Posted on 05/25/2010 5:22:07 PM PDT by STARWISE
In yet another scandal-waiting-to-happen linked to the Obama White House, a close friend, advisor and donor of the president’s is being investigated by federal officials for allegedly misusing public funds on faith-based minority outreach programs while he ran the State of Illinois’ health department.
With Obama pal Dr. Eric Whitaker at the helm, Illinois spent millions of taxpayer dollars on highly questionable publicity campaigns to educate African-American and other minorities about common diseases such as AIDS and Herpes in their communities.
Dr. Whitaker was the powerful director of the Illinois Department of Public Health from 2003 to 2007, thanks to a recommendation from his good friend Obama who at the time was a state senator, claims public-interest law group Judicial Watch..
The federal investigation into Whitaker’s minority health programs has been kept under wraps by the Obama Administration but a Chicago newspaper revealed details after obtaining records under the state’s Freedom of Information Act.
However, the leftist President's sycophants within the national news media continue to cover up misdeeds of "all the President's men -- and women."
Federal grand jury subpoenas obtained by Chicago's local newspaper disclose that the investigation involves “faith-based initiatives” and health-awareness campaigns funded by the Health Department when Whitaker ran the health agency for the criminally indicted former Illinois Governor-turned court jester Rod Blagojevich.
Among the organizations and individuals subpoenaed are Brothers and Sisters United Against HIV/AIDS for running a taxpayer-funded $2.5 million “social marketing effort” to fight AIDS in the African-American community, and a now-defunct nonprofit that got nearly $2 million to conduct AIDS awareness.
In addition, The Chicago chapter of the National Black Nurses’ Association, which received $905,000, is being probed and Whitaker’s electronic mails and other records have been subpoenaed.
Whitaker defends his work at the health department, claiming that he developed “new methods” to help minorities get better medical care.
He says the faith-based outreach programs under scrutiny have been nationally recognized as models for increasing awareness and preparedness planning for minority populations.
When Whitaker worked at the Medical Center from the Illinois Department of Public Health, he had served as Director since 2003 -- overseeing 3 state labs, 7 regional offices, 200 programs, 1,200 employees and a $420 million budget.
Under his direction, from 2003 to 2007, the agency brought a new level of commitment to public health, with special emphasis on emerging issues such as bioterrorism and emergency preparedness, as well as health disparities, patient safety and creation of the Illinois Regenerative Medicine Institute to support stem cell research.
"Whitaker is a clever fundraiser. He knew that after the 9-11 terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, DC there would be an enormous amount of money for research in bioterrorism and emergency medicine.
And he personally knew the people with the purse-strings in Illinois and Washington, DC," said former New York detective and intelligence officer Sid Franes, an African-American.
A self-proclaimed expert on minority health issues, he is in his own words, "country doc" for some of the Chicago's poorest communities.
Whitaker gained national attention as founder and director of Project Brotherhood: A Black Men's Clinic. In 1998, he developed a new clinical model for African-American males that combined health care and disease prevention with vocational and spiritual guidance, all in the setting of a barbershop.
Using the lure of free haircuts to bring in African-American men -- who despite high rates of preventable disease and premature death tend not to seek regular medical care -- this widely recognized south side clinic brought primary care services, health advice, wellness programs, and emotional and spiritual support to thousands of black men.
A member of Obama’s tight-knit circle of friends from Chicago’s Hyde Park, Whitaker resigned as Illinois health chief in 2007 to join Michelle Obama as an executive at the University of Chicago.
In 2008, according to Judicial Watch, Whitaker was a fixture within Obama’s presidential campaign and was considered a valued advisor who also helped the then-senator relieve stress with pickup basketball games during campaign stops.
Whitaker and Obama have remained close since meeting during graduate school at Harvard and the doctor has donated money -- along with radicals such as Bill Ayers -- to Obama's political campaigns.
~~~~~~~~
Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police and he's a columnist for The Examiner (examiner.com) and New Media Alliance (thenma.org). In addition, he's a blogger for the Cheyenne, Wyoming Fox News Radio affiliate KGAB (www.kgab.com). Kouri also serves as political advisor for Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor Michael Moriarty.
He's former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations.
He's also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country. Kouri writes for many police and security magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer and others.
He's a news writer and columnist for AmericanDaily.Com, MensNewsDaily.Com, MichNews.Com, and he's syndicated by AXcessNews.Com. Kouri appears regularly as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Fox News Channel, Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, etc.
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Shocking !
~~Blago trial, unless his delay request is
granted, begins June 3. Tick, tick, tick ....
Isn't that just like community organizing?
Ping.
That's about as far as I could get with the article.....LOL!
Are you becoming familiar with Shore Bank in Chicago, and the web of criminal scams linked through that bank, including that ‘bank’ being the prime conduit for ‘faith based inititative funding’? Even GE got into donating thirty million to prevent the bank from being taken over by the fed and looking at their criminal activites.
sure is a lot of scam going on ....can government be so stupid? YES!
Very ...
Obastard could grant him a pardon and shut him up.
This is just the tip of the iceberg.
Pictures of Whitaker and Barry playing golf and vacationing together on Martha’s Vineyard August 2009.
http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/bUbgs15bjU0/Obama+Begins+Vacation+Martha+Vineyard/Rs9eDp5y6EH/Eric+Whitaker
Pictures of Barry and Whitaker together in Hawaii in Dec 2008
http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/aBKV9TttNfz/Barack+Obama+Enjoys+Hawaiian+Vacation+Family/bL—t0fnM0D/Eric+Whitaker
Whitaker was golfing with Barry in North Carolina April 24, 2010 -after the oil spill
http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2010/04/obama_golfs_obama_hikes_bush_b.html
Whitaker golfing with Barry in Hawaii last December
http://www.wtsp.com/news/custom/story.aspx?storyid=121148&catid=20
Barry played with Whitaker at Fort Belvoir on October 25, 2009
http://www.ketknbc.com/news/obama-matches-bush-golf-rounds
Good grief. These damn people.
Thugs and thieves.
They’re tighter than canned sardines.
btrl
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