American Police Force

APPF Lawyer Who Said Info Would 'Gradually Be More Clear' Quits

Justin Elliott | October 5, 2009, 3:35PM

Attorney Maziar Mafi

Maziar Mafi, the California lawyer who had been variously identified as American Private Police Force's legal affairs director, president, and a "major" in the company, on Friday severed his ties to the Hardin, MT, jail project until he sees "more concrete action."

Mafi's practice, like APPF, is based in Santa Ana, California. As a specialist in personal injury, immigration, and business law, he had seemed an odd choice of counsel for a firm that claims to play a critical role in filling the United States government's "homeland security needs."

Mafi told the AP: "For the time, I'm pulling out. I need to see more concrete action before I can be involved."

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American Police Force

Scrubbed: APF Web Page That Claimed Ownership Of Blackwater Training Center Now Reads 'ETA Spring 2010'

Justin Elliott | October 5, 2009, 12:31PM

We knew that American Police Force, the shadowy private security company that has taken over an empty jail in a small Montana town, has a history of making outlandish and flat-out bogus claims. And it now appears that the company is taking some of the criticism to heart.

The firm, which is now calling itself American Private Police Force (feel better?), has toned down -- ever so slightly -- some of its colorful Web site's claims. (Old version here, current version here.)

APPF has deleted a reference to a training facility which it had earlier claimed to control, but which is in fact owned by Xe, aka Blackwater,

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Orly Taitz

Taitz Alleges Judge Secretly Met With Holder -- And Cites Coffee Shop Sighting To Prove It

Justin Elliott | October 5, 2009, 10:23AM

Orly Taitz

In a 24-page filing littered with all-caps, bold, and underlined text, Birther attorney Orly Taitz is demanding that a federal judge recuse himself in a case that has morphed from a soldier's attempt to resist Barack Obama's orders to what Taitz sees as a prosecution of herself.

Taitz alleges that Judge Clay Land met with Attorney General Eric Holder, who was allegedly spotted at a small coffee shop across from Land's courtroom in Columbus, Georgia, on the day of a Birther hearing. A strange affidavit by one Robert Douglas describes the putative sighting of Holder, sans entourage, who "probably thought he would not be recognized."

Douglas writes:

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