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What’s Going On With the FBI Sweep? —D.C. McAllister
In California yesterday, the FBI arrested State Senator Leland Yee, a Democrat, on several corruption charges, including gun running.
In North Carolina, Mayor Patrick Cannon, a Democrat, was arrested for theft and bribery after a four-year sting operation.
In New York, FBI agents raided Democratic Assemblyman William Scarborough’s offices and questioned him in a hotel room. Scarborough told the news media that agents asked him about per diem reimbursements he received during his service in the state legislature.
Scarborough called the raid the result of a “tabloid hit job.”
“I’m innocent, but I understand reality,” Scarborough said. “I don’t know what’s going to go on. I am going to talk to a lawyer, this is just stunning to me.”
New York State Senators John Sampson, Democrat, and Malcolm Smith, Democrat, are also under federal indictment for corruption. Both were charged last year.
In Rhode Island, House Speaker Gordon Fox, a Democrat, had his home and offices raided as part of an investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s office, the FBI, the IRS, and state police. Fox resigned from his position on Friday and dropped out of the race for reelection.
In California, State Senator Ron Calderon, a Democrat, was indicted on bribery charges last month. In January, Democratic state Senator Roderick Wright was convicted on eight counts of voter fraud and perjury. He was indicted in 2010.
Notice anything weird here (besides the party affiliation, which you often won’t read about it in the media)? When it comes to clearing corruption out of the states, the Justice Department seems highly motivated. Yet at the federal level we can barely get investigations going — and when we do, witnesses take the Fifth.
Job well done to all those who are working to clean things up in the states. Can we now turn those investigators loose on the federal government with the same fervor? We have some corruption to clear out there as well.
Published in General
Earlier today, Rush Limbaugh speculated that the Democrats might be using the FBI to clear the decks of ethically-challenged candidates months ahead of the November elections, hoping that by that time all of these arrests might have faded somewhat from the public consciousness. Not sure I agree with that theory, but it could be possible.
Here’s a NY state-specific variant on what Mike LaRoche suggests/reports:
Schumer probably perceives that the US Senate will go to the GOP in 2014, wants to take over the top Dem Senate spot from Reid in the aftermath, and accordingly wants to make sure that there’s nothing embarrassing kicking around in NY state that could play havoc PR-wise with such plans — best to clean house far in advance.
NY Southern District Federal DA Preet Bharara (my undergrad classmate, but thankfully I never met him) is a Schumer protege — so happy to oblige the august statesman.
Great read, DC! Those wacky democrats, huh?
I really liked the incomparable Michael Walsh’s take on this today too: http://pjmedia.com/michaelwalsh/2014/03/27/time-to-break-out-the-rico-statute-and-break-up-the-democrats/
He coined the term, “a criminal organization masquerading as a political party.”
Years ago I read an interview with an Italian psychologist following the ’96 electoral bloodbath that wiped out the entire Italian parliament. As it turned out all his patients were current or former politicians. When he asked them why they had chosen politics as a career, the answer was always the same. They were in it for the graft. I don’t know if power corrupts, but I am absolutely sure that corrupt people are drawn to power.
I suspect a wave of Republican arrests in September. This is just cover from accusations of bias.
“Clear the decks” of Dems first, then watch them start going after GOP legislators as we get closer to election time
I heard this from Rush too, but I don’t know. That’s a very calculated, and I’m not sure that you would see a coordinated effort across the states to see that.
Bureaucrats live by some very simple rules. One of those is this: Today’s opposition is tomorrow’s government.
Always be mindful of the way the political winds are blowing.
Go FBI! Get them all.
Democrats, Republicans, other, I don’t care so long as they are corrupt. Take them down.
So Rush thinks they’ve been looking into Republicans too? Did he theorize about why the FBI is looking into all these politicians in the first place? Did the FBI act on tips for all of them? It seems like a lot all at once, doesn’t it?
I personally don’t trust the FBI to stick to evidence and law. We were burned here in Alaska just six years ago. Now we have the ACA as a result of a corrupt prosecution.
I didn’t listen to all of it, he was just skeptical that only democrats would be involved. As he said, it would be nice if it were only democrats, but typically this kind of corruption is bipartisan, and if Republicans were involved then why are they not being indicted now as well? If he theorized as to the why, I didn’t hear it. It does seem like a lot at once to me as well, and unusual in its cross country nature.
