Comments (65)

Nelly Bly wrote on August 29, 2007 10:26 AM:

Rep. C. W. Bill Young's daughter-in-law, Cynthia, is partners with Curt Weldon's "friend", Cecelia Grimes, in a lobbying firm.

On 9/10/04, Cynthia Young and Cecelia Grimes each made a $500 contribution to Rep. Robert E. Andrews (D-NJ) as executives of a defense contractor, Galaxy Scientific. Other GS execs made similar contributions on the same day.

GS execs also contributed heavily to Curt Weldon.

Why in the world would Galaxy Scientific permit two of its execs to be lobbyists while on the job? Or did Cynthia Young and Cecelia Grimes have no-show jobs with the defense contractor?

oddjob wrote on August 29, 2007 10:32 AM:

Minor quibble, but Katherine Harris represented a Florida district, not a California one.

Anonymous wrote on August 29, 2007 10:37 AM:

Nice recap of where things stand.

hmbnancy wrote on August 29, 2007 10:40 AM:

The GOP has a herculean task to have any kind of showing in 2008.

This is the party of Scandals and Vandals.

Steve5117 wrote on August 29, 2007 10:47 AM:

oddjob, minor quibble,where does it say Harris represented California?

Anonymous wrote on August 29, 2007 10:49 AM:

So let's put Rep. Jefferson in context since he's an oft-quoted counterpoint to the dozens of GOP scandals.

His case was pushed to the wall (FBI raids, court judgments, etc). Yet it concluded be establishing (or reinforcing) some degree of Congressional shield from Executive Branch investigation.

The investigation for sure, extracted points against Jefferson and made Dems look bad.

But was this part of a broader strategy -- possibly to shield GOP members from their coming troubles? We can already see this in the Foley case -- sheltering (and protecting) him against e-mail disclosure.

It would seem to me that, after the Jefferson case, the GOP came out big winners here.

What?! wrote on August 29, 2007 10:51 AM:

HEY!, Don't forget our new Nevada Governor, the ex-US Congressman, Jim Gibbons, who is being investigated by the FBI for some several things he may or may not have done while he was in Congress.

Iran Narges wrote on August 29, 2007 10:58 AM:

How could you forget Bob "I only offer blow jobs when I'm scared" Allen?!

Anonymous wrote on August 29, 2007 10:59 AM:

How could you forget Bob "I only offer blow jobs when I'm scared" Allen?!

nuncamas wrote on August 29, 2007 11:02 AM:

And the other republican rep who was skeered of storms and had to give somebody a bj, or was that the one who was skeered of the big black guys? Confusing, but there were two, weren't there?

jr wrote on August 29, 2007 11:04 AM:

You forgot State Sen. Bob "forced into gay sex by fear of black men" Allen ex-chair of McCain's Florida Campaign.

NitPicker1 wrote on August 29, 2007 11:05 AM:

steve5117, as far as I can tell TPM's policy to make corrections - minor or major - without any indication that they have made changes to the originally posted material.

It's something I have complained about in the past to no avail. I think it reflects badly on this site's credibility, which I find unfortunate because I think the investigative work being done here is a great service to the American people. I really do.

Paul Kiel, any reason why you don't add a note at the bottom indicating that a minor correction was made?

Lunz31 wrote on August 29, 2007 11:11 AM:

Sarcasm and/or bad joke alert.

I heard today that Mitt Romney and John McCain are distancing themselves from Larry Craig. The report didn't say if this only applied to when they were in a public restroom with him.

Maybe Larry Craig was doing research on whether or not gay men really want to be allowed to marry or would rather be subjected to humiliating pick-up attempts in public restrooms.

End of sarcasm and/or bad jokes.

I always laugh, if one can laugh sardonically and sadly at the same time, that when the Republicans took over Congress in 1994 and Bush took over the White House in 2000 they bellowed that the "adults were now in charge" in the vein that Lakoff describes. The days of the willy-nilly pansy-butt softy generation are over and it's going to be nothing but hard evidence and sterness to put the country back on the right track.

