http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/110th/ en-us Sat, 20 Jun 2009 16:09:18 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2275878/posts The first week of former Rep. William Jefferson’s (D-La.) corruption trial was dominated by testimony from the head of a telecommunications firm who said he paid thousands of dollars to the lawmaker for his influence. Kentucky businessman Vernon Jackson said Jefferson used his office to secure multimillion-dollar deals for the telecommunications firm iGate, and enriched himself in the process. Jackson is a star witness for the prosecution, which claims Jefferson used his office to help iGate in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes. Jefferson faces a maximum of 235 years in prison if convicted on all counts.... The Hill http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2275878/posts#comment Sat, 20 Jun 2009 16:09:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2269176/posts Key witness will not testify against former Rep. William Jeffersonby Bruce Alpert, The Times-Picayune Wednesday June 10, 2009, 5:26 PM ALEXANDRIA, VA. -- Lori Mody, the Virginia businesswoman who was expected to be the government's star witness in the federal corruption trial of former Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, will not be called to testify for the prosecution, lawyers said today. The judge was informed of the government's decision during a bench conference this morning that was not immediately made public. "We do not intend to call Lori Mody in our case in chief," lead prosecutor Mark Lytle said without... NOLA http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2269176/posts#comment Thu, 11 Jun 2009 00:01:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2266687/posts Money Stashed in Freezer Is Key in Jefferson TrialBy Allison Klein Washington Post Staff Writer Sunday, June 7, 2009 The bribery and fraud case of former U.S. representative William J. Jefferson involves business ventures in seven West African nations, 16 criminal counts and a high-stakes legal battle over the raid of his Washington office. But when the trial begins Tuesday in Alexandria federal court, the case will be summed up to jurors with this key question: "Do you know the case of the congressman with the money in the freezer?" After nine terms in office, the Louisiana Democrat is most... Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2266687/posts#comment Sun, 7 Jun 2009 17:13:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2256272/posts The vice president can't complain if Republicans object to Obama's Supreme Court nominee. Vice President Joe Biden is widely praised for the expertise he brings in helping Barack Obama choose a replacement for retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter. Having served for three decades on the Senate Judiciary Committee, he is considered an asset both for his relationships with committee members and his familiarity with the nuts and bolts of judicial nominations. So let's have a look at how the confirmation process actually fared under Mr. Biden's leadership. As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Mr. Biden was present... The Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2256272/posts#comment Fri, 22 May 2009 14:30:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2240565/posts Who are the richest senators of the 110th congress? Names like Rockefeller and Clinton weren’t surprising but a few others were. What was a little surprising is the fact that the top 4 wealthiest senators are Democrats. And I thought the Republicans were the “rich, white guys”. We took the top 15 and listed their minimum and maximum net worth. We listed the Minimum Net Worth and a Maximum Net Worth because the disclosure forms that they are required to file don’t require exact amounts. 1 Herb Kohl (D-Wis) $219,098,029 $234,549,004 2 John Kerry (D-Mass) $165,741,511 $235,262,100 3 Jay Rockefeller... About Politics http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2240565/posts#comment Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:03:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2233912/posts Back in the fall, you would have thought from the media coverage of the TARP debate and its eventual passage that some sort of crime had been committed when the House didn't pass it the first time around. "CBS Evening News" anchor Katie Couric demanded to know from House Minority Leader John Boehner, "What in the world are you people doing?" on her Sept. 29 broadcast. However, there was a side to this that people never were allowed to realize behind closed doors during the debate, as Fox News host Glenn Beck explained. The "Glenn Beck Show" host on his... NewsBusters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2233912/posts#comment Tue, 21 Apr 2009 01:29:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2224078/posts <p>A federal judge says in 25 years on the bench he's never seen anything as bad as the government's mishandling of the Ted Stevens corruption trial.</p> <p>U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan is expected to dismiss charges against the former Alaska senator on Tuesday. At a court hearing, Sullivan opened with a stinging summary of the many times the government withheld evidence or mishandled witnesses in the case.</p> Associated Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2224078/posts#comment Tue, 7 Apr 2009 14:51:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2223280/posts A federal judge yesterday ordered the Justice Department to give him documents concerning allegations of misconduct by the team that prosecuted former senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) on corruption charges. The order by U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan comes days after the Justice Department said it would ask Sullivan to throw out Stevens's conviction and indictment....During Stevens's trial, Sullivan repeatedly chastised prosecutors for their handling of witnesses and evidence. A jury convicted the senator in October of lying on financial disclosure forms to hide gifts and free home renovations. But since then, an FBI agent has filed a whistleblower complaint... Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2223280/posts#comment Mon, 6 Apr 2009 14:19:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2222812/posts How about a nice cozy job as U.S. Attorney for the state of Massachusetts? Never know, but it doesn’t hurt to ask! From an article written February 12, 2009: “A former Springfield prosecutor who rocketed to a high-ranking spot in the U.S. Justice Department is vying for the top law enforcement job in Massachusetts….” “Welch, a registered Democrat [emphasis added], served in the Springfield U.S. Attorney’s office from 1995 to 2006, where he built a reputation as a brainy, unrelenting prosecutor….” “Historically, the senior senator [Fat Sir Teddy] from the president’s party picks nominees for U.S. Attorney and other senior... http://news.google.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2222812/posts#comment Sun, 5 Apr 2009 17:51:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2220405/posts Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch said Wednesday his friend and former colleague Ted Stevens was "screwed" by the United States Justice Department, hours after Attorney General Eric Holder announced he was dropping all charges against the former Alaska senator. "Here's a guy who gave better than 60 years service to the country and was screwed," Hatch told reporters on Capitol Hill. "Screwed by our own Justice Department." Hatch went on to praise Holder for dropping the charges and "fixing this foul situation." cnn http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2220405/posts#comment Thu, 2 Apr 2009 02:46:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2220431/posts Last fall, the senior Senator from Alaska was the poster octogenarian for political corruption. As of yesterday, Ted Stevens is merely another casualty of abusive prosecutors out to make a name for themselves. The Justice Department yesterday moved to set aside an October conviction on ethics charges and forgo any future trials for Senator Stevens. He walks free, in other words, an innocent man. In the motion, Justice said it "recently discovered" that prosecutors withheld from the defense notes about an interview last April with the state's star witness, Bill Allen, that contradicted his subsequent testimony. Under the Brady Rule... The Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2220431/posts#comment Thu, 2 Apr 2009 03:30:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2220193/posts FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 09-70 Governor Comments on Dismissal of Charges Against Stevens April 1, 2009, Juneau, Alaska - Governor Sarah Palin today released the following statement in response to the dismissal of the indictment against former U.S. Senator Ted Stevens: “Senator Stevens deserves to be very happy today. What a horrible thing he has endured. The blatant attempts by adversaries to destroy one’s reputation, career and finances are an abuse of our well-guarded process and violate our God-given rights afforded in the Constitution. It is a frightening thing to contemplate what we may be witnessing here – the undermining... Office of the Governor of the State of Alaska http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2220193/posts#comment Wed, 1 Apr 2009 21:50:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2216369/posts President Obama continued collecting money for his 2010 Senate re-election campaign even after he resigned his seat from Illinois, including a maximum $2,300 donation the day after Christmas from a top executive of a Wall Street firm that had received a government bailout. Four contributions - $4,800 in all - were donated to the Obama 2010 fund on Dec. 26, according to Federal Election Commission reports. The money came from some of Mr. Obama's top presidential fundraisers: Bruce A. Heyman, managing director at Goldman Sachs, which received a $10 billion bailout last year; Steven Koch, vice chairman at Credit Suisse... Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2216369/posts#comment Fri, 27 Mar 2009 19:47:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2209183/posts Despite contrary news reports, sources in the Obama administration insist they did not know until just last week that AIG was paying employees big bonuses. But it doesn't matter when they figured it out, said Arizona Senator John McCain. The Republican senator told the Fox News Channel the real screw-up is that the bonuses were allowed. "What's this, the fourth package that they've gotten of tens of billions of dollars and there was a provision, I'm told, that was an attempt to limit executive compensation and that was killed." KTAR News Talk FM 92.3 Phoenix, Ariz. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2209183/posts#comment Wed, 18 Mar 2009 16:26:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2208491/posts Obama Received a $101,332 Bonus from AIG Posted by Dan Spencer Tuesday, March 17th 1 Comment Senator Barack Obama received a $101,332 bonus from American International Group in the form of political contributions according to Opensecrets.org. The two biggest Congressional recipients of bonuses from the A.I.G. are - Senators Chris Dodd and Senator Barack Obama. The A.I.G. Financial Products affiliate of A.I.G. gave out $136,928, the most of any AIG affiliate, in the 2008 cycle. I would note that A.I.G.’s financial products division is the unit that wrote trillions of dollars’ worth of credit-default swaps and “misjudged” the risk. The... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2208491/posts#comment Tue, 17 Mar 2009 19:38:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2202871/posts WASHINGTON (Reuters) - California's attorney general is reviewing a request by former employees of IndyMac Bancorp Inc to investigate whether a New York senator triggered the bank's collapse by releasing confidential information. At issue is a much-publicized letter that Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, sent in June to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (FDIC) and Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS) questioning the company's ability to survive. The FDIC took control of IndyMac on July 11 after depositors withdrew more than $1.3 billion over 11 days. It was the third-largest bank failure in U.S. history. At the time, OTS Director John Reich... