Federal Election Commission

FEC Deadlocks On Question Of 'Uncoordinated' Coordination

Ryan J. Reilly | December 1, 2011, 12:30PM

Updated: Dec. 1, 1:05PM

The Federal Election Commission deadlocked on a request by Karl Rove's "super PAC" to allow advertisements shot in coordination with candidates for federal office to be considered uncoordinated and not amount to in-kind donations. A motion in support of a draft opinion to reject the request failed on a three-to-three party line vote.

Republican FEC member Donald McGhan lead the questioning of a lawyer for American Crossroads, the conservative "super PAC" that is requesting to run advertisements featuring federal candidates for office.

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FEC

Four Ways The FEC Could Rule On Uncoordinated Coordination By American Crossroads

Ryan J. Reilly | November 28, 2011, 1:05PM

The Federal Election Commission is supposed to rule this week on an issue Stephen Colbert has given a lot of attention: a request from Karl Rove's American Crossroads "super PAC" to let groups like theirs coordinate filming "uncoordinated" advertisements with federal candidates.

Last week, the FEC posted four draft responses to the request for an advisory opinion. That means there's a strong possibility that the FEC wouldn't give any advice on the topic because they can't get four votes for any of the drafts. But just in case they do, here's how each finding would break down.

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Karl Rove

Swiftboat Ad Funder Gives Big Bucks To Karl Rove's Super PAC

Ryan J. Reilly | June 24, 2011, 4:00PM

Bob Perry, the Texas real estate mogul who bankrolled the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth advertisements against then-Presidential candidate John Kerry back in 2004, is now cutting checks to a conservative "super PAC" run by two former aides to George W. Bush.

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Monica Krempasky

Where Are They Now? Monica Goodling Working For Ex-Ashcroft Spokesman

Ryan J. Reilly | May 12, 2011, 8:30AM

When news broke that former Bush administration official Monica Goodling had been reprimanded by the Virginia bar for her role in politicizing the Justice Department's hiring and promotion process, a bar official said Goodling was working in market research in Arlington, Va.

A quick Google search for a Monica Goodling working as a flack in Virginia didn't turn up any results, so we figured she was keeping a low profile. But the Washington Post managed to track down Goodling --working under her married name, Monica Krempasky -- at a firm called Corallo Media Strategies under Mark Corallo, her former boss in DOJ's Office of Public Affairs.

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George W Bush

How Bush's 'Political Boiler Room' Dispatched Cabinet Members To Campaign For GOPers

Ryan J. Reilly | January 25, 2011, 2:00PM

Karl Rove, former Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff to President George W. Bush

With the rest of the political world gearing up for the 2012 elections, the Office of Special Counsel on Monday released a long overdue report that said that George W. Bush administration's Office of Public Affairs in 2006 was essentially an extension of the Republican National Committee in the White House.

The report found that the Bush administration regularly broke the Hatch Act, which prohibits the use of federal tax dollars for political activities. The Office of Political Affairs in Bush's White House, overseen by Karl Rove, dispatched cabinet officials to campaign for Republican candidates on the federal dime and forced federal political appointees to attend political meetings during work time, the report concluded.

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House Judiciary

Rove Protege Tim Griffin Now On Judiciary Committee

Ryan J. Reilly | January 3, 2011, 1:45PM

A few years ago, Tim Griffin was a key figure in of the biggest scandals in the Bush administration. Democrats said -- and the Justice Department Inspector General later concluded -- that the Bush White House and Justice Department pushed out U.S. Attorney H.E. "Bud" Cummins III to give Griffin, a former aide to presidential adviser Karl Rove, a plum spot as interim U.S. attorney that would pad his resume.