Ha-ha-and-double-ha-ha. Performance top-to-bottom has been horrifying and what ticks me off is that so few folks in my party--which should at least attempt to play the part of the loyal opposition--have been floating along on the light breezes of "me too-ism."

But I am glad to see that the hypocrites are getting their comeuppance. They have always been bunch of double-standard bearers. A covey of blatant bullying ideologues turned bumbling crooks.

Bill Evenson wrote on August 29, 2007 11:12 AM:

I don't get Karl's chart. 10 seats, six complacent. Presumably four were not complacent. I'm not a statistician by any stretch of the imagination, but that's 40% with a low sample size. It seems to me that the lesson learned there is not to have the scandal in the first place.

Steve5117 wrote on August 29, 2007 11:21 AM:

NitPicker1 thanks for the explanation of hat possibly happened.

Ever since the contractor posted plans of a new Iraqi base appeared and disappeared in a short span of time I've noticed other things have dissapeared or changed on many websites. Wikipedia, I guess, is the best known example of changing entries.

I wonder what happened to all the TPMCafe posts of Mrs. Panstreppon?

I agree that a note explaining minor changes would be helpful so I don't begin wondering whether my eyesight is failing or the drugs I take are affecting my preceptions and vision.

Blu wrote on August 29, 2007 11:38 AM:

Steve5117 - FYI, Wikipedia's entries change due to the nature of the site, but all changes are logged and viewable. You can view the change log of any article on the site and see when it was edited, by who, and what the edits were. It's a great model for any website that values transparency. Having some of those features here would be helpful.

lunalegere wrote on August 29, 2007 11:43 AM:

G reat with spaghetti at least as straight
O ver or under , a party speciality
P ractically speaking , your first responder in or for any deviation

code : same i.e. same ole GOP

lunalegere wrote on August 29, 2007 11:46 AM:

I really like what Blu just pointed out -

Bush LIPS sink SHIPS. wrote on August 29, 2007 11:48 AM:

"I wonder what happened to all the TPMCafe posts of Mrs. Panstreppon? "

What happened to Mrs Panstreppon? I've been a great fan. Wondering where's Mrs these days.

JoeW wrote on August 29, 2007 12:02 PM:

All of the top tier repub presidential candidates have had problems with their staffs as well. Well, all except for Red Truck Freddie. But that's because a:)he's not a candidate yet, and b:)he can't seem to keep people around long enough to get into trouble.

C92 wrote on August 29, 2007 12:03 PM:

@ Nelly Bly:

Looks like we were onto something regarding Allawi's US contract with Barbour Griffith and no FARA registration:

http://www.iraqslogger.com/index.php/post/4114/subscriptions/subscriptions/subscriptions/splash.html

pol wrote on August 29, 2007 12:06 PM:

This scandal is at a more local level, but it's happening in the Washington suburbs. Faisal Gill, a Norquist croney and former senior policy advisor at the Dept. of Homeland Security, is running for the 51st delegate seat of the Virginia General Assembly. He can't seem to shake off fairly-well-grounded accusations of ties to al Qaeda. Look what local Republicans are saying about him:
http://goodbyefaisal.com/Portal/recent-articles/treasury-says-gills-boss-alamoudi-funded-al-qaeda
The Muslim community supports this guy and they're the ones that showed up in numbers to make him their candidate, but the local Republican Party is shaking its head. It's kinda funny watching local Repugs get all freaked out. One member of a local office holder walked up to our Democratic Party booth at a local event and told me he's been a Republican for a long time but he'd vote for a tree-hugging liberal before he'd vote for this (Here's where he called him a derogatory name.). This district has been Republican for a long time...

Nell wrote on August 29, 2007 12:07 PM:

@Steve5117: what happened to all the TPMCafe posts of Mrs. Panstreppon?

A search shows plenty of comments by Mrs. P here and at TPMCafe. What reason do you have to think that any such comments have been removed?

bohdi wrote on August 29, 2007 12:10 PM:

The real scandal is the loss of a Media in this country. Imagine if there was a truly vigorous,muscular and independent media that did investigative reporting and gave readers a context for each and every story? Just imagine if the corruption,bribery and intimidation that infest these criminal organizations was absent. Imagine if lying stooges like Wolf Blitzer were given 20 years to Life for peddling illegal wars?

