Judicial Watch - Washington's Ten Most Corrupt Politicians for 2007

http://www.judicialwatch.org/judicial-watch-announces-list-washington-s-ten-most-wanted-corrupt-politicians-2007

Judicial Watch Announces List of Washington’s “Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians” for 2007

Washington, DC –Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, today released its 2007 list of Washington’s “Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians.” The list, in alphabetical order, includes:



1. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY): In addition to her long and sordid ethics record, Senator Hillary Clinton took a lot of heat in 2007 – and rightly so – for blocking the release her official White House records. Many suspect these records contain a treasure trove of information related to her role in a number of serious Clinton-era scandals. Moreover, in March 2007, Judicial Watch filed an ethics complaint against Senator Clinton for filing false financial disclosure forms with the U.S. Senate (again). And Hillary’s top campaign contributor, Norman Hsu, was exposed as a felon and a fugitive from justice in 2007. Hsu pleaded guilt to one count of grand theft for defrauding investors as part of a multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme.



2. Rep. John Conyers (D-MI): Conyers reportedly repeatedly violated the law and House ethics rules, forcing his staff to serve as his personal servants, babysitters, valets and campaign workers while on the government payroll. While the House Ethics Committee investigated these allegations in 2006, and substantiated a number of the accusations against Conyers, the committee blamed the staff and required additional administrative record-keeping and employee training. Judicial Watch obtained documentation in 2007 from a former Conyers staffer that sheds new light on the activities and conduct on the part of the Michigan congressman, which appear to be at a minimum inappropriate and likely unlawful. Judicial Watch called on the Attorney General in 2007 to investigate the matter.



3. Senator Larry Craig (R-ID): In one of the most shocking scandals of 2007, Senator Craig was caught by police attempting to solicit sex in a Minneapolis International Airport men’s bathroom during the summer. Senator Craig reportedly “sent signals” to a police officer in an adjacent stall that he wanted to engage in sexual activity. When the police officer showed Craig his police identification under the bathroom stall divider and pointed toward the exit, the senator reportedly exclaimed 'No!'” When asked to produce identification, Craig presented police his U.S. Senate business card and said, “What do you think of that?” The power play didn’t work. Craig was arrested, charged and entered a guilty plea. Despite enormous pressure from his Republican colleagues to resign from the Senate, Craig refused.



4. Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA): As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee's subcommittee on military construction, Feinstein reviewed military construction government contracts, some of which were ultimately awarded to URS Corporation and Perini, companies then owned by Feinstein's husband, Richard Blum. While the Pentagon ultimately awards military contracts, there is a reason for the review process. The Senate's subcommittee on Military Construction's approval carries weight. Sen. Feinstein, therefore, likely had influence over the decision making process. Senator Feinstein also attempted to undermine ethics reform in 2007, arguing in favor of a perk that allows members of Congress to book multiple airline flights and then cancel them without financial penalty. Judicial Watch’s investigation into this matter is ongoing.



5. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R-NY): Giuliani came under fire in late 2007 after it was discovered the former New York mayor’s office “billed obscure city agencies for tens of thousands of dollars in security expenses amassed during the time when he was beginning an extramarital relationship with future wife Judith Nathan in the Hamptons…” ABC News also reported that Giuliani provided Nathan with a police vehicle and a city driver at taxpayer expense. All of this news came on the heels of the federal indictment on corruption charges of Giuliani’s former Police Chief and business partner Bernard Kerik, who pleaded guilty in 2006 to accepting a $165,000 bribe in the form of renovations to his Bronx apartment from a construction company attempting to land city contracts.



6. Governor Mike Huckabee (R-AR): Governor Huckabee enjoyed a meteoric rise in the polls in December 2007, which prompted a more thorough review of his ethics record. According to The Associated Press: “[Huckabee’s] career has also been colored by 14 ethics complaints and a volley of questions about his integrity, ranging from his management of campaign cash to his use of a nonprofit organization to subsidize his income to his destruction of state computer files on his way out of the governor’s office.” And what was Governor Huckabee’s response to these ethics allegations? Rather than cooperating with investigators, Huckabee sued the state ethics commission twice and attempted to shut the ethics process down.



