1. Plotting with
Newt Gingrich and Tom Delay to undermine the House Ethics Committee.
Remember when Newt got sanctioned severely by the House Ethics Committee? Well, the media sure doesn't as he gets treated like a credible voice on abuses of power. But, he's not the story here--Boehner is. Most people remember this story for its famous distraction.. Boehner et al got busted, and in their now-classic manner, they made the big scandal the how's and why's of the revealing of this plot by suing Jim McDermott.
Bottom line is that, as Josh Marshall reminds us, "he did plot with Gingrich and DeLay to obstruct the will of Ethics Committee, break House rules and to violate the terms of the punishment imposed on Gingrich."
Leadership and ethics. Republicans can be proud.
2. He personally handed out checks from big tobacco on the floor of the United States House of Representatives.. He only stopped doing so when two freshman members of Congress objected. One of them noted of his behavior: "[I]f it is not illegal, it should be."
3. He took gobs and even more gobs of money ($172,000 over two years) from Sallie Mae and other student loan lenders. (allegedly, hardy-har) in exchange for enacting legislation on their behalf as Chair of the House Education Committee. He boasted to student loan lenders of how he was going to deliver for them:
Know that I have all of you in my two trusted hands," he said, "I've got enough rabbits up my sleeve to be able to get where we need to.
That rabbit? Boehner
championed a bill that would "soften [proposed] cuts to lenders" and "deal a serious blow to the competing direct-loan program."[13] The direct-loan program gives students access to loans directly through their school, instead of through private lenders and banks. The bill also sought to prevent students from consolidating their loans.[14] "Several GAO and CBO studies have found that the direct-lending program costs taxpayers much less than extending loans through lenders like Sallie Mae. Government watchdogs have estimated that every dollar loaned through these middlemen costs the federal government at least 9 cents."[15]
4. Oh yeah, he's got significant ties to Jack Abramoff.
This has been your daily reminder that the Republican leadership is still a bunch of trough-feeding swine.
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