DoJ: Investigation shows serious corruption problem in Congress
Newsflash, right? I mean Nancy Pelosi has claimed that the swamp has been drained. That the "historic" ethics reform legislation has ended the earmarks, the pork, and the corruption in the halls of Congress. As the Influence Peddler noticed, that isn't the case at all. Over at Roll Call they picked up on the story coming out of Justice that basically calls Speaker Pelosi a lying sack: (SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED)
Federal investigators are hinting that a fresh wave of campaign-related theft and corruption investigations of Members of Congress are moving through the pipeline, signaling that indictments may be on the horizon.
According to multiple sources and independent confirmation from agency officials, the Justice Department currently is honing in on the possible misuse of campaign money by Members and political candidates for personal country club dues, health club fees, non-campaign-related travel costs and other expenses that candidates are prohibited from paying out of their campaign war chests.
The Federal Election Commission also confirmed that it currently is investigating 10 embezzlement cases involving federal campaign committees — four more than its entire caseload in half a decade.
Officials from both agencies declined to name the Members or candidates involved in the investigations, which were first revealed at a legal seminar for the Practicing Law Institute in Washington, D.C., late last week by Craig Donsanto, head of the Justice Department’s election crimes branch, and David Mason, the FEC’s Republican-nominated vice chairman.
A Justice Department spokesman confirmed Tuesday that corruption cases involving lawmakers and other public officials remain “a high priority for the Department of Justice.”
The swamp is drained? Is this some liberal vision of the glass-is-half-empty sort of view on the swamp? Sounds like it according to DoJ.
HT: Professor Glenn Reynolds
Publius II
Federal investigators are hinting that a fresh wave of campaign-related theft and corruption investigations of Members of Congress are moving through the pipeline, signaling that indictments may be on the horizon.
According to multiple sources and independent confirmation from agency officials, the Justice Department currently is honing in on the possible misuse of campaign money by Members and political candidates for personal country club dues, health club fees, non-campaign-related travel costs and other expenses that candidates are prohibited from paying out of their campaign war chests.
The Federal Election Commission also confirmed that it currently is investigating 10 embezzlement cases involving federal campaign committees — four more than its entire caseload in half a decade.
Officials from both agencies declined to name the Members or candidates involved in the investigations, which were first revealed at a legal seminar for the Practicing Law Institute in Washington, D.C., late last week by Craig Donsanto, head of the Justice Department’s election crimes branch, and David Mason, the FEC’s Republican-nominated vice chairman.
A Justice Department spokesman confirmed Tuesday that corruption cases involving lawmakers and other public officials remain “a high priority for the Department of Justice.”
The swamp is drained? Is this some liberal vision of the glass-is-half-empty sort of view on the swamp? Sounds like it according to DoJ.
HT: Professor Glenn Reynolds
Publius II
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 9:31 PM
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