Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) appeared on Greta Van Susteren’s Show, Monday night, to give an update on the investigation of the Obama Justice Department’s Operation Fast and Furious and on holding Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of congress.
He says that the Committee wants to make sure they’ve “dotted every i and crossed every t”, and they’re still trying to “make the case across the aisle”, which I suspect is at Boehner’s beckoning.
When Greta pressed him for an idea of when a contempt citation might come, he told her it would “absolutely” come before the election.
As a further timeline, Issa referenced the Brian A. Terry Memorial Act which passed unanimously in the Senate, last week. It will rename Brian Terry’s former border patrol station in Naco after the slain agent. Issa assured Greta that the contempt citation will come by the time he meets with the Terry family —- when? Where? That part somehow got lost. Greta didn’t want to talk about the Brian Terry Memorial Act, she wanted to talk about the Contempt citation – but I think Issa was trying to tell her something, there.
Representatives for the White House didn’t answer The Daily Caller’s requests for comment about the act that passed both chambers of Congress with bipartisan support. Attorney General Eric Holder spokeswoman Tracy Schmaler has also not responded to requests for comment on the act.
It’s also unclear whether Obama will do a public signing ceremony for the act, assuming he chooses to sign it. White House spokesman Eric Schultz didn’t answer when The Daily Caller asked him if Obama had invited the Terry family to Washington to do a public signing event.
Will the White House be able to use the lawsuit as an excuse for the President to quietly sign the bill without comment, attendees, ceremony? Or if there is one, will they have a “no cameras/microphones” rule, and offer up words like “to protect the family’s dignity” and “the solemnity of the occasion” to ensure that no politically embarrassing footage gets created?
Despite the Obama administration’s silence on the Terry Memorial Act, congressional Democrats and Republicans supported it 100% — another bad omen for Holder who hopes his political allies will continue to carry the administration’s water in the Fast and Furious investigation.
In a recent Capitol Hill confab, conservative reps met to talk about the need for the House leadership to take bolder steps on a myriad of issues, most notably, Fast and Furious.
The cautious approach that top Republicans have taken on whether to vote to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress has sparked a new round of hand-wringing over the party’s direction on Capitol Hill.
Specifically, conservatives want bolder, more aggressive leadership from House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and the rest of GOP high command — on Holder and the broader Republican agenda heading into November.
The feeling was best illustrated Wednesday at the Capitol Hill Club, a private GOP haunt adjacent to the Republican National Committee’s offices.
More than a dozen conservative lawmakers — including Republican Study Group Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio — met there for dinner, and the topic of conversation veered toward how to push leadership to pursue a “more profound direction” forward, according to several lawmakers in attendance.
The main topic: Why, conservatives ask, is the party holding back when it has spent a year waiting — fruitlessly — for Holder to comply with a subpoena?
Venting his frustration with the foot-dragging, last week week, Congressman Trey Gowdy of SC, told Ginny Simone of NRA TV that there was no excuse for it.
There is no argument on the other side in compliance with a subpoena. I mean there is no argument! I mean anarchy is the only argument on the other side. So if we’re not willing to press the issue, are your listeners going to have any confidence that we’ll be bold and courageous if they give us the the White House and the Senate?
They also want to know why the GOP isn’t trying to draw a more stark contrast with Obama – something a lot of us grassroots conservatives have been grousing about, here at home. Go ahead and use the S word. It’s what he is - we all know it. Highlight his thug tactics, corruption, shredding of the Constitution, and unprecedented power grabs.
But oh no….we don’t want to scare off independents, who are by definition – people who don’t pay much attention or they’d have stronger opinions about politics. Sometimes the ugly truth is an attention getter. Wake them up.
Passing the budget of Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) is a start, but hardly enough, they say. Republicans should be touting their proposed overhaul of Medicare and Medicaid and passing more bills to show that their plan to deal with the nation’s crumbling entitlement system is more responsible than Obama’s, the lawmakers argue.
