Recently in Scandals Category

Jim Johnson joins a growing family.

Imagine the turnover rate in an Obama administration. Fast food joints could look stable in comparison.

Glenn Reynolds points to a possible reason for Obama's oddly-timed churchectomy:

BREAKING NEWS: Michelle’s Whitey Problem

New and dramatic developments. This is a heads up. I’ll post the news Monday morning by 0900 hours. Now I know why people who have seen the videotape say it is stunning. Barack’s headaches are only starting.

The headline, of course, suggesting that the video is yet another controversial statement by Michelle Obama.

I have no doubts that such a tape exists. I'm skeptical, though, that this is going to be the holy grail that the Clinton supporters in the comments (also see the first thread here) are hoping for. Going after a candidate through the wife/husband is looked on unfavorably by most normal folks, and even the hint of such a tactic runs the risk of backlash.

And we've already seen lots of video of Michelle Obama saying controversial things, none of them bad enough to make a dent in Obama's chances this November. Some of the statements she's made are subject to multiple interpretations as well.

In my opinion, this tape that Larry Johnson speaks of will be a spectacular bust unless it satisfies several criteria:

• It must be recent - something from a decade or two in the past won't cut it.
• It must be really, really, really bad - the most positive interpretation has to equal or exceed the worst interpretation of anything Jeremiah Wright has said.
• It can't be subject to multiple interpretations - in context or out, it must be very clear what she meant.
• It has to implicate Barack Obama in some way - after all, he's running and she is not. Beliefs held by candidates spouses are usually tolerated even if abhorrent so long as there's no sign the candidate holds those beliefs as well.

Additionally, while I and many others have maintained that Barack Obama's judgment doesn't come close to the standard he himself sets in his speeches, you can't use Michelle as an example. People choose mates differently than they approach any other situation in life. Indeed, it appears that his choice of Michelle was a rare example of judgment based on something other than political expediency, and should be respected as such. You might argue it was a mistake to have her campaign for him, but that would be weak at best.

Taking the above into consideration, I'll be watching tomorrow to see what Larry has, and I'll share my thoughts here.

A question about the Lewinsky scandal surprised Chelsea Clinton on the campaign trail yesterday:

INDIANAPOLIS - Chelsea Clinton had a quick retort Tuesday when asked whether her mother's credibility had been hurt during the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

"Wow, you're the first person actually that's ever asked me that question in the, I don't know maybe, 70 college campuses I've now been to, and I do not think that is any of your business," Clinton said during a campaign visit for her mother, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Much as I like Michelle Malkin, I have to disagree with her assessment. There's plenty about Hillary to pick on without asking Chelsea this type of question just to watch her squirm. I'm not saying Michelle's wrong, mind you. It's just one of those lines I would prefer not be crossed.

In the interest of disclosure, though, I should let you know that there was a similar situation in my family (except my parents were not famous and they wound up getting divorced over it). So maybe I'm just unable to see this objectively.

H/T Hot Air (where video is available)

Holiday Inn Express may make you smarter, but shacking up with an extra-marital sweetie is better at Days Inn, according to the newly sworn-in Gov. David Paterson. He recommended it to his staff as well:

As part of that relationship, Paterson said, he and the other woman sometimes stayed at an upper West Side hotel — the Days Inn at Broadway and W. 94th St.

He said members of his Albany legislative staff often used the same hotel when they visit the city.

Why? Convenience and price are apparently the answer. I checked the rates of the two discount hotels. $188.10/night for Days Inn vs. $228.00 for Holiday Inn Express (neither property offered "nooner" or hourly rates). Clearly the best choice for a penny-pinching Lt. Governor. As for convenience:

"It's convenient since it's only four subway stops from my Harlem office," Paterson said.

The versatility of Days Inn doesn't stop there, though. Once the affair has ended, it's a terrific place to patch things up with the ol' ball and chain:

He and his wife went to the West Side Days Inn when they were trying to rekindle the romance in their marriage, he said.

They did so after a marriage counselor he used recommended they introduce "new and exciting things" into their relationship, Paterson said, and so they could be alone and away from their children.

New and exciting indeed. Here's a view of a typical room at Days Inn:

The effect of this endorsement on the highly competitive mid-priced hotel market remains to be seen, though, as Holiday Inn Express has the endorsement of former Presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee:

Days Inn is part of Wyndham Worldwide (stock symbol - WYN) which closed at $19.25 (-1.42) yesterday. Holiday Inn Express is part of the UK-based IHG, and is currently trading at 746.00p (+10.00p). dontgointothelight.com is not publishing this post as a stock recommendation.

And the two Republican Representatives on the house page board have resigned out of frustration over the lack of leadership from the Democrats:

WASHINGTON - Two Republican House members resigned Thursday from the board supervising teenage pages, accusing a Democratic official of failing to inform them about sexual and criminal activity by at least four youngsters.

The board's Democratic chairman supported the Republicans, blaming House Clerk Lorraine Miller — the day-to-day administrator of the page program — for failing to immediately notify Page Board members of all the inappropriate conduct.

Miller, appointed by the House Democratic leadership, said she followed a zero-tolerance policy toward the teenagers, who were expelled and sent home. But she did not directly respond to the accusation that she was lax in telling the board what had happened.

The Representatives that resigned from the page board were Reps. Ginny Brown-Waite of Florida and Shelly Moore Capito of West Virginia, both Republicans.

Brown-Waite wrote a scathing letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., charging that she "learned nothing from the lessons of the Mark Foley scandal."

The Florida congresswoman said four pages have been dismissed this year "for serious criminal acts and for inappropriate sexual indiscretions." A House Republican official said the criminal activity involved shoplifting. The official could not be quoted by name because he wasn't authorized to comment on the issue.

Besides blaming Pelosi, Brown-Waite said Miller, the House clerk, was "slow to share information with members of the board.

"In at least one vitally important incident, we were intentionally kept in the dark about dismissals for more than a week, and were only given the details after personally confronting the clerk with rumors we had heard," Brown-Waite wrote.

