FBI raids GOP Congressman's Boat and Home

[LoungeMachine]

FBI searches California congressman's home, boat





SAN DIEGO (AP) - The lawyer for Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham calls the FBI search of his California home and his borrowed yacht "an appalling abuse of government power."

The actions are part of the investigation into Cunningham's sale of an earlier home to a defense contractor who re-sold it months later at a loss. The contractor also owns the yacht Cunningham uses in Washington. It's rent-free, though Cunningham says he pays docking and maintenance fees.

Cunningham's lawyer says the Republican lawmaker is cooperating, but that the government apparently "won't take 'yes' for an answer," opting instead "to use strong-arm tactics."

Cunningham sits on two House panels that oversee the kind of classified work the contractor's company, MZM, does for the military. MZM increased its federal business at the time of Cunningham's house sale.

[FORD]

Surprising that the neocons would turn on one of their own. Has Cunningham changed his mind about Iraq or something?

[LoungeMachine]

Originally posted by FORD
Surprising that the neocons would turn on one of their own. Has Cunningham changed his mind about Iraq or something?

My guess?

He's the fall guy for the Defense Contractor Scandals that are about to erupt.

His involvement with MZM should deflect attention away from Halliburton and KBR ripping us off for BILLIONS.

It should also take some heat and spotlight away from Rove being the PLAME LEAK

:cool:

[ODShowtime]

They probably are in the market for an appropriate sacrificial lamb right about now.

[BITEYOASS]

It was fuckin dumb on his part to go into politics anyway. If I was a Navy ace in Vietnam and formerly CO of the TOP GUN school. I would have become a hollywood stunt pilot and date playboy playmates when I retire.

[BITEYOASS]

I guess they found out he wasn't a chickenhawk like the rest of them.

[LoungeMachine]

Cunningham won't run for re-election





Eight-term congressman says probes would make campaigning difficult
By John Marelius and Dani Dodge
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITERS
July 15, 2005





SAN MARCOS – Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, targeted by wide-ranging investigations into his financial dealings with a defense contractor, announced yesterday that he will not run for re-election next year.

"I have been honored to serve my country in times of peace and war," the eight-term congressman and former Navy Top Gun pilot said, "but the time has come for me to conclude the public chapter of my life."

With his wife, Nancy, at his side, the 63-year-old Rancho Santa Fe Republican read a two-page statement in front of a library at California State University San Marcos.



JOHN GASTALDO / Union-Tribune
Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Rancho Santa Fe, glanced at his wife Nancy after he delivered a brief statement in front of a library at California State University San Marcos yesterday.
After giving his statement, the congressman and his wife retreated into the library and quickly out a back door into a waiting vehicle. They did not answer questions from the media.

The FBI and a federal grand jury in San Diego, as well as the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, are investigating Cunningham's ties to defense contractor Mitchell Wade, founder of MZM Inc.

"I can do my work in Washington and I can defend myself against these allegations, but I don't think I can do either of these things effectively in the midst of a political campaign. You know how tough that is," Cunningham said. "Quite simply, right now, I may not be the strongest candidate."

Last month, an article in The San Diego Union-Tribune revealed that Wade bought Cunningham's Del Mar-area home in 2003 and sold it at a $700,000 loss nearly a year later. When in Washington, D.C., Cunningham lived aboard Wade's yacht.

MZM has received $163 million in federal contracts since 2002 with the support of Cunningham, a member of the House defense appropriations subcommittee.

Two weeks ago, federal agents searched Cunningham's house in Rancho Santa Fe and Wade's yacht and office in Washington.



JOHN GASTALDO / Union-Tribune
Former Encinitas Mayor Lou Aspell embraced Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham after the congressman announced yesterday that he will not seek re-election next year. Cunningham represents the 50th Congressional District, which includes Carlsbad, Encinitas, San Marcos, Del Mar and Escondido.
"I fully recognize that I showed poor judgment when I sold my home in Del Mar to a friend who did business with the government," Cunningham said. "I should have given more thought to how such a transaction might look to those who don't know me. I have spent an entire life building a reputation of integrity and trust. It pains me beyond words that I have jeopardized your trust."