In short, these conservatives want more from Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.)
“There’s no use to having the majority if you are going to be hamstrung by your perception of political vicissitudes,” said Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina , who was at the dinner.
It almost seems like establishment Republicans are most comfortable in crouching, defensive postures. How this going to look? How’s the media going to report it? How’s it going to play? Let’s keep our messaging bland so as not to offend.
Despite his public praise for Issa’s efforts to learn more about the controversial operation, the newspaper said “behind the scenes” Boehner and other top House GOP leaders are worried about the political impact a contempt resolution could have in an election year. “With the other issues, the economy and everything else, I think they would like to focus on that,” Republican Rep. Dan Burton, a former chairman of the committee, told Roll Call. “I don’t think they’re opposed to going ahead with the contempt citation; it’s just that if we can get the Justice Department to move without having to move it, they would probably prefer that.” But a GOP aide suggested to Roll Call there is also concern that going after Holder, the first black attorney general under the first black president, could create a racial backlash against Republicans. “Especially after Trayvon,” this aide told Roll Call, in a reference to the killing of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin.
We don’t want to be called Raaaaacist.
God help us. The phoney, ginned up racialist politics the left has been deploying all yearis designed specifically to intimidate jellyfish spined people like this. It’s meant to stifle conservative discourse and intimidate Republicans from taking positions critical of blacks. It’s working beautifully, thanks to wimps like these old guard Republicans.
At the Capitol Hill Club dinner, feelings were particularly raw about how leadership is handling the Fast and Furious controversy. Mulvaney turned to Gowdy in front of the group and asked whether contempt is appropriate at this point.
Yes, said Gowdy, a former federal prosecutor.
“I don’t know the speaker well. I know Kevin and Eric very well. I don’t feel at all drummed out by them,” Gowdy said, speaking broadly of his relationship with leadership. But “there’s a sense to not ruffle the waters. My response is, ‘You’re asking people to trust you with the gears of government and leadership. If your sole objective is to just hang on, and not do anything with leadership, that’s not a compelling case.’
“So, if we are being drummed out, it’s our fault. Because the majority of the people in our conference describe themselves as conservative. What you’ll see in the next couple weeks, is push back from the conservatives.”
It probably wouldn’t hurt to call Boehner’s office, too. Enough with the foot-dragging.
Boehner’s contact info:
H-232 The Capitol Washington, DC 20515 P (202) 225-0600 F (202) 225-5117
In an interview with Ginny Simone of NRA News, May 10, Congressman Trey Gowdy vented his frustration with House leadership for not moving forward with any actions against Atty General Eric Holder in the Fast and Furious investigation. He also suggested that if Holder became a big enough liability for Obama, (who is in full campaign mode), he would become the latest Obama crony to be thrown under the bus.
“Oh, I think the thing that drives 99.9 percent of all elected officials is very easy to put your finger on,” Gowdy said in an interview with NRA News’ Ginny Simone. “It starts with a ‘re’ and ends with ‘election.’”
“I think that if he [Obama] believes that the Attorney General has become something of an albatross, and is impacting his ability to carry some swing states, Eric Holder will be in the private practice of law quicker than you say Marc Rich,” Gowdy said.
On the question of moving on to the next step of holding Holder accountable, Gowdy had this to say:
“Congressman Issa is prepared to move forward – Congressman Issa has been prepared to move forward. – when I say leadership, I mean, really –-leadership. Chairman Issa is part of the solution and not part of the problem….”
He later noted that Holder would only put up, or step down if he believed Congress was serious.
Finally, in case his message of frustration with the House leadership wasn’t clear enough, he concluded the interview by making this statement in response to Simone’s comment that 2012 is the most important election in our lifetimes:
“There is some merit to keeping some of your attention on November – you certainly don’t want to commit unforced errors. On the other hand, how are you going to persuade people to let you govern, have all the gears of governance, if you’re not going to do anything right, or principled when you have the majority? There is no argument on the other side in compliance with a subpoena. I mean there is no argument! I mean anarchy is the only argument on the other side. So if we’re not willing to press the issue, are your listeners going to have any confidence that we’ll be bold and courageous if they give us the the White House and the Senate? I mean, why would they?!”