The Page Board chairman, Rep. Dale Kildee, D-Mich., said in a statement said, "The board was not satisfied with the manner and timeliness in which it was informed of these actions. Therefore, in our Page Board meeting of Nov. 9, 2007, the board unanimously agreed that the clerk of the House should immediately and simultaneously inform all members in cases where pages were dismissed from the program. Indeed, that was the case in the most recent incident."

Pelosi has promised an investigation:

"The House Page Board must undertake an immediate and thorough review of the adequacy of the supervision and security at the Page dorm. As a mother and a grandmother, nothing is more important to me than the safety and security of our House pages."

She needs an investigation, all right. It should, however, concentrate on the lack of leadership that continues to allow this program to be a mess. Specifically, the House Clerk, Lorraine Miller needs to be looked at regarding her unwillingness to inform the Republican members of the page board about serious incidents. When the safety and welfare of children entrusted to the government is at stake, there's no place for the kind of petty partisanship that Ms. Miller seems to have displayed. Someone with the kind of judgment that would even consider such partisan differences when dealing with the security and safety of these kids should be relieved of any responsibilities regarding the page program in addition to disciplinary action.

And Pelosi needs to beg the two Republicans to return - the balancing of political parties on the board was a good idea, and must be restored quickly.

At least they're telling us in advance where they're going to do it:

NEW ORLEANS, Nov. 6 /U.S. Newswire/ -- More than 4,000 ACORN members, volunteers and canvassers wearing red T-shirts will blanket 20 cities, reaching hundreds of thousand of residents of low-income neighborhoods across the nation Tuesday in a massive get-out-the-vote effort. Raising the minimum wage is a key issue in four states: Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, and Ohio.

In Ohio, ACORN's get-out-the-vote campaign workers will have knocked on 900,000 doors in Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo, Dayton and Akron by the end of the campaign.

To help ensure fair elections, ACORN will work with Project Vote, the NAACP and other organizations that will monitor polling locations in minority neighborhoods in five states: Maryland, Ohio, Missouri, Michigan and Colorado. Voting rights lawyers and advocates will help identify and solve problems such as voter intimidation by partisan challengers, improper ID requests and machine glitches. Staff attorneys will respond with advice and, if appropriate, litigation to problems reported from advocates, volunteers and voters.

"To help ensure fair elections..." Good thing I'm not drinking milk - I'd have sprayed the monitor! Anyway, keep an eye out for the red shirts - at least we'll be able to identify these Democratic Party sponsored election fraud specialists.

Oh, this part was especially funny:

IN MARYLAND, ACORN will help monitor 75 precincts in Baltimore City as part of a program organized by the NAACP. The precincts were chosen because they had a high concentration of recently registered voters whose information the state was unable to verify. ACORN, Project Vote, and the Advancement Project reached a settlement with the State of Maryland that established procedures allowing these individuals to vote.

Recently registered and unverifiable, eh? Wonder where those came from?

As comical as it sounds, though, this is deadly serious stuff. Changing the makeup of government should be based on the will of the American people - not bogus folks ACORN made up, not non-citizens, not dead people.

Let's hope that there's plenty of folks watching ACORN tomorrow.

Hey CREW, if you folks are still into attacking churches, how's about checking this out?

NASHVILLE -- In his race for U.S. Senate, Rep. Harold E. Ford Jr. (D) has been outspent by millions, and his image has been battered by a barrage of negative ads, including the now-infamous spot with a blonde floozy that has been pulled off the air. Several polls show him trailing.

But being an underdog has its own righteous appeal, and the campaign used that status yesterday not only to rally voters but as evidence that God had looked with favor upon the Democratic campaign.

The fact that they are still in the race despite the odds, Ford told an African American crowd at Mount Zion Baptist Church here, was evidence that "we got something else at work."

"I think the congressman said something wise -- we got another manager in this race," Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) told the group.

(crickets chirping)

um, guys?

(crickets chirping)

I thought so.

The Johnstown Tribune-Democrat weighed in yesterday with their thoughts on the Murtha - Irey Congressional race, and it's not pretty (H/T Irey campaign). Unlike the NYT editorial endorsing Lamont, this one actually talks about the candidate they endorse - and they have little nice to say about him besides approving of his "cut and run" war stance. Emphasis added:

On his famous love for pork:

While we endorse the local congressman in his re-election bid, we fear the spending spree that might result from a shift in power...

On his smearing of the troops, which has made him very unpopular with the military:

We would also urge Murtha to sit down with area veterans who clearly have different views on the Iraq conflict than he does.

On his alignment with the moonbat wing of the Democratic Party:

We are frightened by Murtha’s willingness to align himself with California Democrat Nancy Pelosi. Clearly, Murtha is hoping that relationship paves the way for his ascension to a position of higher power in the House. But we don’t believe our region’s values match well with Pelosi’s, and we don’t see much good coming for the 12th district – even if the relationship benefits the congressman.

Beyond that, Murtha has endeared himself to liberals on both coasts – raising money for his allies in California, New England and elsewhere. We hope he can keep these “friends” and their spending ways in check if the Democrats retake the House.

They even acknowlege how corrupt he is, hoping he can restrain his urges:

But we urge him to remain faithful to his fiscally and socially conservative western Pennsylvania roots – even if it costs him in personal gain and national influence.

Read the whole editorial. It's painfully clear what the Tribune-Democrat is saying here - "Murtha sucks, but vote for him anyway 'cause he's a Democrat."

The Tribune-Democrat's editorial staff has surely reached new lows when their bias toward the left causes them to endorse a candidate whom they acknowlege is unsuitable in most ways. Do they really believe the voters in Johnstown are dense enough to buy it?

Update: Those troops that Murtha rushes to condemn have a few thoughts about cutting and running (H/T Captain's Quarters). The Tribune-Democrat is right, the troops simply don't agree with Murtha.

Gateway Pundit has the latest on the voter fraud in St. Louis. Should this turn out to be widespread, imagine the effect next tuesday. "Culture of corruption", indeed.

Ken Mehlman needs to update his list.

Which reminds me, I've been meaning to add Gateway Pundit to the blogroll. There - that's it!

