Ken Cuccinelli

Court Says Cuccinelli Can't Demand Climate Researcher's Work

Ryan J. Reilly | March 2, 2012, 4:01PM

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R) doesn't have the authority to get academic records related to the work of a former University of Virginia climate researcher, a Virginia court has ruled.

Cuccinelli wanted copies of five grant applications prepared by former professor Michael Mann and emails between Mann, his research assistants and 39 other scientists around the country, the Washington Post reports.

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Don't Ask Don't Tell

Gov. McDonnell Says No Way To New DADT For Va. National Guard

Rachel Slajda | December 21, 2010, 4:19PM

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell (R)

A state lawmaker from Virginia is so upset about the Congress repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell that he wants to institute a mini-DADT banning gay men and lesbians from the Virginia National Guard.

"It's a distraction when I'm on the battlefield and have to concentrate on the enemy 600 yards away and I'm worried about this guy whose got eyes on me," the lawmaker, Delegate Bob Marshall (R), told WUSA9. "If I needed a blood transfusion and the guy next to me had committed sodomy 14 times in the last month I'd be worried."

Marshall says he's working on legislation to institute a DADT-style state law. His authority to do so, he claims, comes from the clause of the U.S. Constitution which reads, "reserving to the states respectively, the appointment of the officers, and the authority of training the militia."

But Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R), who as the authority to deploy the state National Guard in a state emergency, says no way.

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Henry E. Hudson

Health Care Judge's Interest In Anti-Health Care PR Shop Raises Questions

Ryan J. Reilly | December 13, 2010, 5:02PM

Federal judge Henry Hudson at a court in Richmond, Va., 2010.

Federal judge Henry E. Hudson's ownership of a stake worth between $15,000 and $50,000 in a GOP political consulting firm that worked against health care reform -- the very law against which he ruled today -- raises some ethics questions for some of the nation's top judicial ethics experts. It isn't that Hudson's decision would have necessarily been influenced by his ownership in the company, given his established track record as a judicial conservative. But his ownership stake does create, at the very least, a perception problem for Hudson that could affect the case.

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Climate-Gate

'Plagiarized' GOP-Commissioned Climate Change Report Laid Groundwork For Climate-Gate

Rachel Slajda | November 29, 2010, 8:36AM

Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX)

In 2005, the then-chairman of the House Energy Committee, Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), a climate change skeptic, commissioned a report that would challenge the data in two major climate change papers, including the popular "hockey stick" theory. In 2006, the Barton-commissioned report was released and heralded by climate change skeptics the country over, laying the groundwork for last year's "Climate-Gate" controversies.

Last week, experts who reviewed the report for USA Today determined that the report was largely plagiarized.

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Ken Cuccinelli

Ken Cuccinelli: Gov't Could Force You To Buy Gym Membership

Ryan J. Reilly | November 19, 2010, 12:46PM

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, the rising conservative star who sued the federal government over health care reform, told audience members at the Federalist Society's National Lawyers Convention yesterday that if the government is allowed force everyone to buy health care, forced gym memberships could be next.

"It is not about health insurance, it is about liberty," Cuccinelli said. He said that if the government could force citizens to buy health care, a gym membership or even the forced purchase of a car could be next, since jobs are needed in Detroit.

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Bobby Thompson

Accomplice Of 'Bobby Thompson' Arraigned In Alleged Charity Scam

Johanna Barr | October 27, 2010, 4:19PM

"Bobby Thompson" and George W. Bush

The Ohio Attorney General's office announced today that Blanca Contreras, an associate of the alleged charity scammer and GOP donor known as "Bobby Thompson," had been arraigned after being extradited from North Carolina. She pleaded not guilty to charges of racketeering, money laundering, and aggravated theft. Bond was set at $2 million.

Contreras served as the acting treasurer for U.S. Navy Veterans Association, a fraudulent charity that Thompson allegedly operated from 2003 to 2010.

