CREW Files FEC Complaint Req Invstgtn Into Foreign Donations to Hastert's

[cascadiance]

... campaign (couldn't cram any more into that subject line)

(Mods, please keep this in LBN forum. It IS news, even if the MSM isn't covering it yet. The key is that a lot on this topic is INTENTIONALLY being ignored by MSM)

Folks, it looks like the Vanity Fair article is having more effect now as there is now an formal request for an official investigation being launched into Hastert's campaign contributions! This isn't happening overnight, but that's now potentially TWO investigations that have been started as the result of that one article. The more this info gets out there, hopefully we can really affect some change! Keep bugging your news outlets and your congress critters to do their job and let Sibel's case be heard!

From:

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=51744

-------------------------
CREW Files FEC Complaint Requesting Investigation Into Foreign Donations to Hastert's Campaign

8/16/2005 10:26:00 AM

To: National Desk

Contact: Naomi Seligman of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, 202-588-5565

WASHINGTON, Aug. 16 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Earlier today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) requesting an investigation into whether Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert's campaign committee illegally accepted campaign contributions from foreign nationals in 2000 and 2001.

CREW based its complaint on an article appearing in the September issue of Vanity Fair in which it was reported that former FBI translator Sibel Edomonds reviewed wiretap recordings involving an FBI target at Chicago's Turkish Consulate, as well as members of the American-Turkish Council and the Assembly of Turkish American Associations. According to Ms. Edmonds, the recordings indicated that an FBI target had arranged for tens of thousands of dollars of campaign contributions to be sent to Rep. Hastert's campaign committee in small (i.e., less than $200) checks that did not have to be itemized.

Hastert for Congress received $110,860.75 in unitemized contributions in 2001 and $72,275 in unitemized contributions in 2000.

Federal election campaign law strictly prohibits foreign nationals from making political contributions and prohibits political committees from accepting campaign contributions from foreign nationals. If a committee receives a contribution of questionable legality, it must make at least one written or oral request for evidence that the contribution is legal and either confirm the legality of the contribution or refund the contribution.

...

[seemslikeadream]

1. But the tale is more complex

....

But the tale is more complex. Consider this contemporary report on human rights and military sales to Turkey:

"...Once House leaders decided to move the resolution, it easily passed in committee and headed to the House floor. Outraged representatives of Turkey's government threatened to halt negotiations with Textron and instead buy helicopters from a Russian-Israeli consortium, according to Bloomberg News Service. Worried that the $4.5 billion deal might collapse, Textron lobbied the congressmen who represent the area surrounding the company's Fort Worth plant to kill the resolution. 'We felt it was important to support Turkey,' explains Kozicharow."

It's also very interesting to look at the context, five years ago. From the same article:

"...President Bill Clinton warned earlier this year that angering Turkey could have 'far-reaching negative consequences for the United States.'

Eager to bolster its stock price, which has lost more than half its value in the last 18 months, Textron is using Clinton's views to its advantage. 'We agree with the State Department,' says Gene Kozicharow, Textron's Washington-based director of public affairs, referring to Clinton's warning. But when asked whether Textron agrees with the State Department's damning assessment of human-rights abuses in Turkey, Kozicharow responded, 'I think I'm going to cut this off, Steve . Talk to you later,' and hung up."

Another contemporary report put the deal in context- and raised further serious questions about whether it would result in short-term profit and long-term loss:

"...In July 2000, the Turkish government chose Bell Helicopter Textron’s AH-1Z KingCobra over the other four finalists: Boeing, Kamov Helicopter (Russian-Israeli consortium), Agusta, (Italy), and the Europcopter (Franco-German). But to maintain pressure to receive a U.S. export license and the best possible contract terms, Turkey is keeping the Russian-Israeli model in the competition until the deal is signed, sealed, and delivered. At issue is the amount of local production and technology transfer that Turkey will receive. Ankara has plans to become an independent producer of attack helicopters, just as it used to manufacture and export F-16s under license in the 1980's and 1990's. Anxious to seal this lucrative deal, Bell Textron may be willing to give away the store, including not just a license to produce the exterior of the aircraft, but access to the technology needed to build, alter and improve upon the software operating the gunships' high-tech instruments. While the loss of jobs to overseas production is deemed an unavoidable cost of doing weapons business today, the U.S. government has refused in the past to allow the transfer of software "source codes" and other sensitive technology for reasons of national security.

more
http://www.antiwar.com/blog/comments.php?id=2286_0_1_0_C

[cascadiance]

2. As a side topic on this discussion...

Another great book that I've had recommended to me from a number of very different people is Jack Perkins book "Confessions of an Economic Hitman". Started reading it on a plane flight yesterday. I think it really gives one an insight as to the kind of mentality of what we're dealing with in this conspiracy that's going on, and how they are building up American Empire building under so many layers of lies and deceit.

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/1576753018.01._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_AA240_SH20_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

Amazon.com link
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1576753018/103-1301793-1539830?v=glance

Democracy Now! link...
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=04/11/09/1526251

[moodforaday]

3. kick, and thanks

:kick:

[liveoaktx]

4. Bear in mind a lot of people haven't received their subscriptions yet

I got my issue yesterday and Vanity Fair told me that people will get theirs by Friday. So, even though there was some pre-buzz on the internet, the paper copies are only now starting to be read by people.

[mom cat]

5. I got mine last Friday in the newsstand in Harvard Square...they were

flying off the racks!
It is a great article...well worth the price.

[Lochloosa]

6. Kick

[cascadiance]

7. Mainstream news sites are now picking this story up from AP!

Looks like it's going out through AP wire story onto various news sites now!

From the Chicago Tribune: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-050816hastert,1,4417307.story?coll=chi-news-hed

Group seeks FEC investigation of Hastert fund

By Dennis Conrad
The Associated Press
Published August 16, 2005, 4:22 PM CDT

WASHINGTON - A private group filed a complaint Tuesday urging federal election officials to investigate whether House Speaker Dennis Hastert's campaign fund illegally accepted contributions from foreigners.

The complaint from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Government relied on an article published in the September issue of Vanity Fair to argue the Federal Election Commission should pursue the matter.

The group, whose executive director, Melanie Sloan, is a former federal prosecutor and counsel to House Democrats, suggested that the Illinois Republican's campaign fund could have received hundreds of unitemized contributions of $200 or less from foreigners in 2000 and 2001 because Hastert raised so much money in small amounts.

Names and addresses are not required for such donations.

...