This comes up every election - the agreement made with the Dems promising not to notice voter fraud unless it happens right in front of a poll-watcher's nose:

That consent decree prohibits the RNC from engaging in, assisting in or participating in any "ballot security program," other than "normal poll watch functions," "unless the program (including the method and timing of any challenges resulting from the program) has been determined by this Court to comply with the provisions of the Consent Order and applicable law." Applications by the RNC "for determination of ballot security programs by the Court shall be made following 20 days notice to the DNC which notice shall include a description of the program to be undertaken, the purpose(s) to be served and the reasons why the program complies with the Consent Order and applicable law."

At this point, it is too late for the RNC to comply with the 20 day deadline for notifying the DNC of any intended application to the Court for approval of any ballot security program. We assume, therefore, that the RNC does not intend to apply to the Court for approval of any such program, and that you intend to respect both the letter and the spirit of the law. For that reason, we also assume that the RNC will refrain from engaging in, assisting in or participating in any "ballot security program" carried out by anyone, including the RNC itself, its state or local parties, Republican candidates or allied organizations such as the Republican National Lawyers Association or National Republican Senatorial Committee.

It doesn't matter 25 years after the fact why there's a consent decree - it's what the Dems use it for here and now. And if a Republican sees voter fraud outside the scope of the decree, the Dems will use the decree to prevent any consequences.

It's comical that Howard would issue this letter decades after its relevance ended when in much more recent times, he and his party have blocked (or attempted to block) every single proposal to stem voter fraud. And illegal immigrants, imaginary people, and the dead are voting in droves, mostly for Democrats.

No, I guess it really isn't comical, is it?

Of course, we know where they aren't:

Jack Carter has tried to reach out to Nevada voters who the Carters say 2004 Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry ignored. He talks openly about his Baptist faith, and appeared last weekend with his father at a black church in Las Vegas.

But it's okay when they do it....

One of the left's most repugnant figures is Michael Rogers. He's the sleaze who's been claiming to have a list of gay Republicans he intends to expose. The rest of the left seems to at least privately applaud his disgusting campaign - as long as it helps the cause, right, guys?

Outing a few minor staffers has been greeted by collective snores, I guess he's decided to up the ante with a little guilt by association. Press release here.

Anyway, the pond was left uncovered for a brief time today as Rogers set his sights on none other than Ken Mehlman, chairman of the Republican Party. Apparently in Michael Roger's world, if you have a gay friend, you must be gay yourself:

Today, I challenge to James Dobson to ask Ken directly: Are you a member of the so-called "homosexual lifestyle" and do you expect my followers to support you at the polls?

Rogers seem to forget an itty bitty fact - Ken Mehlman isn't running for office, and Dobson's "followers" won't see Ken's name on any ballot. Oh, and there's also a very lame video there with nothing to support his innuendo. Zzzzzzzzzz.

I'm waiting for his claim that President Bush is gay cause he knows Dick Cheney's daughter. What a pathetic loser.

Yes, CREW gave me a visit. I didn't believe it at first, so I emailed CREW through their contact page and received confirmation that the comment was genuine. I'll have to admit to being very surprised - I'm not usually kind in my posts about CREW.

I posted a few days ago about CREW's complaint to the DOJ concerning Curt Weldon. A comment was posted by Naomi Seligman Steiner, CREW's Deputy Director, taking issue with what I posted. Here's her comment:

In response to your wrongful assertion, CREW did recieve the e-mails as they appear. They were redacted upon receipt. CREW did not edit them in any way.

Naomi Seligman Steiner
CREW

The statement challenged by Ms. Stein was this sentence following the images of the emails:

"All of the dark line redacting was CREW's doing, I smudged out a few names they left in place."

I wrote this to explain the two visually different types of editing done on the images - the heavy black lines vs the smudging I added. No other point was intended by the statement. However, I should have worded it differently. CREW's letter to the DOJ states that the emails were provided to them in pre-redacted form:

"Although the emails CREW received were heavily redacted, we have been able to authenticate them."

My apologies to CREW for the error, and the original post has been corrected.

The remainder of the post stays as is - please note that no other portions of the post were challenged in any way.

Well, they're at it again - a second October surprise for Curt Weldon. This hasn't shown up yet in the usual places, so this is from CREW's press release:

WASHINGTON, Oct. 20 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Earlier today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) asked the Department of Justice to investigate whether Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.) violated the law by threatening those who made contributions to his political opponent Joe Sestak with retribution.

CREW received two emails describing Rep. Weldon's efforts. The first, sent to Mr. Sestak on June 29, 2006, described a "hit list" compiled by someone on Rep. Weldon's staff identifying people in the national security field who had made contributions to Mr. Sestak. The email indicates that a retired Navy flag officer reported that Rep. Weldon said something to the effect of "If they don't think there will be retribution before or after the election, they're kidding themselves." A second email, sent on July 21, 2006 states that Rep. Weldon had his staff contact Navy personnel to get information on Mr. Sestak.

Here are the emails, from CREW's blog:

All of the dark line redacting was CREW's doing already present in the documents I downloaded from CREW (They received them in pre-redacted condition). I smudged out a few names they left in place. (see this post for explanation of the change.)

I really like Curt Weldon. He's done a fine job for his district. But if this turns out to be genuine, it doesn't look good. Not being a lawyer, I can't say whether any of this would amount to any more than that. Of course, if it turns out that Weldon actually committed a crime, I'll applaud as he leaves office.

Also, notice that once again, CREW is admitting that they have hip-pocketed evidence of a crime (so they say) for several months in order to use it for political advantage. This time, apparently, with the assistance and knowlege of Sestak's campaign.

A few folks have predicted that these tactics will backlash against the Dems. I hope so. CREW (and their accomplices in the Sestak campaign) gets no points for their behavior here. Either they hid a crime for 3-4 months for political convenience, or it's a vile smear launched late enough into the campaign so that an investigation wouldn't be complete to clear Weldon before the election.

CREW and the Democrats have attained a new low in politics. These tactics should be enough alone to show the American public how unsuited to lead the Democratic Party really is.

And the Democrats are outraged. How do we know they are outraged? Because they leaked it:

A conference call to the committee's nine Democrats on Wednesday to inform them of the aide's suspension prompted outrage, said two congressional officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about internal committee business.

