Corruption probes hitting Dems across the country
Published March 28, 2014
A wave of corruption arrests and investigations is roiling Democratic
politicians, posing a potential image problem in an election year.

The latest were a pair of arrests earlier this week, snagging Charlotte
Mayor Patrick Cannon, who later resigned, and California state Sen. Leland
Yee. The latter involved a tangled web of allegations including claims
that the gun control-pushing lawmaker tried to connect an undercover agent
with an international arms dealer.

So far, these cases are confined to the state and local levels, so it
remains to be seen whether Democrats running in the congressional midterms
will be tarnished.

In fact, the only major arrest of a U.S. congressman since the beginning
of 2013 was that of a Republican, Florida Rep. Trey Radel, who was
convicted for cocaine possession and resigned early this year. Each party
typically is careful to throw stones when the other side finds itself on
the wrong side of the law, because corruption and other misbehavior is a
bipartisan problem.

For every Anthony Weiner, there's a Mark Foley.

But since Radel's October arrest, the bulk of the corruption cases have
involved Democrats.

In California alone, Yee's case marked the third arrest or conviction in
as many months of a state Democratic official.

State Republicans, who have been struggling to regain their political
footing, have sought to capitalize on the wave of criminal charges as a
way to undo Democrats' dominance in the Legislature. Republicans have
repeatedly tried to expel Sen. Rod Wright after he was convicted of
perjury and voter fraud in January for lying about his legal residence in
Los Angeles County. Democratic leaders have blocked those efforts. The
state Senate, though, voted Friday to suspend all three of the lawmakers
in trouble.

The other, Sen. Ron Calderon, was indicted on federal corruption charges
in February. Prosecutors say Calderon accepted about $100,000 for himself
and family members in exchange for promoting legislation to expand
Hollywood tax credits and protect the interest of a hospital that
benefited from a provision of the workers' compensation law.

Then came Yee, whose alleged activities were more befitting Hollywood than
his San Francisco district.

The criminal complaint contained dramatic details about Yee's alleged
efforts to connect an undercover agent with a firearms dealer.

"Do I think we can make some money? I think we can make some money," the
senator allegedly said in one of the meetings.

The cases, while involving local politicians, have put powerful Democrats
in an awkward position.

U.S. Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein of California joined a
growing list of officials on Thursday in distancing themselves by
demanding Yee's resignation. The Democratic leader of the state Senate,
President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, warned Yee to resign or face
suspension by his colleagues, saying "he cannot come back."

Cannon, meanwhile, was ensnared in an FBI sting and faces federal
corruption charges alleging he accepted more than $48,000 in cash, airline
tickets, a hotel room and a luxury apartment from undercover agents posing
as real estate developers and investors. Cannon, while not a household
Democratic name, led the city that hosted the Democratic National
Convention in 2012.

On top of that case, Rhode Island House Speaker Gordon Fox said Saturday
he was resigning from leadership and would not run for re-election, a day
after federal and state authorities raided his Statehouse office and home
as part of a criminal investigation that they would not detail.

The Friday raids were carried out by the U.S. attorney's office, FBI, IRS
and state police. Boxes of evidence were carried off after agents spent
hours at both his home and office. Officials will not say whom or what
they are investigating.

The 52-year-old Providence Democrat, who became the nation's first openly
gay House speaker in 2010, said he planned to serve out the remainder of
his term through the end of the year, but that "my personal focus going
forward will be on my family and dealing with the investigation."

Meanwhile, in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol, the mayor of the District of
Columbia, a Democrat, is facing his own problems. A U.S. attorney claimed
earlier this month that Mayor Vincent Gray knew about an illegal, $668,000
"shadow campaign" that helped propel him into office four years ago.
Despite denials from the mayor, who has not been accused of a crime, the
revelation further damaged him ahead of next week's primary.

"I think the question politically is whether it becomes emblematic of the
national party," said Mary Katharine Ham, a Fox News contributor. "And
that, to some extent, depends on media coverage. In, for instance, 2006,
there was the drumbeat against Republicans was this culture of corruption;
and that, to a large extent, was effective because it was so consistently
covered in the media."

BurfordTJustice posted for all of us...

And I know how to SNIP


Corruption probes hitting Dems across the country

look at the debacle in Philly, PA.

--
Tekkie

On Sun, 30 Mar 2014 16:43:11 -0400, Tekkie®
wrote:

Corruption probes hitting Dems across the country

look at the debacle in Philly, PA.

Those sum beaches are cruel to stalk a woman, cost her money, because
she hired non-union contractors. ****ed the THUGS off....

The dirt goes up and into the Mayor's Office - I bet!
--
"Dodgeball in Burkas" -- Greg Gutfeld

Oren posted for all of us...

And I know how to SNIP


On Sun, 30 Mar 2014 16:43:11 -0400, Tekkie®
wrote:

Corruption probes hitting Dems across the country

look at the debacle in Philly, PA.

Those sum beaches are cruel to stalk a woman, cost her money, because
she hired non-union contractors. ****ed the THUGS off....

The dirt goes up and into the Mayor's Office - I bet!

I was thinking more along the lines of the ****ty Council members that were
taking money from an uc and then the PA attorney general refuses to
prosecute calling it a weak case; even thought they are on tape. A lot of
finger pointing naturally while nothing gets done

--
Tekkie