CREW alleges Senator Landrieu may have taken bribes for earmark

[rateyes]

Source: Rawstory

An ethics watchdog has requested a criminal investigation to determine whether a Democratic senator was bribed when she received $30,000 in campaign contributions less that a week before delivering a $2 million federal earmark to the company whose employees and lobbyists donated the money.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) today sent a complaint to the Department of Justice, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District for Louisiana and the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, asking for an investigation into whether Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) violated federal bribery law by including a $2 million earmark for Voyager Expanded Learning in a bill a mere four days after receiving $30,000 in campaign contributions from company executives and their relatives. CREW also asked the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate the matter.
Landrieu's relationship with Voyager was exposed by the Washington Post in December. The Democratic senator has denied any connection between the donations and the earmark and says she did nothing wrong.

More at link....


Read more: http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Watchdog_alleges_Louisiana_Dem_was_bribed_0108.html

[book_worm]

1. Oh Great...

She's probably toast this year anyway. Hopefully Dems will pick up enough seats in November.

[AndyA]

2. She's a DINO.

Can't stand her. She has an appalling voting record.

[TheDebbieDee]

3. I don't even have to read the story.......

Sen. Landrieu is a DINO, caves to the repukes on every issue, and DID NOT fight for the people of New Orleans after Hurricaine Katrina.

My guess is that the nervous twitching she does is because she was being blackmailed by the repukes about her bribery - they used it to keep her quiet and to secure her vote on repuke issues!

[rateyes]

4. That's just what the country needs...

blackmailable politicians.

[tularetom]

5. I wouldn't want CREW after me

I've seen that woman that represents them on TV and she is a pitbull. She's smart and well informed and doesn't suffer fools gladly. I don't think they'd be making these charges if there was nothing to them.

If Landrieu can be shitcanned early on the Dems might still have a chance to retain the seat. she's pretty worthless anyway.

[Outlier]

6. I thought

that is what earmarks were for. Payoffs for campaign contributions. Highly unethical but happens all the time, we just have full disclosure now. Publicly funded campaigns, and a president who would veto any and all earmarks would fix this problem, and take a hell of a lot of the money out of the campaigns. Of course the only people who benefit are the candidates with no money and the voters. Guys like Perot and Bloomberg wouldn't have an advantage.

What fun would that be.

[DeSwiss]

7. First...

...I hate this skank and I hope they charge her, find her guilty and send her to prison. DINO doesn't even come close to a description of what she is.

Second, earmarks should be made ILLEGAL. Period.

- K&R

[Didereaux]

8. Oh ferchristsakes she's from Louisianna, therefor she is corrupt.. I heard

that each person when they are elected to office, be it dog scraper-upper or Governor are issued a nicely bound in leather pocket sized book, with their names in gold leaf, and it contains the lowest acceptable amounts for bribes. This is a necessary price control to prevent unscrupulous over greedy types from under-bidding another official. Being here in Texas, it is more or less de riguer to grant that since we are the best in everything, that it follows that our politicians are the most corrupt...what a self-delusional bunch we are...as I just proved Louisianna wrote the book!

;)

(speelnig edit)

[jus_the_facts]

9. Edit again because you speeled LOUISIANA wrong TWICE....

....and yes Mary sucks repuke ass...literally.

[Didereaux]

17. I have a jittery 'n' finger heh

[librechik]

10. Buh Bye, DINO

we don't need that sort of thing no matter how well she "fills the seat"-- she votes for Bushy, most of the time! And Landrieu of all people should know better.

[rateyes]

11. Agreed. nt

[mod mom]

12. Here's the DLC Senator on how fed ed $ should target the neediest students:

DLC | New Dem Daily | June 12, 2001
Landrieu On Target


In other action on the ESEA bill, the Senate last night took an important step to affirm that federal education dollars should be better targeted to the neediest students. By a vote of 57-36, the Senate approved LA Sen. Mary Landrieu's amendment to ensure that communities with the highest poverty rates receive the bulk of the new federal funding provided in the bill. In the past, efforts of this nature have routinely been thwarted by Congressional appropriators who insist on spreading the money around, regardless of actual need. That's why it was significant that Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) and the ranking Republican on the Education Appropriations Subcommittee, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA), supported Landrieu's amendment.

As we demand more of schools serving our most at-risk students, we must give them more support as well. The Landrieu amendment is a strong step in that direction.





http://dlc.org/ndol_ci.cfm?kaid=110&subid=181&contentid=3444

[WritersBlock]

13. Good. I've always said we need a Democrat in that seat, not an R-Lite. n/t

[damntexdem]

14. Hey, you're talking Louisiana!

The scandal would be if there were nothing shady in Landrieu's actions.

[Zorra]

15. Typhoid Mary strikes again. Louisiana has a RW nutjob governor.

If/when Landrieu resigns, we'll lose that Senate seat.

[fujiyama]

16. She's in for a rough race in November

Is there a politician of either party that isn't corrupt as hell in that state?

What a mess. I hope a clean Dem can run against her.

[BlueManDude]

18. who cares - she was toast anyway. maybe her friend lieberman will help her.