Now Griffin, who was elected to Congress from Arkansas in November, has been named by House Republicans to be a member of the House Judiciary Committee -- the very same committee which took a close look at his own role in the scandal that ultimately lead to the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

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Bobby Thompson

Political Consultant On Charity Scammer Bobby Thompson: 'Everyone Thought He Was A Generous Guy'

Rachel Slajda | November 9, 2010, 11:11AM

"Bobby Thompson" and George W. Bush

A Florida political consultant who often delivered contribution checks for alleged fake charity scammer Bobby Thompson said no one would have guessed that the U.S. Navy Veterans Association was a scam.

"At the time, everybody thought he was a generous guy, a big donor,'' the consultant, Barry Edwards, told the St. Petersburg Times. "It looked like he ran a huge enterprise for veterans."

The Times yesterday talked to some former associates of "Bobby Thompson," the fake charity scammer who allegedly used ostensible donations for Navy veterans to fill his pockets and contribute money to Republican political campaigns.

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RNLA

FLASHBACK: Karl Rove Thanked RNLA For Protecting Ballot 'Integrity' In 2006

Ryan J. Reilly | October 21, 2010, 4:07PM

Karl Rove at a 2006 Republican National Lawyers Association Event

Karl Rove, in a speech to the Republican National Lawyers Association in 2006, thanked the group for their work in previous elections and called for voter I.D. laws.

"We have in some parts of the country, I'm afraid to say, beginning to look like we have elections like the ones run in countries where the guys in charge are colonels in mirrored sunglasses, it's a real problem," Rove said. "And I appreciate all that you're doing in those hotspots of the country to ensure that the ballot is -- the integrity of the ballot is protected because it is important to our democracy."

He then went on to list as problematic many of the states where the George W. Bush Administration would soon fire U.S. Attorneys for failing to bring indictments against Democrats for voter fraud, amongst other reasons.

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Karl Rove

Karl Rove: Obama Attacks On Chamber Funding Ignores ThinkProgress Donors (VIDEO)

Ryan J. Reilly | October 12, 2010, 11:50AM

Karl Rove on ABC's Good Morning America

Karl Rove hit back at the blog ThinkProgress for its report that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce was using foreign money to fund campaign ads.

The Associated Press and FactCheck.org have reported that the claims about foreign funding have not been proven. The New York Times said "there is little evidence that what the Chamber does in collecting overseas dues is improper or even unusual."

Appearing on "Good Morning America" on Tuesday, Rove said that the Center for American Progress -- the organization ThinkProgress is associated with -- also receives anonymous donations.

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American Crossroads

Fundraising Group Led By GOP All-Stars Falling Short Of Goals

Eric Lach | June 22, 2010, 11:10AM

Karl Rove, former Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff to President George W. Bush

American Crossroads, formed by some of the GOP's biggest names with the aim of helping the party win the 2010 midterms, launched a few months ago with an ambitious $52 million fundraising goal. So how much did the group pull in in May? A whopping $200.

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Orly Taitz

Republican Jewish Coalition Hosts Birther Taitz As 'Special Guest' At Annual Bash

Justin Elliott | June 7, 2010, 6:20PM

Orly Taitz

Witness the mainstreaming of Orly Taitz?

The longtime Birther agitator and dentist who is now running for the GOP secretary of state nomination in California was a "special guest" of the Republican Jewish Coalition at the group's "annual summer bash" at the Beverly Hills Hilton Sunday. Also in attendance: GOP heavyweights Karl Rove, former Senator Norm Coleman, and California Senate candidates Chuck DeVore and Carly Fiorina.

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Joe Sestak

Even CREW Says Sestak's Claim Of Job Offer Is No Scandal

Zachary Roth | May 25, 2010, 3:28PM

Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA)

Republicans have been launching a full-court press to trumpet the claim by Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) that the White House offered him a job in exchange for dropping out of the Democratic primary race for the U.S. Senate, in an effort to clear the field for its favored candidate, Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA). One GOP lawmaker has called for a criminal probe, alleging possible illegal conduct. But several experts tell TPMmuckraker this is much ado about nothing.

Last month, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) urged the Justice Department to appoint a special counsel to look into Sestak's claim, which Issa says amounts to an accusation of a bribe. The White House has said that nothing inappropriate happened. And on Friday, reports Politico, DOJ responded by denying the request.