I suggest that next week, conservatives start making some phone calls to Boehner’s office.
After an impassioned speech by Utah Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz demanding accountability from the Justice Dept, 142 House Democrats backed an amendment which prevents the Department of Justice from using taxpayer funds to lie to Congress. The vote reflects bipartisan frustration with Attorney General Eric Holder.
Chaffetz pitched House Democrats in a feisty House floor speech before the vote to join him in demanding accountability. He argued that Attorney General Eric Holder’s failure to comply with the Fast and Furious congressional subpoena is anything but a partisan political fight. He said it’s an issue of separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches, and that all Americans “should be embarrassed by what’s happening in Fast and Furious.”
“If we get stonewalling on the other side of the aisle, without your support, we will do a disservice to this country, we will do a disservice to this body and we will not get to the truth,” Chaffetz said on the House floor on Wednesday. “I promise you, when that becomes a Republican president, I will stand with you and demand the openness and transparency that this body deserves. I’ve done it; I’ve challenged my own party, *I have the guts, I have the fortitude to do the right thing.”
Chaffetz challenged the House Democrats to come forward and help him, House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa and others: “This is the test of principle, this is the test of integrity, and when you can’t stand up and take on your own party, that’s a lack of guts,” Chaffetz said. “This Congress has got to stand up for itself and demand that these documents be released.”
In a promising sign that Dems are breaking ranks, Chaffetz got his bipartisan support.
*Correction in the transcript:
Chaffetz said “Have the guts, have the fortitude to do the right thing,” not “I have the guts” – etc…
Indiana’s new Republican candidate Richard Mourdock — who just defeated six-term Sen. Richard Lugar in the GOP primary — told The Daily Caller that he thinks Attorney General Eric Holder “should have been fired a long time ago” for Operation Fast and Furious.
“I mean, I’d accept his resignation, but he should have been fired,” Mourdock said during a conference call on Thursday evening. “The tracks of it [Fast and Furious] run so deep through the Department of Justice, somebody has to be held responsible. There’s just no accountability within the administration.”
Congress’ investigation has gone on for more than a year and a half, yet Justice has only complied with 12 of our 22 subpoena requests for documents. The American people deserve answers; Congress deserves the information we asked for.
As a former prosecutor, I take no joy in moving to cut appropriations for Justice, but it’s about respect for the rule of law and holding those in power to the same standard as those not in power.
What would happen to you if you ignored a jury summons, failed to comply with a grand-jury subpoena or ignored a lawful demand for documents from a congressional committee? You’d be sanctioned, held in contempt, and likely jailed.
Ramping up the pressure on the stonewalling DOJ, The U.S. House of Representatives, today, passed by voice vote an amendment cutting Justice Department salaries until they fully answer questions on the failed gunwalking program. Oversight Committee member and budding political rock star, Rep. Trey Gowdy (SC-4) sponsored the amendment, which cuts $1,000,000 from the Justice Department’s General Administration fund and is part of the FY 2013 DoJ Appropriation.
Last week, Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa circulated a briefing paper and draft contempt ofCongress resolution against Attorney General Eric Holder for refusing to cooperate with the investigation of deadly Operation Fast and Furious.
“Congress has been patient – indeed too patient in my judgment – with the Department of Justice and its failure to comply with the lawful request for the production of documents,” said Rep. Gowdy.
Indiana Democratic Rep. Joe Donnelly told The Daily Caller on Tuesday that he supports the House oversight committee’s efforts to enforce the congressional subpoena of Attorney General Eric Holder over Operation Fast and Furious.
