Federal prosecutors said Wednesday for the first time that U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. attended a meeting in 2008 at which $1 million in fund-raising for Rod Blagojevich was discussed in exchange for Jackson's own Senate seat appointment.
The meeting described by prosecutors was not previously disclosed by Jackson.
JJ Jr is in trouble. I didn't think so at first. I figured everyone was rallying around the feds to get Blago -- put his head on a pike and it would then be business as usual. But I'm beginning to wonder if the prosecutors have enough on JJ Jr to go after him just as soon as Blago is jugged.
The person who allegedly discussed the fund-raising with Jackson was Raghuveer Nayak -- the man who prosecutors have said offered Blagojevich more than a million in return for Jackson's appointment.
#3
Yeah, I don't see Holder doing anything to Jackson Jr. If this was an actual honest, law abiding country, Barry and the rest of the Chicago mob would be in prison. I'm not holding my breath obviously.
Posted by: Jefferson ||
07/09/2010 12:49 Comments ||
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Queens Congressman Gregory Meeks made no payments for three years on a secret $40,000 personal loan - and repaid the cash only when the FBI started asking questions, the Daily News has learned.
Meeks received a check for $40,000 from Queens businessman Ed Ahmad in January 2007 to finish paying off his new $830,000 home, two sources familiar with the matter said.
There was no discussion about interest rates, due dates or collateral requirements for the loan, the sources said, and Meeks did not report it on his 2007 and 2008 financial disclosure forms.
The congressman made no payments on the loan until early last month, a few weeks after the FBI questioned Ahmad about the check, the sources said.
That's when Meeks sent Ahmad a check for $59,000, having tacked on an annual interest rate of about 12.5%, the sources said.
In an interview, Meeks admitted he could not find documents to back up the loan. He also did not respond to a News request for copies of cancelled checks.
"There was documents. I don't have them right now," he said in his first explanation of the loan since The News revealed its existence last month.
Meeks would say only that he got the loan from Ahmad sometime in 2007.
Ahmad and his lawyer, Steven Kartagener, declined to comment.
Meeks, a Democrat, said the loan carried an annual interest rate of 12.5% and was due within 10 years. He told The News he paid it back sometime last year, but could not say when.
"I don't remember," he said.
He revealed the loan for the first time on his 2009 form, which was filed last month.
If Meeks deliberately withheld this information, he could be charged criminally with filing a false statement, said Melanie Sloan, director of the nonpartisan watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
"He's got a real problem with false statements," Sloan said of Meeks. "It doesn't sound like an accident."
Federal prosecutors already have subpoenaed documents from Meeks and several other Queens politicians in an ongoing corruption probe. Meeks insisted he was not the target of the probe.
"I'm not under investigation, nor is there any reason to investigate me," he said. "The only things that have been subpoenaed are records."
Meeks told The News the money he borrowed from Ahmad - a developer, importer and mortgage broker - paid for unspecified "needs" related to the opulent home he built in Jamaica, Queens, in October 2006.
The money was "for my family obligations, etc. I was in a new house. It's taking care of things for my family needs in the house," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/09/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Notice that the article plays Name That Party until the fifth or sixth paragrph.
Of course, the fact that he is a Democrat means that the FBI might as well stop wasting their time investgating him. Even in the unlikely event that they actually get a conviction, I doubt he will spend a day in jail. Laws and ethics rules are for ordinary citizens and Republican congress critters.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
07/09/2010 4:12 Comments ||
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WaPo - Too many Republican leaders are acquiescing to a poisonous "demagoguery" that threatens the party's long-term credibility, says a veteran GOP House member who was defeated in South Carolina's primary last month. Official results of the primary:
Trey Gowdy -- 54,412 votes (70.66%)
Bob Inglis -- 22,590 votes (29.34%)
Political scientists and statisticians have a technical term for this. It's called a "horsewhipping" or a "steam cleaning." While not naming names, 12-year incumbent Rep. Bob Inglis suggested in interviews with The Associated Press that tea party favorites such as former vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin and right-wing talk show hosts like Glenn Beck are the culprits. Now why would he think that? This might be a clue:
...two separate Republican sources cited to me two key events in Inglis's political downfall: When he told a town hall meeting last year to turn off Glenn Beck, and when he voted with House Democrats in September 2009 to reprimand Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) for yelling "You lie" at President Obama during a speech to Congress. Other factors that were cited included Inglis's vote for the TARP bailout -- an issue that also helped sink Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT) at his state Republican convention in May -- and his work on the issue of climate change.
