Host Indicted, Clinton Fund-Raiser Canceled (Hillary pal “Dickie” Scruggs is Lott's Brother-in-Law)

[jefferson_dem]

Host Indicted, Clinton Fund-Raiser Canceled
Mary Jacoby reports on the presidential race.

A Dec. 15 fund-raising event for Hillary Clinton at the home of prominent Mississippi trial laywer Richard “Dickie” Scruggs is off, now that Scruggs has been indicted for bribery.

Attorney Richard “Dickie” Scruggs (left) leaves the federal courthouse in Oxford, Miss., Wednesday.

Bill Clinton was set to be the star attraction at the event at Scruggs’s Oxford, Miss., home. Hillary Clinton wasn’t scheduled to attend. It was the first event that Scruggs, who made a fortune suing the tobacco industry in the 1990s, had offered to host for Clinton, a campaign spokesman said. It was canceled on Wednesday, after the Federal Bureau of Investigation raided his home and the federal indictment was announced.

Unlike Norman Hsu, the apparel executive who raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the campaign before it was revealed he’d been charged in California with fraud, Scruggs was not a Clinton “bundler” funneling donations from friends and associates, the campaign said.

Over the years, Scruggs has been a generous donor to Democrats, but he’s also given money to Republican candidates. He gave $4,200 to Clinton’s Senate campaign in 2005 but hadn’t made a donation yet to her presidential bid. Scruggs’s brother-in-law is Sen. Trent Lott (R., Miss.), who just announced his intention to leave the Senate before the end of the year.

Federal prosecutors in Mississippi have alleged that Scruggs tried to pass a $40,000 bribe to a state-court judge who was hearing a dispute between Scruggs and another lawyer over fees related to Hurricane Katrina litigation. Four others were indicted as well, including Scruggs’s son, Zachary, and another lawyer in the Scruggs law firm. Read more.

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http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2007/11/29/host-indicted-clinton-fund-raiser-canceled/

[ClarkUSA]

1. Norman Hsu, Alonzo Cantu, and now Dickie Scruggs....

Why am I not surprised that the Clinton campaign has another connection to a shady fundraiser? Birds of a feather, I guess.

[douglas9]

17. Alonzo Cantu (McAllen Monitor) 12.1.07

http://www.themonitor.com/common/printer/view.php?db=monitortx&id=7010

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

2. Fuck the WSJ. He's Trent Lott's brother-in-law but the noteworthy scandal is Hillary?

[faithfulcitizen]

3. Boy, does the name MaryJacoby bring back nightmares. (Clarkies should know what I mean.)

[jefferson_dem]

5. Wow. "Mary, help...."

I had never hear of her but can see how it would conjure up some nightmarish memories for you Clarkies.

And the politico -> press member revolving door spins...

[MADem]

4. Well, better to be able to cancel than to have gone through with it!!

It's the pictures and video that do the damage, really.

Good thing for the Clinton campaign that the FBI moved on this when they did. They actually dodged what could have been a tough situation.

Now, the question is, is Trent wrapped up in this business at all, or is it all just unfortunate coincidence?

[intheflow]

10. We're talkin' Mississippi politics, here.

Dickie and Trent are related, and tight as thieves. Dickie got Trent's insurance to pay him full damages on his destroyed-by-Katrina home while they screwed less-well-off homeowners from getting their full share. If Clinton is looking to these shysters for money, I hate to think what they'll want as return on their investment...

[MADem]

14. They're IN LAWS, Dickie and Trent. And Dickie plays both sides of the street.

He donates to both parties. The connection is between Missus Dickie, who is Trent's sister--or maybe ole Dickie is Trent's wife's brother--not totally sure, there. No blood kin, in any event.

We don't really know WHO the driver is, here--for all we know, it could be Dickie's wife who's the big booster--we just do not have sufficient info.

Not that the WHO matters, at this point--what is good news for the Clintons is that this arrest happened BEFORE and not after the party.

YMMV, but I say the campaign dodged a bullet, here.

[Demeter]

6. How Goes That Line From "Casablanca"?

Renault:"I am shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!"

Cute, but not applicable.....quite

Humphrey Bogart (Rick): "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine."

No, that's not it...


Senor Ferrari: "As the leader of all illegal activities in Casablanca, I am an influential and respected man."

Not quite what I had in mind....but close

Rick: "I stick my neck out for nobody.... I'm not fighting for anything any more except myself.
I'm the only cause I'm interested in."

Getting warmer....

Louis: "I'm only a poor corrupt official."

hmmm.......

Louis: "Ricky, I'm going to miss you. Apparently you're the only one in Casablanca with even less scruples than I."


BINGO!!!!

[illinoisprogressive]

7. Seems the Clinton campaign has been particularly plauged by scandal with donors.

[robinlynne]

8. God damn. Hillary is hanging out with the rightest of the right now.

At&t, Blackwater, Scruggs, Mark Penn, the Carlyle group, insurance companies?

[Reno.Muse]

13. That was my reaction. Did she help old Trent out with his state farm issue?

[MADem]

15. Trent Lott and the Kerrys (John and Theresa Heinz) are good friends.

The Senate is very collegial.

However, this guy, who was arrested, is no blood relative to Trent--it's his brother in law.

[AtomicKitten]

9. "Host Indicted, Clinton Fund-Raiser Canceled"

That's not good press. Yikes.

[Colobo]

11. Good to know! Thanks.

[alittlelark]

12. ....sigh.... no suprise.

sigh.

[BenDavid]

16. Maybe if you see this on any of the msm and associating him

with HRC, then maybe post back and all can write the network and ask them why did you not do the same when Romey's chairperson in Utah was indicted for sexual advances on a MINOR. Oh there are a lot more on the right that have fallen to their lust but again the msm does not report it.....

Ben David