“One of the duties of Congress is to provide oversight of the Executive Branch,” Donnelly told TheDC. “There has been a serious allegation of federal law enforcement misconduct and we need to get to the bottom of this issue without playing partisan politics.”
Holder has demonstrably failed to comply with the congressional subpoena House oversight committee chairman Rep. Darrell Issa served him on Oct. 12, 2011. Holder has failed to comply with all 22 categories of the subpoena that demands he provide documents related to Operation Fast and Furious. With 13 of the categories, Holder has provided no documents whatsoever. When it comes to the other nine subpoena categories, Holder is still far from compliant, as TheDC reported late last week.
Fox News reports that Chairman Issa is circulating a lengthy pair of documents that make the case for holding Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress over his “refusal” to cooperate in an investigation of the ill-fated Fast and Furious operation. He says Holder’s insufficient response “is inexcusable, and cannot stand”.
Issa, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, on Thursday sent to every member of his committee a 64-page draft contempt order against Holder, as well as a 17-page memo outlining the history of the scandal.
“Operation Fast and Furious’ outrageous tactics, the Justice Department’s refusal to fully cooperate with the investigation and efforts to smear and retaliate against whistleblowers have tainted the institutional integrity of the Justice Department,” Issa wrote.
The committee is not citing Holder or holding the attorney general in contempt at this point. However, the documents lay out the case for contempt should members be called to vote.
The documents specifically charge that Holder’s Justice Department has not properly complied with a subpoena sent Oct. 12, 2011, which listed documents requested in 22 categories.
***
It’s unclear when Issa might press for action on the documents, but a source close to the investigation told Fox News he would not have put his cards on the table unless he had sufficient votes to push a contempt citation out of committee as well as the consent of House Speaker John Boehner.
A Republican source separately told Fox News that Boehner and House Republican Leader Eric Cantor do not want to deal with a contempt citation against Holder because “it’s off message for them.” But they apparently told Issa he needs to issue a “report” before they would even consider it — which may account for the documents circulated on Thursday.
Since 1975, only one attorney general has been found in contempt — Janet Reno, voted to be held in contempt by the same committee Issa now controls.
The summary of the draft contempt resolution regarding Holder states that the Justice Department “has refused to comply with congressional subpoenas related to operation Fast and Furious.”
This refusal, the draft states, “is inexcusable and cannot stand.”
The MSM has yet to pick up on it, and the Georgia Democratic party has not yet responded to this explosive report posted April 17 by a Georgia political blogger alleging that the state’s Democratic Party’s Political Director is a Criminal.
Pictured right is one of many mugshots featuring Ali Rashad Richey.
Rashad Richey is better known as the Political Director for the Democratic Party of Georgia.
Richey was, in 2011, one of the first hired by newly-elected state Democratic Party chairman Mike Berlon. Before being employed by Georgia’s Democratic Party, Rashad Richey collected over $38,000 in consulting fees from Democrat candidates Gail Buckner and Carol Porter.
Georgia Politics Unfiltered reports that Rashad Richey has been arrested twelve times on a variety of charges including:
Burglary;
Driving with revoked license;
Battery;
Family violence;
Obstructing an officer; and
Violating probation.
His last arrest was in 2010.
The question is – is it the same Ali Rashad Richey? He sure looks like the guy…
Ironically, according to Richey’s glowing bio on the Future Movement Radiowebpage, he has a masters degree in theology:
Rashad Richey is the hard hitting host of “Community Impact”, which airs every Thursday live from 3pm– 4pm and special broadcasts during the week, highlighting issues that matter to our local and national communities. He can be heard on 1420 WATB, 1430 WGFS – GA, and 93.5 FM – New York. Community Impact also has a sizeable internet audience that can be viewed on futuremovementradio.net, weeradioonline.com, and watb1420.com. Rashad is a successful business owner, Political Director of the Democratic Party in Ga, Sr. Political Director for Democracy In, LLC (a political advocacy and community development firm) and a member of the American Council of Young Political Leaders which is a U.S. State Department organization dedicated to the educational enhancement of international government relations.
