The Daily MuckHouse Democrats defeated a measure to censure Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) yesterday. The bid to censure, put forward by House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH), was over Rangel’s questionable rent-stabilized housing arrangement in Harlem. At the same time, the House ethics panel announced yesterday that they plan to review Rangel’s lease and his use of congressional letterhead in solicitations donations. (AP, Politico)
A former official at the Treasury Department is the focus of a new civil complaint filed by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo against UBS. The official, David Aufhauser, is described as “Executive A” in Cuomo’s case against UBS over fraud in the auction-rate-securities market. (Wall Street Journal)
A MnDOT emergency response executive who was fired for taking an unauthorized state-funded trip to Washington directly after the Minnesota bridge collapse, was recentlyhired by the Department of Homeland Security. The former executive, Sonia Pitt, confirmed Wednesday that she is now a Transportation Security Specialist at the department. (Star Tribune)
A former employee at the Department of the Interior pleaded guilty Wednesday to violating conflict of interest laws. The employee, who worked in a division that handled billions of dollars in oil and gas money, admitted to creating a consulting position that he was later hired for. He could face five years in prison. (AP)
State Farm is awaiting a ruling from a federal judge as to whether or not they will get answers from Dickie Scruggs before he reports to prison on August 4. State Farm has been trying to get past the Scruggs “stonewall” for over a year to find out more about the relationship between Scruggs and two of their former adjusters. (Sun Herald)
A fraud suit against UBS has been dismissed by a New York Supreme Court judge. The suit alleged that UBS fraudulently earned over $100 million by abusing knowledge of the Wood River Partners fund’s trades. (Wall Street Journal)
California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. plans to sue the EPA for not regulating greenhouse gases emitted by ships, trucks, and other equipment at California’s ports. This comes soon after one of the state’s senators, Barbara Boxer (D-CA), accused the EPA director of lying on global warming issues and demanded his resignation. (LA Times)
Dickie and Zach Scruggs have been disbarred by the Mississippi Supreme Court. This decision comes soon before the two men report to prison for charges related to bribing a judge. (AP)