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Bobby Thompson

Charity Scammer Allegedly Used Fake Names To Donate $$ To GOP Candidates

Rachel Slajda and Johanna Barr | October 21, 2010, 8:43AM

"Bobby Thompson" and George W. Bush

"Bobby Thompson" isn't the only fake identity associated with the charity scammer / GOP donor who was indicted last week in Ohio. Thompson -- whose true identity is unknown -- also made up a dozen fake names, then allegedly took out money orders in those names so he could make donations to political candidates.

According to the Ohio attorney general's office, Thompson wrote at least 11 money orders using the names of people who apparently don't exist, along with addresses associated with his fake charity, U.S. Navy Veterans Association. He used the fake names to give $376 to Florida attorney general Bill McCollum in 2006, $2,260 to Rudy Giuliani's presidential campaign in 2008 and $500 to Marty Seifert, a former Minnesota state house representative who unsuccessfully ran for governor this year.

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Bobby Thompson

Fake Charity Scammer And GOP Donor 'Bobby Thompson' Indicted

Rachel Slajda | October 20, 2010, 8:55AM

"Bobby Thompson" and George W. Bush

The Ohio attorney general's office announced this month that a grand jury had indicted an alleged charity scammer, who donated tens of thousands to conservative pols, on charges of money laundering and grand theft.

The man, known as "Bobby Thompson," allegedly operated a charity called U.S. Navy Veterans Association from 2003 to 2010. The charity took in millions, and Thompson allegedly pocketed some 90 percent of the cash.

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Ken Cuccinelli

Judge Rejects Cuccinelli's Subpoena Of UVA 'Climate-Gate' Docs

Jillian Rayfield | August 30, 2010, 2:58PM

VA Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli

A judge in Virginia has set aside Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli's subpoena of University of Virgina documents relating to research by Michael Mann, a former professor who was involved in the "Climate-Gate" controversy last year.

Cuccinelli, a climate change skeptic, said he was investigating whether Mann had committed fraud when obtaining government funds for research into human-caused climate change, but Albemarle County Circuit Court Judge Paul M. Peatross Jr. ruled that "it is not clear what [Mann] did was misleading, false or fraudulent in obtaining funds from the Commonwealth of Virginia."

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Bobby Thompson

Police Start Nationwide Search For Scamtastic Cuccinelli Donor

Rachel Slajda | August 6, 2010, 9:46AM

The man known as "Bobby Thompson"

The Ohio attorney general has issued a nationwide search warrant for the head of an alleged scam charity who donated tens of thousands to conservative candidates like Ken Cuccinelli and Michele Bachmann.

The man, known as Bobby Thompson, allegedly set up a scam charity called U.S. Navy Veterans Association, raising millions of dollars. He then allegedly pocketed 99% of the money for "administrative costs," and donated huge amounts to both the Virginia attorney general and the Minnesota congresswoman.

The Ohio AG, Richard Cordray, said Thompson "bilked Ohioans out of at least $1.9 million, and we estimate that nationally he collected at least $20 million."

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Immigration

Virginia's Cuccinelli Rules It's OK For Police To Check Immigration Status

Christina Bellantoni | August 2, 2010, 1:22PM

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R) issued an official opinion that Virginia police officers can follow in Arizona's footsteps and ask for immigration status on routine stops.

The opinion comes in the form of a letter sent on Friday to state Delegate Bob Marshall, a Northern Virginia Republican who is among the legislature's most conservative members. Marshall has long sought stricter measures to ensure illegal immigrants receive no taxpayer-funded services.

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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.

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Ken Cuccinelli

Cuccinelli: Health Care Is 'Secondary' Issue In My Health Care Lawsuit

Zachary Roth | May 28, 2010, 1:38PM

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli

Presenting his lawsuit against health-care reform in apocalyptic and grandiose terms, Ken Cuccinelli has said that health-care itself is a "secondary" issue in the legal challenge. The real goal, the Virginia Attorney General acknowledges, is to limit federal power. "If we lose, it's very much the end of federalism as we've known it for over 220 years," he said.

