Barack Obama

Report: Obama Admin Drafts Memo To Detain Terror Suspects Indefinitely

Zachary Roth | June 26, 2009, 6:21PM

The latest installment in the Obama administration's tendency to mimic the Bushies on war on terror tactics:

The Washington Post and Pro Publica report:

The Obama administration, fearing a battle with Congress that could stall plans to close Guantanamo, has drafted an executive order that would reassert presidential authority to incarcerate terrorism suspects indefinitely, according to three senior government officials with knowledge of White House deliberations.

Such an order would embrace claims by former president George W. Bush that certain people can be detained without trial for long periods under the laws of war. Obama advisers are concerned that bypassing Congress could place the president on weaker footing before the courts and anger key supporters, the officials said.

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Mark Sanford

Sanford: King David Didn't Resign, So Why Should I?

Zachary Roth | June 26, 2009, 1:22PM

And the South Carolina governor started out by using an interesting comparison to respond to calls for his resignation. King David didn't back down after his own sex scandal, he told his colleagues, and neither will I.

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John Conyers

Conyers' Wife Pleads Guilty On Corruption Count

Zachary Roth | June 26, 2009, 10:50AM

Monica Conyers, the president pro tem of the Detroit city council -- and the wife of Rep. John Conyers, the powerful chair of the US House Judiciary committee -- has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery, which is punishable by up to five years in prison.

The Detroit Free Press reports:

The federal plea document released today cites two instances in late 2007, in the days surrounding the approval of the now-infamous Synagro Technologies sludge-hauling contract, when Conyers accepted cash bribes from a Synagro consultant.

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Mark Sanford

Sanford To Reimburse SC For '08 Argentina Trip

Zachary Roth | June 25, 2009, 4:38PM

Remember that trip Sanford took to several Latin American countries, including Argentina, last summer, as part of a trade mission?

It turns out that, as suspected, he did see Maria while there. And he's paying the state back for the cost of the Argentina leg.

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Mark Sanford

Report: Sanford Booked 10-Day Argentina Trip

Zachary Roth | June 25, 2009, 4:24PM

Things just keeps getting worse for Mark Sanford. Now Politico's Ben Smith reports that he had originally booked a ten-day trip to Argentina -- right around the time his wife kicked him out -- before apparently cutting it short four days early.

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Mark Sanford

Sanford Learned Of Emails Hours Before Confession

Zachary Roth | June 25, 2009, 3:41PM

We hate to kick a guy when he's down. But as we get a clearer picture of exactly how the events surrounding Mark Sanford's admission of an extra-marital affair went down, it's seeming more and more likely that the randy right-winger was still hoping to keep things under wraps -- even just hours before his dramatic announcement.

The State has put together a pretty thorough account of the back-story that led to two-timing two-termer's teary confession. The key items are these:

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Mark Sanford

Media Recap: Credulous Press Ate Up Spin From Sanford's Office

Zachary Roth | June 25, 2009, 11:20AM

Now that the dust has settled -- at least for a few hours -- on the tale of the love-struck guv, it's worth focusing on another angle: the shockingly credulous news coverage of the story.

Throughout Monday and Tuesday, there were pretty good reasons to be skeptical of the ever-changing official line that Sanford's office was putting out.

After all, here's how things went down, in a nutshell:

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John Ensign

Report: Fox Got Ensign Letter Three Days Earlier Than It Admitted

Zachary Roth | June 24, 2009, 6:50PM

Just as we were all getting sidetracked by one GOP sex scandal, there was an interesting development in another.

The Las Vegas Sun reports that Fox News received Doug Hampton's bizarre letter -- about the affair between Hampton's wife Cindy and Sen. John Ensign -- three days earlier than the right-wing news channel had previously acknowledged.

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Mark Sanford

Sanford To Lover: "I Love The Erotic Beauty Of You Holding Yourself"

Zachary Roth | June 24, 2009, 6:01PM

We got the feeling from his press conference that things weren't quite resolved between Mark Sanford and his Argentina-based lover. Now The State has published emails the pair sent each other last year -- and they definitely reinforce that impression.

The conservative Republican waxes eloquent, telling his lover Maria, among other things:

I could digress and say that you have the ability to give magnificent gentle kisses, or that I love your tan lines or that I love the curve of your hips, the erotic beauty of you holding yourself (or two magnificent parts of yourself) in the faded glow of the night's light...