The FBI just called off yet another investigation of Harry Reid in one of his many bribery cases. Reid also just returned 17K he was caught giving his granddaughter from campaign funds. My trust of any government agency under Obama is zero. Every appointment Obama has made should be assumed to be some sort of Marxist and should be removed by any means possible. Purges are needed.
They’re going after state officials and leaving federal officials alone, sometimes even promoting them, but definitely not really investigating them–and there are no indictments. Why? Why all this energy focused on the states while ignoring corruption right under their nose? It’s odd.
I think everything that happens should be interpreted under the knowledge that we have the most corrupt administration our country has ever seen. What that means here is a touch confusing but I have a few theories. Ironically our CoC, which was meant to defuse Kenyan birth etc, is probably a hindrance to delving in to what’s going on to this Nixon on steroids admin. Suffice to say that everything is ordered through the white house until proven otherwise.
I was in hawg heaven when I read about Leeland Yee. As a California gun owner I hope his time in the joint is particularly miserable.
Color me skeptical. Such theories presuppose a level of efficiency and precision in the federal law-enforcement agencies that they don’t often display.
Down on my end, I hear complaints from task-force officers that the Feds are maddeningly foot-dragging. Every step in an investigation (even something simple, like putting a light surveillance on a location) is run through multiple levels of supervision and management, often having to go to the largest regional field office for a Deputy Director’s OK. In other words, they move slow.
As an illustration, the investigation that snared Senator Yee began through undercover conversations with a Triad goon in 2010. And they weren’t looking for the Senator, they were looking for money launderers within the Tongs of San Francisco.
These are not the sorts of things you can cook up on a whim to clear out the political underbrush.
Sadly, I no longer trust the FBI. Don’t forget they were among the organisations involved in the orchestrated harassment of the True the Vote Chairwoman.
Clearly when (if) the GOP takes charge a truly Independent Commission Against Corruption will be required, staffed entirely by Ricochet members and with powers of arrest and execution.
When Republicans speak of “States’ Rights” and returning power back to the States, Barry and His minions will use these sweeps as evidence that States can’t be trusted.
This is why I like you, JC. My thoughts exactly. Can’t prove it, of course. But it does make sense, doesn’t it?
Creating a “Culture of State Corruption.”
Democrats are low-hanging fruit ripe for the FBI harvest. I’m sure a host of reasons explain this, a few perhaps being:
1. The prevailing belief among Democrats that government is for enriching the good guys at the expense of the bad guys, and Democrats along with their cronies are the good guys;
2. Perverse ethics: One who believes wholeheartedly in social justice and diversity and acts to advance them is intrinsically good, so much so that he is above the law or morality;
3. Elitism: We make this country good and are entitled to reap its bounty;
4. Secularism: There is no God, no ultimate consequence beyond death, and nothing true or good beyond human choice;
5. A captured bureaucracy: The federal bureaucracies are but cogs in the Democrat political machine and will look the other way;
6. A captured news media: The news media are but cogs in the Democrat political machine and will look the other way; and finally
7. Moral equivalence: Hey, the GOP did it when they were in power, so now it’s our turn to pig out.
Tell me, what else do Democrats believe that would offset or mitigate the beliefs described above?
I also note that with the exception of purple North Carolina, all of the states mentioned are themselves deep blue.
In news on the arrest of Charlotte mayor Patrick Cannon, all I’ve heard are charges that he took money from undercover investigators. I’m wondering what led the FBI to investigate him in the first place. The news hasn’t reported that.
I think the answer is really just simple. The FBI has to do something. And since AG Holder is not interested in policing close to home those under him are going to do it elsewhere. The FBI is still staffed by many who believe in the mission, however know that they cannot as of yet go after the corruption in DC. So like the good warriors they are, fight the battles they can.
That’s the least cynical interpretation I’ve seen.
Also, someone in another comment on this thread mentioned that the FBI is S-L-O-W. (e.g. Investigation surrounding Leland Yee going back to 2010.)
My understanding is that comes from them being thorough. Assuming my understanding is accurate, then these newsworthy items should lead to convictions.
Here’s hoping.
Can you elaborate?
Your tacit knowledge is over my head, apparently.
I’m guessing something about Sarah Palin, but I thought it was a state trooper thing.
This is all great and the facts are the facts anytime, we can always “drudge” ( pun intended) them up when we need to. Perhaps a month or so before the election ( you know.like Benghazi) . All we need now is a host of media to help . Any suggestions ?