In addition to his political activism, Rashad serves on the board of directors for multiple organizations throughout GA and has helped develop many community groups through applying the skills of a strategic planner, organizer, grant-writer, political strategist, and fundraiser. Rashad studied at Morehouse College before finishing his undergraduate degree in counseling at the American College of Theology in 2002. There he continued his studies to complete his master’s degree in theology in 2004. Rashad has since earned multiple certifications in the fields of policy development, community outreach, and business development. Rashad is currently a PhD candidate at Scofield Graduate School.
Here he is in February of this year introducing Chairman Mike Berlon to the crowd at the Democratic Party of Georgia’s “Georgia Deserves Better Rally” at the State Capitol. I have to say, he seems like a responsible, competent guy:
But Georgia Politics Unfiltered is 100% sure that Ali Rashad Richey the Democrat Political Director, is the very same Rashad Richey the jailbird.
Records show Rashad Richey’s last visit to the DeKalb County Jail included a 28-day stay in one of their private, luxurious suites.
Booked into jail on February 3, 2010, Richey (mugshot pictured right) was assigned booking number 0471219 and released March 1, 2010. During that same period, Rashad Richey cashed checks from Democrat Secretary of State candidate Gail Buckner.
A few days before his arrest, Rashad Richey received a paycheck from Gail Buckner. Campaign finance reports filed with the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission indicate Ali Rashad Richey received a payment of $4,000 from Gail Buckner on January 29, 2010.
Then, on February 26, 2010, Rashad Richey received another $4,000 paycheck from Gail Buckner. Yes. You did read that correctly. Gail Buckner paid $4,000 to an inmate.
Rashad Richey was released from jail March 1, 2010. Twenty-five days later, Gail Buckner paid him another $4,000 on March 26, 2010.
All told, Gail Buckner paid Rashad Richey $30,750 for “consulting work” in 2010.
Apparently crime pays, and it pays well. Either that or Georgia Democrats truly cannot do better than Rashad Richey the recividist.
For those keeping up, it’s been four days since I broke the news of Rashad Richey’s criminal history. He still has a job.
J.M. emailed, “You have got a lot of people pissed off and especially right at DNC delegate elections and JJ dinner this Saturday. You are insulting their savior to win back Ga to be Democratic. They grooming him for greater office someday.“
Really? That would be amazing . . . amazingly stupid if Democrats ran Richey for any office.
E.G., also via email, wrote, “If the party was duped into hiring someone with a record they were unaware of, then this is the craziest thing I’ve seen or heard in a LOOOOONG while. Thoughts on what the h happened?“
Honestly? If common sense were common, then everyone would have some. There is a significant lack of common sense at Democratic Party headquarters these days. No wonder they can’t win elections in this state.
“I was notified this morning about this exciting trip,” said The Democratic Party of Georgia’s Chairman Mike Berlon said Monday. “He will be visiting with the troops, veterans and military families that have been crucial to our efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
He had clearance to pose with Obama’s campaign manager, Jim “Punch back twice as hard” Messina:
UPDATE:
Michael Bates of Bateslinehas done a little internet sleuthing and emails:
The 1st Quarter 2010 report for Gail Buckner for Secretary of State lists three expenditures of $4,000 each to “Raschad Richey” of [redacted] Morrow, GA 30260, on Jan. 29, Feb. 26, and March 26, 2010.
The address 1834 Carla Dr., (which I previously redacted) happens to be the address of the Dem District Office, not his private residence, but it certainly ties Rashad Richey, the jailbird to the GA Democrat party.
Bates has more on that address listed on that 2010 jail booking record: 1834 Carla Drive, Morrow, Clayton County, Georgia, also listed by Gail Buckner as “District office”: It’s a HOUSE…
(Note: A free login here is required to view DeKalb County arrest records, such as the above link.)
