I almost pity the Republicans: 'Justice Dept: R-Treasurer took at least $500K in GOP campaign funds'

[Dark]

Christopher Ward, once the highly respected former treasurer for the National Republican Congressional Committee, allegedly improperly diverted more than $500,000 in GOP campaign donations during a four-year period from 2003 to 2007, according to documents unveiled by the Justice Dept. on Friday.

No charges have been filed against Ward yet, but DOJ has begun civil forfeiture proceedings on his Bethesda, Md., home, stating that the funds he took were used to pay his mortgage for several years, as well as cover the cost of a $200,000 home renovation.

Ward "made over $500,000 in unauthorized withdrawals" from several bank accounts created to handle donations for the annual President's Dinners, according to the DOJ filing. Those yearly galas, where money was raised for House and Senate Republicans, took in millions of dollars, and Ward, as the NRCC treasurer, allegedly diverted a big chunk of those funds directly to his own bank accounts.

Ward is under investigation by the FBI for alleged embezzlement and bank fraud. As of today, five GOP campaign committees and PACs have formally reported that Ward misappropriated at least $47,000, although the diversion from the NRCC is believed to be much larger. NRCC officials have been tight-lipped so far on what the exact number is.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/16281

Uh oh. That's not gonna look good come election day.

Oh, and he probably wasn't acting alone

[hobbit709]

1. The crooks even steal from each other

[Dark]

2. Lie down with dogs, I guess.

n/t

[Fridays Child]

3. At this point, they're the only ones who have anything to steal.

They've pretty much robbed the rest of us blind.

[Dark]

4. We're fucked iif the Democrats lose this election.

n/t

[crikkett]

5. I'm almost going to miss this aspect of the Bush Administration:

The GOP Breaking Scandal of the Day

[Dark]

6. Meh. They would have wasted the money anyways.

n/t

[Ikonoklast]

10. But, but, he stole all the money from

Our 'Coke And Hookers' Fund!!!

The bastard!! What are we supposed to do at the convention now???

Listen to the old fart McCain ramble on about his lawnmower, or that he likes pudding?

With no money for coke or hookers from the Republican National Committee, I ain't goin'.

[Dark]

11. You could always save some dough by hitching a ride on the straight talk express

n/t

[Ikonoklast]

14. No way that's ever gonna happen!

You ever have to sit on the bus for hours on end with a bunch like that?

After a while, that musty old man smell gets into your clothes so deep dry-cleaning won't even get it out.

And that asshole McCain has a bad habit of throwing his shoe at you when he gets angry.


He throws a LOT of shoes.

[Dark]

15. You think that's bad? Ask one of the kids who interned under Bolton.

Now that man had a temper.

[Ikonoklast]

16. I would have deliberately tried to get him to stroke out

I'm the kind of person that starts office pools on how quickly I could get upper management to get that throbbing vein started in their forehead, all the while using the current man-hours reports and a calm voice.

I'd have Bolton in a coma in, let's see, 12 working days, tops.

But I ain't a kid, and I don't get intimidated very easily. Telling multi-millionaires that they were wrong used to be part of my job.

Using a loud voice stopped scaring me years ago.

[madeline_con]

28. I'd have a Red Forman solution for that! n/t

[Lasher]

8. I used to try to keep track of GOP scandals.

But there've been too many of them. I think this particular one has been in the news before and this is an update.

[Monk06]

7. Like Bush would notice that he got baloney kraft dinner casserole instead of prime rib and truffles.

[Dark]

9. Hey! Chimps have a very good sense of smell!

n/t

[DUlover2909]

12. I'm glad.

:rofl:

[Dark]

13. At least they helped SOMEONE with their mortgage. n/t

[malaise]

17. I don't pity any of them

but do love all these scandals. Thieves stealing from thieves - priceless.

[Dark]

19. Me too. But this will hurt the GOP's credibility.

n/t

[barbtries]

21. ah shucks

imagine the GOP losing credibility.

[pdxmom]

18. They just can't help themselves, can they? It's like the entire party

suffers from universal character flaws. Very Borg-like.

[barbtries]

22. i have come to believe

that there is deep and widespread pathology behind what goes on with the so-called "conservative" party. there is just no other explanation. and the hell of it it, it's a contagious disease.

[barbtries]

20. don't bother feeling sorry for them

they've ripped off the nation and they don't feel sorry for the people. i'm sure they have plenty of self pity to go around as they have never given a rat's ass for our democracy, our wealth, or our people.

[LeftishBrit]

23. Wonderful judges of character, those Republicans!

It somehow seems like poetic justice that some Republican crook defrauded ... the Republican party!

[Flubadubya]

24. Just think, $500,000 that did NOT go to GOP campaigns...

I think the guy did US a favor! :evilgrin:

[dmr]

25. A happy ending to the story ... n/t

[Jim Lane]

26. Just to complete the circle of corruption....

Ward, the guy who stole the half a mil from the NRCC, has also done accounting work for the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, according to in Harper's.

Birds of a feather....

[madeline_con]

27. "diverted"

Is STOLE so hard to say?