As Republican Members of the House of Representatives and as citizens seeking to join that body we propose not just to change its policies, but even more important, to restore the bonds of trust between the people and their elected representatives.
-- Contract with America
Welcome to the "bonds of trust" club, Mr. Frist...
SEC Probes Frist's Sale of Stock Ahead of HCA Profit Warning [WSJ]
The Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating stock sales made by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist in HCA Inc. shortly before the Nashville, Tenn.-based company warned it wouldn't meet its previous second-quarter earnings forecast...
Mr. Frist, a Tennessee Republican and a potential presidential candidate in 2008, sold all his stock in HCA about two weeks before the company's share price plunged. News of the stock sales surfaced in news reports earlier this week. The company was founded as Hospital Corp. of America in 1968 by Mr. Frist's father, Thomas Frist, his older brother Thomas Frist Jr., and Jack Massey, who had made millions as the owner of Kentucky Fried Chicken.
The SEC is looking into whether Mr. Frist had any inside knowledge of problems at the company that prompted his sales, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. The investigation is expected to expand to other individuals who also sold HCA shares prior to its earnings warning, this person said. The SEC routinely investigates stock sales ahead of major news, such as an earnings warning or a merger. Several insiders sold stock in the weeks leading up to HCA's July 13 earnings warning. An SEC spokesman declined to comment.
It's a big club. Let's be clear, Rove and DeLay took complete control and made a decision. They decided that there was no way to truly enforce or regulate quid pro quo, and they ran amok. That's why this news last month was so earth-shattering...
In Washington, a task force that includes the Justice Department, the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service and the Interior Department's inspector general has been picking through thousands of Abramoff's e-mails and lobbying records for more than a year to determine if any favors or gifts to lawmakers amounted to bribes for official actions.
These stories are all from today. Let the walls come tumbling down...
Tyco Exec: Abramoff Claimed Ties to Administration [WaPo]
Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff bragged two years ago that he was in contact with White House political aide Karl Rove on behalf of a large, Bermuda-based corporation that wanted to avoid incurring some taxes and continue receiving federal contracts, according to a written statement by President Bush's nominee to be deputy attorney general.
Timothy E. Flanigan, general counsel for conglomerate Tyco International Ltd., said in a statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee last week that Abramoff's lobbying firm initially boasted that Abramoff could help Tyco fend off a special liability tax because he "had good relationships with members of Congress," including House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.).
Abramoff later said "he had contact with Mr. Karl Rove" about the issue, according to the statement by Flanigan, who oversaw Tyco's dealings with Abramoff and his firm and received reports from Abramoff about progress in the lobbying campaign. Flanigan's statement is the latest indication that Abramoff promoted himself as having ready access to senior officials in the Bush administration.
Bush Relies on Corporate Lobbyists to Help Him Push US Agenda [Bloomberg]
On Labor Day, as emergency workers and politicians rushed to Louisiana and Mississippi because Hurricane Katrina had killed hundreds and left thousands of people homeless, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist talked with his staff and sought counsel from trusted allies about delaying a vote on legislation to repeal the estate tax. Frist's outside advisers: lobbyists.
[...]
Since George W. Bush became president in January 2001, it hasn't been unusual for top-ranking U.S. lawmakers and 59-year-old Bush himself to turn to trade group lobbyists for advice in making legislative decisions. The industry associations have staged successful battles ranging from new laws cutting individual income taxes to reducing tariffs in international trade agreements.
Arrest opens new phase of lobbyist probe [AP]
The arrest of a former White House official marks a new phase in the investigation of Jack Abramoff in which authorities are seeking to extract information about the high-powered Republican lobbyist.
[...]
Investigators frequently seek to pressure minor players in complex federal probes as they build a case against their principal target. ''You squeeze that person and hope he flips as you work your way up to the top," said Kirby Behre, a former prosecutor now in private practice.
David Hossein Safavian: From the White House to the Jail House [Front Page]
Last Monday, David Hossein Safavian, a high-ranking White House official and pal of GOP powerbroker Grover Norquist, was arrested in a federal corruption case involving lobbying bad boy Jack Abramoff. According to the FBI, Safavian repeatedly lied to federal investigators in order to cover up Abramoff's shady dealings. He not only bent ethics rules to accompany Abramoff on a 2002 golf junket to Scotland; he also used his position as chief of staff at the General Services Administration to deliver GSA-managed land into the lobbyist's hands.
But Safavian's not just tied to a dirty lobbyist. He's also tied to a convicted terrorist and a suspected terrorist supporter. Lobbying disclosure forms revealed last year that he has been in the employ of Abdurahman Alamoudi, an avowed supporter of Hamas and Hezbollah. Prosecutors have discovered evidence that he has links to al-Qaeda. At the time, Safavian waved aside any affiliation to Alamoudi. He insisted that he was really lobbying for a client named Jamal al Barzinji. That revelation did little to clear Safavian's name: A federal affidavit identifies Barzinji as the ringleader of a group suspected of aiding terrorists.
Christian Coalition `shell of former self'? [Sovo.com]
The Christian Coalition of America is a "shell of its former self," facing financial decline in the face of numerous recent lawsuits over unpaid bills, according to gay activists.
The coalition reported a deficit of almost $1 million to the IRS in tax year 2001, the latest year for which records are publicly available.
[...]
Troubles began after Ralph Reed
With Ralph Reed, now running for lieutenant governor of Georgia, at its helm as executive director between 1989 and 1997, the Christian Coalition was a formidable national political force. It was known for, among other things, mass mailings and voter guides on candidates' records on such issues as abortion and gay rights.
But since Reed left to pursue his own political career, the Christian Coalition has faced multiple lawsuits.
Family values. Or should I say, La Famiglia?
UPDATE: Cross-posted from The Stakeholder, should have mentioned...