The same address was used by Richey to register Democracy In, LLC on March 3, 2010, just two days after his release from the DeKalb County hoosegow.
UPDATE III:
The GA Democrat party put Criminal recidivist, Rashad Richey in charge of a voter registration drive, last November that was cynically held in conjunction with a Thanksgiving “Feed the Hungry” event for the poor and homeless of Atlanta:
On Thanksgiving, we will be conducting a voter registration drive at Hosea Feed The Hungry, an organization that has distributed over $3 billion in food, cleaning and medical supplies to the poorest amongst us.
Their annual Thanksgiving Dinner is expected to serve over 50,000 poverty-stricken people at the World Congress Center in Atlanta.
Can you give time this Thanksgiving to help us register voters at this event? Dedicated Democrats will be volunteering on Thursday to create positive change in our community. We could use your help.
WHEN: Thanksgiving Day from 8 am to 4 pm (one to two hour shifts).
WHERE: Georgia World Congress Center, B side. Parking is free.
WHY: To register new voters at the annual Hosea Feed the Hungry Thanksgiving Dinner.
Please call Rashad Richey at 404-549—- or email at Rashad@GeorgiaDemocrat.org for more information. We can work around your holiday schedule, and you are welcome to bring friends and family.
As someone wise once said, “And the plot thickens.”
A reader emailed over copies of the police report from Rashad Richey’s December 19, 2007 arrest. Rashad Richey is, as most readers now know, the political director for the Democratic Party of Georgia.
The police report, authored by DeKalb County Police Officer E.D. Dent, is not pretty.
Read the report and decide for yourself whether or not this guy is just what Dan Reihl would call, “a nuisance, perhaps with a problem with authority, or self-control.”
Perhaps a problem with authority and lack of self control ?
Matthew Boyle of the Daily Caller reports that the scandal plagued U.S. Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich plans to resign his position soon. Weich, you may remember, is the author of the February 2011 now “withdrawn” letter to Senator Grassley falsely denying that the DOJ was aware of gunwalking.
Weich, who has served as Attorney General Eric Holder’s emissary in congressional communications, will become the next dean of the University of Baltimore School of Law in July, according to the National Law Journal.
The DOJ official is the same Holder deputy who falsely told Congress that neither the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives nor any part of the Department of Justice ever allowed illicit firearms to “walk” across the U.S.-Mexico border — even as contrary facts emerged from the investigation into Operation Fast and Furious.
On Feb. 4, 2011, Weich wrote to Congress that the idea that “ATF ‘sanctioned’ or otherwise knowingly allowed the sale of assault weapons to a straw purchaser who then transported them into Mexico … is false.”
“ATF makes every effort to interdict weapons that have been purchased illegally and prevent their transportation to Mexico,” Weich added in that letter.
The DOJ has since retracted Weich’s letter but has not held anyone accountable for providing that misinformation to Congress, or for Operation Fast and Furious itself.
Scores of lawmakers — 125 House members, three U.S. Senators, two governors — and many major political figures including likely Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney have demanded Holder’s resignation or firing over Fast and Furious.
Other officials who are suspected to have been aware of the gunwalking include Deputy Attorney General Gary Grindler, Deputy Attorney General David W. Ogden, Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer, ATF Director Kenneth E. Melson, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator Michele Leonhart, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Robert Mueller, U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota/Chair of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee/Acting ATF Director B. Todd Jones, top federal prosecutors in the southwest, White House staffers, and of course Attorney General Eric Holder.
In February, Weich denied the Justice Department’s involvement in another scandal. The Daily Caller learned that the DOJ had failed to arrest and prosecute several indicted financial criminals because of an alleged bribery scheme. Weich said the DOJ had no knowledge of any bribery.