The officials said that the National Intelligence Estimate was marked "secret," rather than "top secret" or another more restrictive classification. As a result, thousands of people would have had access to it, including the intelligence, armed services and international relations committees of the House.

While I'm encouraged that some effort is being made to determine the sources of the leaks, this story is near zero for me. Why? 'Cause there is nothing but suspicion here so far. The Democrats correctly state that a large number of people have access to the NIE, and we don't know if the staffer ordered the report for someone else or for himself.

What I still don't get is why Congress ignores the press (and their role) in all of this. Classified information requires controls and boundaries. Once it crosses outside of those boundaries, it's no longer classified information - it's stolen classified information. One would think the government could leverage this to compell reporters to reveal the leakers as part of a criminal investigation, since receiving stolen goods is a crime. Until we do, the leaks will never stop. And while the left may think it's cute to leak classified data for political purposes, the fact is that it harms our country when they do so.

So until I see someone being prosecuted, I'm going to have to assume that this staffer suspension (along with all of the promises of investigation for past leaks) is simply intended to be eyewash - red meat for the base.

For me, though, it's a flavorless meal that leaves me not just unsatified, but starving.

A press release this morning from Harry Reid:

To: Assignment Desk, Daybook Editor

Contact: The Office of Sen. Harry Reid, 702-388-5020

News Advisory:

WHO:

-- Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.)

-- Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco

-- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

-- Citibank

-- Nevada State Bank

-- ACORN Housing

WHAT: Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco, (FHLBank San Francisco) will co-host a homebuyer fair to increase first-time homebuyers in the Las Vegas valley. The fair will include English and Spanish language workshops to provide valuable information that will help first- time homebuyers.

Participants will learn how to qualify for home loans, repair their credit, and access up to $25,000 in down payment assistance. The fair is a collaborative effort of the FHLBank San Francisco in partnership with financial services and housing community leaders to increase first-time homebuyers through education and access to affordable housing programs. Since 1990, the FHLBank San Francisco has awarded more than $12 million to 55 affordable housing projects in Nevada to increase the supply of affordable housing. The event is free and open to the public. Activities for children will also be available.

WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 21 (Light lunch will be provided to program participants) 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. (Doors will open at 9:30 a.m.)

WHERE: Advance Technology Academy, 2501 Vegas Dr., Las Vegas, NV 89106

Makes sense to me. After all, he's an expert on creative real estate strategies!

Thanks, AllahPundit! Welcome, Hot Air readers!

This time in Kansas:

WASHINGTON, Oct. 18 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) today asked for an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) investigation into the activities surrounding the reelection efforts of Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline.

During the week of September 12, 2006 several Kansas-based news organizations published an internal campaign memorandum authored by Attorney General Kline that detailed his efforts to recruit churches to aid his reelection efforts. The memorandum includes several activities that may constitute illegal support of the Kline campaign by Kansas churches.

Kline identified Light of the World and Wanamaker Woods Nazarene, both in Topeka, and an unspecified Basehor-Linwood church as churches that had agreed to help disseminate his campaign literature. Redistributing partisan campaign literature is a violation of tax laws that forbid churches and other public charities from intervening in elections.

Three guesses which party Kline belongs to - and the first two don't count. Don't Democrats ever step into churches, Melanie?

Via AP/Yahoo:

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Disgraced former Congressman Mark Foley will reveal to the Archdiocese of Miami the name of the Roman Catholic clergyman he says abused him as a teenager, Foley's civil attorney said Tuesday.

"It's going to be very clear in the coming days that it is a fact as opposed to any possible allegations that it was a fantasy or something made up for political purposes," attorney Gerald Richman said.

Who the hell cares? It doesn't erase what he did. And he's not going to get his seat back. In the event he faces some charges out of all this (either civil or criminal), it's probably not going to help him there, either. I can't possibly imagine what he thinks these announcements will gain for him. Simply asinine.

John Conyers has released a new book, based on his "Constitution in Crisis" report. From the press release:

WASHINGTON, Oct. 17 /U.S. Newswire/ -- A report by House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers and the Democratic staff, "George W. Bush versus the U.S. Constitution", is now available in book form, with an introduction by Ambassador Joseph Wilson, whose wife, Valerie Plame, is a former CIA agent, outed and harassed by the Administration, and a Foreword by Congressman Conyers.

Having an introduction by "Ambassador Joseph Wilson, whose wife, Valerie Plame, is a former CIA agent, outed and harassed by the Administration", gives an appropriately delusional beginning to a tome that promises to be full of delusion and deception. I'm sure Conyers and his partners in this saw the news last month on Plamegate. To continue this nutty tinfoil hat stuff when even the NYT now concedes that there wasn't a coordinated outing from the White House of Valerie Plame, places Rep. Conyers outside the mainstream of sane and rational thought. Don't expect the rest of the book to reverse that trend.

But it's not just his thoughts at play here. The press release claims the book is based on "A report by House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers and the Democratic staff". It isn't even that. This report started, as I said above, as a document titled "Constitution in Crisis", a 350 page document you can download here. Written by him and his staff? Maybe partially, but the real credit belongs to a bunch even more delusional and ill-informed than Rep. Conyers (Screen cap here):

Much of the research in this report is a product of the input and hard work of DailyKos, Huffington Post and Conyersblog readers over the last six months (the help with my "timeline project" was particularly useful). I also am so grateful to progressive talk radio hosts and listeners, who have refused to allow the American people to forget the nation was deceived into war.

Get it? Conyers goes past the the arguably nutty Kos and Arianna and shoots staight for their readers. Yup - when you really need info about classified documents and intelligence practices, no better source than the comment threads of Kos and HuffPo. And every single loony BDS theory is in there - from the venerable "BushLied" meme, to the notion that the terrorist surveilance program tapped "millions" of American's domestic calls. Each and every one has been thoroughly disproven countless times, so I won't rehash them here. Consider the source, folks. It was mostly researched not by a respected investigatory agency, but by the readers of the Daily Kos.

This basic document, with the addition of some scary sounding mischaracterizations of the terrorist surveilance program, forms the new book. I'd like to get some tips from Rep. Conyers - usually when I try to get the foil that tight, it rips.

