Free Republic

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A leading District of Columbia businessman was charged on Monday in a campaign finance conspiracy that has tarnished the U.S. capital's Democratic mayor and overshadowed his bid for a second term. The charges against Jeffrey Thompson, once a major government contractor, are a much-anticipated development in a federal investigation that began with an examination of Mayor Vincent Gray's 2010 campaign and then expanded. Thompson is accused of conspiring to violate federal and local campaign finance laws and of submitting false reports to the Internal Revenue Service, according to a 10-page charging document. Thompson was scheduled to appear...

Rival campaigns’ plan of attack for Anthony Weiner: Hit him where it hurts The city’s mayoral hopefuls are sharpening their knives — and Anthony Weiner better be ready to answer the hard questions about his sexting scandal. Sources in the camps of several campaigns said they have been in dirt-digging overdrive ever since the shamed former congressman hinted he was eyeing a mayoral run that would pit him against an already crowded field, including Christine Quinn, Joe Lhota, Bill de Blasio and Bill Thompson. Potential rivals are aggressively compiling dossiers and detailed lists of questions about the Democrat’s three-year foray...

The blog And So It Goes in Shreveport notes that a petition to recall Senator Mary Landrieu has been accepted for filing by the Louisiana Secretary of State. Citizens have 180 days to file enough signatures to get this on a ballot: "Via Caught Him With a Corndog, there is an active petition to recall Senator Mary Landrieu: 'On Dec. 29, a recall petition was filed by Ruben Leblanc of New Iberia, for the recall of Mary Landrieu. Sec. of State Jay Darden stated that he WILL accept the filing.' Kinda like chicken fried bacon, this limited time offer won't...