Separate Trial, Transfer of Venue Sought By Foggo
“Lawyers for former CIA official Kyle ‘Dusty’ Foggo, who is charged in a corruption case spun from the Randy âDukeâ Cunningham bribery scandal, have asked a judge to move his trial to Washington, D.C., and to allow him to be tried separately from fellow defendant Brent Wilkes. In the request for a transfer, filed in federal court this week, lawyers reasoned that the case is centered mostly in the district that includes Washington, D.C., with most of the alleged crimes occurring there.” (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Interior Department Official Resigns
“An Interior Department official who was recently rebuked for altering scientific conclusions to reduce protections for endangered species and providing internal documents to lobbyists resigned Monday, officials said. Julie A. MacDonald, a deputy assistant secretary who oversaw the Fish and Wildlife Service’s endangered species program, also faced conflict-of-interest questions in a report issued by the Interior Department’s inspector general in March.” (LA Times)
Anti-Fraud Official Faces Fraud Probe
“Johnnie Frazier, the inspector general of the U.S. Department of Commerce, is said to have rigged contract bids for cronies, fraudulently charged the government for improper travel, wasted tens of thousands of dollars on an erstwhile office remodeling and may have destroyed files that were proof of his wrongdoing, according to accounts given to lawmakers by current and former employees. As his department’s senior investigator, Frazier is supposed to ‘detect and prevent waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement’ at Commerce, according to his office’s Web site.” (ABC’s The Blotter)
Renzi Paid Feds, State over $300,000 over 2002 Investigation
“Rep. Rick Renzi paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in back taxes to settle charges that his businesses improperly financed his first campaign for office, according to documents released by federal regulators Tuesday. The Arizona Republican already faces a federal corruption probe – as well as a growing political crisis – over allegations that he tried to use legislation for land swaps in Arizona to help a former business partner.” (Arizona Central)
Zachares’ Murky Path to Capitol Hill
“This much is clear: Mark Zachares, the latest casualty of the disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff scandal, worked for a time as a staffer on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. After that, things get hazy.” (Roll Call)
Senators Wary of Bush’s Wiretap Proposal
“Citing FBI abuses and the attorney general’s troubles, senators peppered top Justice and intelligence officials Tuesday with skeptical questions about their proposal to revise the rules for spying on Americans. Senate Intelligence Committee members said the Bush administration must provide more information about its earlier domestic spying before it can hope to gain additional powers for the future.” (Associated Press)
Former World Bank Officials Detail Discord Over Wolfowitz
“Two former top officials at the World Bank have issued new statements disputing the contention of Paul D. Wolfowitz, the bank president, that they and others knew about his actions on behalf of his companion, who was employed there when he joined the bank in 2005, according to testimony released Monday night and Tuesday. The officialsâ testimony, providing new details of their conversations with Mr. Wolfowitz two years ago, laid bare the extraordinary discord at the highest levels of the bank after Mr. Wolfowitz became president.” (NY Times)
Yield Documents, Lawmaker Tells White House
âThe chairman of the House education committee asked the White House yesterday to turn over all its communications about the scandal-tarred student loan program and also Reading First, the administrationâs $1-billion-a-year reading initiative, which has been besieged by accusations of conflict of interest. The request by the lawmaker, Representative George Miller, Democrat of California, carries his inquiries into education policy-making beyond the Education Department itself and into the Bush White House.” (NY Times)
Giuliania Ties to Texas Law Firm May Pose Risk
“And a good part of Giuliani’s fundraising success in Texas stems from his affiliation with a well-established and politically connected law firm that is based in Houston and bears his name, Bracewell & Giuliani. However, that affiliation could also pose political risks, as the firm is perhaps the nationâs most aggressive lobbyist for coal-fired power plants, heavy emitters of air pollutants and carbon dioxide.” (NY Times)
Deep Pockets Can Hold Stick Details
“What’s a politician to do upon discovery that a generous billionaire donor turns out to be a major tax dodger? It’s a dilemma already encountered by the Republican and Democratic parties in this season of unprecedented political fundraising.” (LA Times)
Former Justice Official Praises McKay
“When James Comey was the second-highest-ranking official at the Justice Department, he says he had “no idea” there was an effort under way to put together a list of U.S. attorneys to fire, which ultimately included John McKay. During an interview Tuesday, Comey characterized McKay, the former U.S. attorney for Western Washington, in a way that is at odds with the Justice Department’s explanation that McKay was fired for insubordination and overly aggressive advocacy of an information-sharing plan Comey himself endorsed.” (Seattle Times)
Update: We have a few more stories to bring you way.
Fired US Attorneys to Meet in Seattle
“McKay, the ousted U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington, is now a visiting professor at the Seattle University School of Law. On May 9 he’s hosting a pair of his fellow fired federal prosecutors for a forum on the mass sackings last year.” (WaPo Capitol Briefing)
Delay’s PAC Closes Shop
“The political action committee for former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) was quietly closed last week after a decade-long run as one of the most influential – and infamous – PACs run by members of Congress. With a final $1,400 payment to the Federal Election Commission last month settling an audit dispute, Americans for a Republican Majority then filed its termination papers with the commission April 24.” (WaPo’s Capitol Briefing)
