The subject -- influence peddling. http://www.realcitie...
FBI investigates Rep. Curt WeldonBy Greg Gordon
McClatchy Newspapers
Posted 10-13-06WASHINGTON - The Justice Department is investigating whether Republican Rep. Curt Weldon of Pennsylvania traded his political influence for lucrative lobbying and consulting contracts for his daughter, according to sources with direct knowledge of the inquiry.
The FBI, which opened an investigation in recent months, has formally referred the matter to the department's Public Integrity Section for additional scrutiny. At issue are Weldon's efforts between 2002 and 2004 to aid two Russian companies and two Serbian brothers with ties to strongman Slobodan Milosevic, a federal law enforcement official said.The Russian companies and a Serbian foundation run by the brothers' family each hired a firm co-owned by Weldon's daughter, Karen, for fees totaling nearly $1 million a year, public records show.
Karen Weldon was 28 and lacked consulting experience when she and Charles Sexton, a Weldon ally and longtime Republican leader in Delaware County, Pa., created the firm of Solutions North America Inc. in 2002. Both are registered with the Justice Department as representatives of foreign clients. ***
There are more alleged Weldon improprieties on Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia....
Looks like Heath Shuler (his opponent) will be coming back to Washington.
By TIM WHITMIRE
The Associated Press
Friday, October 13, 2006; 7:02 PMCHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A congressman in the thick of a tough re-election battle demanded Friday that The Wall Street Journal correct and retract statements in an article that said he slipped projects benefiting his own business interests into the federal budget, a claim he called libelous.
Rep. Charles Taylor said he would sue the newspaper if it does not meet his demands, made in a letter written by Asheville lawyer Robert B. Long Jr. and released by Taylor's office.
Taylor is demanding that the Journal retract a front-page article published Wednesday titled "Seat in Congress Helps Mr. Taylor Help His Business." It said he added "earmarks" to legislation to widen two highways near property he owns, to give millions to nonprofit groups run by his business partners and supporters, and to provide $3.8 million for a park in front of a downtown Asheville bank he owns.
Sorry I could not quote the original article; they seems to be having website problems this evening.
After WWII a lot of veterans came into Democratic politics. I'm hoping this is a beginning of a trend.
A leader in the field of tapping the wealthy for campaign cash, McConnell also led the opposition against efforts to rein in such donations through campaign-finance reform -- a fight that has taken him to the U.S. Supreme Court and put him toe-to-toe against another emerging Republican leader, presidential hopeful McCain.A six-month examination of McConnell's career, based on thousands of documents and scores of interviews, shows the nexus between his actions and his donors' agendas. He pushes the government to help cigarette makers, Las Vegas casinos, the pharmaceutical industry, credit card lenders, coal mine owners and others.
Critics, including anti-poverty groups and labor unions, complain that McConnell has come to represent his affluent donors at the expense of Kentucky, the relatively poor state he is supposed to represent. They point, for example, to his support last year for a tough bankruptcy law, backed by New York banks that support him.