The congressman also said he plans to sell his Rancho Santa Fe house and give a portion of the profit to three local charities. He did not say where he plans to move.

"Nancy and I know that this gesture will not convince the skeptics of our good faith," he said. "My detractors have already made up their minds and this act will not reach them, or in any way end the government's investigation of me."

The charities he identified were St. Clare's Home for abused and battered women, Bishop McKinney's School for At-Risk Children and Father Joe Carroll's homeless shelter.

Carroll, who has known Cunningham for several decades, said he was shocked at his decision not to run for re-election and was unaware of the impending donation.

"Personally, I'd rather have had a good friend in Congress," he said.

The founders of the other charities, Sister Claire Frawley and Bishop George McKinney, also said they were taken by surprise.

Cunningham's announcement that he will retire at the end of his term eases some of the political pressure, but the investigations are ongoing.

"Especially since you have the FBI involved, clearly if there's some criminal charges brought against him, he'll have to resign," said political scientist Gary Jacobson, an expert on Congress at the University of California San Diego.

When Cunningham's hastily arranged news conference was announced yesterday afternoon, rumors spread through the Republican grapevine that he was going to resign.

It was unclear when Cunningham made his decision not to run, but press secretary Mark Olson said he and other staffers were not told until two hours before the announcement.



K.C. ALFRED / Union-Tribune
Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham: "I fully recognize that I showed poor judgment when I sold my home in Del Mar to a friend who did business with the government."
Among those attending the announcement was former Rep. Ron Packard of Carlsbad.

Packard said he and Cunningham are "were as close as two congressmen could be" and remain good friends.

"He feels he's given his life to this country and to make an announcement like he did today, it's got to tear his heart out," Packard said. "It undoes everything he worked for all his life."

Packard said Cunningham succumbed to the realities of politics. "I'm a little surprised that he chose not to run," Packard said. "But he doesn't want to go into a campaign that he would lose."

Charles Nesby, who flew with Cunningham in the Navy, said he went to the announcement yesterday so he could stand with his friend. He said he expects Cunningham to be "completely vindicated."

Nesby said the public should judge Cunningham on what he has given to his country and to his district over his career and not on one mistake of judgment.

"I would fly with him in combat today," Nesby said.

Cunningham's declaration will touch off a scramble among Republicans in the heavily Republican 50th District, which includes several North County communities such as Carlsbad, Encinitas, San Marcos, Del Mar and Escondido, along with large portions of San Diego.

Escondido Mayor Lori Holt Pfeiler, who attended Cunningham's announcement yesterday and is considered a potential candidate to replace him, said she had "no inkling" of Cunningham's decision.



"In some ways, I think it is cleaner to serve out his term," Pfeiler said. "There is a beginning and an ending point."

State Sen. Bill Morrow, R-Oceanside, made his intentions known within hours of Cunningham's announcement.

"Although I am not prepared to make a formal announcement, I do intend to run for the seat," Morrow said.

Supervisor Pam Slater-Price and former Assemblyman Howard Kaloogian are considered probable candidates. Former Rep. Brian Bilbray, who represented the South Bay for six years in the 1990s and recently moved to Carlsbad, is believed to be interested in attempting a comeback.

Other Republican possibilities are Sen. Mark Wyland of Del Mar; Assemblyman George Plescia of San Diego; former Assemblywoman Charlene Zettel, who is now Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's director of consumer affairs; county Treasurer-Tax Collector Dan McAllister; and San Diego City Councilman Brian Maienschein.

Democrat Francine Busby, a member of the Cardiff school board, challenged Cunningham last year and plans to run in 2006. Yesterday, she called on Cunningham to resign immediately.

"If his ethical problems make it impossible to run a political campaign, they also make it impossible for him to represent the people of this district," she said.

Busby said she can defeat whomever the Republicans nominate. Few analysts agree, and they contend her best shot at winning would have been against an incumbent badly damaged by investigations.

"He will be replaced by a Republican," said Allan Hoffenblum, publisher of the California Target Book, which analyzes state political campaigns. "It is not a totally safe district, although there is a strong Republican bias."

In terms of voter registration, the 50th District is 45 percent Republican to 30 percent Democratic.