There would be no longer anything remaining of a Republican Party. They would be debt ridden and defunct with perhaps 7% of their old membership still hanging on. bush would have about a 5% approval rating and would be regarded by all as an extremely dangerous mental patient needing to be watched at all times and corraled.

The public would have been revived and enlivened by a real Media since the story of the cheney junta is on its face far,far more interesting and dramatic than anything you could dream up in hollywood. Just simply appalling that the real lasting and deep crimes committed have been done by barbie-doll millionaires reading teleprompters and their corrupt bosses. The Orwellian nightmare of black being white has long since descended upon us.

Outdamnspot wrote on August 29, 2007 12:15 PM:

Oh, those washroom repubs... They give a whole new meaning to being Hard Right members.

Methinks they're getting flaccid fast.

Code word: CRIME. How appropriate.

lonesomerobot wrote on August 29, 2007 12:27 PM:

just a note about your Grand Ole Docket...

under Vernon Jackson, is reads:

"On September 8, 2007, a Judge sentenced Jackson to seven years and three months in a federal prison."

So, Mr. Jackson went to court in the future and was sentenced...have we mastered pre-temporal justice here? Did he get time served for the year he (presumably) would have already served by then?

just curious ;)

and thanks for the good work!

Roberta wrote on August 29, 2007 12:31 PM:

I know that because Rep. Craig is making things worse for himself that he's news. And yes, he behaves like a hypocrite.

But I just feel very sorry for the man, and in no way do I lump him in with the AK trio and others whose crimes are greed based, those whose political manipulations are now biting them, or even Vitter, who wanted to get some tail on the side.

Craig's a guy born in a repressive era in the most repressive of states. Do I wish that he'd just been who he was and come out, rather than perpetuating hypocrisy for so many years? You bet. But I don't know if that would have been possible for him.

I remember talking with my late uncle, a gay man who kept himself within a tight circle that he hoped wouldn't judge him, and seldom ventured out of that circle. Outside of his demimonde he had to deny (or at least not reveal) who he was.

Even at their best, I don't care for Craig's politics, but if he wanted to enter the political arena at the time he did and the place he did, he had to stay closeted. He's spent his whole life living a lie that he felt was the only way for him. He's a pathetic figure. I just can't condemn him. He makes me very sad.

Anonymous wrote on August 29, 2007 12:35 PM:

I vote for "Grand Ol' Police blotter."

aklocal wrote on August 29, 2007 12:48 PM:

Isn't the cart ahead of the horse on reporting of a Sentator Murkowski land sale? All I saw was an announcement of intent to sell the land back. As far as I know there has been no actual transaction with sale price, date, etc. reported in the media.

CatelynK wrote on August 29, 2007 12:51 PM:

I agree with much of what you said, Roberta. But I have no problem condemning Craig. Society has forced gays and lesbians into tough and often impossible situations, yes.

But Craig did not merely endure the injustices meted out to gays. He fostered them. He actively contributed to the suffering of his fellows and to the toxic environment that strikes human rights from the American agenda.

Craig did not choose to be gay. But he chose to be a swine.

dhs wrote on August 29, 2007 12:56 PM:

There is another scandal that TPM was following some time ago but appears to have dropped off the radar, and that is the conviction of the Democratic governor of Alabama, Gov. Siegalman, who is now in Federal prison.

This case is being investigated by the House Judiciary committee, and there is evidence to indicate that karl Rove was involved in this prosecution from the begininng.

Amy Goodman, on Democracy Now, had a very interesting and informative interview with Scott Horton, Columbia Law Professor, who has followed this and the other scandals in the Justice Department carefully. See her broadcast of Aug. 25 on Democracy Now.

This looks to be a major case, and may well be behind the resignation of Karl Rove, and perhaps also of Gonzales. Possibly these two are being ditched now because they are a serious threat to the Presidency.

dhs wrote on August 29, 2007 12:56 PM:

There is another scandal that TPM was following some time ago but appears to have dropped off the radar, and that is the conviction of the Democratic governor of Alabama, Gov. Siegalman, who is now in Federal prison.

