his annual reports --
http://www.commoncause.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=dkLNK1MQIwG&b=4773613&ct=9042443 -- that got some immediate major media attention.
Weiner first appears as the main spokesman for a group of Democrats seeking to force an investigation on Feb 10 --
http://www.anthonyweiner.com/blog/105-conflicted-clarence-thomas -- the day after he and 74 other Congressmen sent a letter to Thomas asking him to recuse himself from considering cases involving health care because his wife is a paid lobbyist against HCR. The letter, reflecting concerns brought up by Common Cause, also questions Thomas' role at a series of political strategy sessions held by the Koch Brothers. Weiner posts the letter and solicits additional public signatures, which he then then delivered to Thomas' office in the Supreme Court.
The Honorable Justice Clarence Thomas
United States Supreme Court Building
1 First Street Northeast
Washington, D.C. 20543
Dear Justice Thomas:
As an Associate Justice, you are entrusted with the responsibility to exercise the highest degree of discretion and impartiality when deciding a case. As Members of Congress, we were surprised by recent revelations of your financial ties to leading organizations dedicated to lobbying against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. We write today to respectfully ask that you maintain the integrity of this court and recuse yourself from any deliberations on the constitutionality of this act.
The appearance of a conflict of interest merits recusal under federal law. From what we have already seen, the line between your impartiality and you and your wife's financial stake in the overturn of health care reform is blurred. Your spouse is advertising herself as a lobbyist who has "experience and connections and appeals to clients who want a particular decision - they want to overturn health care reform. Moreover, your failure to disclose Ginny Thomas's receipt of $686,589 from the Heritage Foundation, a prominent opponent of health care reform, between 2003 and 2007 has raised great concern.
This is not the first case where your impartiality was in question. As Common Cause points out, you participated in secretive political strategy sessions, perhaps while the case was pending, with corporate leaders whose political aims were advanced by the <5-4> decision on the Citizens United case. Your spouse also received an undisclosed salary paid for by undisclosed donors as CEO of Liberty Central, a 501(c)(4) organization that stood to benefit from the decision and played an active role in the 2010 elections.
Given these facts, there is a strong conflict between the Thomas household's financial gain through your spouse's activities and your role as a Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. We urge you to recuse yourself from this case. If the U.S. Supreme Court's decision is to be viewed as legitimate by the American people, this is the only correct path.
We appreciate your thoughtful consideration of this request.
Sincerely,
ANTHONY D. WEINER
Member of Congress
The GOP Counterattack came late in the evening of May 27 when Breitbart posted the first of the Weiner tighty whitey photos along with taunts that he had more. Weiner's initial reaction was to claim that his Twitter account had been hacked and the photo was not him.
The genesis of the initial set of Breitbart photos is told here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/richard-adams-blog/2011/jun/06/anthony-weiner-photo-scandal-liveAndrew Breitbart's Big Government has an article by Meagan Broussard, one of the women that Weiner chatted with, explaining how it came about:
On April 20, I clicked on his Facebook page that I "liked" a video of Rep. Weiner addressing a gathering of construction workers in Washington, DC. I commented that it was "hot." That's the only way I came into contact with him at first.
From there, he introduced himself to me over Facebook Chat. Within an hour, we were sending messages back and forth. It became an everyday correspondence.
. . .
ABC News is posting details of its interview with one of Weiner's correspondents, Meagan Broussard:
Broussard said she wanted to come forward now out of concerns for her own image as an aspiring nurse, and that of her 3-year-old daughter, should her identity be leaked online. More than a dozen photos sent by Broussard to anthonyweiner@aol.com and a second account she believed was Weiner's were obtained and licensed from her by ABC News.
"I have my own life, my own things where I'm from and I just wanted to go ahead with them. I thought I could just be private about it, but there's no reason for me to hide," she said. "I didn't do anything wrong. I don't know him. I'm just putting my story out there before anyone else tries to."
Broussard said she confided about her experiences with several close friends, including one with Republican political ties. The man, whom she declined to identify, encouraged her to share her story with Matt Drudge and conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart.
< . . .>
So very Monica redolent, if not redux. More later.
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