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Tim Griffin

Split Decision Tuesday For U.S. Attorney Scandal Figures Turned Congressional Hopefuls

Justin Elliott | May 19, 2010, 8:46AM

Tim Griffin

Two Republicans with roles in the Bush-era U.S. attorney firings scandal were fighting for congressional nominations Tuesday, and the result is a split decision:

Mary Beth Buchanan, who was head of the Executive Office of U.S. Attorneys when the firing list was being drawn up in 2005, was, in the words of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, was "trounced" in Pennsylvania's 4th Congressional District primary, getting just 33 percent of the vote. The winner was attorney Keith Rothfus.

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Leura Canary

Siegelman And Stevens Prosecutors Team Up -- And Controversy Ensues

Zachary Roth | April 8, 2010, 12:08PM

Gov. Bob Riley (R-AL) and U.S. Attorney Leura Canary

OK, this is one of those stories where there's just so much potential muck that no one comes out looking too good...

The Justice Department is investigating credible allegations that an Alabama lobbyist tried to bribe lawmakers for their votes on a recent high-profile state bill. But the prosecutorial team -- which includes several members of the group that ran the controversial Don Siegelman case as well as the Justice Department lawyer who's under investigation for misconduct in the Ted Stevens case -- is being accused of conducting a politically motivated prosecution on behalf of the state's Republican governor.

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Leura Canary

Ethics Complaint Alleges New Politicized Probe Involving Siegelman Prosecutor

Zachary Roth | April 5, 2010, 1:30PM

Gov. Bob Riley (R-AL) and U.S. Attorney Leura Canary

A U.S. attorney in Alabama whose close ties to local Republicans were at the heart of previous high-profile charges of politicized justice is drawing scrutiny again. Last week, the U.S. Justice Department received a formal complaint alleging that an investigation being run in part by U.S. attorney Leura Canary was intended to influence the vote on an upcoming bill in the statehouse, and asking that Canary be removed from the probe because of her "close political ties" to Governor Bob Riley.

This isn't the first time that Canary's ties to Riley and Alabama Republicans have generated controversy. Numerous observers have charged that the prosecution by Canary's office of former governor Don Siegelman, who in 2006 was convicted on corruption charges, was politically motivated. Canary's husband, Bill Canary, a top Alabama GOP political consultant and associate of Karl Rove, ran Riley's 2002 gubernatorial campaign against Siegelman, a Democrat.

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American Crossroads

Gearing Up For Midterms, GOP Heavyweights Raise $30M For New 527 Group

Justin Elliott | April 2, 2010, 1:30PM

Former RNC Chair Mike Duncan and former White House adviser Karl Rove

Some of the biggest names in the GOP are organizing an outside group to help Republicans win in the 2010 midterms -- and donors have already pledged a whopping $30 million for the new project, according to National Journal.

The new group -- which, as a 527, can collect unlimited soft money donations and won't be regulated by the Federal Election Commission -- is called American Crossroads. It's a name you'll likely hearing a lot, in part because, as the Wall Street Journal points out, the group's ambition to raise $52 million makes it "the largest ever planned by a pro-Republican outside campaign entity."

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U.S. Attorneys

Figures In U.S. Attorney Firings Now Running For Office

Zachary Roth | January 7, 2010, 2:02PM

Tim Griffin

Who ever said there are no second acts in American life never met some of the Republicans who played roles in the U.S. attorney firings.

Three figures from the Bush Justice Department scandal of 2006 are back in the limelight, running for office under the GOP banner in 2010.

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George Bush

Bush White House Emails Won't Be Public For Years

Zachary Roth | December 15, 2009, 8:30AM

President Barack Obama

The Obama administration and two good government groups yesterday announced, with some fanfare, that they'd come to an agreement on those missing emails from the Bush White House.

