[Spokesman Review] BOISE, Idaho ‐ An Idaho Republican state lawmaker who was under investigation for possible sexual abuse, died in an apparent suicide, according to authorities on Tuesday.
Canyon County Coroner Vicki DeGeus-Morris said Brandon Hixon was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head in his Caldwell home early Tuesday morning. A family member discovered his remains.
Hixon, 36, was elected to the Idaho Legislature in 2012. At the time, Hixon was one of the youngest lawmakers elected to the Idaho House of Representatives.
He flew relatively under the radar during his time in the Statehouse until October, when he abruptly resigned from office after reports broke he was the subject of a criminal investigation for possible sexual abuse.
The Attorney General’s office was overseeing the investigation, but declined to comment Tuesday when contacted by The Associated Press.
"I hope that my efforts have helped improve the lives of my constituents in District 10, as well as all Idahoans," Hixon wrote in his resignation letter. "I will never forget all of my colleagues that I very much enjoyed working side by side with to make Idaho a better place for all."
At least we were spared the smug, condescending lecture, so there's that...
[RealClearPolitics] On CNN New Day Wednesday morning, possible 2020 Democratic contender Elizabeth Warren was asked about the prospect of Oprah Winfrey running for president.
"Senator Warren, last question. Oprah Winfrey for president, your thoughts?" co-host Alisyn Camerota asked.
"You know, wasn't that a fabulous speech?" Warren said. "And hearing Oprah's voice and her energy and passion and her determination, it's inspiring to all of us, and she shows great leadership. And I am delighted that she's doing it."
"I don't know" if America is ready for another celebrity billionaire president, she said. "Here's what I do know. We are right now in the middle of fights that will determine our future for generations to come." She's fighting for me, and for you! Group hug, everybody!
I'm not sure how I feel about this guy; less than enthusiastic is my current take. Yours (Frank G, Abu Uluque) will probably differ!
[ZeroHedge] In an ironic twist, just moments after Trump requested a "tough primary" for California Senator Dianne Feinstein for leaking the Fusion GPS interview transcript, he is losing California Republican Rep, and the richest member of Congress, Darrell Issa, who announced moments ago that he is retiring and won't seek re-election.
Issa, an influential republican in the House, has been in Congress since 2001, and his most high-profile role was as House Oversight Committee chairman during former President Obama’s presidency, a position he used to hold many hearings on what he viewed as govt misdeeds. Issa, considered the richest member of Congress worth up to $768 million, and his wife ran the nation’s largest manufacturer of vehicle anti-theft devices before selling the co. in 2000.
Below is Roll Call's wealth of congress index, putting Issa's wealth in context. I know ZH isn't the most sane website out there, but I guess one thing will never change - class warfare works.
#1
He was likely going to lose anyway. Hollywood and Donks (BIRM) had a target on him
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/10/2018 13:52 Comments ||
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#2
Someone is paying a small crowd to hold up anti-Issa signs on an intersection in Encinitas. They do it about once a week and its been going on for some time. Wonder if its slowly moving poll numbers.
#4
A somewhat more reliable source, although 10 News San Diego is the local ABC/MSM affiliate. He's on the way out, though.
I was disappointed when he voted against the tax bill. He said it would hurt his constituents but those are the very wealthy constituents who could deduct more than $10,000 in state and local taxes so that was certainly not in my best interests. I would have preferred that he talk about why California has such incredibly high income and property taxes.
My lasting impression is that he usually said the right things but never got much done. I hope we can get a real conservative to replace him but, yeah, Pelosi will spend a lot on this district.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
01/10/2018 18:46 Comments ||
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[BaltimoreSun] Federal prosecutors revealed in new court documents that indicted state Sen. Nathaniel T. Oaks confessed to taking cash payments in exchange for official business before becoming an FBI cooperator and upending another bribery investigation.
The allegations come as Oaks prepares to begin his 30th legislative session in the General Assembly, which begins Wednesday. While the U.S. attorney’s office says Oaks confessed both to taking cash payments and to interfering with an investigation, he has pleaded not guilty and has a trial scheduled for mid-April, right after the legislative session concludes.
Neither Oaks nor his defense attorney could be reached for comment Friday evening.
Oaks, a Baltimore Democrat, is accused of taking $15,300 in cash from someone he thought was a “wealthy Texas businessman” but who was working for the FBI, prosecutors said in the new filing. After agreeing to cooperate with investigators, Oaks recorded himself accepting a $2,600 cash payment from an FBI target under a table at an Annapolis restaurant in March 2017 and told the target he would talk to legislators about a bill favorable to the bail-bond industry, federal prosecutors wrote.