Cuccinelli's comments came in response to the Justice Department's motion, filed earlier this week, to dismiss his lawsuit.

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Ken Cuccinelli

UVA Fighting Cuccinelli's Climate-Gate Subpoena -- Prez: Demand 'Sent A Chill' Through Academia

Zachary Roth | May 28, 2010, 11:45AM

VA Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli

The University of Virginia will fight a demand from Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli that it hand over documents relating to the work of a former UVA climate scientist.

In a court filing, the university argued that Cuccinelli's subpoena for the records of government-funded work conducted by climate scientist Michael Mann goes beyond the AG's legal authority, and threatens academic freedom.

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Ken Cuccinelli

Pressure Growing On Cuccinelli To Return Apparent Scamster's Dough

Zachary Roth | May 21, 2010, 6:08PM

VA Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli

Has Ken Cuccinelli miscalculated by standing on principle -- what principle that is, we're not too sure -- in refusing to give up donations from an apparent scam artist?

To recap: The second largest individual contributor to Cuccinelli's campaign for Virginia attorney general last year was Bobby Thompson, a Florida man who is the founder of the U.S. Navy Veterans Association, and who donated $55,500 to Cuccinelli.

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Tom Corbett

Penn. AG Subpoenas Twitter: A Move To Silence Critics?

Zachary Roth | May 20, 2010, 9:09AM

Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett

Is the attorney general of Pennsylvania using his authority to go after political critics?

Tom Corbett, who this week won the GOP nomination in the state's gubernatorial race, has subpoenaed Twitter, demanding that it provide information about the people behind two accounts, reports TechCrunch. The subpoena refers to "alleged violations of the laws of Pennsylvania".

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Ken Cuccinelli

Cuccinelli: Critics Of Climate-Science Probe 'Need Not Worry'

Zachary Roth | May 19, 2010, 6:20PM

VA Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli

Ken Cuccinelli is trying to allay intense concerns from Virginia's scientific and academic communities about his investigation of a former University of Virginia climate scientist.

"The same legal standards for fraud apply to the academic setting that apply elsewhere," the attorney general told a crowd on Tuesday at a fundraiser for -- what else? -- an abstinence-only education group, reports the Richmond Times-Dispatch. "The same rule of law, the same objective fact-finding process will take place."

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Ken Cuccinelli

Eight Hundred Scientists And Profs To Cuccinelli: Drop Climate-Science Probe

Zachary Roth | May 18, 2010, 1:33PM

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli

Eight hundred scientists and professors have signed a letter to Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, urging him to call off his investigation of a former University of Virginia climate scientist.

"The request is unfounded and could undermine the effectiveness of not only climate scientists but also thousands of other Virginia researchers," says the letter, which was organized by the environmental group the Union of Concerned Scientists.

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Ken Cuccinelli

Cuccinelli Won't Give Up Money From Founder Of Alleged Scam Charity -- Also Not Eager To Investigate

Zachary Roth | May 18, 2010, 11:08AM

VA Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli

Ken Cuccinelli says he has no plans to return contributions from a major backer whose veterans' charity is being probed in several states after a lengthy investigative report made it out to be a scam. The Virginia attorney general's office also doesn't sound eager to launch its own investigation of the charity.

Gov. Bob McDonnell's office said yesterday that it would donate to a legitimate veterans' charity the $5000 that McDonnell received last year from U.S. Navy Veterans Association founder Bobby Thompson. That move came in response to a series of stories in the St. Petersburg Times, which raised numerous red flags about USNVA, which claims to offer aid to navy veterans and raises money through phone solicitations. The stories revealed among other things that 84 of the group's 85 listed officers -- everyone but Thompson -- could not be located, and that USNVA refused to offer any documentation of its finances. The group is now being investigated by authorities in New Mexico, Missouri, and Florida, where it's based. Giving up the money is "the right thing to do," according to a McDonnell spokeswoman.