Conyers believes this material forms the justification for his oft-stated desire to impeach President Bush. And if the Democrats get control of the House, he's made no secret of the fact that he intends to utilize his chairmanship of the Judiciary Committee for that exact purpose.

All based on the fever-swamp conspiracy theories of the readers of Daily Kos and the Huffington Post.

More later (maybe) when my lunch digests a little more...

Via AP/Yahoo:

WASHINGTON - Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid has been using campaign donations instead of his personal money to pay Christmas bonuses for the support staff at the Ritz-Carlton where he lives in an upscale condominium. Federal election law bars candidates from converting political donations for personal use.

Questioned about the campaign expenditures by The Associated Press, Reid's office said Monday his lawyers had approved them but he nonetheless was personally reimbursing his campaign for the $3,300 he had directed to the staff holiday fund at his residence.

Reid also announced he was amending his ethics reports to Congress to more fully account for a Las Vegas land deal, highlighted in an AP story last week, that allowed him to collect $1.1 million in 2004 for property he hadn't personally owned in three years.

A pattern emerging?

Looks like there really is an investigation:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal agents on Monday searched the home of U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon's daughter, an FBI spokeswoman said, amid reports the Pennsylvania Republican used his influence to help his lobbyist daughter win contracts.

As is customary, the FBI didn't divulge what they were looking for. And they also searched the home of an associate:

Debbie Weierman, a spokeswoman for the FBI's Washington field office, said agents also went to the home of a local Republican activist who is close to Weldon.

According to newspaper reports, law enforcement officials are investigating whether Weldon used his influence to help his daughter obtain lobbying contracts of significant value with foreign clients.

Weierman would not provide details on what federal agents were looking for at Karen Weldon's Philadelphia home or the Springfield, Pennsylvania, house of Charles Sexton.

The Philadelphia Inquirer and other newspapers reported that federal agents removed several boxes from the homes of Weldon's daughter and Sexton.

Weierman also would not confirm that the FBI's investigation was related to Rep. Weldon, saying the "affidavits are sealed."

How much ya wanna bet the party of "innocent until proven guilty" will lay off this story until the investigation is complete?

I glad you asked - they won't, since they may be up to their hips in the story. From the Philly Inquirer:

At an event earlier today at Philadelphia International Airport to discuss airport noise, Weldon said the investigation was politically motivated - blaming a complaint filed by Melanie Sloan, director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

"She is the only one I know of who went to the Justice Department and asked for an investigation," Weldon said. "I know that because I have her letter."

He added, "I haven't helped get my daughter anything."

Weldon, who is involved in a tight race for reelection, has said that he has done nothing wrong.

The $1 million contract under investigation was first reported in 2004 by the Los Angeles Times. Sources said the FBI and Justice Department investigation was based on the Times story.

The Inquirer reported in 2004 that Weldon had lobbied federal officials on behalf of Itera, the huge and controversial Russian natural gas company. Weldon also complained to Karl Rove, President Bush's top political adviser, about Itera's treatment by the U.S. Trade and Development Agency.

Itera paid $500,000 to Karen Weldon and Sexton's firm. The contract was signed Sept. 30, 2002, six days after the congressman helped arrange a dinner at the Library of Congress to honor Itera and Igor Makarov, the firm's chief executive officer.

About noon today, a group of 17 protesters arrived outside Weldon's district office in Upper Darby, carrying signs and the kind of foam hands usually seen at sporting events to proclaim "Number One." But these rose-colored hands said "Caught Red-Handed."

"This is the first time I've come out and done something like this," said Judy Voet of Rose Valley. "This Congress is just so corrupt."

Most of the protesters were Democrats, but they said they were not involved in the campaign of Weldon's opponent, Joe Sestak, and they included at least one Republican, Chuck Ries of Havertown.

"I don't know what to believe anymore, they lie so much," said Ries, holding a sign linking Weldon to current and former Republican colleagues Tom DeLay, Mark Foley and Bob Ney - all of whom have been embroiled in career-ending scandals.

CREW (the same bunch behind the Foley October surprise), according to Rep. Weldon, might have engineered this one as well. Weldon mentions Melanie Sloan, director of CREW. Here's video with her admitting to filing the complaint 2 1/2 years ago from CNN:

She doesn't claim to have been active on this since, however. In the video, they report that Rep. Weldon provided documentation to the Ethics committee at the time and was cleared.

A few things stand out to me from the above stories:

1. It appears that the McClatchy story over the weekend forced the FBI to start speaking publically about their actions. This shores up my suspicion that the folks who leaked this have hampered the investigation, whoever it is deserves a little attention from the FBI as well.

2. The protesters showed up pretty fast after the warrents were issued, didn't they? All prepared with props, no less.

3. CREW filed the complaint 2 1/2 years ago, and the CNN piece suggests that the investigation is around six months old. I simply don't buy that the FBI waited 2 years to begin this. Someone pressed them, CREW is the most likely source. Six months ago they would have been working the Foley complaint as well and forming their Fall election strategy.

4. CNN headlined this pretty quick as well, didn't they?

As I said before, if Weldon is dirty, I'll be first in line to wave goodbye. This post and the previous ones are about the disgusting election season tactics. In the Foley case they may have endangered young folks by holding on to information until maximum political effect could be achieved. In this case, they may have jeopardized an investigation and obstructed justice in order to score some cheap political points.

Update: Allahpundit weighed in earlier this afternoon:

It’s true, CREW did contact the DOJ about Weldon’s possible influence peddling — two and a half years ago. The case suddenly and mysteriously got hot again this past Friday, though, with Weldon currently in a dead heat with Democratic opponent Joe Sestak.

Which is suspicious. But not as suspicious as the fact that there’s enough probable cause here to justify six federal search warrants.

I dealt with the time issue above. But I see the search warrants as desperation to salvage a case that was compromised by the McClatchy story on Saturday exposing an investigation that the FBI wanted to keep confidential. As I believe is fair in any such case, it's best to wait until the justice system does its job before assuming guilt or innocence.

He does take a nice shot at Ms. Sloan, though.

Previous:
Weldon in trouble?
Weldon "investigation" story picked up by AP

A terrific column about the Harry Reid real estate scandal by Ed Morrissey (of Captain's Quarters fame): Reid's Smelly Windfall.

