Posted by
84rules on Tuesday, January 02, 2007 11:17:36 AM
So,
after all of the chest beating about reigning in the "culture of
corruption" in a Republican controlled Congress, how do the Dems handle
corruption within their own ranks? They quietly forgive it and hope
that nobody notices. You see, in the mind of the average leftist, it is
only unforgivable corruption if it is committed by a Conservative
Republican. If committed by a liberal Dem, then it is to be brushed
over as quickly as possible.
Take
for example the current situation with John Conyers (D-MI). He stands
accused of using his legal counsel as a tutor for his children and
having his staff pick the children up from school and babysit them in
the office, all of this without additional compensation from Conyers.
Additionally, he allowed a former top aid who had been convicted of
fraud to obtain a fake passport and flee to Ghana until the aid was
recaptured and extradited back to the U.S. Also, Conyers had his staff
work on the campaigns of friends and relaitves without taking leave
(i.e. on official Congressional time) and Deanna Maher was instructed
to live in the Conyers home for six weeks while Conyers' wife took law
classes. Maher quit in May of 2006.
According to the House Ethics Committee Website:
|
Representative John Conyers had performed campaign activity on official
time and in some instances using official resources, and that some
staff members may have been compelled to do campaign work or personal
work for Representative Conyers. The assertions in the reports, if
true, could implicate a number of laws and House rules applicable to
Members, including: House Rule 23, clause 1 (requiring the conduct of a
Member or employee to reflect creditably on the House of
representatives); House Rule 23, clause 8 (requiring that congressional
staff perform official duties commensurate with compensation); 31
U.S.C. § 1301(a) and corresponding regulations of the Committee on
House Administration (providing that official funds may be used only
for the purposes appropriated); and 18 U.S.C § 606 (prohibiting adverse
personnel action or intimidation to secure a “contribution of money or
other valuable thing” including services, for a political purpose). |
The Press Statement goes on:
|
In the course of providing information to the Committee, Representative
Conyers acknowledged what he characterized as a “lack of clarity” in
his communications with staff members regarding their official duties
and responsibilities, and accepted responsibility for his actions.
Representative Conyers also provided the Committee with documents
indicating that he had begun taking steps to provide clearer guidance
to staff regarding the requirement that campaign work and official work
be separate. After
reviewing the information gathered during the inquiry, and in light of
Representative Conyers’ cooperation with the inquiry, we have concluded
that this matter should be resolved through the issuance of this public
statement and the agreement by Representative Conyers to take a number
of additional, significant steps to ensure that his office complies
with all rules and standards regarding campaign and personal work by
congressional staff.
|
You can access this comment on-line here:
Statement of Chairman Doc Hastings and Ranking Minority Member Howard L. Berman Regarding Representative John Conyers
Press Statement Regarding John Conyers
U.S. House Of Representative
December 29, 2006
So,
John Conyers is not going to be held accountable for his corruption? I
guess this is what Nancy Pelosi meant when she said that this would be "the most honest, most open, and most ethical Congress in history.” Exactly as she is quoted here:
Pelosi Announces New Majority Leadership Team
Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic Leader
November 16, 2006
John Conyers notwithstanding, of course.
In fact, you can access a more complete story about this on-line here:
Rep. Conyers' Questionable Ethics
Washington Times Editorial
March 8, 2006
And
not just in the House, but the Senate is starting to light up with Dem
corruption as well. Apart from what we already know about the corrupt
dealings of Harry Reid (D-NV) we are beginning to learn small details
of trouble brewing for Barack Obama (D-IL). According to Human Events
Online:
| In
between the “fluff and style” news items, there have been reports of
Obama’s connections to Antoine “Tony” Rezko. Rezko, who was indicted in
October 2006 for a multimillion dollar kick-back scheme, has been a
longtime supporter of Obama. Rezko’s companies have donated large sums
to Obama’s campaigns. Rezko also hosted a fundraiser for Obama.
Completing the shady political trifecta—there’s even a questionable
real estate deal between the two men. Last
week, Obama denied granting an internship in his Capitol Hill office to
a 20-year-old student recommended by his corrupt buddy. The highly
competitive internship was one of 98 Illinois spots filled from a pool
of 350 applicants and Rezko wanted a friend’s son to get the job. The
intern’s father is a longtime Rezko associate who, incidentally, has
contributed thousands of dollars to Obama’s political campaigns.
|
And
even if true, I doubt the Dem controlled Senate will do much about the
"culture of corruption" the libs are inflicting on our government
already.
You can access the complete article on-line here:
Ethics Questions Put Obama On The Spot
Chris Farrell
HumanEventsOnline.com
January 2, 2007