I could go on quoting the article on Bob Inglis, but if you've ever read Daily Kos you've already heard everything that CryBobby has to say.
Bob Inglis lost because his constituents know more about ObamaCare than he does, and because he doesn't have the intestinal fortitude to do what's necessary to fix this country's problems. People who do -- people like Sarah Palin and those she supports -- are getting the chance in more and more places because people are beginning to understand the consequences of continuing to elect slugs like Bob Inglis.
Posted by: Mike ||
07/09/2010 14:52 ||
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#1
Sounds like he needs an extra large helping of cheese to go with that whiiiiiiiiiine.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
07/09/2010 16:41 Comments ||
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#2
Sounds like Inglis is getting ready to endorse the Democrat ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/09/2010 17:35 Comments ||
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#3
A 12year incumbent and he gets his ass kicked like that? Wow...
The state of Illinois is more than $5 billion dollars in debt. The Land of Lincoln is giving California a run for its money at becoming the most fiscally unstable state.
So Illinois' answer? Just stop paying the bills and see what happens!!
That's not a joke - that's what they're doing!
Residents across the board in that state are struggling with an uncertain future and dwindling pensions.
That is unless you work for Pat Quinn - the governor is handing out raises to all his employees.
Here are the numbers: the Democrat leader has given 43 salary increases - averaging 11.5% to 35 staffers in the past 15 months, according to the Associated Press. Ironically, the state's budget director, David Vaught, made out the best--he got a 20% raise or $24,000!
And the deputy budget director -Gladyse Taylor - got a 10.5% bump!
What makes this actually offensive is that in other parts of the state they're not talking about getting raises - they're trying to keep their jobs.
In almost every district of the state - thousands of teachers have lost their jobs and health centers have shut down. Published reports say the University of Illinois has yet to receive 45% of the money owed to them.
The unemployment rate for the state nears 11% and the state ranks in the top five of states with the most foreclosures.
So Governor Quinn - I understand running the state of Illinois is not an easy job and you don't have a long list of good examples to learn from.
But it doesn't take a rocket scientist or a political genius to understand that if your state is in the red... your staff shouldn't be bathing in big bucks.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/09/2010 00:00 ||
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Springfield, Ill. - More than 40,000 unionized state workers got a pay raise last Thursday, bringing to 7 percent the amount they're gotten since last year. These same state employees are in line for another 7 percent by next July 1, all at a cost of a half-billion tax dollars a year.
#3
State hasn't paid the DuPage County Health Dept., Lutheran World Services and a host of others for going on 9 months but still demands they must preform service for the state... and sends collectors after the these orgs. when patients on state aid take tests the state demands but stiffs on paying for.
In other words we are dumping these folk on you, you must do X,Y,Z tests on them every week and when they don't pay and we don't pay we send bill collectors after you....
#4
How do they justify a 10-14% raise during this economy? I got a 1% raise - and was glad for it. Several people in my department got nothing this year. Of course, I work for a private company, not the government.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
07/09/2010 2:16 Comments ||
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#5
How do they justify a 10-14% raise during this economy?
#6
Illinois voters HAVE TO REVOLT! Not one of the idiots running that state (read DEMOCRATS) should be returned to office in November. NOT ONE, NADA, ZERO, ZILCH
I work for local gubbamint and got a 6% cut via furloughs last year and same this year. You know what? I understand it and agree with it. At least I have a job, unlike so many hard-working people in the private economy. You won't hear any bitching from me.
