Panel Said to Alter Finding on Voter Fraud
“A federal panel responsible for conducting election research played down the findings of experts who concluded last year that there was little voter fraud around the nation, according to a review of the original report obtained by The New York Times. Instead, the panel, the Election Assistance Commission, issued a report that said the pervasiveness of fraud was open to debate.” (NY Times)
McConnell Seeks to Boost US Spy Powers
“President Bush’s spy chief is pushing to expand the government’s surveillance authority at the same time the administration is under attack for stretching its domestic eavesdropping powers. National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell has circulated a draft bill that would expand the government’s powers under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, liberalizing how that law can be used.” (Associated Press)
Waxman Takes Center Stage as Chief Investigator
“The diminutive Henry A. Waxman is a towering figure on Capitol Hill these days. As chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the veteran Democratic congressman from California has broad jurisdiction and sweeping subpoena power over a wide spectrum of the federal government — and corporate America, too.” (The Politico)
CREW Wants Ethics Committee to Clarify Rules About US Attorneys
“CREW’s Executive Director Melanie Sloan sent a letter to the Chairwoman, Stephanie Tubbs Jones, and Ranking Minority Member, Doc Hastings, of the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct (the Ethics Committee) asking them to clarify the rules governing the contact between members of Congress and U.S. Attorneys. The recent controversy surrounding the firing of U.S. Attorneys has exposed several incidents of contact between members of Congress contacting prosecutors.” (CREW)
Hearing Will Address Misinformation About Military Actions
“Congressional Democrats later this month will revisit the combat death of pro football player Pat Tillman and the rescue of Jessica Lynch in a hearing intended to hold the Bush administration accountable for misinformation about military actions in Afghanistan and Iraq. Both high-profile stories tapped Americans’ sense of patriotism early in the war – Tillman’s death as an Army Ranger in Afghanistan in 2004 and the rescue of Pfc. Lynch of West Virginia in Iraq in 2003 – but the initial accounts from the Department of Defense differed substantially from what later facts proved to be the truth. ” (McClatchy Newspapers)
Shirlington Limousine Sues as DHS Decides to Cut It Out
“A Washington transportation company that was questioned in the Randy âDukeâ Cunningham investigation is on the verge of losing its contract with the Department of Homeland Security, but has gone to federal court to keep it. Shirlington Limousine and Transportation Inc. filed a lawsuit last week accusing the department of âcavingâ to âpolitical pressuresâ surrounding the Cunningham case by illegally changing its shuttle-services contract to exclude Shirlington.” (The Hill)
Feds Suggest Abramoff is Still Helping
“Signaling that the probe continues, a federal judge agreed this week to hold a new hearing that may result in less jail time for disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.” (Roll Call)
Bay Area Firm Bought Wilkes’ Building
“A San Francisco real estate investment firm has been identified as the buyer of a Poway office building formerly owned by defense contractor Brent Wilkes, who was indicted in February on charges stemming from the Rep. Randy âDukeâ Cunningham corruption case. The payment included more than $12 million to pay Wilkes’ past-due mortgage bills from his lender, Union Bank. The bank had been threatening to foreclose on the property and auction it, bank spokeswoman Joanne Curran said.” (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Far From CIA Scandal, Wilsons Settle In
“In this liberal-leaning tourist town known for its handmade turquoise-and-silver jewelry, Joseph Wilson has just bought his wife something special in a downtown shop: a red-and-blue pin that reads, ‘I’m not anti-Bush. I’m pro-intelligence.’ Wilson and his wife, outed CIA spy Valerie Plame, are finally getting a chance to unwind.” (Associated Press)
Critics Say Error in Trial Casts Doubt on Acting Attorney
“With more than 30 years of experience as a prosecutor, Jeffrey Sullivan, the acting U.S. attorney for Western Washington, should have the legal and political chops to permanently assume the position left vacant by the firing of his former boss, John McKay. But as the candidates for the post are now scrutinized, others say another side of Sullivan shouldn’t be overlooked: that he once withheld evidence that could have cleared an innocent man.” (Seattle Times)