"A Democrat hasn't won a district with that kind of Republican registration in a long time," said Jacobson of UCSD.

In Washington, Cunningham's San Diego County congressional colleagues were saddened – but not really surprised – by the decision. Republican campaign strategists were said to have breathed a sigh of relief.

"There is no question about it that Republicans are relieved now that it is over," said Charles Cook, who publishes the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.

He said his conversations with Republican strategists convinced him that they wanted the incumbent to go. "Everybody knew it except for Duke," he said.

Rep. Duncan Hunter, an El Cajon Republican who had taken Cunningham under his wing more than a decade ago and helped guide him through Washington, was hit the hardest personally. But he said the toll of the scandal was just too much to bear and that Cunningham was motivated by trying to shield his family from further attacks.

"He's a good friend and Nancy is a wonderful person and this has been a very difficult time for them," he said.

"I think that Duke has really been impacted by what he perceives as the pressure this has put on his family. Nancy is the most precious thing in Duke's life and he feels this has really hurt her."

Hunter also lashed out at the torrent of news reports about Cunningham's financial dealings. "The media has been unfair," he said. "You've had almost a story a day, some of them fairly creative."

He urged critics to recall Cunningham's record of service as a Navy fighter pilot in Vietnam, when he and his radar officer were the only Navy aces in that war.

He "served his country very well and very effectively and continues to serve the country well," added Hunter, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.

Democratic Rep. Susan Davis of San Diego also recalled Cunningham's military service, saying that he "has given a lifetime of service to our country and San Diego, which makes these allegations particularly unfortunate."

While calling Cunningham's decision to bow out "understandable," she added: "On a personal level, he has been a gracious and helpful colleague. I feel for him and his family."

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, said Cunningham made the right decision in light of the federal probe.

"I know this was a difficult decision for a committed public servant like Duke Cunningham," Issa said. "But I fully support it and hope it allows him to concentrate on cooperating with the current investigation while continuing to serve the people of his district."

[Nickdfresh]

Maybe he's the fallguy for all the stinky REPUBLICAN corruption scandels popping up like bobbling turds in an open sewer.

The Gimme-Five Game
A trove of e-mail offers an inside look at a lobbying scandal that's making top conservatives nervous
By MASSIMO CALABRESI

Jul. 4, 2005
At this stage, it's not easy to make Jack Abramoff's reputation worse. The Washington superlobbyist has been caught, in his e-mails, calling his Indian tribal clients "monkeys" and "morons." It has been made clear, in congressional hearings, that he charged the tribes outlandish fees and got them to make donations that underwrote his lifestyle, his kids' education and the luxury travel of his favorite politician. But for those who were recipients of the largesse that Abramoff could afford with his clients' money, exposure is a frightening prospect. House majority leader Tom DeLay, that luxury traveler, has already been burned by his association with Abramoff. The latest disclosures about the lobbyist's methods have dusted up two more Republican notables: antitax activist Grover Norquist and Christian conservative Ralph Reed. Their names came up in the thousands of e-mails released last week by the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, which is investigating Abramoff. The fact that Abramoff-controlled tribal money found its way to the highest levels of conservative power in the country is making a lot of people in Washington nervous. "If you painted that money purple, there'd be a lot of purple pockets around town," says Senator Byron Dorgan, the ranking Democrat on the committee.

The spreading scandal is a particular concern to Republicans in light of next year's midterm elections. Abramoff's name has become associated in Washington with more than just typical lobbying excess. He is an intimate of the self-described revolutionaries who took power on the Hill in 1994 on promises of cleaning house after decades of Democratic control and, as such, is seen as the personification of the Republican revolution gone awry. It doesn't help that the Indian tribal money that made Abramoff so influential around town came mostly from profits from gambling, which many conservatives view as immoral. Some Republicans are even arguing that the party should distance itself from those tied too closely to Abramoff. "If someone within your family is doing something that's certainly wrong, if not illegal, you have a duty to say, That's not us," says David Keene, chairman of the American Conservative Union. "That's what people are saying."