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Ken Cuccinelli

Top Cuccinelli Contributor's Mysterious 'Charity' Under Scrutiny

Zachary Roth | May 17, 2010, 12:07PM

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli

A major backer of Ken Cuccinelli is being probed in several states for running a charity that a lengthy newspaper investigation suggests may be an elaborate and long-running fraud.

There's no evidence that Cuccinelli, now the attorney general of Virginia, was aware there was anything untoward about Bobby Thompson or his charity, the U.S. Navy Veterans Association (USNVA), which says it offers assistance to navy veterans. Still, the news has forced the ambitious AG -- whose reputation for rectitude is a key part of his appeal to conservatives -- to answer some awkward questions. And the full story of what happened in Virginia suggests how easily one state government may have been taken in by a noble-sounding cause and a some well-timed campaign contributions.

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Ken Cuccinelli

UVA Suggests It May Not Comply With Cuccinelli Climate-Gate 'Witch Hunt'

Zachary Roth | May 11, 2010, 11:31AM

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli

The wrangling over Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli's investigation of a climate scientist continues...

After indicating last week that it would comply with a subpoena sent by the AG, demanding documents relating to the work of former University of Virginia climate scientist Michael Mann, the university is now equivocating. "Our intention is to comply but we are looking at some options," a UVA spokeswoman told the Washington Post yesterday.

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Bob McDonnell

McDonnell Mum On Cuccinelli's Climate Science 'Witch Hunt'

Zachary Roth | May 6, 2010, 2:12PM

Virginia Att. Gov. Ken Cuccinelli and Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell

Since news broke that Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is conducting a fraud investigation into the work of a former UVA climate scientist who was caught up in the "Climate-Gate" controversy, reactions have been pouring in -- with even some climate skeptics slamming the probe as a threat to academic freedom.

But one interested observer has been noticeably mum: Governor Bob McDonnell.

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Ken Cuccinelli

Cuccinelli Probe Of Climate Scientist Blasted As 'Witch Hunt'

Zachary Roth | May 4, 2010, 10:23AM

Climate scientist Michael Mann and Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli

An investigation by Ken Cuccinelli of a climate scientist who was caught up in last year's "Climate-Gate" flap is being likened to a "witch hunt" -- even by global warming skeptics.

As we reported yesterday, the conservative Virginia attorney general last month demanded that the University of Virginia hand over a slew of documents relating to the grant-funded research of Michael Mann, a climate scientist who worked at UVA from 1999 to 2005. Among the materials requested by May 27 were email correspondence with a long list of other climate scientists, including several who, like Mann, were prominent figures in Climate-Gate. You can see Cuccinelli's "Civil Investigative Demand," first obtained by the The Hook, a Charlottesville newspaper, here.

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Ken Cuccinelli

Cuccinelli Targets 'Climate-Gate' Scientist

Zachary Roth | May 3, 2010, 12:05PM

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and the Virginia state seal

Ken Cuccinelli, Virginia's ambitious and deeply conservative attorney general, has launched two new fronts in his right-wing crusade: one absurd, the other deeply troubling.

Absurdity first: Cuccinelli recently handed out to his staff lapel pins with a redesigned version of the state seal, which shows the Roman goddess Virtus, or virtue, the Virginian-Pilot reported over the weekend. In the usual version of the seal, Virtus's left breast is exposed. In Cuccinelli's version, it's covered up.

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Ken Cuccinelli

Religious Conservative Event Features 'Christocrat' Pastor, Controversial Evangelist -- And Ken Cuccinelli

Derek Hawkins | April 19, 2010, 10:23AM

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli

Ken Cuccinelli has made his latest play to curry favor with the GOP's far-right wing, and to turn himself into a power player in conservative circles.

