DEMS Culture of Corruption- List of Democrats mired in scandal in the past year

[Julie Fern]

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Taking Tierney To Task On Democrat Corruption


Earlier this afternoon I attended a community meeting hosted by my Congressman, John Tierney (D-Salem).

Lots of issues were discussed. Many people present, obviously other Democrats, expressed their frustration with the Democrats’ impotence when it comes to ending the Iraq War. Others were spewing ridiculous allegations of war crimes by the Bush administration, debunked claims about manipulated intelligence, and demands for the impeachment of President Bush. The latter was opposed by Tierney, and the others were neither supported or refuted.

I came primarily to make issue with the lousy ethics record of the Democratic Party. Shortly before I got to ask my question, some people alluded to the corruption in Congress and lack of accountability. Tierney naturally was able to list off about 4 to 6 names of Republicans who had either been accused of or convicted of wrongdoing. (The standard list, Ney, Cunningham, Renzi, Doolittle, even Tom DeLay. The first two left Congress and are serving time. The next two have been accused and are under investigation. Tom DeLay, as we all know was indicted after a Democrat district attorney went grand jury shopping, finally getting the indictment he was after with the sixth grand jury.)

This was my cue to ask my question.

I recalled the earlier statement about accountability, and noted how Tierney had a list of Republicans who had done wrong, but didn’t include Rep. William Jefferson, who was just indicted this past week. I explained to Tierney that a) Democrats ignored the Jefferson scandal for two years, b) that Democrats rewarded Jefferson after the election by nearly placing him on the Homeland Security Committee, and c) that Nancy Pelosi stalled an ongoing ethics investigation of Jefferson.

Tierney went immediately on defense.

As I expected, he mentioned that Democrats stripped Jefferson of his powerful committee assignment last year. I explained further that Democrats didn’t vote to strip him of his committee assignment until after it was reported that there was videotape evidence against him. He was also ignorant of how Nancy Pelosi had blocked the ethics investigation of Jefferson, which I explained how Speaker Pelosi refused to appoint 10 Democrats to the 20 member bipartisan ethics “pool.”

After a lot of back and forth of Tierney trying to claim that Democrats are taking the lead on ethics reform, and I pointing out how they’ve done nothing, Tierney made the ridiculous claim Jefferson is the only “one” Democrat under investigation. I attempted to explain to him that he wrong, that in fact, there are other Democrats under investigation (and plenty more who should be) including Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-WV) and Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ). When I told him about Mollohan, Tierney said, “that’s news to me,” and said he had no idea about Menendez (but considering that he’s now a Senator I suppose I’ll let that one slide).

Now, I’d like to believe that my own Congressman isn’t so oblivious that he is unaware that Rep. Alan Mollohan had to step down from the House Ethics Committee because of the investigation against him.

I also specifically pointed out that when Republicans have been accused of wrongdoing, they’ve more often than not, done the right thing and stepped down… This drew a chuckle from Tierney, and plenty of his liberal friends in the attendance. But, let’s look at the facts. Bob Ney stepped down from his committee assignment and eventually left Congress. Duke Cunningham left Congress. Renzi and Doolittle, even though they’re only being investigated, stepped down from their committees. Tom DeLay, obviously the victim of a partisan campaign to oust him, resigned from the House Leadership after he was indicted due to a rule of House Republicans to step down from any leadership positions they hold if they are indicted. This is a rule House Democrats do not have. Liberals can laugh at my statements, but they cannot ignore the facts.

After the meeting officially ended, I went up to Tierney to press him more about this issue. I told him I was surprised that he was ignorant of the ongoing investigation into Mollohan. He said he’d look into it. I told him about my book, Caucus of Corruption, (which Tierney is mentioned in) and explained how it details corruption in his party. He was ironically amused by this, and obviously tried to write off my book as a partisan hit job. I explained to him that party is irrelevant, and that Democrats have done nothing to hold their own accountable. I gave him my business card and told him he should look at the book. He said he most likely wouldn’t read it (naturally) but might “skim it.” I attempted to explain to him about how Republicans have higher ethical standards, and he just kinda laughed, but I kept pressing him. At this point he was clearly trying to get out of talking to me by turning the other way, but I wasn’t about to let him off so easy. Eventually, he just said, “Look, I get it, you’re a Republican…” and I was quick to point out that this issue has nothing to do with what party I am, and that my book is trying to bring balance to the debate about corruption and Democrats need to recognize that there is corruption in their party, etc. etc.

It was an interesting experience. Rep. Tierney is clearly a partisan liberal who was quick to accuse anyone who disagreed with him as being wrong and uninformed, or my favorite: “having their own view of the facts.” What Tierney doesn’t understand is that people have their own opinions, but facts are not malleable.

Is Mollohan under investigation? Yes.

Are other Democrats corrupt? Yes.

Was Jefferson nearly put on the Homeland Security despite the ongoing bribery investigation? Yes.

But he refused to recognize these things, amongst several other facts I presented to him.

It was interesting to get in a heated debate with my own Congressman, especially since I mention him a number of times in my book on corruption in the Democratic Party. There’s no excuse for his ignorance on the corruption in his own party.

this really all you got, dipshit?

