“The IRS has partnered with the FBI in the broad-ranging federal investigation of former Gov. John Kitzhaber and his fiancée, Cylvia Hayes,” the Oregonian reports.
Quote of the Day
“Rainmaking is not a federal crime.”
— Former New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s (D) defense team, quoted by the New York Observer.
Former Virginia First Lady Sentenced to Year in Prison
Former Virginia first lady Maureen McDonnell “was sentenced to 12 months and 1 day Friday on federal corruption charges. Judge James R. Spencer also ordered two years supervised probation and allowed her to remain free pending appeal,” the Richmond Times Dispatch reports.
The judge “said he did not want to allow a disparity in the McDonnells’ sentences because there was ‘joint criminal behavior.’ Bob McDonnell had been sentenced to two years last month.”
Washington Post: “In the federal system, inmates with sentences longer than a year can get them reduced 54 days a year for good behavior. If McDonnell had received a sentence of a year or less, she would not have been eligible.”
Massive FBI Investigation Targets Kitzhaber
A federal grand jury has launched a sweeping investigation of Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber (D) and fiancée Cylvia Hayes, the Oregonian reports.
“The subpoenas shed light on what looks to be the largest criminal investigation of a public official in Oregon… Investigators are after any state record mentioning Hayes, her private consulting business and her role in the governor’s office. They want her personal tax returns and those of her company dating back to 2009. The state also must turn over records of her use of state credit cards.”
Kitzhaber announced he would resign from office next week.
Bonus Quote of the Day
“I hope it’s not half. I mean, there are a lot of people who go into public service and are in for the right reasons and to do the right thing. But it–it’s an unfortunate percentage.”
— U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, quoted by the New York Observer, on the portion of New York state lawmakers who are corrupt.
Kitzhaber Tried To Shut Down Corruption Inquiry
Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber (D) “declared at a press conference Jan. 30 that he and fiancée Cylvia Hayes would fully cooperate with a review of corruption allegations by the Oregon Government Ethics Commission,” the Oregonian reports.
“He didn’t mention that, behind the scenes, their attorneys had been fighting for weeks to spare Hayes from any ethics inquiry.”
Christie Not Target of Corruption Probe
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), “under scrutiny because of a 2013 traffic controversy, is not the target of a new inquiry into possible corruption,” ABC News reports.
“The probe, however, is examining the conduct of other current and former members of Christie’s gubernatorial administration, sources familiar with the investigation said.”
Lawmaker’s Ex-Girlfriend Wants Him Indicted
Former Rep. David Rivera’s (R-FL) former girlfriend “repeatedly told a federal grand jury that the ex-congressman was the mastermind behind a complicated campaign finance scheme that landed her and another in prison,” the Miami Herald reports.
“Nearly two dozen times, Ana Alliegro says, she testified that Rivera supplied more than $81,000 used in the crime, that he plotted the cover-up and he then helped her twice escape to a getaway in Nicaragua. Yet she’s angry Rivera has yet to be indicted, despite her hour-long Dec. 18 testimony and a mountain of evidence: corroborating witnesses, a trove of emails, a handwritten note from Rivera and even fingerprints. Also, a federal judge last year demanded Rivera be named in open court.”
Said Alliegro: “Are politicians above the law? I don’t get it.”
Pennsylvania Attorney General Won’t Resign Over Charges
New York Times: “The question before Pennsylvanians is this: Is Kathleen G. Kane, the first woman to be elected as the state’s attorney general, the victim of angry men who targeted her after she exposed their pornography habits?”
“Or are Ms. Kane’s problems — she stands accused by a grand jury of a bevy of crimes — the self-imposed travails of a political comet who rose from obscurity to eminence, only to be undone by her own temperament and inexperience?”
Pennsylvania Treasurer Charged with Extortion
Pennsylvania Treasurer (D) Rob McCord was formally charged with extortion in a campaign shakedown of potential donors, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
“Filed days after his abrupt resignation, the charging documents recounted how the state official allegedly shook down the managing partner of a Philadelphia law firm and a western Pennsylvania property management company for campaign contributions by threatening to disrupt their business with the state.”
