Four former Abu Ghraib prisoners can sue CACI – the defense contractor responsible for their containment, a federal judge ruled Thursday. The alleged torture victims were held at the military prison in Iraq, which has been widely accused of using harsh interrogation tactics after disturbing images of torture surfaced in 2004, before being released without charges. The Arlington, VA-based defense contractor claimed immunity from prosecution, but U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee said he would not accept its claim that interrogation oversight ensured that torture could not have occurred. (Associated Press)
The Obama administration took a step towards strengthening the Freedom of Information Act Thursday. Attorney General Eric Holder released a set of guidelines asking federal agencies to release records to the public unless it would result in significant legal harm. Under the Bush administration, the Justice Department’s policy regarding the release of records was much more restrictive — any legal argument for keeping records from the public was accepted, according to the Associated Press. Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee Pat Leahy (D-VT) called this “a fresh and welcomed start to the new era of government responsibility.” (Associated Press)
A group of former aides to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is expected to testify in the corruption case of Fraser Verrusio, a former staffer on the committee, who was recently indicted in connection with the Jack Abramoff investigation. Verrusio is charged with accepting an expensive trip to the 2003 World Series courtesy of lobbyists tied to Abramoff. Prosecutors restricted Verrusio’s contact with the four former aides, suggesting that he would be “naturally inclined” to discuss the case. Verrusio is the eighteenth person associated with Abramoff to be charged. (Roll Call)
Two top aides to former New York State Comptroller Alan Hevesi were arrested Thursday on 123 counts of money laundering, corruption, and bribery. An SEC report accuses Henry Morris of accepting more than $15 million in “finders fees,” but says that he “was rarely, if ever, paid for providing legitimate finding or placement services.” The SEC also accuses David J. Loglisci of referring clients interested in managing New York pension funds to Morris, one of his close colleagues. Morris and Loglisci allegedly asked clients to make payments to offshore accounts owned by Morris. (Wall Street Journal)
Local officials in southeastern Kentucky have been indicted for rigging elections, federal authorities said Thursday. The indictment accuses a Clay County judge, school superintendent and county clerk of taking money from candidates to bribe voters and incorrectly entering votes in electronic polling machines. The investigation says that the officials operated as old fashioned “political bosses,” recruiting candidates to run for local office and manipulating the system to get them elected. The investigation began after voting irregularities surfaced following the 2006 election. (Associated Press)
Lobbying Madness! After spending months agonizing over their picks, the Center for Responsive Politics released its NCAA bracket this Thursday – based entirely on each University’s lobbying power. For each matchup, the University with the most sway in Washington gets the win. All teams totaled, higher education spent $75 million in Washington lobbying last year. In the championship game, according to the bracket, SUNY Binghamton crushes USC $1,820,000 to $880,000. (Center for Responsive Politics)