7. I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby: Libby, former Chief of Staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, was sentenced to 30 months in prison and fined $250,000 for lying and obstructing the Valerie Plame CIA leak investigation. Libby was found guilty of four felonies -- two counts of perjury, one count of making false statements to the FBI and one count of obstructing justice – all serious crimes. Unfortunately, Libby was largely let off the hook. In an appalling lack of judgment, President Bush issued “Executive Clemency” to Libby and commuted the sentence.



8. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL): A “Dishonorable Mention” last year, Senator Obama moves onto the “ten most wanted” list in 2007. In 2006, it was discovered that Obama was involved in a suspicious real estate deal with an indicted political fundraiser, Antoin “Tony” Rezko. In 2007, more reports surfaced of deeper and suspicious business and political connections It was reported that just two months after he joined the Senate, Obama purchased $50,000 worth of stock in speculative companies whose major investors were his biggest campaign contributors. One of the companies was a biotech concern that benefited from legislation Obama pushed just two weeks after the senator purchased $5,000 of the company’s shares. Obama was also nabbed conducting campaign business in his Senate office, a violation of federal law.



9. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA): House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who promised a new era of ethics enforcement in the House of Representatives, snuck a $25 million gift to her husband, Paul Pelosi, in a $15 billion Water Resources Development Act recently passed by Congress. The pet project involved renovating ports in Speaker Pelosi's home base of San Francisco. Pelosi just happens to own apartment buildings near the areas targeted for improvement, and will almost certainly experience a significant boost in property value as a result of Pelosi's earmark. Earlier in the year, Pelosi found herself in hot water for demanding access to a luxury Air Force jet to ferry the Speaker and her entourage back and forth from San Francisco non-stop, in unprecedented request which was wisely rejected by the Pentagon. And under Pelosi’s leadership, the House ethics process remains essentially shut down – which protects members in both parties from accountability.



10. Senator Harry Reid (D-NV): Over the last few years, Reid has been embroiled in a series of scandals that cast serious doubt on his credibility as a self-professed champion of government ethics, and 2007 was no different. According to The Los Angeles Times, over the last four years, Reid has used his influence in Washington to help a developer, Havey Whittemore, clear obstacles for a profitable real estate deal. As the project advanced, the Times reported, “Reid received tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from Whittemore.” Whittemore also hired one of Reid’s sons (Leif) as his personal lawyer and then promptly handed the junior Reid the responsibility of negotiating the real estate deal with federal officials. Leif Reid even called his father’s office to talk about how to obtain the proper EPA permits, a clear conflict of interest.



Judicial Watch is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Judicial Watch neither supports nor opposes candidates for public office. For more information, visit www.judicialwatch.org.

 

Can someone please explain to me why the fuck you would not vote for Ron Paul??

Everything I've heard from this man has been great.

 

^ he accepts KKK donations, ever since i found that out i've been rethinking.

 

^That's moronic. Is he supposed to screen everyone who gives him money? Is that even possible? You should be more concerned about candidates who receive millions of dollars from multinational corporations and the military industrial complex. So what if he accepted money from a white supremist? Why should he give the money back based on what the person's beliefs are? I am sure there are white supremists and hate-mongers who have donated to the campaigns of Rudy Giuliani and Hillary Clinton, but you're not going to hear about that. This is just another sad attempt on behalf of the liberal and neocon media to discredit Ron Paul, since they have nothing else to use against him.

 

Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) must be fuming about this.

 

ron paul is not oblivious to the donation he knows about it and even decided to keep the money. you don't get it he doesn't care if the money comes from nefarious groups or not which says to me there is a greed factor to ron paul.


if he is willing to take money from the KKK who isn't he willing to take money from inorder to advance his policies and agenda's? he should of even keept the money of such hateful white trash, it says alot about ron pauls character to me. if You lie down with dogs you're bond to one day wind up with fleas. in the future i would have to conclude since that is the case he'll accept money from anywhere and anyone regardless of their hateful beliefs. doing so implies to me when it comes to money he would undermind his prinicples and become a sell out.

this comes straight from the stromfront web site nothing but campaing ads for ron pual on there to by the way. not to mention, the guy who owns stormfront Don black has basically comfirmed he gave money to ron pauls campaign. i understand you're for ron paul and this infromation is a drag, but i can't support him like i use to after finding that out.

