As you recall, Ben Barnes helped George Bush Jr. join the National Guard and serve his time here in the United States, rather than overseas.
Available evidence indicates that Harriet Miers, when she worked as commissioner for the Texas Lottery, conspired with the Bush family to pay off Ben Barnes to keep his mouth shut about the National Guard right before George Bush Jr. ran for President.
More crap below the fold.
As you recall, Ben Barnes helped George Bush Jr. join the National Guard and serve his time here in the United States, rather than overseas. He testified about Bush's National Guard record in 1999, when George II was running for presnit the first time.
Well, Ben Barnes became a young state representative at age 22. Three years later he was elected Speaker of the House. Then he became lieutenant governor of Texas. Then a stock fraud case stunk things up, and he fell from grace.
Next we see him working as GTech's lobbyist, working with Harriet Miers and the Texas Lottery Commission. GTech is a major lottery company that has contracts in 37 states. The Texas Lottery was losing money right and left, and Harriet Miers logically decides to rebid GTech's contract. GTech sues, and fires its lobbyist, Ben Barnes, providing him with a 23 million severance package. GTech keeps its contract with the Texas Lottery Commission, despite the falling numbers.
Miers then fired Nora Linares, because her boyfriend worked as a consultant for GTech. She filed a lawsuit against the Lottery Commission, then later dropped it and filed against GTech. She was eventually exonerated of any wrongdoing.
Nora Linares' replacement was Lawrence Littman, who after four months of employment was fired. He had initiated research of campaign finance records for 30 state and local officials.
Let's go back to Ben Barnes. Shortly before George W. Bush graduated from Yale, Sid Adger, a wealthy Houston businessman, asked Ben Barnes if he would find a place for George in the National Guard. He joined Lloyd Bentsen's son, two of the Adger's kids, and a couple of Dallas Cowboys in this safe haven away from the war.
So when George decided he wanted to run for President, he send Donny Evans to ask Ben if he would cover up for George.
Governor Bush personally thanked the former speaker: "Dear Ben: Don Evans reported your conversation. Thank you for your candor and for killing the rumor about you and dad ever discussing my status. Like you, he never remembered any conversation. I appreciate your help."
The Bush family claims they never asked Sid Adger for his help in getting George into the National Guard. Ben Barnes has told this story to lawyers under oath. And so this leaves the question of the 23 million GTech payoff. Did Harriet Miers, in collusion with GTech, pay off Ben Barnes to keep his mouth shut about the National Guard? Did GTech keep its contract because of the Big Bribe? Lawrence Littman thinks so.
Then the second lottery director fired by Miers filed suit. He claimed he was taking the fall for GTech, which, he alleged, kept its contract and bought out Barnes because he had the story on Bush.
Conclusive? Certainly not. But it gives us enough evidence to look further... Follow the money...