DNC: The Un-Sweet Sixteen: Breaking Down the Brackets (March Madness)

[ProSense]

DNC: The Un-Sweet Sixteen: Breaking Down the Brackets on the Republican Culture of Corruption

Tue Mar 21, 12:16 PM ET

To: National Desk

Contact: Karen Finney of the Democratic National Committee, 202-863-8148


WASHINGTON, March 21 /U.S. Newswire/ -- This weekend, millions of Americans had their college basketball brackets busted as underdog teams knocked off perennial powerhouses to reach the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA basketball tournament. Sadly, the brackets in the "Un-Sweet Sixteen," the leading members of the Republican culture of corruption, remain intact. And, while the college basketball field will dwindle as the tournament progresses, the "Un-Sweet Sixteen" is just the tip of the iceberg, as more and more Republican politicians, lobbyists, and Bush Administration officials become ensnared in scandals and investigations.

" March Madness may be fun for millions of Americans, but the Republican culture of corruption is no game," said Democratic National Committee Communications Director Karen Finney. "The American people always lose when Republicans in Washington put their own political gain and the special interests ahead of doing what's right for America.

"Americans want change, not more of the same cronyism, incompetence and corruption that we've seen from Republicans in Washington and state capitals across the country. This election is going to be a slam dunk for Democrats if Republicans don't join us in fighting for real reforms that put our government back to work protecting the safety and security of the America people."

To view the bracket, copy and paste the following URL in your browser: http://a9.g.akamai.net/7/9/8082/v004/democratic1.download.akamai. com/8082/images/content/20060321_bracket.gif

The GOP's Un-Sweet Sixteen

Bush Administration Bracket:

1. President George W. Bush: President Bush has spent the past year dodging ethics questions surrounding his party and his Administration. His Interior Department has become mired in the Jack Abramoff investigation, one of his White House aides was arrested for making false statements to an ethics officer, and another is accused of lying in connection to the investigation of the leaking of a CIA agent's name in the time of war. Many of his top fundraisers have either been accused of or plead guilty to corruption charges including Jack Abramoff, Tom Noe, and Ralph Reed. Bush also spent the early part of 2006 denying that he ever knew Abramoff, all the while knowing that he had met with him and his clients on multiple occasions. (Vanity Fair, 4/06; CBS, 10/28/05; Time, 2/11/06; DOJ Release, 9/19/05; Columbus Dispatch, 02/13/06)

2. Vice President Dick Cheney: Referred to by the in USA Today as the "Velcro veep" because of his central role in most all of the Administration's problems, Vice President Cheney has been implicated in the leaking of a CIA agent's identity during a time of war. Cheney is also a central figure in the effort to manipulate pre-war intelligence, has triggered great concern because of his ongoing ties to Halliburton, and spearheaded a secret energy task force that recommended huge tax cuts for Cheney's friends in the oil and gas industry. (USA Today, 12/5/05; New York Times, 1/30/01; New Yorker, 10/27/03; Associated Press, 7/18/02)

3. Former Cheney Chief of Staff Scooter Libby: Former Cheney protégé and chief of staff for his White House office, Libby was indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice late last year, in connection with the special counsel's investigation into the West Wing's leaking of the identity of a CIA agent during a time or war for political purposes. (CBS, 10/28/05)

4. Former White House Procurement Chief David Safavian: The Bush Administration's chief contracting and procurement official at OMB, David Safavian, was arrested on charges of making false statements to an ethics official, making false statements to the General Services Agency's Inspector General, and obstruction of a GSA-IG investigation. Safavian's made false statements when asked about a golf trip he took to Scotland with Republican mega- lobbyist Jack Abramoff and Republican Congressman Bob Ney. (DOJ Release, 9/19/05)

House Bracket

1. Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay: DeLay was forced to resign his position as Republican House Majority Leader after being indicted for money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering. DeLay was involved in a scheme to launder $190,000 in corporate contributions through an arm of the Republican National Committee in Washington to Republican candidates in Texas, where the use of corporate money in political campaigns is strictly prohibited. DeLay has also come under scrutiny in the Abramoff investigation, traveling to Scotland, Russia, and the Marianas Islands with Abramoff, and helping his clients with various Congressional actions in return. (Washington Post, 10/03/05).


2. Former Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham: After the revelation of an astonishing corruption scheme, Cunningham recently began an eight year prison sentence after he pleaded guilty to taking $2.4 million in bribes in return for political favors on behalf of a defense contractor. (AP, 3/4/06)


3. Ohio Congressman Bob Ney: Ney has the honor of being named in Jack Abramoff's indictment, as "Representative Number 1". Ney has come under scrutiny for accepting a trip for himself to golf in Scotland, trips to Florida and the Pacific for his staff, and donations in his name to the NRCC. In exchange, Ney awarded a contract to an Abramoff client after a questionable process, made floor statements favorable to an Abramoff business deal, and attempted to insert language helping an Abramoff client into a voting rights bill. (Washington Post, 9/28/04; Washington Post, 12/26/04; The Hill, 3/3/05; Washington Post, 11/18/04)


