Public Campaign Action Fund - scandal

Wilkes' 13

Katie Schlieper — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 18:00:22 +0000

Pity the process server: thirteen House members were subpoenaed today in connection with the trial of defense contractor Brent Wilkes (the same gentleman whose bribes helped put former Rep. Duke Cunningham behind bars). Several names on the list of thirteen, who are teaming up to fight the subpoena, will be familiar to regular readers of this page.

Light Sentence, Long Investigation

Katie Schlieper — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 20:35:31 +0000

The former chief of staff to ex-Rep. Bob Ney who wore a wire to help convict his old boss has avoided jail time for his involvement in the still-unfolding Jack Abramoff scandal. Though Will Heaton will be on probation for two years, his cooperation with authorities has spared him a stint behind bars. Ney, of course, was not so lucky and is currently serving a 30 month sentence.

Checklist

Katie Schlieper — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 15:32:36 +0000

The Politico notes the many scandals emanating from the Capitol and wants Hill staffers to be prepared in case another of their bosses gets caught with his hand in the cookie jar, so they've put together a handy little checklist: "Top 10 ways to know your boss is a crook." Take note: if the Senator or Representative you work for is asking for your freezer dimensions, it might be time to dust off that resume.

Legal Tender

Katie Schlieper — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 19:50:21 +0000

Bad behavior pays...lawyers, that is. Scandals and corruption investigations on Capitol Hill have fattened the wallets of more than a few legal firms, as politicians on the hot seat (like former Reps. Conrad Burns and Curt Weldon, and Reps. John Doolittle, and Mel Martinez) for everything from Abramoff to Foley seek counsel.

Unpack Those Bags

Katie Schlieper — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 16:42:05 +0000

A busier work schedule and fear of scandal have put the kibosh on a lot of the lobbyist-funded January junkets for members of Congress, according to this story from MSNBC. No more jetting off to Hawaii for "conferences" and a mid-winter tan, looks like actually legislating will take precedence. Dry your eyes.

Outsourcing Oversight

Katie Schlieper — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 21:37:17 +0000

Among the reforms being considered by the Democratic leaders of the incoming 110th Congress is an independent ethics oversight panel, an apparent acknowledgement that Congress is no longer able to police itself. Yet, despite this interest in investigating new ethical breaches no major overhaul is being considered that would mitigate existing conflicts of interest.

Before the Clock Strikes Twelve

Katie Schlieper — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 17:17:59 +0000

With their plan to make lobbying reform a priority once they take control of Congress, Democrats are looking to take advantage of a national mood that wants action on corruption, but before they get crazy with reform they're taking all the lobbyist money they can get their hands on, according to the Wall Street Journal. Is that like having one last piece of cake before you go on a diet?

Subpoena Profiteers

Katie Schlieper — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 16:39:44 +0000

Help me out - I'm still trying to place this on the funny/sad continuum. TPMmuckraker is reporting that one law firm, Covington and Burling, anticipates such a high number of corruption investigations to be initiated by the new Democratic Congress that its circulating a memo touting its services to potential investigation targets (like big corporations).

Jack Goes to Jail

Katie Schlieper — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 15:09:07 +0000

Convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff is set to report to prison in Loretto, Pennsylvania today to begin serving his sentence for his Florida fraud conviction. He'd received several extensions on his reporting date because of his continued cooperation with federal prosecutors on the wide-ranging probe into his influence-peddling scheme involving several members of Congress.

Ohio Scandal Nets Further Convictions

Katie Schlieper — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 20:34:23 +0000

Corruption was a big issue on election night - and not just the national stories of Jack Abramoff, Duke Cunningham, and the like. Ohio has been wrapped up in the "Coingate" scandal since it broke last spring. Today the primary figure in the scandal,Tom Noe, a top Republican fundraiser, was convicted on 29 criminal counts related to his embezzlement scheme from a rare-coin investment fund he managed for the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation.