FBI probes Watergate prostitution allegations

[sabra]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12634250/

FBI probes Watergate prostitution allegations
Infamous hotel used by defense contractor to entertain lawmakers?

WASHINGTON - The infamous Watergate Hotel is again at the center of political intrigue.

"We have received subpoenas for documents," says Watergate Hotel Assistant General Manager Josh Graham. "We have complied, but I cannot confirm names of individuals or companies that were part of those subpoenas."

FBI agents are investigating what happened in the hotel's posh suites, which defense contractor Brent Wilkes turned into party suites for politicians and CIA officers. There was poker and cigars, and the FBI wants to know if there were prostitutes, too.

It's all part of a growing ongoing investigation into corruption in defense and intelligence contracts, which already has sent former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham to prison and, legal sources say, may threaten others in Congress and the CIA.

[BOSSHOG]

1. What's going on in bizarro world?

Republicans being investigated for wrongdoing? This is not what America is about. They are members of the party of honesty and integrity. People who wave the flag and put magnets on their vehicles love these guys. It must be some sort of evil, librul diabolical plot.

[Tight_rope]

7. Yah!....It's all part of the party of corruption...No BIG DEAL!

:sarcasm:

[benburch]

2. My sexworker friends tell me that DC is good money.

The only real problem is that the Republicans are very rough and very verbally abusive, and many prefer to forego the cash and deal with clients who respect them.

[Cassandra]

8. I'm glad to hear that someone has standards in DC.

Sure can't count on Congress for that. ;-)

[TexasLawyer]

31. LOL!!!

[sabra]

9. seems like Jeff Gannon was able to over come that?

:-)

[benburch]

11. He was a top...

So he was the one who roughly fucked THEM.

[Up2Late]

27. Did you ever here Harry Shearer's radio bit "Gannon"?

It's too funny, especially now with this. Here's the link to the clip and his entire Feb 20, 2005 program from "Le Show"

"Gannon"

February 20, 2005 (entire program)

<http://www.harryshearer.com/leshow/index.html>

NOTE: if you don't want to stream it, Le Show is also available as a Free download at Audible.com or as a POD cast at: <http://www.kcrw.com/podcast/>

[KansDem]

24. How does a Repub wear their flag-lapel pin with no lapels to pin it to?

One assumes they're not wearing clothes.

Do the forego their overt expression of patriotism for the few minutes required to get the act done? (must be Hell for those few minutes for a Repub not to be wearing a American flag lapel pin)

Do they pin it to their chest? (ouch!)

Knowing minds want to inquire!

[benburch]

25. They have the American Flag tatooed on their ass.

With the stars being an array of boils.

[Thor_MN]

32. With their alcohol red faces, pasty white legs and blue balls?

They are VERY patriotic...

[DUHandle]

3. Another red herring

just like the Abramnoff investigations.

Washington didn't crumble from that and it won't crumble from this.

[babylonsister]

4. You know what? I don't care if it is a red herring. I want to know

all there is to know about this story, I want to know why supposedly $25M of our tax dollars was contracted out (sole-source, mind you) to a LIMO company to drive these clowns around. I want to know who was involved in this.
I WANT TO KNOW!

[DUHandle]

10. You're preaching to the choir,

I really, really want to know why the agency that let the contract actually had the authority and the money to let the contract. Next questions would be what else are they doing with their bucket of money.

Knowing who exactly who was (is?) involved would be nice, but I can’t forget that damn near every piece of news and/or event has Rove’s hand, which is to say Bush’s, on it.

[rodeodance]

5. of cource not---but this sure can create-some tension for Repugs involved.

[aquart]

6. Give me more red herrings just like them!

DeLay: Buh-bye.
Cunningham: Buh-bye.
Abramoff: Buh-bye.

Nothing hits the spot like a platter of red herrings!

[ktlyon]

15. I don't know about red herrings

but the red snapper was sure good

[MADem]

12. Well, the FBI has no love for the CIA

...and Porter Goss and his number 3 are up to their asses in this mess.

And whatcha wanna bet Randy Duke is singing like a canary, in order to get additional time shaved off his jail term???

[skooooo]

13. Why doesn't one of the prostitutes...

...publish a book on what happened! Boy, they'd make a lot of money, wouldn't they?

[benburch]

18. If they live.

You understand when you work in these circles that the price of a loud mouth in six feet of earth.

[Joanne98]

23. That little Jason kid stood up to on-line predators......

He got death threats too.

[apnu]

14. "Probe" and "Prostitution" should never be in the same headline

:rofl:

[Judi Lynn]

16. New article:

Sex, Lies, and Government Contracts
The Progress Report. Posted May 5, 2006.

A corruption scandal involving Republicans in Congress, CIA officials, prostitutes on Capitol Hill, and defense contracts has begun to spread.


The most extensive federal corruption scandal in a century is growing. In March, former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-CA) was sentenced to more than eight years in federal prison (the longest sentence ever given to a member of Congress) for accepting $2.4 million in bribes in exchange for lucrative defense contracts. Yet Cunningham's crimes, the "magnitude and duration" of which are compared to the Teapot Dome scandal of the 1920s, may end up a mere prelude.