This case is being investigated by the House Judiciary committee, and there is evidence to indicate that karl Rove was involved in this prosecution from the begininng.

Amy Goodman, on Democracy Now, had a very interesting and informative interview with Scott Horton, Columbia Law Professor, who has followed this and the other scandals in the Justice Department carefully. See her broadcast of Aug. 24 on Democracy Now.

This looks to be a major case, and may well be behind the resignation of Karl Rove, and perhaps also of Gonzales. Possibly these two are being ditched now because they are a serious threat to the Presidency.

Tross wrote on August 29, 2007 1:06 PM:

Scooter Libby should be on the list since he was convicted.

And isn't KKKarl Rove still under investigation for possible Hatch Act violations?

mo2 wrote on August 29, 2007 1:06 PM:

I recall Mrs. P saying she "had" to stop blogging but had a friend who would show up in lieu of her. It was odd, but she seemed to have her reasons.

Alice wrote on August 29, 2007 1:12 PM:

Poor Jerry Lewis. They probably need to investigate all of his ties more.

Ken Calvert has always been a crook and a slut. But try telling that to the folks in that district, because their heads are in the sand.

Pete wrote on August 29, 2007 1:32 PM:

I'd like to hear thoughts about a perjury charge against Craig. He swears he's guilty, but he's really just "stressed?" I wonder what the judge who took that plea would have to say about that one?

And when is the last time anyone's heard a convict declare he's innocent because he wasn't actually tried before a jury. Only in the Bush-light zone could pleading guilty be subject to spin.

Mooser wrote on August 29, 2007 1:42 PM:

It is wonderful to see Mr. Craig dealing with the national homosexual panic he helped create.
A lifetime sex-offense record for tapping your feet and moving your gym-bag.
No id on't think those things are ever 'past'.

BG Portland wrote on August 29, 2007 1:42 PM:

How about Mark Foley? Am I missing something??

Rusty Austin wrote on August 29, 2007 1:57 PM:

WIDE STANCE

I hate to bring this up, but anyone who has ever worn pants knows that the only way to have a wide stance while defecating is to either take them all the way off, or leave them all the way on. Otherwise the waistband restricts the stance to something quite a bit less than wide. I'm guessing the Senator had them off.

It feels great to see another scumbag lying douchebag get his due, and pound one more nail into the republican party coffin. I pray this guy runs in 2008.

The harder they come, the harder they fall, one and all...

Nelly Bly wrote on August 29, 2007 2:03 PM:

C92@12:03 PM

Your comment about the FARA database here in the TPM MR got the ball rolling the other day. Kind of like your comments about GWB43.com.

I am perplexed at the lack of interest in the Young story. Rep C W Bill Young has had an awful lot to say about defense appropriations. The fact that his daughter-in-law is a lobbyist and a defense contractor exec at the same time appears to be a conflict of interest at best.

I don't think anyone was supposed to know that Cynthia Young and Cecelia Grimes were on Galaxy Scientific's payroll. My guess is that someone at GS just generated a list of Andrews contributors without realizing the significance of including Grimes and Young on it.

If Grimes and Young had no-show defense jobs, I would think that would put the GOP in a very bad light. We are in the middle of a war, after all.

RockGolf wrote on August 29, 2007 2:06 PM:

GOP = Got Off/ Probation

The security code is "screw". Does something pre-determine these lists?

Jake D. wrote on August 29, 2007 2:12 PM:

dhs:

How exactly is Siegelman "dropp[ing] off the radar" if TPM has had a dozen threads on him over the last few months, including this one YESTERDAY:

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/004023.php

Slippery Slope wrote on August 29, 2007 2:23 PM:

Posted by: Rusty Austin
Date: August 29, 2007 1:57 PM
*******************************
Rusty,

There's one more possibility here.

Maybe he sits side-saddle; just maybe.

After all, he’s in his own private Idaho. It could be common practice.