Yesterday I wrote about left-wing McClatchy Newspapers pushing the story of an alleged FBI investigation of Representative Curt Weldon regarding some business dealings of his daughter. Today the story is getting drawn into the mainstream news cycle:

WASHINGTON - The FBI is investigating whether Rep. Curt Weldon (news, bio, voting record), R-Pa., used his influence to secure lobbying and consulting contracts for his daughter, two people familiar with the inquiry said Saturday.

The story contains all the elements that we've come to expect from the left when any issue is used by them for political gain - shadowy informants and Democratic party knowledge of a supposedly secret investigation pre-dating the leak to the media:

...They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the confidentiality of the criminal investigation.

...This account cited two individuals with specific knowledge of the existence of the investigation; they declined to be identified because of the confidentiality of criminal investigations.

...Over the last few days, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has mailed fliers to voters in Weldon's district accusing Karen Weldon of getting help from her father on lobbying projects.

Well, it's not confidential now, is it?

As I said yesterday, if Rep. Weldon has done something wrong, I'll be the first to wave goodbye. No room in my party for that kind of shenanigans. Unlike the left, though, I prefer that the FBI come to the right conclusion in their investigation. Depending on the reason they kept it confidential, that goal no longer be attainable. Obstructing justice for political gain - is this the kind of political party you want in power?

That said, the actions of the left in this matter are disgusting. The investigation was apparently secret enough so that Weldon's office wasn't informed, and now it has been compromised by the left for political gain. The fact that leakers went to the DCCC prior to approaching the media shows all you need to know. Presumably the two "people familiar with the investigation" approached the DCCC and the media for the most cynical of reasons - It had become evident to them that the investigation would not be complete in time for the election. So a decision was made to sacrifice the FBI's sleuthing in favor of politics.

Truly vile.

Update: A reader (name withheld by request) points out correctly that Weldon has been accused by the left over his daughter's contracts for a couple of years, and the story is not new. However, the FBI's involvement, along with the apparent interferance in that investigation by left operatives/sympathizers, is new and newsworthy. It's ironic that the left claims to stand for accountability when the leak and opportunistic use of it may actually prevent that accountability that they pretend to want.

I had to read it twice, as this is the most dramatic departure from established Democratic Party patterns that I've ever seen:

BATON ROUGE, La. - The Louisiana Democratic Party turned down eight-term U.S. Rep. William Jefferson (news, bio, voting record) on Saturday and endorsed state Rep. Karen Carter, one of a dozen challengers who emerged after Jefferson became the target of a federal bribery investigation.

The State Central Committee's 69-53 vote, at a special meeting to decide whom to endorse in Louisiana's open primaries Nov. 7, was the first time in recent memory that an incumbent had failed to win the state party's endorsement.

Of course, he still has endorsements of labor and local Dem committees. Still, it's a start. Color me shocked. Maybe the left is starting to look inward a little.

Sigh - another October surprise. I don't know yet what to make of this, as Weldon's office say's there's no investigation. Still, it could be that the FBI simply hasn't told Weldon yet, as the story implies:

FBI investigates Rep. Curt Weldon:

WASHINGTON - The Justice Department is investigating whether Republican Rep. Curt Weldon of Pennsylvania traded his political influence for lucrative lobbying and consulting contracts for his daughter, according to sources with direct knowledge of the inquiry.

The FBI, which opened an investigation in recent months, has formally referred the matter to the department's Public Integrity Section for additional scrutiny. At issue are Weldon's efforts between 2002 and 2004 to aid two Russian companies and two Serbian brothers with ties to strongman Slobodan Milosevic, a federal law enforcement official said.

The Russian companies and a Serbian foundation run by the brothers' family each hired a firm co-owned by Weldon's daughter, Karen, for fees totaling nearly $1 million a year, public records show.

The race between Weldon and Joe Sestak, his Democrat challenger, is yet another very tight race. This brings the timing of the article, along with the leaks from what is apparently an investigation so confidential that the FBI saw fit not to notify Weldon about it, into question. That is, if there really is an investigation:

Word of the inquiry, which has been closely held within the Justice Department and the FBI, comes from two individuals with specific knowledge of the existence of the investigation. They both declined to be identified because of the confidentiality of criminal investigations.

Spokesmen for the FBI and the Justice Department declined to confirm or deny that an inquiry is under way.

William Canfield, a lawyer who represented Weldon when a Los Angeles Times report prompted the House ethics committee to briefly explore the issue two years ago, said the congressman is unaware of a Justice Department investigation and is confident that none exists.

"Is there is an inquiry going on in the Justice Department?" Canfield asked. "The answer is no. . . . Curt knows nothing about this, his chief of staff knows nothing about it and I know nothing about it. I think we would have heard about it."

Canfield said Weldon, a 10-term House member who's vice chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and active in U.S. foreign affairs, dismissed the report as "crazy" while campaigning for reelection in a tight contest in Philadelphia's southwestern suburbs.

But McClatchy Newspapers' sources said the FBI only over the last few months obtained evidence suggesting that the congressman may have broken the law. One of the sources, a federal law enforcement official, said that Weldon had not yet been told about the inquiry.

The official said that the FBI recently sought the assistance of federal prosecutors in pressuring an unidentified person to provide evidence about the 59-year-old congressman. The attempt to "squeeze" this individual appeared to be an early step, the two sources said.

It is uncertain whether the current investigation will blossom into a full-blown inquiry that will result in criminal charges being filed. It is possible at this stage of the investigation that nothing will come of it. But the FBI typically does not seek the involvement of the Justice Department unless it finds substance to the evidence it has gathered.

I'll be keeping an eye on this and update if anything more develops. At the very least, this is the pattern for the Dems at election time - the timing, the (likely) illegal leaks, the anonymous sources to a sympathetic lefty news agency all fit. Another October surprise.

Of course, there's also the chance that Curt Weldon has indeed done something wrong. If so, I'll be the first to wave goodbye.

Update: Here's a story from William Bender of the Delaware County Times:

A glossy Democratic mailer has been circulating the district all week about how U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon allegedly used his political influence to steer lucrative contracts to his daughter. Today, McClatchy Newspapers is expected to publish a report that could further diminish Weldon’s chances of holding on to his seat in what will likely be the closest 7th District election since 1984.