But TheDC’s investigation unearthed allegations that two DOJ prosecutors on a team of more than 25 accepted cash bribes from indicted finance executives in the U.S. Virgin Islands. And USVI Gov. John de Jongh allegedly accepted part of at least $20 million in cash bribes in exchange for favors from his administration. At least five other prosecutors, according to TheDC’s well-placed source in the DOJ, were compromised.
At Michelle Malkin, Doug Powers says “hold on to your wallet”, and quips, ” with great examples like this and this and this and this and this and this and these, how could anybody not get caught up in the promise?”
Another day, another killer RNC video needling the Obama administration. This time, they’re taunting members of the executive branch for repeatedly declining to incriminate themselves during sworn Congressional testimony. A doff of the cap to whomever thought of framing the clip around the question of identifying Obama’s “favorite” constitutional amendment. Not only is it cheeky within this context, it also calls to mind the president’s recent legal struggles, attempted demagoguery of the Supreme Court, and subsequent feeble spin.
Wait….isn’t this supposed to be the most “scandal free” administration evah? That’s what some libs were saying, last Fall if you remember.
…we have Jonathan Alter reviving the narrative in a piece that reads like The Onion at Bloomberg News:
President Barack Obama goes into the 2012 with a weak economy that may doom his reelection. But he has one asset that hasn’t received much attention: He’s honest. (emphasis mine.)
Stop laughing – it gets better:
…the president’s Teflon is intriguing. How did we end up in such a scandal-less state? After investigating the question for a recent Washington Monthly article, I’ve been developing some theories. For starters, the tone is always set at the top. Obama puts a premium on personal integrity, and with a few exceptions…
I’ll tell you how he got into such a -uh – “scandal-less state”. Most of the idiots in the MSM aren’t reporting on the scandals as they should be, (in some cases they’re actively running interference for the administration – *cough* NYTs*cough* . So those who don’t watch Fox News, read conservative media, or page 23 D of the newspaper the one and only time the scandal’s mentioned, don’t get to find out what is really going on.
But the White House’s intense focus on scandal prevention has had mixed results. The almost proctological vetting process has ended up wounding Obama as much as prospective nominees. He gets cleaner but often less imaginative officials.
Conservative activist, Mark Muller is the notorious proprietor of “America’s Car Dealership”, Max Motors, in Butler, MO, where you can pick up a free AK-47 when you buy a car during their annual “Great Guns and Gas Give-Away”.
He was one of the featured speakers at The Conservatives in Action rally in Kansas City, Mo, Sunday afternoon.
He began his talk about protecting our Second Amendment rights by recalling the 2009 visit by the ATF to his dealership. He asked the agents, “Don’t you have anything better to do than pick on me?”
The ATF agent answered, “This morning, the White House started their briefing talking about the car dealer in Butler, MO giving away guns.”
He exclaimed, “Why aren’t they worried about the guns we’re sending over the Mexican border in Gunrunner?!”
Muller went on to mention with disdain how he had driven to the tea party on Emanuel Cleaver Blvd: “Here’s a guy who’s going to stiff the state of MO and the people in KC for 1.3 million dollars on a car wash, and we’re gonna name streets after him?! They should name a prison cell after him! Pay your bills or go to jail! Or take a bankruptcy. He’s going to walk. Is he going to lose his home? Are they going to garnishee his wages? Let one of you people try that and see what happens to you…”
As expected, U.S. General Services Administration regional commissioner Jeffrey Neely invoked his fifth amendment rights and refused to answer any questions in the Oversight and Reform committee’s inquiry, this afternoon.
Congressmen and the GSA’s Inspector General, Brian Miller went on to oppose any attempt to grant him immunity. Miller later addressed the allegations of Neely’s bullying of employees who threatened to reveal details of the spending. He had apparently told one employee she would be “squashed like a bug” if she squealed.After pleading the fifth. Neely made a beeline for the elevator, with reporters in close pursuit. Unfortunately for Mr. Neely, they caught up with him at the elevator, and he was forced to endure an elevator ride full of inquisitive reporters.