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2202871/posts#comment Mon, 9 Mar 2009 23:26:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2198595/posts The Role of Congress in the Recession of 2008 If we can but prevent the government from wasting the labours of the people, under the pretence of taking care of them, they must become happy. Their finances are now under such a course of application as nothing could derange but war or federalism. The gripe of the latter has shown itself as deadly as the jaws of the former. Thomas Jefferson, 29 November 1802 In 2008, the United States would enter a recession that was 32 years in the making. Actions taken by congress starting in 1977 would begin the... Myself http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2198595/posts#comment Wed, 4 Mar 2009 01:20:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2196896/posts Former Rep. William Jefferson has earmarks in spending billby Bruce Alpert, The Times-Picayune February 26, 2009, 5:21 PM WASHINGTON -- He is no longer a member of Congress, but former Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, is still delivering the bacon. Nearly $6 million for seven Louisiana projects sponsored or co-sponsored by Jefferson are included in a $410 billion spending bill approved by the House this week and now awaiting final legislative approval in the Senate. The spending covers the final seven months of the 2009 fiscal year for nine federal agencies. Largely put together last year, but not enacted because... NOLA http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2196896/posts#comment Sun, 1 Mar 2009 22:43:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2195059/posts WASHINGTON (AFP) – Troubled US mortgage finance giant Fannie Mae said Thursday it lost almost 60 billion dollars last year and expected to suffer more losses in 2009, and asked for a further 15.2 billion dollars in government aid. The US government-controlled Fannie Mae reported a loss of 25.2 billion dollars in the fourth quarter driven mainly by the effects of a prolonged housing slump and a global financial crisis. It had a third-quarter loss of 29.0 billion dollars. For the full year of 2008, the company posted a loss of 58.7 billion dollars, almost 27 times higher than the... AFP on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2195059/posts#comment Fri, 27 Feb 2009 01:42:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2194995/posts America's Climate Security Act of 2007 (S. 2191), sponsored by Senators Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) and John Warner (R-VA), is the latest and fastest-moving "cap and trade" bill introduced in Congress this year. All such climate change measures warrant careful scrutiny, as they would likely increase energy costs and do considerably more economic harm than environmental good. A Costly Proposition These measures would set a limit, or cap, on carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel use. The effect of such a cap would be to impose rationing of coal, oil, and natural gas on the American economy. Each covered utility, oil... The Heritage Foundation http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2194995/posts#comment Fri, 27 Feb 2009 00:26:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2192264/posts If anyone else called him “little jerk,” Sen. Lindsey Graham might be offended. But the jab comes from Sen. John McCain, so he wears it like a badge of honor. “If John’s not belittling you, you’re in trouble,” Graham said. “He calls me lots of other names, too, but they’re not appropriate for the newspaper.” McCain and Graham aren’t just friends. They’re inseparable, so much so that colleagues, staffers and journalists have begun making cracks about the relationship between the freshman senator from South Carolina and the man who would be president. Some call Graham a lapdog. Others say he... Politico http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2192264/posts#comment Mon, 23 Feb 2009 22:07:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2188431/posts In a surprising move, the Justice Department has removed the prosecution team that won the corruption conviction of former Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) from any further litigation in the case... This comes after Judge Emmet Sullivan, who presided over the Stevens trial and continues to preside over post-conviction fights over the legitimacy of those proceedings, ruled that four DOJ lawyers, including Brenda Morris, chief prosecutor in the Stevens' case, and William Welch, head of DOJ's Public Integrity Section, were in contempt for failure to comply with his orders. Sullivan has been angered by the Justice Department's unwillingness to turn over... Politico http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2188431/posts#comment Wed, 18 Feb 2009 17:59:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2187322/posts News broke last week that Rahm Emanuel, now White House chief of staff, lived rent- free for years in the home of Rep. Rosa De Lauro (D-Conn.) - and failed to disclose the gift, as congressional ethics rules mandate. But this is only the tip of Emanuel's previously undislosed ethics problems. One issue is the work Emanuel tossed the way of De Lauro's husband. But the bigger one goes back to Emanuel's days on the board of now-bankrupt mortgage giant Freddie Mac. Emanuel is a multimillionaire, but lived for the last five years for free in the tony Capitol Hill... New York Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2187322/posts#comment Tue, 17 Feb 2009 11:38:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2186533/posts Every bank has risk officers. But amid the egos and clamour of a Square Mile boardroom scenting profits, the voices of caution were all too easily drowned out.It was the ultimate proof of the City's burgeoning power over New York. At least that's what it looked like when London-based Roger Nagioff replaced Wall Street's Michael Gelband as Lehman Brothers' global head of the firm's fixed-income division in May 2007. Dick Fuld, the chairman and chief executive of Lehman Brothers, told his PR minders to portray the appointment as a sign of how his booming empire had broadened into a truly... The Observer (UK) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2186533/posts#comment Mon, 16 Feb 2009 05:03:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2184786/posts I want you to read something. It's a snatch of transcript from a Jan. 27 C-SPAN interview with Rep. Paul Kanjorski, D-Pa., that has received zero coverage in what we think of as the mainstream media. To set the C-SPAN scene, Kanjorski is harkening back to the middle of last September, when, as it happens, John McCain was enjoying his brief lead in the presidential polls and the economy as we knew it was imploding. Here's what Kanjorski said: "I was there when the Secretary (of the Treasury Hank Paulson) and the Chairman of the Federal Reserve (Ben Bernanke) came... Townhall http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2184786/posts#comment Fri, 13 Feb 2009 13:45:51 GMT