But I don't think anyone is going to call him on this sordid detail of his inconsistent story.

Paul Gilmartin wrote on August 29, 2007 2:30 PM:

Great work at TPM Josh et al.
With regard to the Craig incident, I was interested in your articles yesterday discussing the nature of his actions and whether or not they constituted criminality. When I first read the police report I thought the officer showed his police ID too quickly i.e. he needed to get Craig with his pants down, and that Craig had really done nothing wrong. However, I do understand that solicitation is a criminal act and that the Senator's actions constituted this.
With regard to having sympathy for the man, I do agree with some of the posts that it is sad that a gay man would have to live a lie his entire life. The counterpoint put forward in a couple of posts was that he didn't just stay in the closet, he actively voted against gay rights on numerous occasions and therefore does not deserve any sympathy. I would counter this latter viewpoint by highlighting the fact that many homophobic people view neutrality on a gay issue as support for gays. If this man was terrified of being outed, the best way to deter any rumours of homosexuality would be to cast himself in a very public way as "anti-gay". I don't condone his actions in voting the way he did on all of these issues, but I do think that they are at least understandable. In the same way, I understand why Michael Vick lied to those close to him and told them that he had nothing to do with dogfighting. At that time and in that position, it was the only thing he could bring himself to do.
Thanks a million and keep up the great work at TPM.

Mark Brucker wrote on August 29, 2007 2:40 PM:

Wasn't there also a Congressman in NV who's staff said he was making illegal use of staff and of government resources for campaigning? And what about Hunter of CA?

nofltwlt wrote on August 29, 2007 2:43 PM:

It was and still is a culture of corruption but now the culture of lewd illegal sex acts has to be appended to the GOP's list of cultures.

Jake D. wrote on August 29, 2007 2:45 PM:

Mark:

Were you thinking Congressman Conyers? He's from Illinois, not Nevada (unless you were thinking of the SENATOR from Nevada implicated in a land deal / fight ticket scandal):

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/04/12/griffin.conyers/

Jake D. wrote on August 29, 2007 2:47 PM:

"Lewd" from the party of Bill Clinton?!

Mark Brucker wrote on August 29, 2007 2:55 PM:

Wasn't there also a Congressman in NV who's staff said he was making illegal use of staff and of government resources for campaigning? And what about Hunter of CA?

bob voso wrote on August 29, 2007 2:55 PM:

I remember the joke about Craig in Idaho in the 80's was: Know why Larry Craig doesn't need a bookmark? answer: he just bends over a page.

Gary Kephart wrote on August 29, 2007 3:11 PM:

Don't forget Gary Miller in CA-42.

Rusty Austin wrote on August 29, 2007 3:18 PM:

Slippery Slope

Too bad Jon Stewart's on vacation...

Slippery Slope wrote on August 29, 2007 3:21 PM:

Another aspect to this Craig CONVICTION that I asked about regarding the Vitter revelation was/is; do they hold a security clearance necessary to perform any committee function? Does Craig’s CONVICTION impact any existing clearances (if any)? How about Vitter?

Craig is a member of the Veterans Affairs committee. I wonder what Craig's public record, (wide) stance on the military’s don't ask / don't tell policy has been.

And what happened to the land deal scandal and Foley cover up issues with soon-to-be ex-Rep Hastert (R-IL). What about Boehner’s involvement in the Foley cover up?

Lastly, I’ve not looked into any of the above mentioned individual’s background to know who may be State Bar certified attorneys. I know Libby was, but are there more. For those that are attorneys, what is the status of their law licenses? How many DOJ folks have pending State Bar review hearings?

Seems there are many issues that quickly fad away if left to the Murdoc-ian MSM. Thanks TMP MR for being here providing the American public with a great forum to connect the dots and focus on the patterns.

Anonymous wrote on August 29, 2007 3:26 PM:

Consider the correlations to the USA firings, especially David Iglesias being fired after Sen. Domenici phoned President Bush, and Carol Lam investigating political corruption and Medicare fraud.

Ask, "What is the status of the 30 USAs who were investigating corporate fraud in government health care programs?"