HOW AWKWARD:
“Do you have anything to say, Mr. Neely?”
“No comment”.
“I was wondering about assertions that you wife’s been traveling with you – is that true?”
No comment.”
“Are you going to be at the next hearings for the next two days?”
It’s been almost 3 years since the first raid in 2009 and almost a year since the 2011 raid of Gibson Guitars by the DOJ, yet Gibson says they are still waiting on the DOJ to charge them. The CEO of Gibson, Henry Juszkiewicz, says the feds have taken aggressive action against his company that has hurt them severely, and now he worries about the long-term damage to their company as a result.
Holder’s got nothing, obviously, or they would have pressed charges by now. This looks like more political persecution from Holder’s corrupt Dept of Justice.. Gibson isn’t unionized. The CEO is a Republican….
The DOJ is probably trying to cobble together a case, but they’ve had a number of embarrassingly weak, obviously political cases thrown out of court, the latest one being a meritless abortion clinic access lawsuit against a clinic protester:
At today’s tea party rallyon the Plaza in Kansas City, I had a chance to ask conservative Republican, Jacob Turk,who’s running for Congressman Emanuel Cleaver’s seat in District 5, MO about Cleaver’s bank default with the Bank of America.
As I reported, hereand here, the Bank of America’s lawsuit against the Democratic congressman seeks $1.5 million in principal, interest and late fees for his loan for a car wash he bought in 2002.
Jacob Turk said Cleaver, who is the Leader of the Congressional Black Caucus, and a member of the Progressive Caucus, turned the SBA loan into the “Cleaver Grant Program”. Turk is calling for an investigation because Cleaver has neglected to list the loan on his financial disclosure form, and further asked, where did our money go – $1.35 million dollars on a car wash that is only worth $250,000?
Thursday, KSHB Channel 41 Action News reported on the Bank of America lawsuit against Congressman Emanuel Cleaver for defaulting on a loan for a car wash he owns.
The lawsuit against the Democratic congressman seeks $1.5 million in principal, interest and late fees.
The loan was used to buy the business in 2002.
“Keep in mind, this was done before I went to Congress. I was a private citizen,” said Cleaver.
Oh, please - he then refused to pay back the loan while he was a Congressman.
Cleaver wouldn’t get into specifics of the lawsuit.
“I’m not trying tot hide the fact that I’m not going to litigate this in front of a TV camera,” he said.
Well, credit where it’s due – you have to admire a guy who is so open and honest about his lack of transparency.
It’s not clear as of yet who will be on the hook for the default – the bank or the taxpayers, but as KSHB noted, the congressman’s principal political opponent is already using the issue against him in this year’s campaign.
“Unless he will sprint to the bank and give them a check, we’re going to be on the hook for this. And I would ask him to go ahead and do that and clear this matter up and then it doesn’t have to go through the courts,” said Jacob Turk, a Republican who is running for Cleaver’s office for the fourth time.
He also wants an ethics investigation. Turk said Cleaver should have listed the loan on his financial disclosure form.
The suit filed by Bank of America on March 30 indicates that Cleaver has had trouble making payments throughout the life of the loan.
According to the bank’s filing, Cleaver’s loan was for $1.35 million, and he now owes $1.2 million in unpaid principal after 10 years.
But if $240,000 in unpaid interest and nearly $60,000 in late fees and other charges is added, Cleaver now owes more than $1.5 million, more than the original loan value.
“The Cleaver Company has defaulted on the Note by failing to make payments as required by the terms of the Note and by failing to make payments,” Bank of America wrote in its filing.Cleaver released a story last week in which he said, “This is a business dispute. The business has been run by an outside manager for years. Because this is a legal matter I am limited in what I can say and I hope you respect that.”
A court hearing is scheduled for April 16.
Note: YouTube Video blocked by Scripps Local News Service. Watch at KSHB.