Last week's e-mail dump was the first detailed look the public has got into how Abramoff combined his top-tier connections with vast sums of money from his tribal clients to advance his interests. It shows how easy it is for seasoned operators to violate the spirit of the law--possibly while staying within the letter of it--as they peddle influence. The correspondence also lays bare that, of the $7.7 million Abramoff and fellow lobbyist Michael Scanlon charged the Choctaw for projects in 2001, they spent $1.2 million for their efforts and split the rest in a scheme they called "gimme five." Most of all, it shines a bright light into the dark places of Washington where money, politics and lobbyists meet.

Norquist, Abramoff and Reed first worked together in 1981 as members of the college Republicans organizing protests against communism in Poland. From there, the three rose steadily to the tops of their fields. Reed, as leader of the Christian Coalition, built a national grass-roots following of religious activists. Abramoff tapped into massive casino profits by representing newly rich tribes. And Norquist, head of Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), established himself as the high priest of tax cuts.

According to the e-mail trail, Reed and Norquist contacted Abramoff separately in 1999 to say they wanted to do business. Norquist complained about a "$75K hole in my budget from last year." Reed, who left the Christian Coalition in 1997 to found a political consultancy, said he was counting on Abramoff "to help me with some contacts." As it turned out, Abramoff needed them too. In 2000 Alabama was considering establishing a state lottery, which would compete with the casino business of the Mississippi band of Choctaws, an Abramoff client. Norquist and Reed were well positioned to help. "ATR was opposed to a government-run lottery for the same reason we're opposed to government-run steel mills," Norquist told TIME. Reed publicly opposed gambling. It wouldn't do to have casino owners directly funding an antigambling campaign. So Abramoff arranged for the Choctaws to give ATR $1.15 million in installments. Norquist agreed to pass the money on to the Alabama Christian Coalition and another Alabama antigambling group, both of which Reed was mobilizing for the fight against the lottery. Reed knew the real source of the money was the casino-rich Choctaws. The antigambling groups say they didn't.

On Feb. 7, 2000, Abramoff warned Reed that the initial payment for antilottery radio spots and mailings would be less than Reed thought. "I need to give Grover something for helping, so the first transfer will be a bit lighter," Abramoff wrote. The transfer was apparently lighter than even Abramoff expected. In a note to himself on Feb. 22, Abramoff wrote, "Grover kept another $25K!" Norquist says he had permission. He says a Choctaw representative--he can't remember who-- instructed him on two occasions to keep $25,000 of the money for his group.

Abramoff's spokesman released a statement last week saying that with an investigation ongoing, "Mr. Abramoff is put into the impossible position of not being able to defend himself in the public arena until the proper authorities have had a chance to review all accusations." Norquist says he believes the direction of the Indian Affairs Committee's probe is being driven by an old rivalry between him and the committee chairman, Republican Senator John McCain. "This is completely political," Norquist says. McCain said last week's hearings sought to uncover fraud against the Choctaws, not investigate Norquist or Reed.

As for Reed, who is campaigning to become Lieutenant Governor of Georgia, he faces the wrath of his former Christian Coalition partners in Alabama. They say they feel tricked into working against the Alabama lottery on behalf of casino owners who saw it merely as competition. Alabama coalition president John Giles says that the organization has begun an investigation and that Reed's lawyers are cooperating. The Choctaws last week supported Reed's claim that none of the money paid to oppose the lottery came from gambling profits. Reed's Republican-primary opponent, state senator Casey Cagle, has made Reed's association with Abramoff a campaign issue. "We were working to shut down a gambling casino, and I make no apologies," Reed told TIME in March.

What of the friendship among the three men? In 2002 Abramoff came to see Reed as competition and cut him off the Choctaw gravy train. "He is a bad version of us! No more money for him," Abramoff wrote Scanlon. Norquist was still standing by Abramoff last week, in a way. "I've known Jack for a long time," he said. "He's never approached me for anything improper. But we have led very different lives over the last 20 years."

--With reporting by Greg Fulton and Greg Land/Atlanta and Viveca Novak/ Washington

http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,1077296,00.html

[LoungeMachine]

bump

[ODShowtime]

I thought I remembered the boat part. Good stuff.

See how he comes and and admits it like a man?