Ask, "Can USAs in the field still decide to pursue corporate fraud?"

What?! wrote on August 29, 2007 3:44 PM:

Mark,

The guy in Nevada you may be thinking of is Congressman Jon Porter(R). US Attorney Daniel Bogden (who has since been fired! Hmmmm), initiated an investigation, based on an ex-staffer's complaint, that Porter used his government issued phone and office space to campaign. Bogden initiated this investigation a month BEFORE the election, that Porter barely won (by 3%). Porter was exonerated. However Porter is on the Karl Rove list of 10 most likely R members of Congress to lose their seat in 2010.
Our new 2007 Governor, Jim Gibbons (R), is under FBI investigation for alleged events that occured while he was in Congress during the past 10 years.

Mimi Schaeffer wrote on August 29, 2007 8:44 PM:

Oh yea, what about William Jefferson, Bill Clinton, Dan Rostenkowski, Adam Clay Powell, Bobby Baker and Huey Long??

Try to explain that!

Kevin Hayden wrote on August 29, 2007 11:32 PM:

Shouldn't that link be to the Not-A-Crook-Not-Gay Olde Docket?

Rob wrote on August 30, 2007 12:21 AM:

Did I not see Scooter's name? Must re-read again.

Anonymous wrote on August 30, 2007 12:22 AM:

Did I not see Scooter's name? Must re-read again.

wiseoldgranny wrote on August 30, 2007 1:29 AM:

rover, miers, wolfabitch, gonzales, armitage, doan, the woman that used litmus tests of republican and bush loyalty to hire the DOJ's career attorneys, the two child pornographers (misp?) one in the HLS and one in the administration(?), that's not to mention all of the scandals in Iraq and Katrina.

As for the above mentioned dems, it took 20+ years to make that list, so better hang on to it.
While you are at it, just remember, dems are not the 'moral majority' and we do not 'hang our hat', on being the party of 'personal responsibility' as guided by the 'born again' fallwells and pat robinsons.

Don't you think it's time to stop saying 'the devil made me do it' (meaning Clinton)?

Bcre8ve wrote on August 30, 2007 8:59 AM:

Next up - Patrick McHenry (R-NC).

There has already been one indictment of voter fraud for one of his "roomates"/campaign aide, and there are another five young men registered to vote as living if living in his 3 bedroom ranch house.

http://www.blogactive.com/2007/05/not-just-one-voter-in-question-at-rep.html

So McHenry has a choice - voter fraud or coming out of the closet.

Which will he choose? (Or like Craig, will his choice be made for him?)

Betty wrote on August 30, 2007 10:04 AM:

Another one - where did that guy get the money to bribe Cunningham with?

Craig wrote on September 1, 2007 1:48 PM:

GOP is undeniably corrupt as ever. How are the Democrats doing in the ethics field? They should be the lesser of two evils, but my conception has always been that corruption resides in all sides of power--right and left. (Am I too cynical?)

BarnBabe wrote on September 1, 2007 4:12 PM:

You forgot Ney and Don Sherwood on the scoreboard. Sherwood ran on family values until his mistress accused him of trying to choke her. Cost him and he still ran again. Glad even some Republicans would not vote for him in a heavy Republican district. My district.

And Bob Allen is another sleeze. I do not mind the sleeze as much as the holier than thou people who are committing the sleeze. Do as I say and not what I do.

Ninong wrote on September 1, 2007 4:16 PM:

Let's not forget Rep. Don "The Pennsylvania Strangler" Sherwood, who was accused of strangling his mistress, a young woman some 40 years younger than himself. He wasn't reelected.

And how can we forget New York's Rep. John Sweeney, who liked to drag his wife around the house by her hair according to the police report. His reelection attempt failed.

And more recently, what about newly elected head of the national College Republicans, Glenn Murphy, who has been accused by a fellow YR of performing oral sex on him while he slept.

I still think Jim Gibbons in Nevada is one of the funniest ones but someone else already mentioned him.

There is a good possibility that more stuff on Sen. David Vitter will be published. It will be interesting to see what the GOP leadership does then, considering that Louisiana has a Democratic governor.