But if you think the news means we're finally about to get the full story on the Valerie Plame leak, or the deliberations that took us to war in Iraq, think again. Many of the roughly 22 million emails secured through the deal likely won't be made public until 2022. And even the ones that can be released sooner won't see the light of day for around three years.

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Salahis

White House Stance On Rogers Testimony Mimics Bush

Zachary Roth | December 4, 2009, 11:10AM

Desirée Rogers, Special Assistant to the President and White House Social Secretary

The underlying issue is far less consequential -- but it's ironic to see the White House falling back on a argument against transparency that Democrats have spent the last few years challenging.

Asked Wednesday whether Social Secretary Desiree Rogers would testify before Congress about her role in the Salahi affair, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters:

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Obama Administration

'Disappointed' Siegelman: Obama Justice Dept. Virtually The Same As Bush DOJ

Justin Elliott | November 25, 2009, 10:42AM

Don Siegelman with Obama and Bush (inset)

When the Obama Administration argued in a filing earlier this month that the Supreme Court should not consider an appeal by Don Siegelman, the former Alabama governor wasn't surprised, even though the Obama filing maintained the Bush-era stance in Siegelman's controversial corruption case.

"There's really been no substantial change in the heart of the Department of Justice from the Bush-Rove Department of Justice," Siegelman tells TPMmuckraker in an interview.

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Alberto Gonzales

Iglesias: Evidence Of Politicization By Arizona Sheriff "Felt Very Familiar"

Zachary Roth | November 2, 2009, 2:37PM

Fmr. US Attorney (NM) David Iglesias

David Iglesias is comparing Sheriff Joe Arpaio's alleged targeting of political foes to the notorious Rove-Gonzales politicization of DOJ, which led to Iglesias's own improper firing.

The evidence against the Arizona sheriff was "very similar to what was going on at the Department of Justice under the Bush administration," Iglesias said in an interview with TPMmuckraker. "It unfortunately felt very familiar."

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Dick Cheney

Cheney Wanted McClellan To Exonerate Libby As Well As Rove

Zachary Roth | October 30, 2009, 6:16PM

Former Vice President Dick Cheney

Dick Cheney told FBI investigators he wasn't happy when Scott McClelllan, then the White House press secretary, publicly told reporters that Karl Rove wasn't the source of the Plame leak.

From the just-released documents:

The Vice President was not happy about it, as it appeared that the White House press office was putting down markers for some individuals and not for others. Specifically, Vice President Cheney believed that fairness dictated that similar disqualifying statements should be made to the media on behalf of Libby and Elliot Abrams of the NSC, both of whom were the speculative targets of leak allegations by the media that week.

In other words, Cheney wanted Libby and Abrams exonerated in addition to Rove.

Of course, we now know that both Rove and Libby did leak Plame's name to reporters, though not to Novak.

Allen Weh

Iglesias Responds: Weh "May Not Even Be Literate"

Zachary Roth | September 9, 2009, 9:47AM

Allen Weh and David Iglesias

We told you yesterday about Allen Weh's hilarious claim that, in working to get David Iglesias fired as U.S. attorney because he wasn't prioritizing bogus voter fraud cases that would help Republicans, Weh, then the state GOP chair, was actually going against his party.

And now, Iglesias has responded. In a lengthy statement to TPMmuckraker, Iglesias calls Weh's claim "a world class display of chutzpah," and writes that Weh, who yesterday formally announced his campaign for New Mexico governor, "may not be in touch with reality or may not even be literate."

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Justice Department

GOPer Who Helped Oust Iglesias Claims He Was Bucking His Party

Zachary Roth | September 8, 2009, 11:28AM

Allen Weh and David Iglesias

Hard to match this for chutzpah...

Allen Weh is running for the Republican nomination for governor of New Mexico. You'll remember Weh from the U.S. attorneys scandal, in which, as chair of the state GOP, he played a key role in pressing the Bush administration, successfully, to fire David Iglesias.

And in talking himself up in a Democratic-leaning state, Weh has been claiming that the Iglesias firing shows he's capable of taking on his own party!

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