According to recent reports, federal investigators have traced the outlines of a far more extensive network of suspected corruption, involving multiple members of Congress, some of the nation's highest-ranking intelligence officials, bribery attempts including "free limousine service, free stays at hotel suites at the Watergate and the Westin Grand, and free prostitutes," tens of millions of dollars in federal contracts awarded under dubious circumstances, and even efforts to influence U.S. national security policy by subverting democratic oversight.

The ringleader

At the center of the storm is California defense contractor Brent Wilkes -- aka "Co-Conspirator #1" in government documents -- "who gave more than $630,000 in cash and favors" to Cunningham "for help in landing millions of dollars in federal contracts." Wilkes devoted much of his 20-year career to "developing political contacts in Washington," a task at which he excelled, serving recently both as a county finance co-chairman of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's (R-CA) campaign and as the state finance co-chairman for President Bush. "Wilkes, his family members and his employees were heavy campaign contributors to several members of Congress," and he frequently invited members -- including Cunningham, Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX), and House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) -- on chartered corporate jets.

The efforts paid off handsomely: "Wilkes won tens of millions of dollars worth of defense contracts for his companies through the process of closed-door congressional earmarking of the federal budget." Indeed, "many of the contracts Wilkes secured" were for projects the Pentagon never even requested. Wilkes has thus far avoided any criminal charges, but federal officials are investigating instances of quid pro quo, since the "timing of Wilkes' many political donations closely parallels the approval of earmarks for Wilkes' companies."
(snip/...)

http://www.alternet.org/story/35841/



Brent Wilkes, Tom DeLay

[truthisfreedom]

19. don't they just look perfect together? a dry, raspy kiss is all they need

to seal the deal.

[Judi Lynn]

21. You're right! Natural allies. They both look stupid, too. n/t

[wordpix]

29. so Watergate II is really about million$ in gov contract$ the Pentagon

never even requested. THIS IS HUGE! :wow:

At the center of the storm is California defense contractor Brent Wilkes -- aka "Co-Conspirator #1" in government documents -- "who gave more than $630,000 in cash and favors" to Cunningham "for help in landing millions of dollars in federal contracts." Wilkes devoted much of his 20-year career to "developing political contacts in Washington," a task at which he excelled, serving recently both as a county finance co-chairman of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's (R-CA) campaign and as the state finance co-chairman for President Bush. "Wilkes, his family members and his employees were heavy campaign contributors to several members of Congress," and he frequently invited members -- including Cunningham, Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX), and House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) -- on chartered corporate jets.

The efforts paid off handsomely: "Wilkes won tens of millions of dollars worth of defense contracts for his companies through the process of closed-door congressional earmarking of the federal budget." Indeed, "many of the contracts Wilkes secured" were for projects the Pentagon never even requested. Wilkes has thus far avoided any criminal charges, but federal officials are investigating instances of quid pro quo, since the "timing of Wilkes' many political donations closely parallels the approval of earmarks for Wilkes' companies."

[kurth]

17. "The FBI wants to know IF there were prostitutes"????

DUHHH. Look at the Duke!!! There is your big ol' whore right there.

[zann725]

20. What is IT about Watergate? Think Repugs'd learn not to be caught there...

doing things they shouldn't...as History repeats itself.

[Joanne98]

22. Brent Wilkes is ex CIA and his wife is on the Poway CA school

board. One of those perfect traditional families.

[LiberalFighter]

33. Wife's name is Regina

In one campaign contribution she is listed as an executive for Wilkes Corporation

In another she is with ADCS

But mostly as a Homemaker or Housewife

[jackstraw45]

26. Goss? Cell for one?

Love the Corporate Media disconnect on this today....

Once again, if Goss was a democrat, they'd be shouting scandal and questioning his involvement in this corruption scandal.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

28. I don't give a rat's ass about whether there were prostitutes

in spite of the fact that this will expose the depth of rethuglican hypocrisy. I'm tired of politician's sex lives being a deciding factor in determining their merit as leaders and lawmakers.

Bribery...Now that bothers me.

[yellowcanine]

30. How about bribery where prostitutes are the currency? It is beginning to

look as if that is exactly what happened with Wilkes and Abramoff as the chief pimps.

[NastyRiffraff]

35. Yes! It's not the prostitutes..

..it's using prostitutes, instead of, or as well as, cash for government favors.

It makes Monigate look quaint. Not even the Repugs at the time claimed there was government-involved bribery.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

36. Yes, that's crooked as hell; but you know the hype

will be about sex, not bribery. We'll see pics of the prostitutes plastered all over the papers, they'll all get nose jobs and pose for Playboy, and get gigs on Saturday Night Live, and write books about what this guy liked and so forth ad nauseum.

Just another sex scandal for the media whores to make money from.

[Generic Brad]

34. Only one thing could be better that a Republican sex scandal

And that would be a Republican GAY sex scandal.

A person's sexual preference makes no difference to me, but I would appreciate the irony if the party that demonized many of my fellow Americans were revealed as being the hypocrites I have long suspected they were. Here's hoping.

[stevebreeze]

37. just to speculate perhaps Goss actually wanted to investigate?

I could be one reason for his sudden departure.