4. Florida Congresswoman Katherine Harris: Harris was recently identified as "Representative B" in the plea agreement of Mitchell Wade CEO of MZM corporation and one of the individuals who bribed Congressman Duke Cunningham. In the plea agreement Harris is said to have met with Wade personally after receiving a large number of illegal donations from him and his employees. Harris then attempted to win federal appropriations for MZM Corp. at the behest of Wade. (Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 2/26/06; Justice Department Release, 2/23/06)

Senate Bracket

1. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist: The U.S. Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission are both investigating whether or not questionable stock sales by Senator Majority Leader Bill Frist amounted to illegal insider trading. Frist has claimed that he was not involved in managing his vast holdings in the health care company his father founded, since he entered the Senate. But it turns out Frist ordered the sale of his holdings just weeks before the company's stock price plummeted. Frist's brother controlled up to $1.5 million more of Frist's company stock in a previously undisclosed partnership. (New York Times, 9/27/05; AP, 10/12/05)

2. Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum: Besides being the Republican's point man in the Senate on the K street project, the Republican effort to install their allies in key lobbying positions, Santorum has run into personal ethics problems. Santorum received a $500,000 loan for his home in Virginia from the bank of one of his campaign donors. The bank advertises itself as a independent private bank that only loans to its affluent investors; however, Santorum has never had an investment portfolio with the bank. It was also revealed that Santorum's Political Action Committee has spent only 18.1 percent of the money it has raised on candidates, the rest of the money going to unusual charges - mostly to fast food restaurants, Starbucks, and retailers. (phillynews.com, 2/21/06; Roll Call, 3/1/06)

3. Montana Senator Conrad Burns: Conrad Burns was the largest single benefactor of Jack Abramoff's generosity. Burns' most high-profile action for Abramoff was securing funding for a school for an affluent tribal client of Abramoff's, through a grant program that was designed for poor tribes. (AP, 3/1/05; tray.com)

4. Arizona Senator John McCain: A reputed champion of campaign finance reform, John McCain just hired the middleman in Tom DeLay's money laundering scheme. McCain hired Terry Nelson, the deputy chief of staff for the Republican National Committee when DeLay allegedly conspired to launder corporate money to Texas political candidates through the RNC, as a senior advisor to McCain's Straight Talk America PAC. Nelson is alleged to have negotiated the transfer of funds with Texans for a Republican Majority executive director John Colyandro and Jim Ellis, who ran Americans for a Republican Majority. McCain, who launched an investigation into Jack Abramoff's lobbying practices, declared he would not look into the obviously questionable actions of Republican Members of Congress or Senators. (AP, 11/17/05; Roll Call, 3/10/05; Austin American-Statesman, 9/14/05; Travis County District Court Bill of Indictment, Thomas Dale DeLay, 9/28/05; CQ Weekly, 3/20/2004; San Antonio Express-News, 3/15/2004; Austin American-Statesman, 2/26/2004; FEC,4/8/2004; Texas Ethics Commission, 4/8/2004)

Pioneers & Rangers Bracket

1. Jack Abramoff: Bush Pioneer and former Republican mega- lobbyist Jack Abramoff, recently plead guilty to a range of federal and state corruption and fraud charges. Abramoff confessed to contributing to and directing donations to Republican Members of Congress, in exchange for Congressional action on behalf of his clients. Abramoff also used his status as a major Bush fundraiser to gain access to the Bush Administration, including access to the White House and its staff. (Vanity Fair, 4/06)

2. James Tobin: Bush Ranger and former NRSC regional political director James Tobin was convicted of conspiring to illegally jam the phone banks of the Democratic Party and labor organizations on Election Day during the 2002 Senate race between former NH Governor Jean Shaheen (D) and John E. Sununu (R). (Manchester Union Leader, 8/13/05)

3. Tom Noe: Bush pioneer Tom Noe has been indicted on 53 felony counts stemming from his involvement in a scheme that bilked the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation out of $13 million. The charges, including 11 counts of theft, 11 counts of money laundering, 8 counts of tampering with records, and 22 counts of forgery, could carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison. (Toledo Blade, 02/13/06). These follow Noe's indictment last year on federal charges of illegally funneling $45,400 to President Bush's 2004 campaign. (Columbus Dispatch, 02/13/06)

4. Georgia Lt. Gov. Candidate Ralph Reed: Not only has Reed been subpoenaed by the Senate Indian Affairs committee as part of its investigation into Jack Abramoff, federal investigators are also looking into a $4 million payment that Abramoff made to Reed. Reed was a key player in the president's reelection operation and raised more than $300,000 for Bush's two presidential campaigns in 2000 and 2004. (Washington Post, 4/27/05; 4/22/05)


http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnw/20060321/pl_usnw/dnc__the_un_sweet_sixteen__breaking_down_the_brackets_on_the_republican_culture_of_corruption123_xml

[SpiralHawk]

1. cool

lays out the vast culture of corruption

[Synnical]

3. Wow - I was just at the DNC site

Looking for their response to today's Press Conference - the OP is a "Flashback" to early Feb, 2006, relative to Valentines Day, I presume?

Just a comment, don't infer anything negative, please.

:hi:

[Teaser]

2. "Unsweet"?

The idea is cool. The name....not so much.

How about the "Shady Sixteen?"