It appears the local Democratic Party knew about this before McClatchy Newspapers saw fit to inform the public - far enough in advance to have glossy mailers published and mailed. Question the timing.

I guess AP had to run it before someone else did. Dingy Harry adds to the stench of corruption he excreted while accepting money from Abramoff:

WASHINGTON - Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid collected a $1.1 million windfall on a Las Vegas land sale even though he hadn't personally owned the property for three years, property deeds show.

In the process, Reid did not disclose to Congress an earlier sale in which he transferred his land to a company created by a friend and took a financial stake in that company, according to records and interviews.

Captain Ed is on the story with some spot on commentary:

Hilariously, this appears just days after James Webb tried smearing George Allen with a pseudoscandal over stock options that Allen disclosed and never exercised, meaning that he never cleared a dime from the options. Now we have the Democratic caucus leader dodging disclosures and failing to disclose $800,000 in profits from a project on which he partnered with a lawyer suspected of connections to organized crime and a bribery scandal.

Organized crime? My, our filthy little hatemonger has been busy, hasn't he?

Of course, some will be tempted to call for Reid's resignation. No, no, no, no, and no. The right thing to do is call for a complete investigation. We on the right should not sink to the opportunistic low that the power greedy left demonstrated regarding Hastert recently.

It's the right thing to do after all.

The headline of this story drips of it:

Rove avoids being charged in CIA leak case

The text of the article says that the "ruthless" Rove "escaped" being charged. In her disappointment over the cancellation of Fitzmas, Jennifer Loven (the author of the piece) also makes this odd claim:

Still, the White House has not emerged entirely from the cloud of the CIA leak investigation. Cheney and Rove, along with other past and present administration aides, have been identified as possible witnesses when Libby goes on trial, probably in January.

If you're Rove, just being a witness at a trial is apparently a negative.

I recommend counselling.

Heard on the radio on the way to work, here's the confirmation...

Breaking - via AP/Yahoo:

WASHINGTON - Top White House aide Karl Rove has been told by prosecutors he won't be charged with any crimes in the investigation into leak of a CIA officer's identity, his lawyer said Tuesday.

Attorney Robert Luskin said that special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald informed him of the decision on Monday, ending months of speculation about the fate of one of President Bush's closest advisers. Rove testified five times before a grand jury.

Fitzgerald has already secured a criminal indictment against Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby.

"On June 12, 2006, Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald formally advised us that he does not anticipate seeking charges against Karl Rove," Luskin said in a statement.

"In deference to the pending case, we will not make any further public statements about the subject matter of the investigation," Luskin said. "We believe the special counsel's decision should put an end to the baseless speculation about Mr. Rove's conduct."

Fitzgerald called Luskin late Monday afternoon to tell him he would not be seeking charges against Rove. Rove had just gotten on a plane, so his lawyer and spokesman did not reach him until he had landed in Manchester, N.H., where he was to give a speech to state GOP officials.

Looks like lumps of coal in the fitzmas stockings. After all the praise the left heaped on Fitzgerald after the Scooter Libby indictment, it will be fun to see how they twist and turn to create conspiracy theories over this latest news.

This also blows yet another big hole in the left's "culture of corruption" meme - which has already been a disaster for them as their own laundry is none too clean. I expect the "culture of continuous accusation" to continue to no avail. Fact is, they have nothing else to offer.

Added: It'll take a lot of scrubbing to get all the egg off of Jason Leopold's face (H/T Jeff Goldstein)

Update (9:34am EST): Howard Dean is in serious denial:

"He doesn't belong in the White House. If the president valued America more than he valued his connection to Karl Rove, Karl Rove would have been fired a long time ago," said Dean, the Democratic Party chairman, speaking Tuesday on NBC's "Today" show. "So I think this is probably good news for the White House, but it's not very good news for America."

Update (9:50am EST): From the comment swamps at Huffington Post, where the crazed ones are in shock and disbelief, and are starting to pose conspiracy theories:

Fitzgerald may not have enough to prosecute him on perjury but the man still outed a CIA agent during a time of war and should be fired.

"All the time , money and fake investigation and "The Fitz" caves in to the White House pressure.

Just because they couldn't catch him this time does not mean he is not a dangerous man to the entire United States.

There is no God

He wasn't "cleared". He just wasn't indicted.

This is great news for the white trash assholes who still think this government is doing a helluva job. Dance your victory dance today. Keep up your white trash adulation of Rush and Ann Coulter. Enjoy the party.

At some point down the road there will be a nasty revolution when the masses begn to realize that us faggots and our marriage rights don't really mean much when the GOP has turned us into a total fascist state.

Enjoy the celebration today, Koolaid drinkers. But the party won't last forever. And this very evil man, Mr Rove, will one day get his reward.

These were off the first couple of pages, nearly 200 comments have been posted.

This is a very unhappy day for the left.

Update (5:00pm EST): Even Kos is displeased with Leopold:

...I hope this serves a lesson to all of you who link to crap internet sources like Jason Leopold merely because they write what you want to hear.

Sweet.

Today's Washington Post has the first instance of the accused in the Haditha incident speaking out. It's not a direct interview - the Marine's version of events is related through his attorney:

Staff Sgt. Frank D. Wuterich, 26, told his attorney that several civilians were killed Nov. 19 when his squad went after insurgents who were firing at them from inside a house. The Marine said there was no vengeful massacre, but he described a house-to-house hunt that went tragically awry in the middle of a chaotic battlefield.

"It will forever be his position that everything they did that day was following their rules of engagement and to protect the lives of Marines," said Neal A. Puckett, who represents Wuterich in the ongoing investigations into the incident. "He's really upset that people believe that he and his Marines are even capable of intentionally killing innocent civilians."

It's a long article with lots of detail, too much to quote here. But the alleged coverup is addressed as well:

After clearing the second house, Puckett said, Wuterich immediately got on the radio and reported the "collateral damage." When the company radio operator asked him to estimate how many civilians had been killed, he said he thought it was about 12 to 15.

