Free Republic

A former American diplomat who served as a U.S. ambassador to Bolivia has been arrested and accused of secretly serving as an agent of Cuba’s government, according to The Associated Press. Officials say Manuel Rocha, 73, was arrested in Miami on Friday on a criminal complaint. According to sources, more details about the case are expected to be made public at a court appearance Monday. One of the two people who came forward with the complaint said the Justice Department case accuses Rocha of working to promote the Cuban government’s interests.

U.S. Judge Reduces 'Va. Jihad' Sentences New Terms Still Called 'Draconian' By Jerry Markon Washington Post Staff Writer Saturday, July 30, 2005 A federal judge yesterday reduced the sentences of three members of a "Virginia jihad network," ordering the resentencings to comply with a recent Supreme Court ruling that allowed judges more discretion on such issues. U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema was pleased that she had the chance to lessen sentences she had criticized as excessive...

Five-and-a-half years after being convicted of providing material support for terrorism, terror lawyer Lynne Stewart finally received a sentence commensurate with her crime. She was resentenced last week to 10 years. But if George Soros had his way, she would be free today. Stewart made a career out of defending street criminals and terrorists, including Sammy "The Bull" Gravano (pleaded guilty), Weather Underground terrorist David J. Gilbert (convicted), and Larry Davis (acquitted of wounding six policemen and killing several others in 1986, only to be convicted of a later murder and killed in prison). It should have come as...

<p>WASHINGTON (AP) The government has filed civil charges against former Fannie Mae chief executive Franklin Raines, former chief financial officer Timothy Howard and former controller Leanne Spencer.</p>

The original mega-thread: CIA Fires Officer For Leaking Classified Information to Media I think this is as big as rathergate.   Dana Priest's Pulitzer has just turned to dust. Not only that,  the Pulitzer's are finally dust themselves...it is up to us and others to find out, because  the Drive-By Media will ignore the story. Let's Play Connect the Dots Let’s connect some dots in the Mary McCarthy CIA leak tale, shall we? (Hat tip: WordWarp).Mary McCarthy leaks the secret CIA prisons story to Dana Priest, in what may have been a sting operation.Mary McCarthy and Joe Wilson served at the...

Federal judge says Michigan must count provisional ballots in wrong precincts 10/19/2004, 6:15 p.m. ET By DAVID EGGERT The Associated Press LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan voters who cast ballots in the wrong polling precinct but are in the right city, township or village on Nov. 2 must have their votes for president and Congress counted, a federal judge ruled Tuesday. U.S. District Judge David Lawson nullified the state's decision to not count provisional ballots unless voters show up in the correct precinct — despite objections from Republican Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land and the U.S. Justice Department. Provisional,...

The uniformed leaders of the U.S. military believe they have persuaded the Pentagon's civilian leadership to put off an invasion of Iraq until next year at the earliest and perhaps not to do it at all, according to senior Pentagon officials. The Joint Chiefs of Staff have waged a determined behind-the-scenes campaign to persuade the Bush administration to reconsider an aggressive posture toward Iraq in which war was regarded as all but inevitable. This included a secret briefing at the White House earlier this month for President Bush by Army Gen. Tommy R. Franks, who as head of the Central...

The Office of Personnel Management is reviewing the shift of 17 Clinton-era political appointees to the career civil service, according to a new General Accounting Office report. While career civil servants are hired using merit system principles based on fair and open competition, political appointees serve at the pleasure of the agency head. Such appointees are responsible for supporting and advocating the current administration's political agenda. When the administration changes, incumbents in these jobs usually have to resign. The practice of political appointees converting to career jobs, or “burrowing in,” is not uncommon. However, competitive positions in agencies are occasionally...