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/09/2010 10:50 Comments ||
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#10
Pretty sad, Illinois is a nice state until you get to the war zone in the north. It's too bad the rest of the state can't divorce themselves from Chicago.
Posted by: Jefferson ||
07/09/2010 12:43 Comments ||
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#11
As far as these hospitals go, and just about all their other creditors, they have been living high on the hog with taxpayer funded contracts from the State. But now that the State is putting the squeeze on them, until their contracts are over, they are SOL.
But as soon as those contracts *are* over, there is going to either be a lot of the businesses out of business, or no longer willing to take on State contracts.
Ironically, this might actually be the plan, if you think about it. That is, there is no way the State government could just cancel these contracts without getting sued for a fortune. But if the businesses no longer renew their contracts, the State can just shrug.
"We offer you free healthcare, and all you have to do is find an in-State provider who is on contract with the State. There are none."
Democratic Polling firm Democracy Corps (D) has a new survey out that should send chills up the spines of Democrats. Like the recent NPR survey, there's really no good news there for Democrats. Among the findings of the poll of likely voters:
62% believe the country is on the wrong track, and its rising. This is similar to 2006.
Republicans have a higher "thermometer" rating than Democrats.
Republicans lead by 6 in the generic ballot, 48%-42%.
On the issues, Democrats lead on the environment and (barely) raising middle class living standards.
President Obama's approval is under water, 45%-51%.
The health care bill still appears to be a net drag.
The President's personal attribute ratings (strong leader, etc.) have all slid.
55% think the label "socialist" describes the President well.
A plurality believe he's done nothing to help end the economic crisis.
A narrow majority believes that the best way to improve the economy is to cut taxes, rather than spend.
About the only good news for Democrats is that former President Bush is still viewed as being mostly responsible for the state of the economy, though that too has narrowed. Expect to see his face in a lot of Democratic ads this fall.
Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner has launched an economic charm offensive, attempting to assure banking and corporate executives that the Obama administration isn't anti-business, FOX Business Network has learned.
The effort by Geithner, according to senior corporate executives with direct knowledge of the matter, is designed to counter criticisms from several prominent CEOs that President Obama is at war with American businesses, through policies that are squeezing profits and job creation, and class-warfare rhetoric that has taken particular aim at US banks as Congress gets ready to enact new financial-reform legislation.
The public criticisms have come from former Obama supporters in the business community like Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg, head of the Business Roundtable, who recently said that "we have reached a point where the negative effects of these policies are simply too significant to ignore." General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt also reportedly blasted the president's economic policies during a meeting with executives in Rome. Later a spokesman for GE said the remarks were taken out of context, but people who know Immelt confirm his growing dissatisfaction with the administration's economic policies.
Another Obama supporter, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon, has publicly attacked the president. In private meetings he has blasted not just the president's push for financial reform, which could shave earnings in the banking business anywhere from 5-10%, but also the president's economic agenda of higher spending and more entitlements like health care.
A spokesman for Dimon, who in 2009 was a frequent White House visitor, had no comment.
Now Geithner is trying to rebuild these relationships that had helped Obama get elected president, as many in the business community, particularly banks and Wall Street firms, were major contributors to his campaign. His pitch is pretty simple: The Obama administration doesn't want to destroy Corporate America, and views business as "not the problem, but the solution," said one person with knowledge of the matter.
A spokeswoman for the Treasury Secretary confirmed Geithner's recent outreach. "Every day, Secretary Geithner talks to business leaders on Main Street and Wall Street about the state of the economy and what we can do to reinforce growth and recovery -- led by the private sector. That type of consultation isn't particularly newsworthy; it's part of his job," she told FOX Business.
Big business and Wall Street in particular had overwhelmingly supported Democrats in the 2008 election cycle, but data from the Center for Responsive politics show a more even split in donations in 2010, including at Democratic stronghold Goldman Sachs, a trend that has the White House on edge.
"Geithner has been working the phones telling business leaders that Obama doesn't hate them because the administration is feeling the backlash and realizing that bashing corporate America is undermining the recovery," said one senior executive at a major bank. "But the damage may already be done."
