Admin Official Gave No-Bid Contract to Friend’s Company
“The chief of the U.S. General Services Administration attempted to give a no-bid contract to a company founded and operated by a longtime friend, sidestepping federal laws and regulations.” (The Washington Post)
Stevens Steered Money to Shady Nonprofit
“The $450,000 of federal grant money that a grand jury charged former [Fairbanks] Mayor Jim Hayes and his wife, Chris, with misusing came from congressional earmarks provided by their longtime friend, Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska.” (The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner)
New CIA Rules to Stifle Information
The CIA is proposing a new process for Freedom of Information Act requests that seems designed to discourage them. (Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington)
House Resolution to Protect Pages
The House introduced a bipartisan resolution designed to protect pages from inappropriate contact with lawmakers. Written in the wake of the Mark Foley scandal, it “requires regular meetings of the House Page Board, which oversees the program, and adds members including a former page and a parent of a current or former page.” (AP)
Bush’s Unpopularity Delays Libby Trial
The Bush administration is so unpopular that it’s getting in the way of the Scooter Libby leak trial. The presiding judge is “putting more potential jurors on standby. . . because so many people have been dismissed, mostly because of strong feelings against the Bush administration and the Iraq war.” (AP)
Ethics Bill Passes Senate
Yesterday, the Senate easily passed far-reaching ethics legislation (96-2). Under the new rules, “senators will give up gifts and free travel from lobbyists, pay more for travel on corporate jets and make themselves more accountable for the pet projects they insert into bills.” (AP)
Ohio Election Workers Charged with ’04 Misconduct
“Three county elections workers conspired to avoid a more thorough recount of ballots in the 2004 presidential election, a prosecutor told jurors during opening statements yesterday.” The workers are not charged with preempting a thorough recount for political reasons, but rather because they did not want to take the time to follow the proper procedures. (AP)
Administration Presses Ahead with Lax War Crimes Rules
Hearsay and coerced testimony will be allowed in war crimes proceedings against terror detainees. On Thursday, the Pentagon sent Congress a war crimes manual that will also allow the president to order executions. Read the manual here. (McClatchy Newspapers)
Lawmakers Want More Info on Domestic Surveillance Program
On Thursday, lawmakers demanded more information on the new rules that will govern the National Security Agency’s domestic surveillance program. Bush had previously argued that his administration alone controlled the program, but on Wednesday announced that he had changed his mind and that it would now fall under the purview of the courts. (The New York Times)
