Katrina Audit Shows Fraud, Abuse
$68,500 worth of unused dog booties!
“The Homeland Security Department wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars last year on iPods, dog booties, beer-making equipment and designer jackets, congressional investigators have concluded. More than 100 laptop computers and a dozen boats also bought by Homeland Security employees are missing, the investigators found. Poor training, lax oversight and rampant confusion over what employees are allowed to buy with government-issued purchase cards left Homeland Security “vulnerable to fraud, waste and abuse,” according to a draft report by the Government Accountability Office, Congress’ investigative and auditing arm.” (AP, NYT)
Beirut As New Orleans?
“Cable TV continues to focus on the Middle East, with correspondents reporting from various points around the region…. There was a lot of talk on the U.S. policy requiring Americans in Lebanon to pay an evacuation fee. And the images of Americans waiting to be evacuated brought comparisons to Hurricane Katrina….” (Hotline – and here’s a timeline of American evacuation efforts)
Rolling the Dice
“It seems House Resources Chairman Richard Pombo (R-Calif.) had a touch of gambling fever but didnât want to risk luck (or the media) not being a lady at his planned Casino Night fundraiser next week. Pombo abruptly called off the event amid much grumbling over the fact that the fundraiser coincided with a markup of his off-reservation gaming bill. Some lobbyists who received invitations turned up their noses. âPombo doesnât want you to game anywhere except for his fundraiser next Thursday,â quipped one, whose clients oppose the bill, seeking to restrict American Indian gambling outside of reservations…. Yet another lobbyist familiar with the nixed Casino Night fundraiser pointed out thereâs no law that ârequires fundraisers to be in good taste.â” (Roll Call, sub. req.)
Internal Rules Reveal Indictment Loophole
“The internal rules of the House Republican Conference and the House Democratic Caucus contain a backdoor procedure for allowing committee leaders to keep their positions if they are indicted, according to full copies of both sets of rules obtained by The Hill.” (The Hill)
Whistle While You Work
“Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) introduced legislation Monday that would extend federal whistle-blower protections to Congressional staff and other legislative branch employees. The new shields would be added to the 1995 Congressional Accountability Act, created to end legislative branch exemptions from 11 laws covering civil rights, fair employment and discrimination.” (Roll Call – sub. req.)
Jefferson Continues Court Fight on Raid
“Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) is continuing his legal effort to retain materials seized in a May 20 raid on his Rayburn office by the Justice Department, which has targeted him in a corruption probe. Jeffersonâs lawyers filed a legal brief Monday supporting his motion to stay, a maneuver that would prevent the department from taking possession of the materials while Jefferson exhausts his appeals. U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Hogan ruled against Jefferson earlier this month.” (The Hill)
Rep. Taylor Earmarks for Russia Business Connection
“Rep. Charles Taylor (R-N.C.) used earmarks to create an overseas study program for Russian business students coordinated by his friend and business partner, an ex-KGB generalâs wife and onetime English teacher. The International Trade and Small Business Institute, created last year and funded through a Taylor earmark to the Small Business Administration (SBA), uses federal money to send seven Russian students to eight North Carolina schools for business courses. Two of the students hail from Ivanovo, the depressed textile city where Taylor is majority owner of the local bank and a frequent real-estate investor.” (The Hill)
Texas Lobbying Contact Comes under Renewed Scrutiny
“Questions continue to be raised about why so much of Texas’ lobbying cash was awarded to firms associated with former U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land. State Rep. Jim Dunnam, D-Waco, asked state auditor John Keel last week to look into more than $1 million in state money paid to the Federalist Group, a Washington lobbying firm that hired DeLay’s former chief of staff, Drew Maloney.” (Austin-American Statesman)
DOJ Says Investigators Denied Chance to Review NSA Spying Program
“The Department of Justice today released documents showing senior administration officicals blocked an internal DOJ probe into the NSA spy program. A series of internal memos released from the Justice Department’s Office of Professional Reponsibility (OPR) shows in detail how the department was blocked from pursuing an investigation into whether Justice Department attorneys acted appropriately in their consideration of the NSA program. While this fact has been generally known, the letters show just how frustrated OPR attorneys were and how unusual the action was.” (ABC)
Conservative Reed Concedes in Georgia Primary
“Ralph Reed, a poster boy for the U.S. Christian right who helped promote the rise of Republican political power in the 1990s, conceded defeat in Georgia on Tuesday in a primary race for Lieutenant Governor. Georgia state Sen. Casey Cagle defeated Reed in large part because he was unable to shake off links to convicted Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff, making Reed the Abramoff scandal’s first electoral casualty.” (Reuters, NYT, AJC, WSJ, WaPo)
Pennsylvania Dems Hit Rep. Weldon on Ethics Violations
“Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.) abruptly changed his campaign website yesterday after Democrats accused him of violating House rules by posting his official photo and biography on the site.” (The Hill)
