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WSJ: After Stalling, Lewis Probe Goes on
Whatever happened to the federal investigation of Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA)?
Finally, an answer. It's been stalled, reports Scot Paltrow in The Wall Street Journal, due partly to the departure of top prosecutors from the office (including former U.S. Attorney for Los Angeles Debra Yang) and partly to budget shortages. Paltrow's piece focuses mostly on those shortages in offices across the country, the often-forgotten backdrop to the U.S. attorney firings.
The last time we checked in on Lewis, prosecutors were focusing on his relationship with his lobbyist buddy Bill Lowery, whose firm's bread-and-butter business was cashing in on its relationship to Lewis (it continues to do well). But Paltrow reports that prosecutors had also hit another vein:
From the Journal:
People with knowledge of the case said that by the time the investigation stalled in December 2006, it had branched out into other areas, including Mr. Lewis's June 2003 role in passing legislation that helped giant hedge fund Cerberus Capital Management. People associated with Cerberus around the same time gave at least $140,000 to a political action committee controlled by Mr. Lewis. Cerberus officials didn't respond to phone calls or emailed questions concerning the Lewis inquiry.Money from the PAC was distributed to Republican congressional candidates facing difficult campaigns. The largesse was credited with gaining Mr. Lewis enough support from Republican House members to be chosen as appropriations committee chairman in January 2005. In addition, federal agents were looking into whether Mr. Lewis may have improperly paid for personal expenses with PAC funds.
The interim U.S. attorney in Los Angeles tapped a veteran prosecutor to get the investigation back on its feet earlier this summer, Paltrow reports.
Note: Lewis announced today that he'll be seeking reelection for the 15th time next year.
Comments (14)
ohiomeister wrote on August 31, 2007 2:03 PM:http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-01-19-cerberus-cover_x.htm
One day after a New York investment group raised $110,000 for Republican Rep. Jerry Lewis, the House passed a defense spending bill that preserved $160 million for a Navy project critical to the firm. The man who protected the Navy money? Lewis.
moondancer wrote on August 31, 2007 2:03 PM:Champagnes on me the day this jerkoff goes to jail.
PC in TO wrote on August 31, 2007 2:08 PM:Budgetary and prosecutor shortages seems to be a common theme in reporting about high level cases ever since the DoJ attorney firing scandal broke. I wonder if anyone has looked into budget allocations for DoJ and attempted to asses the budgetary impact of the politicization at the DoJ... Were hiring priorities set to fund hiring of partisan political appointees that would watch over the activities of the various field offices and ensure that political priorities are being meet? There are numerous examples of these politically motivated priorities that include voter registration fraud, selective investigation of democratic corruption cases, boarder crossing cases, etc...
rubberpants wrote on August 31, 2007 2:32 PM:I thought congressmen stopped wearing wigs in the 1700s.
mo2 wrote on August 31, 2007 3:48 PM:Gonzales used US Attorney appointment power that Congress banned to appoint George Cardona. This indicates how important the Lewis case is to BushCo.
http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Gonzales_uses_Attorney_appointment_power_that_0614.html
Anonymous wrote on August 31, 2007 5:16 PM:Ironic, we are sending billions to an Iraqi Government that we admit is hopelesslycorrupt, yet we can't find or budget the money necessary to keep our own backyard clean.
And guess what, the politicians are the ones who make the budget. They obviously do not have the will to clean up their house of corruption.
For starters, how about a Don Young or Ted Stevens earmark for the Public Integrity division of the FBI to give them unlimited resources to investigate and prosecute any corruption in OUR government? Fat Chance.
ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© wrote on August 31, 2007 7:31 PM:May the best Democrat win!
http://www.2008racetracker.com/page/CA-41
regular lurker wrote on September 1, 2007 12:14 PM:Makes me wonder what Carol Lam was working on that they wanted scuttled.
Helena Montana wrote on September 1, 2007 3:50 PM:Why is Jerry Lewis wearing a cotton candy helmet?
westcoaster wrote on September 2, 2007 12:56 AM:Lewis only missed going to an adjoining cell with his buddy Duke Cunningham because Rove needed him during the last election. Lewis might have a reliable Republican district but there are limits to how much corruption voters will stomach. My words of advice to the new US Atty, follow the money.
bjobotts wrote on September 2, 2007 2:26 AM:Lewis isn't going to give up this cash cow before milking it for all it's worth. His friends have been busy buying off everyone connected with the investigation (million dollar signing bonus). He should at least be banned from the appropriations committee and sub-committees. I guess "zero tolerance" applies only when money is not involved.
Al in Austex wrote on September 2, 2007 3:02 AM:Cerebus - wasn't that the several headed dog that protected the nether world in Greek mythology ?Cerebus Hedge Fund - we don't have elections anymore we have auctions. I would have thought former Sec of Treasury Snowe would have been a little more discrete about threwing that much jack around -$140,000 must be pretty hard to hide. Oh wait , the Greed Over Patriotism Party must have relied on Rover's "REAL MATH " & expected to keep the Democrats from ever exercising any oversight.
Mark wrote on September 3, 2007 7:34 PM:Lewis is next in line for a bunkmate reunion with the Dukester-
And is there any chance the grand jurors might here from Ms.Yang -regarding Mr Olsen's million dollar sign up bonus paid to Ms. Yang ? Inquiring TPM regulars want to know .. just where is Mrs Penstreppon when we need her most ?
Doesn't this guy look weirdly like the 'Mission Impossible' guy, Peter Graves?
Frank wrote on September 4, 2007 9:40 AM:I want to hear from that FBI supervisor in San Diego who resigned due pressure from FBI director Meuller when that supervisor said that Carol Lam was fired because of political reasons. Getting too close to indict Lewis maybe??
What a sleazy history....Glad he is not my congressman.