Posted by: Fred ||
07/09/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Employing Geinther to rebuild corporate relationships and campaign funding streams takes political desperation to an entirely new level. More please, I'll say when.
#2
Ogabe and his merry band aren't at war with big business, far from it. The big guys will sit by smiling as government crushes their existing smaller competitors and raises barriers-to-entry in their industries, keeping entrepreneurs out. What's really going on is a war on small businesses, starving them of credit and paralyzing them with regulatory and economic uncertainty. It's basically dekulakization without all those icky corpses.
Posted by: Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) ||
07/09/2010 2:00 Comments ||
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#3
RbR pretty much nails it. And there's a word for this kinda thing: Fascism.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
07/09/2010 2:15 Comments ||
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#4
Easier to control when things are all pre-centralized, right?
#5
Our CFO is pushing all possible purchases into this year because of the coming tax changes on Jan 1 2011. We will be making practically no purchases after that time no matter what happens to the tax laws because we will have pushed every conceivable purchase required in 2011 into 2010.
Get that? If you relax the tax laws after the first of the year they aren't going to have much impact because people have already pushed the transactions they had planned for 2011 into 2010
#6
Geither and Obama thrift and economics: Talk is cheap! BS is free! Isn't that refreshing: one thing that doesn't include spending is useless pontification!
#8
You gotta wonder what some of these bastards were thinking when they bank rolled Barry's run.
Posted by: Jefferson ||
07/09/2010 12:56 Comments ||
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#9
Turbo Tim can say what he likes, but the soap bubble's already been popped as far as any businessman trusting this administration. There's a 2,000-page bill lurking under every rock. And no matter how you slice it, if the deficit stays north of a trillion, there is a giant tax increase headed toward us all like a freight train.
Posted by: Matt ||
07/09/2010 14:14 Comments ||
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#10
General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt is a weasel who backed Obama to the hilt to create new markets for his flagging company. Remember GE-owned NBC's "green TV" where they would flog green messages in every program they aired? Hope you like your new mandated florescent light bulbs.
Posted by: regular joe ||
07/09/2010 15:14 Comments ||
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#11
Oddly haven't gotten around to installing any of those CFLs. Still rockin' the 300-W halogen here in the office, in fact.
PRIMGHAR, Iowa -- U.S. District Court Judge Mark W. Bennett has ordered Osceola County Sheriff Douglas L. Weber to issue a gun permit to a resident and to complete a college-level course involving the First Amendment.
Bennett's written decision on Wednesday involves the case of Paul Dorr, of Ocheyedan, who was denied a permit to carry a concealed weapon.
Dorr and his son, Alexander, were denied gun permits after being engaged in extensive First Amendment activity -- protesting, passing out leaflets and writing letters to the editor -- the opinion notes.
Continued on Page 49
#1
For now,anyway, the First Amendment also permits citizens to criticize (but not threaten) Congress and the President. (Including showing a picture of a gibbon :-) ).
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
07/09/2010 2:20 Comments ||
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#2
However, Bennett's decision did not favor Dorr's son, who was 18 years old when he applied for the carry permit, and is 20 now. Bennett noted that sheriffs have the discretion to withhold permits from anyone under majority age.
So, like, the US government shouldn't allow them utes to be serving with weapons, right?
311. Militia: composition and classes
(a) The militia of the United States consists of all able-bodied males at least 17 years of age and, except as provided in section 313 of title 32, under 45 years of age who are, or who have made a declaration of intention to become, citizens of the United States and of female citizens of the United States who are members of the National Guard. - Title X, USC
Maybe the judge needs to review Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution -
The Congress shall have Power
...
To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;
To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;
To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;
#3
another article I saw on this sai the Sherriff based his decision at leat partially on the fact that Dorr was "mixed up with OCTA", Any idea what that is? I tried a search and the best I could come up with was Orange county transit authority....
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
While not naming names, 12-year incumbent Rep. Bob Inglis suggested in interviews with The Associated Press that tea party favorites such as former vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin and right-wing talk show hosts like Glenn Beck are the culprits. 
