Rove's Office Urged (federal) Spending to Help GOP Incumbents in '06; "gross abuse of public trust"

[DeepModem Mom]

Source: Washington Post

When Karl Rove's office requested special help for beleaguered Republican congressional candidates in the months before the 2006 elections, the head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy jumped to the task. Director John Walters carried half-million-dollar grants to news conferences with two congressmen and a senator, earning a top Rove aide's accolade of "superstar" after the election.

Walters's visits to Utah, Missouri and Nevada were among at least 303 out-of-town trips by senior Bush appointees meant to lend prestige or bring federal grants to 99 politically endangered Republicans that year, in an orchestrated White House campaign that House Democratic investigators yesterday called unprecedented in scope and scale.

Although federal law prohibits the use of public funds or resources for partisan political activities -- and specifically barred Walters from any involvement in a federal election campaign -- the agencies involved said most of these trips were paid for by taxpayer funds, according to the draft report released by the Democratic majority of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

The report said the trips were freely described as political in subpoenaed e-mails and interviews. A master list prepared at the White House two weeks before the election listed the names and dates of appearances by Cabinet secretaries in 73 key congressional districts, all under the heading "Final Push Surrogate Matrix."

"This is," the report said, "a gross abuse of the public trust."

The existence of the White House effort to turn federal officials into instruments of the 2006 Republican campaign effort is already well known, as well as the existence of a so-called "asset deployment" strategy involving senior appointees in every federal agency. But the House report, based on a review of more than 63,000 pages of internal documents, includes fresh details about which Cabinet members participated and who benefited....

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/15/AR2008101501791.html?hpid=topnews

[Robbien]

1. Who is to say they aren't doing the same thing right now

The same players are in charge of all Fed departments. Doan is still there probably still giving her now famous lectures on "How do we get our people elected".

[Roland99]

3. Wasn't it Wachvia that just loaned the RNC $5 million?

Wonder if they'll get "reimbursed" from Bailout Bill?

[torbird]

5. Sure, but

Wachovia's loan is technically legal; it just looks and smells like shit.

[spag68]

15. Wachovia

Wait a minute, can someone explain to me how a bankrupt co. loans money to anyone?

[cyberpj]

26. The Wachovia "loan" (really?) - why haven't we heard anything more about this?

Isn't that money laundering? And isn't it illegal? And does anyone even care anymore?

Breaking Scandal-Republican National Committee Get An $8 Million Bailout From Failing Wachovia Updated at 1:53 PM
Edited on Thu Oct-09-08 03:57 PM by kpete

FACING SOUTH INVESTIGATION: How did Republicans get an $8 million bailout from failing Wachovia?

Wachovia Corp., a once-thriving financial giant now teetering on the brink of collapse, confirmed today that it was extending an $8 million loan to the cash-strapped National Republican Congressional Committee for last-minute activites to support GOP House candidates.

Wachovia's decision to lend money to the NRCC -- itself reeling from a damaging financial scandal earlier this year -- is sure to draw charges of favoritism, as Wachovia denies credit and freezes assets for thousands of other customers.

Allegations of favoritism are especially delicate for Wachovia, given the disproportionate support of Republican campaigns and organizations by the company's leadership.

What's more, Wachovia's loan to the NRCC comes as Wachovia awaits the outcome of precarious buyout negotations which have relied on federal backing -- inviting questions over the political activities of companies whose survival depend on public support.

more at:
http://southernstudies.org/facingsouth/2008/10/investig...
http://www.rollcall.com/news/29150-1.html
http://www.openleft.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=8937
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/10/9/144138/991/200/625265

[truedelphi]

32. Plus who is to say that some of the recent 770 Billion dollar

Bailout package won't be funnelled around.

They have already admitted that 250 Billion will be used to acquire banks. Do you remember during the BCCI days (some 15 yrs ago) how much federal regulaters were paid to do things like that? Each acquisition gave the person in charge of the acquisition around $ 50K to $ 100K - right after the employee resigned from the federal position and signed on as an acquisitions expert.

I figure such a service could easily be worth 250K these days - and the kickbacks will be significant enough to help the Repugs fund their kitty.

Oh I know - the Repugs have never gone for any scheme to nationalize the funding of elections - just like they never went for any nationalization of a nation's banking system

<sigh>

[NewJeffCT]

2. wow, that is blatant, even for Rove

i guess i shouldn't be surprised.

[aquart]

4. AT WHAT POINT DOES SOMEONE GO TO JAIL?

Hell, even screaming it doesn't work.

[stoge18]

6. I'm asking the same question.

Really, what will it take? This man is the worst kind of scum there is.

[glinda]

7. Maybe we lost already

I mean, if no one goes to jail ever than if the election gets stolen, then maybe it is already over. I hate to think this way but there is absolutely no follow up.

[stoge18]

9. It's frustrating. 8 freaking years of this.

It's about to end, though. The good guy wins in this story.

[skyounkin]

11. No shit.

WHEN GODAMMIT?!!

[L. Coyote]

25. In the Year 2009 A.J.

After the Junta!

[Supersedeas]

33. under the selective guidance of the Mukasey Doctrine: citizens must really on the GoP Media Establ

Establishment for negative press -- that's all the accountability one can expect from an AG with political affiliation tipping the scales of justice.

[Zhade]

34. Been asking THAT for years now.

NT!

[Juche]

8. Who cares, baseball players are using steroids

Get some priorities people.

I'm still a democrat, but jesus. Where are the Wexlers, Kuciniches and McKinneys and when we need them.

[awoke_in_2003]

13. They are busy being ignored

by house leadership.

[Merlot]

10. ok, I had this figured out a long time ago

remember in 2002 when bushco was going around the country proping up repub candidates? At that time I knew he was doing campaigning on the taxpayers dollar. It was pretty obvious.

[lligrd]

12. Should Be Big News

Unfortunately, I doubt it will be.

[Duer 157099]

14. He must be so pleased to have been exonerated! n/t

[LaPera]

16. Who would ever doubt Rove's sliminess to steal what ever he can to achieve his fascist hateful,

lying stealing votes agenda & republican fascist ideology?

[mickyx65it]

17. Te devil is Rove's brother.

Te devil is Karl Rove's brother.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/castielli/2905820823/sizes/l/in/set-72157607669194503/

[Hubert Flottz]

18. KKKarl belongs in JAIL!

K&R

[femrap]

29. how about in a jail

in Venezuela???

[StClone]

19. When Bush wire taps you

Everything is off the table.

[Window]

20. Please God, let these disgustingly crooked pols get their just desserts.

[underpants]

21. They have sleeper cells in place at Justice, State, Homeland Security,..

and of course they did this.

This is no surprise.

[mod mom]

22. Didn't we already know this from the Laurita Doan hearings? This just adds to their abuse

of taxpayer dollars in promoting their candidates.

[L. Coyote]

27. Exactly. But, now we know what ONE of the 10,000,000 hidden e-mails says!

9,999,999 to go!! 2009 could be a real field day for attorneys.

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

23. Bush's Abuse of the Public Trust # 35926-A

:eyes:

[dhpgetsit]

24. "gross abuse of public trust"??? How about the LAW!

I thought it was illegal to use a public office for campaign purposes.

Arrest him already!

[L. Coyote]

30. EVIDENCE: "Taylor's office developed a standard form to send around, titled "Secretary _____ Sug...

This will make getting guilty pleas sooooo easy! :rofl:

[AlbertCat]

28. "Public trust"....that's a good one!

[lonestarnot]

31. When are the arrests going to be made?

[ProudDad]

35. The day after hell freezes over? (n/t)