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Lawsuit Seeks to Void CA-50 Busby-Bilbray Results
“A lawsuit filed yesterday asks a judge to toss out results of the June 6 special election that saw Republican Brian Bilbray defeat Democrat Francine Busby to finish the remaining term of disgraced former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham. The lawsuit, filed at Superior Court in downtown San Diego by lawyer Paul Lehto of Everett, Wash., also asks for a recount of all ballots cast in the election in the 50th Congressional District.

“Lehto says there is no way to ensure that the voting machines used by county elections officials were not tampered with, which Registrar of Voters Mikel Haas vigorously denied. ” (SD Union-Tribune)

Libby Wants Memory Expert at Trial
“Former White House aide I. Lewis ‘Scooter’ Libby wants a memory expert to explain how he — and prosecution witnesses — may have different recollections of their conversations about a CIA officer’s identity….[The expert] can explain that contrary to what most jurors think, ‘memory does not function like a tape recorder, with memories recorded, stored and played back verbatim.'” (AP)

Offshore Tax Cheating Called “Out of Control”
“So many superrich Americans evade taxes using offshore accounts that law enforcement cannot control the growing misconduct, according to a Senate report that provides the most detailed look ever at high-level tax schemes.

“Among the billionaires cited in the report are the owner of the New York Jets football team, Robert Wood Johnson IV; the producer of the ‘Mighty Morphin Power Rangers’ children’s show, Haim Saban; and two Texas businessmen, Charles and Sam Wyly, who the Center for Public Integrity found in 2000 were the ninth-largest contributors to President Bush.”(NYTimes, AP, McClatchy)

OH Lawmaker Runs Up Legal Tab on Scandal Defense — Yet Raises No Money to Pay
“Raising money for his legal defense fund apparently has not been a priority for Rep. Bob Ney over the last three months.

“Ney, R-Heath, reported raising zero dollars from individuals and corporations in a required filing for the legal defense fund at the end of June.” (Canton Repository)

General in Prison Probe Retires
“An Army general who supervised the detention of insurgents in Iraq and ran the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, prison for terror suspects was lauded at a retirement ceremony Monday as an innovator and an exceptional leader. Maj. Gen. Geoffrey D. Miller was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, the fourth-highest Army commendation, which is for soldiers who distinguish themselves by “exceptionally meritorious service” in a “duty of great responsibility.”” (AP, Reuters, NYT)

In PA, GOP Backers Pay for Green Party Candidacy
“Thanks to the generosity of GOP donors, a Green Party candidate is expected to make it onto the ballot in Pennsylvania’s Senate race and siphon votes away from Democratic front-runner Bob Casey in his bid to unseat Republican Sen. Rick Santorum.

“While Santorum said Monday that he would welcome another candidate on the ballot, Casey’s campaign accused Republicans of ‘trying to steal the election.’

“Green Party candidate Carl Romanelli, making his first bid for statewide elective office, acknowledged Monday that Republican contributors probably supplied most of the $100,000 that he said he spent gathering signatures to qualify for the Nov. 7 ballot.” (AP)

Outback Buys Santorum Lunch, Gets Lucky Afterwards
“If the current [minimum wage] bill become law, thousands of the hardest-working Americans — restaurant wait staffers, in particular, and others who collect substantial tips — in a number of states will be getting a pay cut! Who wins here? Big restaurant chains like the Outback Steakhouses, of Bloomin’ Onion fame, which was pushing for this very change in the federal law at the same time it was throwing a big-fundraiser for that measure’s most prominent backer in the Senate, Pa. Sen. Rick Santorum — a fundraiser that was held within hours, by the way, of his now infamous trip to Terri Schiavo’s hospice.” (Attytood)

Pre-War Intelligence Report Will Likely Be Released After November
“The section [of the congressional investigation into prewar intelligence on Iraq] most Democrats have sought, however, is not yet in draft form and might not emerge until after the November election, staffers said. That section will examine the administration’s deliberations over prewar intelligence and whether its public presentation of the threat reflected the evidence senior officials reviewed in private.” (WaPo)

NSA Whistleblower Now Silent
“NSA whistleblower Russell Tice sent out an email today informing the media and friends that he had been advised by his own lawyers not to talk on matters of the National Security Agency and most recently the federal grand jury subpoena that was served on him.” (ABC)

Security and Financial Issues Hamper Reconstruction Effort
“A United States federal oversight agency has raised serious new questions about the security, financial support and staffing for the teams that the United States is creating to lead the next phase of its reconstruction program in Iraq.” (NYT)

9/11 Trial Exhibits Posted on Website
“Photographs of the carnage of Sept. 11 and tape-recorded final phone calls from victims in the World Trade Center were posted Monday by a federal court, a total of 1,202 exhibits from the Zacarias Moussaoui trial.” (AP)

Investigators Find Weaknesses in Munitions Storage on Forest Service Land
“Terrorists could arm themselves with howitzers, recoilless rifles and explosives stashed on Forest Service land, federal investigators fear. The weapons and munitions are stored in 335 sites nationwide, including a number in California and other Western states. Ski resorts and federal land managers use the equipment to blast boulders and control avalanches. ” (McClatchy)

Lobbying Bill Back on Table?
“Even as any remaining momentum appears to have drained from their drive to overhaul lobbying and ethics rules, House and Senate Republican leaders will try to salvage an agreement on the issue over the August recess.” (Roll Call, sub. req.)

Frist Keeps Role On Foundation Board to Himself
“[Senator Bill] Frist [R-TN] and his wife are the sole trustees in charge of a family foundation bearing the senator’s name, according to Internal Revenue Service forms. However, he has not been listing that position on his Senate disclosure forms, which are made public every year. Annual forms detailing lawmakers’ personal finances are supposed to list all positions members of Congress hold outside government. Those include unpaid posts such as serving as a director or trustee of a nonprofit.” (AP)

Democratic Hopeful Helped By Uncle’s New Trial Date
“Attorney Michael Scholl said the trial [of former state senator John Ford (D-TN)], originally scheduled for Oct. 2, has been reset for Feb. 5. Scholl said the rescheduling had nothing to do with the fact that Ford’s nephew, Harold Ford Jr., is running for the U.S. Senate. The original trial date would have put the matter in court during the final weeks before the Nov. 7 election.” (AP)

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