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The Daily Muck
The President's questionable pocket veto of the 2008 Defense Authorization Act has left the future of some military bonuses uncertain. Until the bill - which provides funding for bonuses - becomes law, the bonuses for the Army and Air Force will not be guaranteed, although they are expected to be paid retroactively. (Army Times, Air Force Times)
Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman will have to stay in prison while he appeals his conviction for bribery and obstruction of justice, a federal judge ruled Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Mark Fuller argued that Siegelman's conviction was not likely to be overturned. (Birmingham News)
The criminal inquiry into the CIA's destruction of interrogation videotapes is pitting the FBI against the CIA. Agents from the FBI, which has been critical of the CIA's interrogation practices, are leading the investigation. (New York Times)
Despite Hans von Spakovsky's resignation from the Federal Elections Committee, the White House says that his nomination for the FEC is still active in the Senate and has not been withdrawn. (The Politico)
Defense lawyers in the Cyril Wecht case are objecting to the prosecution's motion to drop 43 of the 84 charges against their client. Wecht's lawyers, who've argued that the case is politically motivated, say that the move will "prevent the defense from using the dismissed counts as an example of charges inadequately investigated before being made." (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood is challenging Gov. Haley Barbour's decision to schedule the special election to fill Trent Lott's (R-MS) former seat in the Senate to coincide with next fall's presidential election. Hood's complaint, filed in Circuit Court, argues that Mississippi law requires the special election to be held within 90 days of the official announcement of the vacancy. (USA Today)
A federal judge denied bail to the five men accused of plotting an attack on Fort Dix, N.J. Defense lawyers had requested that the men be released so that they could spend more time preparing for their defense, but the judge ruled that a new detention center policy allows them enough time to review the evidence against them. (USA Today)
Indicted Orange County Sheriff Michael Carona will return to work Monday. Carona took a 60-day paid leave of absence after being indicted by a federal grand jury on corruption charges last November. (Los Angeles Times)
Comments (2)
modmom wrote on January 4, 2008 2:01 PM:RE: JUDGE FULLER IN FORMER GOV DON SIEGELMAN'S CASE:
Harper's has an informative article on Judge Fuller:
The recusal motion rested upon details about Fuller’s personal business interests. On February 22, 2007, defense attorneys obtained information that Judge Fuller held a controlling 43.75% interest in government contractor Doss Aviation, Inc. After investigating these claims for over a month, the attorneys filed a motion for Fuller’s recusal on April 18, 2007. The motion stated that Fuller’s total stake in Doss Aviation was worth between $1-5 million, and that Fuller’s income from his stock for 2004 was between $100,001 and $1 million dollars.
In other words, Judge Fuller likely made more from his business income, derived from U.S. Government contracts, than as a judge. Fuller is shown on one filing as President of the principal business, Doss Aviation, and his address is shown as One Church Street, Montgomery, Alabama, the address of the Frank M. Johnson Federal Courthouse, in which his chambers are located.
-snip
http://www.harpers.org/archive/2007/08/hbc-90000762
Tayor Hicks wrote on January 6, 2008 9:53 PM:“BUSH HAS TURN THE WHITE HOUSE INTO A DEN OF THIEVES”
President Bush, Vice President Cheney and their executioner Lieutenant Rove have disregarded the values so cherished by the Republican Party. Their ideology have been to channel millions of dollars to those party members who have pledged total absolute loyalty to the Bush administration. This includes creating/channeling campaign funds for their elections, making appointments of the undeserving and/or unqualified boot lickers to high Federal offices and awarding large military/government contracts to thousands of companies that are owned directly or indirectly by his supporters. Many of these contracting companies are sham organizations and/or have no accountability.
We in the “South Eastern States” have surely suffered the most from the presidency of Bush. We are facing a very serious dilemma; we have a new strain of government corruption that is immune to the antibodies of the justice system as defined by the constitution which incudes: (a) Election fraud, (b) political favors for illegal campaign contributions (large oil companies, Tobacco Companies, Gambling Casinos, etc.), ( c) corrupt Bush appointed U.S Attorneys that spend millions of dollars profiling high ranking Democrats so that their offices can be freed up for a Bush operative and (d) Bush appointed U.S. Judges that removes the threat of a political comeback by giving maximum sentences with appeal denials and highly restricted correspondence.