so this is why the #Trump#GOP mafia wanted to kneecap the Federal Elections Commission. during Trump's term, they completely defunded it, to the point there was one commissioner for the Democrats posting on Twitter memos because they even didn't have a budget for press releases.
“Henry pushes the right buttons. He knows the right people,. He is the consummate politician.”
Democratic Representative Henry Cuellar and his wife are facing indictment on federal bribery charges ... so let's revisit Senior Writer and Assistant Editor @justinmiller's 2020 deep-dive profile on the longtime #Laredo congressman's rise to power. https://www.texasobserver.org/henry-cuellar-reelection/
Well, this looks shady AF. Let's hold this guy accountable if the allegations are substantiated. We can give no quarter to corrupt elected officials, regardless of which side of the aisle they occupy.
"While recent debates center on enacting an ethics code for the Supreme Court, the statutory honoraria ban has been in place for decades. No new ethical rules need to be promulgated, or codes enacted on this subject. It exists right now, as it has since 1989. But Thomas and Leo are doing an end run around it, accomplishing indirectly what the law prohibits them from doing directly. And no one is stopping them."
"…version of Congress we had 23 yrs ago might have gone ballistic in response to recent discoveries about Thomas. If…concerned about…judges getting money for honoraria…surely would’ve been…evading the honoraria ban w/luxury vacations. If…worried about rich benefactors paying judges for their speeches…would surely be…about rich benefactors providing judges w/private planes & high-end accommodations."
We did our best, and even though @devonblack did not win the nomination for the NDP candidacy for Saanich-Gulf Islands, we have learned a lot and will be ready for the challenges ahead. #BCpoli
@trishalynn I need to know because I'm strongly ANTI- #BCNDP - John Horgan & then Eby shady undemocratic kingmaking was my LAST STRAW! I need you to be honest - here, about this. Several of us won't ever support BC NDP ever again - for more than a few solid reasons. I'm very upfront on where & why I stand.
Sen. #BobMenendez may point the finger at his wife, newly unsealed documents show
In a mid-March legal filing, Menendez’s legal team tried to keep those exact words under seal because they believed having that defense strategy public would taint the jury pool.
Sen. #BobMenendez may plan to blame his wife for actions that led to a federal #bribery case against him, a newly unsealed court filing suggests.
The senator’s legal team plans to try to show the “absence of any improper intent on Senator Menendez’s part” by “demonstrating the ways” in which his wife, Nadine Menendez, “withheld information from Sen. Menendez or otherwise led him to believe that nothing unlawful was taking place.”
Nessel's media advisory provided no further details of what the charges would be or specifically who will be the subject of the allegations. #Nessel has already charged #Chatfield's top 2 advisors from his term as speaker in the #corruption probe.
Chatfield was a prolific fundraiser & worked closely w/some Lansing lobbyists. Charges against Chatfield could spur new calls for #ethics reforms in Lansing, where a series of high-profile figures have faced charges in recent years.
The Supreme Court Case Designed To Legalize Bribery
In the case of 🔸Snyder v United States,🔸 which the Supreme Court will hear on April 15th, James E. #Snyder is claiming that when a public official accepts a “#gift” from a person or corporation who has benefited from that public official’s actions, that should not be legally considered a #bribe.
Think of it instead as a “#tip,” like you’d leave for good service in a restaurant.🤔
Snyder is the former mayor of Portage, Indiana, who, federal prosecutors successfully argued in court, rigged a city bidding process for $1.125 million worth of new dump trucks to help out a friend who sold such trucks.
After the contract was awarded to his buddy, his friend’s company gave a “tip” to Snyder of $13,000.
Snyder is appealing his bribery conviction before the Supreme Court next month, and his main argument is that the federal #definition of #bribery must include an explicit advance agreement, a spoken or written #QuidProQuo, to exchange money or gifts for official actions.
And that all this explicit agreement stuff must happen #before the official acts are taken.
If five for all of the six Republicans on the Court agree with Snyder, it will end almost all federal bribery prosecutions of #corrupt elected officials and we’ll see an explosion of politicians anxious to fall all over themselves to “earn a tip” after they bow to their “friends” wishes.
(Katya Schwenk has written a great summary of the case and its implications for The Lever.)
"Democratic Reps. Scott Peters (Calif.), Wiley Nickel (N.C.), Josh Gottheimer (N.J.) and Donald Davis (N.C.) are each co-sponsoring at least one of several proposed bills that would limit regulators’ ability to negotiate down prices of drugs covered by the Medicare government insurance program."
Why is this man Hester being shunned for his racist 'jokes'?
Appalling as they are, shouldn't he be shunned - and his £10 million 'donation' returned by the Nastiz - because of the apparent conflict of interest that his company obtains significant amounts of work in our public health care system....
These justices have compromised all the integrity of our Supreme Court!
"The Supreme Court is taking up a challenge today to a federal law prosecutors used to charge more than 350 people who were part of the pro-Donald Trump mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6."
Corrupt Clarance dares because there are no consequences. And weak John Roberts will do nothing. Thomas enjoys flaunting his corruption because he can.
He has no business deciding who the DoJ indicts! VOTE BLUE! Expand the court!