Pennsylvania Treasurer Will Plead Guilty
Pennsylvania State Treasurer Rob McCord (D) “will plead guilty to federal charges that he used the lure of state business to strongarm political contributors during his failed gubernatorial bid last year,” the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
McCord, in a video statement, apologized for the mistake: “I stepped over the line by trying to take advantage of the fact that two potential contributors hoped to continue to do business with the Commonwealth – and by developing talking points to remind them that I could make things difficult for them. The mistake and fault here is mine and mine alone.”
Pennsylvania Treasurer Quits as Feds Investigate
WPVI-TV reports that Pennsylvania State Treasurer Rob McCord (D), who announced he is stepping down from the job, is currently under federal investigation.
“Sources tell Action News that the wide-spread probe is examining the alleged theft of campaign and other funds… In a statement released by his office, the 55-year-old McCord, a former venture capitalist, listed his accomplishments and he said only that it is time for him to return to the private sector.”
Silver Will Step Aside Temporarily
Sheldon Silver (D), “the longtime speaker of the New York State Assembly, agreed on Sunday to relinquish his duties on a temporary basis as he fights federal corruption charges,” the New York Times reports.
“His decision came amid mounting pressure from his fellow Democrats in the Assembly, who worried that the criminal charges would impair his ability to carry out the duties of one of the most powerful positions in the state’s government. In an unusual arrangement, Mr. Silver would not quit his post. Instead, he would temporarily delegate his duties as speaker to a group of senior Assembly members.”
Top Prosecutor Puts New York Politicians on Notice
U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said that New York Speaker Sheldon Silver’s (D) arrest is likely the first of many, Business Insider reports.
Said Bharara: “These charges in our view go to the very core of what ails Albany: lack of transparency, lack of accountability, and lack of principle — joined with overabundance of greed, cronyism, and self-dealing. But we will keep at it. As our unfinished fight against public corruption continues, you should stay tuned.”
He added: “You can expect more cases to come, because there is a lot more corruption that has not yet been brought to light.”
Silver’s Arrest Promises to Upend New York Politics
“His power unbending, his whims often unexplained, Sheldon Silver’s two decades as speaker of the State Assembly made him a seemingly irreplaceable presence at the nucleus of New York’s political world, a steady advocate for liberal causes and a master of negotiation in Albany’s often closed and entrenched way of governance,” the New York Times reports.
“But Mr. Silver’s arrest on Thursday on federal corruption charges has thrown that arrangement — whereby the governor and leaders of each chamber of the Legislature decide the most crucial policies of the state — into question. It is a potentially seismic shift in power whose reverberations may be felt from the speaker’s home district on the Lower East Side to the grounds of the State Capitol.”
“Until now, what the United States attorney called ‘the show-me-the-money culture’ of Albany has taken comfort in knowing that its leader and most powerful figure was unassailable — untouched despite years of investigations, suspicions and rumors of impropriety. The events have shaken that sense of security, and opened the question of whether Mr. Silver, the quintessential capital insider, could relay his own colleagues’ sotto voce misdeeds to federal prosecutors in exchange for leniency.”
New York Speaker in FBI Custody
“The powerful speaker of the New York State Assembly, Sheldon Silver, was arrested on federal corruption charges on Thursday, sending shock waves through the political establishment and upending the new legislative session,” the New York Times reports.
Silver, a Democrat from the Lower East Side of Manhattan who has served as speaker for more than two decades, surrendered to F.B.I. agents and told reporters, “I hope I’ll be vindicated.”
Judge Denies McDonnell Effort to Remain Free
Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) “must report to prison on Feb. 9 after a federal judge today turned down his request to remain free on bond while he appeals his 11 corruption convictions,” the Richmond Times Dispatch reports.
McDonnell Sentenced to Two Years in Prison
Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) was sentenced to two years in prison today, the Richmond Times Dispatch reports.
“McDonnell cast his eyes downward as Spencer announced the sentence. Family and friends broke into tears. The sentencing came after a parade of character witnesses and McDonnell’s own statement to the court.”
“McDonnell could have been sentenced to a longer term — earlier Spencer lowered the sentencing guideline range from more than 10 years to six and a half years to eight years and a month. But the judge is also allowed to sentenced above and below the guideline.”
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 31
- 32
- 33
- 34
- 35
- …
- 42
- Next Page »
Taegan Goddard
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.
More about Taegan Goddard →