Free Republic

A veteran politician Rahm Emanuel named to his mayoral transition team resigned her high-level state job last summer and paid a fine for conducting political business on state time, according to a newly filed ethics report. Judy Erwin, a co-chair of Emanuel's mayoral campaign, said late Friday night that she would resign her new post on his transition team after the Tribune contacted her and the campaign. She said she hadn't informed Emanuel of the ethics violation.

In 2008 before the election bloggers New Zeal and The Big Feed discovered this photo of Barack Obama and other New Party socialists including Danny K Davis (center), on the front page of New Party News, Spring 1996: From the photo: Winners! NP-endorsed candidates Patricia Martin (far left), Danny Davis (center), and Barack Obama (far right), celebrate with Chicago New Party members Ted Thomas and Ruth Schools after their victories in the Democratic Primary last month. Because of this report the Obama camp posted this on their “Fight the Smears” website; Right-wing hatchet man and conspiracy theorist, Stanley Kurtz is...

Last night the House Ethics Committee publicly admonished Charlie Rangel, the House Ways and Means Committee Charmian for participating in junkets to the Caribbean sponsored by corporations and lobbyists and violating house rules by letting corporations pay for his Caribbean trips. One of the sponsors of the Junkets in question was Citigroup -- a banking giant whose employees and political action committee, when taken together, represent his most generous campaign donor during the past two decades. Also Opensecrets.com reports that Rangel ranks among the top all-time congressional and presidential beneficiaries of Citigroup's political donations. Rangel on the other hand, claims...

Digging into Joe the plumbers personal life to smear him, the media was quick to do. Lets see if they even report on this when they don’t have any digging to do whatsoever. Apparently, on Obama’s released tax records, he discloses income from speaking fees. The problem? Accepting payment for speaking fees when you’re a legislator is against Illinois state law Apparently, as an Illinois state legislator through 2004, Barack was prohibited from taking honoraria for speaking under the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act But what about Barack Obama’s 2000 and 2002 tax returns? 2000: On his 2000 Schedule C-EZ, Barack...

Ok, I am arguing with some liberals who keep on insisting that Republicans are having more legal problems than Democrats could ever hope to. I remember reading stats on this somewhere, but I can't find them. Any help in smoking a lib would be much appreciated. Thanks

A published report says Senator Ted Kennedy has received tax breaks on his Washington home, even though he does not qualify for the deduction. Kennedy's staff tells the Boston Herald that the senator never applied for the tax break and apparently received it in error. A spokeswoman says Kennedy plans to reimburse the District of Columbia government for the money. A review of tax and real estate records by the Kansas City Star found that Kennedy was one of 22 senators who took the so-called Homestead Exemption in 2003 and 2004. But the deduction is meant only for homeowners who...

<p>A leaked memo from the office of West Virginia Sen. Jay Rockefeller urges fellow Democrats on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence to use its probe into Iraq war planning as a staging ground to beat President Bush. It calls for an independent investigation of the president next year, timed for maximum negative impact on Mr. Bush's re-election effort.</p>