Free Republic

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters Thursday that she was not aware of any allegations of misconduct against Rep. Eric Massa, a day after the freshman Democrat from New York announced his retirement from Congress. Massa told reporters Wednesday that he is retiring for health reasons. He has non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. But House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D) said Wednesday night that Massa was also facing an ethics investigation over allegations of misconduct. Hoyer did not detail the allegations of misconduct but said his office became aware of them nearly a month ago. Pelosi (D) said that she had not...

It has been more than four years since Jacob Kiferbaum pleaded guilty in a kickback scheme involving a hospital that needed state approval for a construction project, one of the earliest corruption scandals under former Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Kiferbaum, though, has yet to spend a day in prison. The north suburban construction magnate is one of 12 men convicted in Illinois political corruption cases who still await sentencing months -- in some cases, years -- after their convictions. The lone exception among them: Tony Rezko, who was a major campaign fund-raiser for Blagojevich, among other politicians. Like the others, Rezko...

A spokesman for U.S. Sen. Max Baucus says the Montana Democrat was in a romantic relationship with the woman he nominated for U.S. attorney. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus was already involved with his girlfriend and former staffer when he recommended her earlier this year to become the next U.S. attorney for Montana, a spokesman said. The Montana Democrat and his former state office director Melodee Hanes began their relationship in the summer of 2008, after Baucus separated from his wife, Ty Matsdorf told The Associated Press late Friday. Baucus nominated Hanes for the U.S. attorney post in...

Remember earlier this year when the new era of hope and change was ushered into Washington, D.C. and President Barack Obama made the statement on day one his policies would “represent a clean break from business as usual"? Not so fast says Charles Krauthammer, columnist for The Washington Post and Fox News regular. Krauthammer on the Nov. 20 broadcast of Fox News “Special Report with Bret Baier” explained that a certain provision put into to the Senate version of health care legislation to favor undecided Democratic senators, specifically Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., represents a different brand of politics from what...

Former Congressman William Jefferson, the New Orleans Democrat with bribery cash hidden in his freezer, was sentenced Friday to 13 years in prison, the longest-ever for a Member of Congress on a corruption charge -- yet the CBS Evening News didn't utter a word about it, just as that newscast ignored his August conviction, while ABC's World News didn't bother to mention his party affiliation. NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams noted Jefferson's party in this short item: “Former Louisiana Democratic Congressman William Jefferson made headlines a while back when the FBI found $90,000 in cash hidden in his freezer....