Boehner Got Lucky at Michigan Rest Stop
Last August, the man who would be the next House Majority Leader was driving through the Mitten State on a political jaunt when he needed a pee break. The rest stop — his spokesman referred to it as a “casino rest stop,” which we thought only existed in our dreams — featured a slot machine. Boehner played and won $2,700.
Now, there are two kinds of luck that strike politician gamblers. There’s the Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH) “I won $32,000 on a couple hands of cards” luck, and there’s the Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) “I won $850,000 playing Powerball” luck. Which is to say, the latter sounds a lot more like luck. It’s not clear if Boehner’s is the former or the latter. All we know is, we’re going to start taking more chances in strange rest stops. . .
And in other muck…
House, Senate Members Disclose Finances
It’s your yearly peak into lawmakers’ finances. See how Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN) is doing with those trusts of his (very well), how Rep. Charles Taylor (R-NC) is doing with his interest in a Russian bank, and more. (AP, WaPo, NYT)
CDC Chief: I’m Gonna Fly, Fly Fly Away — On This Cushy Emergencies-Only Jet
In quainter times, the scandal would have been that the Centers for Disease Control had contracted for a swank Gulfstream III jet to transport senior officials in emergencies. Normally that kind of treatment is reserved for officials in corrupt, oligarchic republics. But since we’re in the hyper-corruption phase of a waning empire, the scandal is simply that HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt, who oversees the CDC, has abused the private-jet privilege so he could flap around the U.S. touting his administration’s political agenda. No wonder our 12-year-olds are so jaded. (AJC)
Ethics Committee Members, Staff Among the Well-Traveled
In the next few days, the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct is expected to recommend changes to the chamber’s rules on privately sponsored travel, including measures that could strengthen disclosure requirements and close loopholes used by lobbyists. However, the Center for Public Integrity has found that the current members of the committee are no strangers to taking privately funded trips. From January 2000 through June 2005, the members â five Republicans and five Democrats â and their aides accepted about 400 such trips valued at nearly $1 million, according to a Center review of disclosure records. (CPI)
Many Lawmakers Accepted Free Travel in 2005
“Singed by controversy over complimentary travel, many members of Congress nevertheless accepted free trips in 2005, according to annual financial disclosure reports released yesterday.” (WSJ)
In Lewis Probe, Feds Subpoena Another Calif. City
Highland, Calif. is the latest to get a formal request from prosecutors for information detailing its relationship with the scandal-linked lobby firm Copeland Lowery and Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA). (SBSun)
Perjury Probe Sought For Ex-Fannie Officials
“A key House member has asked federal prosecutors to investigate whether former Fannie Mae chairman and chief executive Franklin D. Raines and former chief financial officer J. Timothy Howard lied to Congress two years ago about the company’s accounting practices.” (WaPo)
GOP Organization Linked to Dirty Politics, Attempted Coups, ‘Building Democracy’ for US
A little-known organization closely tied to the Republican Party and the Bush administration and often accused of promoting partisan policies and ideology abroad is now heavily involved in efforts to establish democratic institutions in Afghanistan and Iraq.” (Raw Story)
Abramoff’s Firm, Clients Sponsored More Than A Dozen Congressional Trips
Here’s a review of Jack Abramoff’s sponsored trips – 13 of them dating back to 2000. (CPI)
Feds Want to Quash NJ Subpoenas Over NSA Program
New Jersey is trying to force telecom companies to answer tough questions on whether they violated consumer fraud laws by handing over private call data to the National Security Agency. (USA Today)
House Panel Approves Line-Item Veto Bill
“Congress is moving to give President Bush and his successors greater power to try to weed bills of certain spending, though the new power would pale compared with the line-item veto law struck down by the Supreme Court in 1998.” (AP)
Update: An earlier version of this post referred to Mike Leavitt as director of the CDC. He is in fact secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