Reading these intensely personal communications, it's hard not to feel some sympathy for the human beings involved. But that doesn't mean they don't make good reading.

Reports that the paper had been working on this story for a while were on the mark. The paper says it got the emails in December.

Full email text after the jump:

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Mark Sanford

Guv's Wife: I Asked Him To Leave Two Weeks Ago

Zachary Roth | June 24, 2009, 5:08PM

Jenny Sanford, the First Lady of South Carolina, has released a statement in which she reveals that two weeks ago she asked her husband to leave, beginning a trial separation. It was agreed that the two would not be in touch during that period.

As a result, says Jenny Sanford, she did not know where he was over the last six days.

She adds: "I believe Mark has earned a chance to resurrect our marriage."

The full statement follows after the jump...

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Mark Sanford

Sanford Press Conference Leaves Unanswered Questions

Zachary Roth | June 24, 2009, 4:28PM

Red-faced luv guv Mark Sanford has followed up on his amazing press conference by issuing a formal statement asking for forgiveness.

It's true that the philandering chief exec deserves some credit for "standing up and being a man," as Sen. Jake Knotts -- heretofore his loudest critic on the issue -- put it just now on CNN. But the forgiveness Sanford is looking for might come more quickly if there weren't still so many unanswered questions about what really happened.

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John Ensign

Revealed: The Sanford/Ensign Connection

Zachary Roth | June 24, 2009, 3:28PM

We couldn't help noticing during Mark Sanford's reality-show-style press conference that there's a tie-in between this week's GOP 2012 presidential contender sex scandal and last week's involving Sen. John Ensign.

Sanford said that in dealing with his affair, he'd been working with a group called "C Street," which he described as a "Christian bible study." He said he'd been part of the group when he lived in Washington as a congressman earlier this decade.

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Mark Sanford

Does S.C. Paper Have The Goods On Sanford?

Zachary Roth | June 24, 2009, 1:43PM

There's a huge number of rumors floating around, so it's worth being cautious. But a South Carolina political blogger who used to work for Governor Sanford is now reporting:

S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford is allegedly having an extramarital-affair, evidence of which may have been obtained prior to his mysterious trip to Argentina by at least one South Carolina news outlet, sources tell FITS.

The woman with whom Sanford is allegedly involved was reportedly with the governor on his recent trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina - a trip the governor appears to have lied about to his wife, his staff and his security detail.

Sources tell FITS that The (Columbia, S.C.) State newspaper is in possession of materials which may confirm the governor's affair, although a source at the paper declined to comment on that report.

The blogger, Will Folks, had previously reported that the Sanfords had been having marital problems.

And we had reported other possible evidence that Sanford was not alone on his trip.

More in about twenty minutes when Sanford goes before the cameras.

Mark Sanford

Source: "There Is Some Evidence [Sanford] Was Not Alone"

Zachary Roth | June 24, 2009, 12:31PM

Things are still murky on the Mark Sanford story. But it's looking increasingly likely that Sanford's trip to Argentina was about more than a scenic drive down the coast.

"There is some evidence he was not alone," a source in South Carolina politics told TPMmuckraker. "The other shoe's gonna drop. I believe there's a reason he wanted to drop his SLED detail."

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Mark Sanford

Sanford Changed Flight To Elude Reporters Upon Return

Zachary Roth | June 24, 2009, 9:30AM

It's worth noting that Globetrotting guv Mark Sanford seems to have gone to some lengths to avoid reporters upon his return.

Sanford left for this trip from the Columbia, South Carolina, airport, it turns out. But he came back by flying into Atlanta. Why?

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Mark Sanford

SC Lawmaker On Sanford: "Lies Lies Lies"

Zachary Roth | June 24, 2009, 9:10AM

MSNBC just had the reaction from State Sen. Jake Knotts, who has been raising the alarm about Sanford's disappearance for days now.

Said Knotts:

Cover-up, cover-up. Lies, lies, lies. His staff lied -- they didn't know where he was. I don't believe a word that comes out of that office.

Sounds about right.

Mark Sanford

Sanford: Appalachians, Argentina, What's The Difference?