But in subsequent encounters, at a St. Patrick’s Day party at an Annapolis bar and separately before a caucus meeting, Oaks told the FBI target: “I’m going to ask you for something. Just say no,” according to court documents.
The person who gave the $2,600 to Oaks, identified in court papers only as “Person #1,” was confronted by the FBI, and prosecutors say he admitted paying Oaks and another undisclosed elected official thousands of dollars over the years. The person paid for parties hosted by Oaks, as well as round-trip flights and hotel rooms in Las Vegas, according to documents.
Oaks was convicted in 1989 of stealing thousands of dollars out of his campaign account while serving in the House of Delegates. He regained his seat in 1994 and was appointed to the state Senate last year to replace a legislator who stepped down because of ill health. His salary as a state senator is $50,330 a year.
The person targeted by the FBI using Oaks told authorities that he needed the senator to support legislation favorable to the bail-bond industry, according to court documents. The documents say the person had ownership interests in a bail bond business as well as a company that provided home health care services.
The role of cash bail in pretrial release was one of the most heavily debated and aggressively lobbied issues of the 2017 session.
#3
They identified him in the the first paragraph due to the missing (R) after his name. Like the old Soviet papers, Americans have to learn to read the style to get to the real information.
[NBCNewYork] A New York state assemblywoman from Brooklyn who claims to be an advocate for Sandy victims has been accused of bilking FEMA and New York City's's Build it Back fund out of thousands of dollars following the monster 2012 storm.
Rep. Pamela Harris was named in an 11-count indictment charging her with cheating the two storm relief agencies out of thousands of dollars before and after she was elected to the State Assembly in 2017. The indictment also accuses the Coney Island Sorry, you have to hit the link to figure out her party affiliation. Or maybe not.
of stealing from New York City Council coffers while running a nonprofit and lying about her schemes during bankruptcy proceedings in 2013.
As part of the scheme, prosecutors and FBI agents said she claimed the storm forced her out of her home by Sandy and into a rental on Staten Island, only to pocket $24,800 in housing payments from FEMA while living in her Brooklyn home, from 2012 to 2014. She also lied on a NYC Build it Back assistance application about living at the first-floor Staten Island apartment and submitted a forged lease and rental receipts, according to the indictment.
"Both before and during her tenure as a public servant, as alleged, Assemblywoman Pamela Harris went to great lengths to defraud local and federal agencies out of thousands of dollars," said William Sweeney, the FBI's assistant director-in-charge.
He added, "In fact, at a time when many residents in her district were dealing with the horrific aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Harris was busy brewing a storm of her own, one that resulted in her receiving significant payouts by the very federal agency charged with helping those truly in need."
The indictment states that she also lied about the payments and claimed the landlord at the Staten Island apartment was giving her $1,200 in monthly rental assistance while under oath during a bankruptcy hearing in 2013.
The 57-year-old is also accused of stealing more than $30,000 from New York City council between 2013 and 2015 while serving as the executive director of Coney Island Generation Gap, a nonprofit also known as CIGG that aimed at mentoring low- and moderate-income children interested in media arts.
According to the indictment, Harris funneled money given to the nonprofit meant to rent a studio space to her own personal bank accounts. And in 2015, she withdrew $22,800 directly from CIGG's bank account and deposited into her personal checking account. Then, authorities said, she used the money to buy plane and cruise tickets for her and her spouse, pay her mortgage and make online purchases at Kohl's and Victoria's Secret.
According to the indictment, when Harris found out she was being investigated, she asked witnesses in the alleged schemes to lie for her.
"When she learned that law enforcement was investigating her various fraud schemes, she pressured witnesses to lie to the FBI and cover them up," said Richard Donoghue, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, which is investigating the case. "This Office and our law enforcement partners are committed to ensuring that those who serve the public are held accountable under the law to the same extent as the people they are privileged to serve."
Harris -- who represents Bay Ridge, Coney Island, Dyker Heights and parts of other nearby neighborhoods -- faces up to 30 years behind bars if convicted of the top charge, related to making false statements to FEMA.
A representative for the state representative wasn't immediately available for comment on Tuesday.
According to her biography on the Assembly's website, Harris is described as a "vocal advocate for (Sandy) relief efforts and previously helped by personally delivering food, clothes and blankets for her displaced neighbors." She's also spoken about the storm and rebuilding efforts in open and recorded State Assembly hearings.
Posted by: Vast Right Wing Conspiracy ||
01/10/2018 00:00 ||
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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.
[Spokesman Review] BOISE, Idaho ‐ An Idaho Republican state lawmaker who was under investigation for possible sexual abuse, died in an apparent suicide, according to authorities on Tuesday.