 

Since the OP doesn't mention Ron Paul, I'll stay on topic by noticing that #7) Libby is mentioned for accepting a pardon, but the guy who gave the pardon isn't on the list.

Odd.

 

They leave off some of the most outrageous war criminals of our time- but find room for Nancy Pelosi. I think that particular rightwing noise machine eats monkey ass. But that's just my opinion, I could be wrong.

 

Here is what RP had to say about it when Faux Noise used it to try and smear him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqPhrqllHzY

 

noone tried to smear him, that was a fair question, noone browbeated ron paul in that interview.



ron paul is lying, hes aware of DON BLACK that much is fact. ron paul with Don black and son Derek Black.

"it's $500 less for Black to use on whatever it is he does."

his logic is greedy not moral. him and his campaign even knew about it and still refused to return the money. that's a true politican for you money over morals. i feel ron should burn that money to morally distance himself from that whole incident.

he doesn't need it anyway. ron paul raised 10 million but keept 500 from a known racist after the fact knowing it's from him yet still refuses to give it back or to publically burn 500 to send a message. that's just greedy and shows ron pauls true allegiance while also underminding his principles as a true libertarian.


there is also racist material that Ron paul has ethier said or that was discoveried in his past newsletters that concern me as well...

Such as...

"paul: If you have ever been robbed by a black teen-aged male, you know how unbelievably fleet-footed they can be.”


“Paul: We don’t think a child of 13 should be held responsible as a man of 23. That’s true for most people, but black males age 13 who have been raised on the streets and who have joined criminal gangs are as big, strong, tough, scary and culpable as any adult and should be treated as such.”

"Pual: University of Texas affirmative action law professor Barbara Jordan is a fraud. Everything from her imitation British accent, to her supposed expertise in law, to her distinguished career in public service, is made up. If there were ever a modern case of the empress without clothes, this is it. She is the archetypical half-educated victimologist, yet her race and sex protect her from criticism."

"Pual: we are constantly told that it is evil to be afraid of black men, it is hardly irrational. Black men commit murders, rapes, robberies, muggings and burglaries all out of proportion to their numbers.”

even the Toronto based neo-Nazi organization, has included the ron Paul Political Report in its list of Racialist Addresses and Phone Numbers.

DO NOT VOTE IN 2008. Just say NO to politicians!

 

You could be pro-choice (paul isn't), or you could think that pegging our money to a constantly fluctuating standard that we have absoluetly no control over is a frickin stupid idea.

 

Ron Paul is personally anti-abortion, but he has repeatedly said that he won't be the one to force his personal views down your throat.

And it isn't as if currency itself doesn't fluctuate. Gold is pretty dam secure.

 

Yeah if thats some official list then its disturbing how they are not at least mentioned. Its almost a fact, that bush and cheney have run the most secretive government in the history of the united states. Couple that with the Halliburton scandal, countless other bid-less contracts awarded.... They wouldn't even cooperate with Henry waxman while he investigated the IRaqi contracts, I mean shiet... If you cant coopoerate with a congressman then wtf are u hiding?

What the Fuck is going on here...?

 

I've been asking myself this same question a lot lately. About 2 months ago, I was just as anti-Paul as a lot of the Democrats on here, but I did a ton of research, heard him out, and ultimately changed my mind. He is now my first choice for President of the U.S., although he will almost undoubtedly be crushed by the losers of the Republican Party.

I think Dr. Paul actually embodies all of the good things about the Republican Party.. I mean, hell, it didn't start out as corrupt and crazy as it has become today, and any candidate that openly criticizes "neo-conservatives" is very brave. I think in the Republican debate he even used the term "war mongers", which pissed off his fellow Repubs. Whatever, he's his own guy and he knows it. That's why I respect him so much.

Dr. Paul, Congressman Kucinich, and Gov. Richardson are probably the only candidates I would ever endorse. They are the bravest, and none of them have a chance, which is sad.