McConnell, the company commander, "knew the number was high" and reported it to the battalion executive officer, a major, according to McDermott, his lawyer. McConnell also said that a Marine intelligence team investigated the civilian deaths and reported their findings to senior Marine commanders, the lawyer said.

Wuterich told his attorney that he never reported that the civilians in the houses were killed by the bomb blast and maintains that he never tried to obscure the fact that civilians had been killed in the raids. Whether Wuterich gave false information to his superiors is the focus of one of the military investigations. He said the platoon leader, who was on the scene, never expressed concern about the unit's actions and never tried to hide them.

I've been relatively silent about the investigation thus far. It's been obvious since the story broke that there were details not coming out in the press or in the irresponsible and opportunistic statements from politicians and pundits.

But the Post article should serve to remind us that there numerous voices to be heard. The insistance by some that this event equates to My Lai on the sparsest of data from a bias source serves no one, especially the individuals being accused. Our system of justice requires the presumption of innocence - it's truly unfortunate that as we've seen before, so many lack respect for that simple concept.

The Post should be commended for bringing the other side of the story to us. I hope that the rest of the media picks up the Marines' account defending their experiences in Haditha and gives them the same prominence given to less credible accounts of our troops' behaviour in Iraq.

There's a certain segment of the left where hypocrisy reigns unchecked. There's really no reconciliation of "support the troops by bringing them home" and complaints of our "worn-out, stressed-out, missionless troops in Iraq" who commit "everyday, unheralded horrors perpetrated on innocent Iraqi civilians". Any attempt to concatenate these conflicting views results in a logic-defying mess. More balanced coverage in the media at-large of Haditha won't change the minds of these people, nor will it affect Murtha and other politicians who have abused their public voice and the troops for political gain.

Nonetheless, the Marines and the American people are entitled to a fair accounting. And that's certainly not too much to ask of the news industry, is it?

Hey, wasn't Karl Rove supposed to be indicted this last week? Hmmm?

Think those sources that got it wrong will be outed as promised? You'd think it would be here if they were, but alas, no cigar...

Fitzmas seems to come nearly every week, but all the liberals ever get is a lump of coal in their stocking.

To those on the right - Happy Holidays!

Update: What exactly does a "partial apology" mean?

The time has now come, however, to issue a partial apology to our readership for this story. While we paid very careful attention to the sourcing on this story, we erred in getting too far out in front of the news-cycle. In moving as quickly as we did, we caused more confusion than clarity. And that was a disservice to our readership and we regret it.

"Too far out in front of the news cycle"? Ouch.

The identity of the leaker was divulged after my post from last night as one Mary McCarthy. While I actually need sleep in order to function, fortunately there are bloggers who don't. A good example is Curt at Flopping Aces who has 10 updates about the different small details about Ms. McCarthy that are coming out. Much of the speculation is about connections between McCarthy and prominent administration officials during the Clinton years and campaign donations to Kerry and the Dems.

I refuse to get caught up in too much of this. Politics tends to be very tribal, and some of these connections will likely turn out to be a natural manifestation of that. Time will tell. However, the hints that there will be more leakers taken to task is heartening and an indication that this is becoming a much bigger and more interesting story. Other good reading on the CIA firing is at A.J. Strata, who also functions well without sleep. A.J. points out that the left is crying foul over the firing.

The hinge-less side of the blogosphere is being predictable in the wake of the news from yesterday. Some examples:

FireDogLake: "the campaign against whistleblowers has just begun."

The "poor, innocent whistleblower as a target" meme seem to be the predominant view on the left. Considering this somewhat distorted view of justice, it's a very good thing indeed that we don't treat terrorism as a law enforcement matter as they would wish.

Glenn Greenwald: "This has nothing to do with national security or with safeguarding classified information. It is about punishment, vengeance, and deterrence..."

It should be no surprise that Glenn has an aversion to punishment - he endorsed a guest poster on his blog who feels that the drug dealer who wants to sell crack to your children should be let out of prison because prisons are, well - bad. I still can't figure out how he reconciles that view with his support of the lunatic-fringe idea of scrapping article III of the constitution in favor of having guilt assigned by legislative decree. I guess it depends on who you like...

Nearly all on the left have tried to draw the comparison with the declassification of historical data to dispute Joe Wilson's lies. None will admit that there is a significant difference between declassifying historical background data and leaking details of ongoing operations to keep Americans safe.

The award for hinge-lessness goes to Larisa Alexandrovna, who writes:

Imagine for a moment that during WWII, a German whistleblower was privy to plans for the building of concentration camps and made those plans known to the world. Imagine if this person also provided information that the German leadership, under the sadistic madness of Adolph Hitler, was abducting countless innocents who where then transported to undisclosed locations, never to be heard from again.

If that person risked everything for neither fame nor money in order to get this information out, would you - as a German citizen of that time - have considered them a national security threat, in violation of the law, a criminal? Or would you have wanted to know what was being done in your name? What is national security in this context?

The intellectual and moral disfunction displayed here is stunning. Of course none of the bleaters of the "whitleblower" meme have any excuse for selectively ignoring another story from yesterday that exposes their hate-based fantasies as fabrication.

I expect lots more in the coming days. The talking heads shows on Sunday should be especially interesting.

Update: Tom Maguire and Ace have some good reading as well.

Update 2: It appears that Flopping Aces is down - it's not a bad link.

Don Surber has uncovered a possible plot to rid the planet of cocoa merchants.

Where's the press on this? Why isn't Greta covering this night after night after night after...

Oh, the humanity.

Via AP/Yahoo:

WASHINGTON - The CIA has fired an employee for leaking classified information to the news media, an agency official said Friday. A federal criminal investigation has also been opened.

I suppose more details will come out soon enough, but the article contained a hint:

A second law enforcement official confirmed there was a criminal investigation under way and said the CIA officer had provided information that contributed to a Washington Post story last year saying there were secret U.S. prisons in Eastern Europe.

I wonder if the investigation will net any of the fired employee's accomplices?

This story is likely to grow.

Others posting about this:

Protein Wisdom
Wizbang
A.J. Strata
Ed Morrissey
Powerline (John)
Powerline (Paul)

Related:

Little Green Footballs: EU Finds No Evidence of Illegal CIA Action