Zachary Roth | June 24, 2009, 8:50AM

We didn't know the Appalachian Trail went all the way down to Buenos Aires!

AWOL South Carolina guv Mark Sanford resurfaced at the Atlanta airport this morning, and told The State newspaper he hadn't been hiking the trail, as his staff said. Instead, he'd taken a jaunt down to Argentina...

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John Ensign

Photo Of Ensign's Girlfriend Surfaces

Zachary Roth | June 23, 2009, 6:32PM

Maybe you're not interested in seeing a picture of John Ensign' former girlfriend, Cindy Hampton. If so, congrats.

But we are. And Inside Edition has finally dug one up.

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Mark Sanford

Report: Sanford Seen In Atlanta Airport

Zachary Roth | June 23, 2009, 5:35PM

That Appalachian Trail story is looking shakier and shakier.

Local news channel WYFF4 reports:

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Mark Sanford

Sanford's Wife: I Still Haven't Heard From Him

Zachary Roth | June 23, 2009, 4:03PM

AWOL South Carolina governor Mark Sanford may have briefly checked in with his office this morning to assure them he's fine and he'll be back at work tomorrow. But he hasn't told his wife, according to her.

A CNN reporter tracked down Jenny Stanford at her Sullivan Island vacation home. Sounding less like the wife of a 2012 presidential contender and more like America's favorite reality TV star announcing her separation from her husband, she said: "I am being a mom today. I have not heard from my husband. I am taking care of my children."

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Mark Sanford

Why Did Sanford Staffer Mislead Lieutenant Guv?

Zachary Roth | June 23, 2009, 3:19PM

Here's one angle to the Great Missing Governor story that hasn't gotten the attention it deserves:

Why did Mark Sanford's staff essentially lie to the office of Lieutenant Governor Andre Bauer about whether it had been in contact with the governor?

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John Ensign

CREW Wants Ethics Probe Of Ensign Affair

Zachary Roth | June 23, 2009, 12:09PM

Could John Ensign face a Senate probe into the events surrounding his affair with a former staffer?

The government watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington has said it will file a complaint about the philandering Nevada lawmaker with the Senate Ethics committee, centering on whether either Cynthia Hampton or her husband Doug lost their jobs with Ensign because of the affair. Doug Hampton wrote in a letter to Fox News that the affair "led to our dismissal in April of 2008."

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Mark Sanford

SC Lawmaker: Sanford "Not A Person That Would Be Happy With Security"

Zachary Roth | June 23, 2009, 11:49AM

Some mainstream outlets are now suggesting that the Mark Sanford story is over, given his office's explanation last night that the South Carolina governor was hiking the Appalachian Trail, and its update this morning that he's checked in and will return to work tomorrow.

But a closer look suggests the questions are only multiplying.

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Mark Sanford

Sanford Confusion: Gov's Office Won't Say They've Talked To Him

Zachary Roth | June 22, 2009, 5:59PM

The Where In The World Is Mark Sanford story is only getting weirder.

The office of the Lieutenant Governor, Andre Bauer, is now telling reporters that the governor's office says it's reached Sanford and that he's fine. (Bauer would take over the governor's duties in an emergency.)

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Gerald Walpin

Reagan Fired Slew Of IGs Upon Taking Office -- And Senate GOP Last Year Blocked Measure To Make Firing IGs Harder

Zachary Roth | June 22, 2009, 3:37PM

On Friday we reported that, according to two board members, the impetus for firing the AmeriCorps inspector general, Gerald Walpin, came from the board, not the White House.

Still, just to put a nail in the coffin of any notion that the dismissal represents some sort of unprecedented partisan power play, it's worth considering some historical context. Take a look at this UPI report (via Nexis) from January 21, 1981 -- the second day of the Reagan administration:

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John Ensign

Did A Shadowy Christian Group Help Keep Ensign's Secret?

Zachary Roth | June 22, 2009, 1:20PM

Senate Republicans, it's becoming clear, aren't exactly lining up to defend John Ensign.

Of course, that's not so surprising, given the damage that sex scandals have inflicted on the GOP in recent years. But could it be that the Ensign imbroglio poses a particularly thorny problem for some Republicans because, aside from the sex and jobs angle, the story threatens to shine an unflattering light on the role of the shadowy religious group to which the Nevada senator belongs?

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