[! B L U E WAR R I O R..!]

this is what happens when democrats try to steal votes...people smell the donkee doo-doo

Nifong is disbarred

Penalty is fair, says prosecutor in Duke lacrosse case
AARON BEARD

Associated Press
 
Nifong will be disbarred for his disastrous prosecution of three Duke University lacrosse players falsely accused of rape, a disciplinary committee decided Saturday.     

North Carolina State Bar
Ruling praised in legal circles
How The Duke Rape Case Unfolded

RALEIGH --A disciplinary committee on Saturday disbarred disgraced prosecutor Mike Nifong for his disastrous prosecution of three Duke University lacrosse players falsely accused of rape -- a punishment Nifong said is appropriate.

Nifong sat motionless, one hand over his mouth, as committee chairman Lane Williamson recounted how Nifong engaged in deceitful conduct. He said Nifong's early comments about the case were designed to boost his campaign for district attorney.

"...We can draw no other conclusion (than) that those initial statements he made were to further his political ambitions," Williamson said.

Nifong will not appeal the punishment, his lawyer said. "He hopes this helps restore some of the confidence in the criminal justice system of North Carolina," said David Freedman.

"On one hand, it's very devastating. On the other hand, he's been going through this process for a long time, so you always have some semblance of relief when the process is over with, regardless of the outcome."

It's the first time an N.C. prosecutor has been disbarred for courtroom cheating. Nifong will not be able to practice in North Carolina for at least five years.

The N.C. State Bar had charged Nifong with making misleading statements and inflammatory comments about the three athletes, lying to the court and bar investigators, and withholding critical DNA test results from the players' lawyers.

The committee, after deliberating Saturday afternoon for just over an hour, unanimously agreed with the bar on almost every charge, finding Nifong's actions involved "dishonesty, fraud, deceit and misrepresentation."

"The case we have here is a clear case of intentional prosecutorial misconduct," Williamson said.

While Nifong's late offer to surrender his law license came as a surprise, the verdicts were not. Nifong acknowledged Friday that he was likely to be punished for maybe getting "carried away a little bit" when talking about the case, admitting that some of his comments were improper.

Williamson also hinted during closing arguments the three-member panel would conclude that Nifong kept from the defense DNA test results that found genetic material from several males in the accuser's underwear and body, but none from any lacrosse player.

"How can you possibly explain that away?" Williamson said.

"It wasn't just one little oversight," he said later. "This was conduct over an extended period in a very high-profile case."

Aware of those test results, Nifong pressed ahead with the case and won indictments against Dave Evans, Reade Seligmann and Collin Finnerty. State prosecutors later concluded that the three players were "innocent" victims of a rogue prosecutor's "tragic rush to accuse."

Nifong's attorneys admitted Saturday their client made "multiple, egregious mistakes" as he pursued allegations a stripper was raped at a March 2006 party thrown by Duke's lacrosse team. But they said no mistakes were made intentionally.

"It didn't click," Nifong's attorney, Dudley Witt, said as he tried to explain one of Nifong's errors. "His mind is just his mind. That's the way it works. It just didn't click."

Nifong's offer to resign and give up his law license isn't likely to end his troubles. The players' attorneys have pledged to seek criminal contempt charges in coming days in Durham.

Though Williamson cited Nifong's often outlandish comments -- he once called the lacrosse team "a bunch of hooligans" -- his failure to turn over all DNA evidence was the most serious of the bar's allegations.

Nifong gave defense attorneys an initial report on the DNA testing in May 2006 that said private lab DNA Security had been unable to find a conclusive match between the accuser and any lacrosse players. But lab director Brian Meehan testified last week that he told Nifong as early as April 10, 2006 -- a week before Seligmann and Finnerty were indicted -- about the full results.

Nifong testified that when he gave the defense the initial report, he "believed at the time that I had given them everything." In court documents and hearings in May, June and September, he told two different judges that he had no more evidence that could be helpful to the defense. He said he didn't realize until months later that the additional DNA information was missing.

"My first reaction was a variation of `oh, crap,' " Nifong said. " `I didn't give them this?' "

That argument didn't sway the committee.

"He knew. He admits he knew," Williamson said. "How could he not know if he had read it? How could he not know?"

http://www.postchronicle.com/commentary/article_21286838.shtml

[! B L U E WAR R I O R..!]

this really all you got, dipshit?

see above you ignorant degenerate.

[Julie Fern]

julie never realized nifong started all those stupid wars you support, you heaping pile of manure.

[! B L U E WAR R I O R..!]

julie never realized nifong started all those stupid wars you support, you heaping pile of manure.

face the facts:

you should be upset that your party of democrats corruption and scandal is distracting the issue of bringing troops home...blame your own donkee shite for the sidetracking...






you don't support us security in afghanistan?  that's suspicious.

[Julie Fern]

best you got nifong?

hahahahahahaha.  such lamebrain.  no wonder your side going down electoral toilet (much in fashion of tampon).

[! B L U E WAR R I O R..!]

...oh yes...lets not forget elliot spitzer...


....what was that about culture of corruption???


...f.ing.hypocrites....

aye tink ya get my point...

...don't cast stones!



http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/10/nyregion/10cnd-spitzer.html?_r=1&oref=slogin