The hard-charging Virginia attorney general addressed religious conservatives Thursday night at an event sponsored by Jerry Falwell's Liberty University -- whose roster of speakers included a self-proclaimed "Christocrat", as well as an evangelist who has claimed she can cure AIDS and other diseases through prayer.

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Bob McDonnell

VA Gov McDonnell: Letters To Felons On Voting Rights Sent In Error

Zachary Roth | April 14, 2010, 11:43AM

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, (third from left), Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (center), Virginia Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling (third from right) and others observe a moment of silence

Was the news about Virginia governor Bob McDonnell's move to make it harder for felons to vote all just a big misunderstanding? That's what he's now claiming.

A spokesman for the governor, a Republican, told the Washington Post that letters sent to over 200 felons, telling them that they would now have to submit an essay as part of the application process -- a process that previously had been almost automatic -- were sent in error, and that the essay idea was just a "draft policy proposal."

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Bob McDonnell

Sons Of Confederate Vets Split On McDonnell Apology

Zachary Roth | April 7, 2010, 7:06PM

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell

Some neo-Confederates aren't happy about Governor Bob McDonnell's apology this afternoon for failing to mention slavery in his proclamation of Confederate History Month.

In an interview with TPMmuckraker, Brandon Dorsey, of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, called McDonnell's move "an insult," and charged that the governor had undermined the purpose of the resolution," and damaged himself with his core supporters. But another member of the group disagreed, saying he supported the apology "one hundred percent."

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Ken Cuccinelli

Far-Right Virginia AG Launches PAC

Zachary Roth | April 7, 2010, 10:00AM

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli

Ken Cuccinelli, Virginia's far-right attorney general, has launched a political action committee to bolster his influence within state politics.

"Liberty Now" is designed to "support the efforts of Ken Cuccinelli in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and to elect Republicans to non-federal offices in the Commonwealth of Virginia," according to a filing made by the organization with the IRS last month.

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Ken Cuccinelli

VA Dems To AG: How Much Is Anti-HCR Lawsuit Costing Taxpayers?

Zachary Roth | March 24, 2010, 2:07PM

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli

The Democratic push-back against the GOP-led bid to challenge the constitutionality of health-care reform is gaining steam.

Virginia Democrats announced today that they've filed a Freedom of Information Act request with Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, seeking information on the amount of taxpayer money being spent on the lawsuit Cuccinelli filed yesterday, reports the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

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Health Care

Could SCOTUS Be The Death Panel For Health-Care Reform?

Zachary Roth | March 23, 2010, 12:36PM

From left, Attorneys General Bill McCollum (FL), Ken Cuccinelli (VA) and Henry McMaster (SC)

Now that President Obama has signed health-care reform into law, opponents of the bill are pinning their hopes of stopping it on a last-ditch legal strategy. A group of 13 state attorneys general has filed suit (pdf), arguing that the law is unconstitutional.

The bid seems far-fetched at first. But the Roberts Court has recently shown a willingness to strike down landmark legislation -- charges of judicial activism be damned. So, given the stakes, it's worth asking: Could health-care reform have made it through the congressional gauntlet, only to end up dying in the courts?

(Late Update: The Justice Department is signaling that it's already gearing up for a fight. "We will vigorously defend the constitutionality of the health care reform statute," a DOJ spokesman says.)

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Ken Cuccinelli

Virginia AG To State Colleges: Scrap Protections For Gay Workers

Zachary Roth | March 8, 2010, 11:06AM

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli

The administration of Virginia governor Bob McDonnell is doubling down on its anti-gay reputation, telling the state's colleges and universities to scrap policies that ban discrimination against gay employees.

In a letter to the state's institutions of higher learning, Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli argues that the schools lack the legal authority to ban anti-gay discrimination, because only the state legislature can do so, the Washington Post reported over the weekend. That's a step that the GOP-controlled legislature recently declined to take.

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