Judicial Watch Announces List of Washington's âTen Most Wanted Corrupt Politiciansâ for 2010

Judicial Watch, the open welfare group that investigates and prosecutes polity corruption, today released its 2010 itemize of Washington's “Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians.” The list, in alphabetical order, includes: Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Rahm Emanuel, Former Obama White House Chief of Staff, Senator Evangelist Ensign (R-NV), Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL), President Barack Obama, Rep. metropolis Pelosi (D-CA), Rep. physicist Rangel (D-NY), Rep. Hal actress (R-KY), and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA).

Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) is Chair of the senate Select Committee on Ethics. But it appears she ease needs an motive lesson. Boxer presided over a year-long enquiry by the senate Ethics Committee into whether digit of her senate colleagues, Christopher Dodd (D-CT) and county author (D-ND), conventional advantageous communication from Countrywide Financial as conception of the company’s “VIP” program. (Senate motive rules veto members from receiving loan terms not acquirable to the generalized public.) In fact, according to The Associated Press, during an Ethics Committee chance Boxer asked “the bulk of the questions.”

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However, Boxer failed to study (or disclose on her authorised senate Financial Disclosure documents) that she and her economise hit subscribed no inferior than seven mortgages with Countrywide! At the happening of the hearing, Boxer reportedly indicated she had stipendiary off digit Countrywide mortgages, but did not study the others.

The evidence understandably showed that Dodd and author knew they were receiving advantageous communication despite repeated denials. Yet Boxer’s senate Ethics Committee allowed Dodd and author to wriggle off the offer with a reddened rebuke that suggested the digit Senators should hit exercised better judgment. The same, apparently, crapper be said of the Committee’s possess chair, who either untended to study or unqualified lied most her possess reciprocation with the debased mortgage company.

Rahm Emanuel, Former Obama White House Chief of Staff didn’t earn the soubriquet “Rahmbo” for existence a mild-mannered lessening violet. He served as Bill Clinton’s chief money-man at a happening when the cheater crusade was debased by foreign money. He defended the “worst of the worst” cheater scandals, and, in fact, attained his estimation as a ruthless semipolitical belligerent by fiercely defending President cheater in the Monica Lewinsky investigation. (Notably, Emanuel also served on the commission of Freddie Mac when the consort was participating in fraudulent activity.)

The bottom line is that when the Clintons’ dirty impact necessary to be done, Emanuel did it and ostensibly without question. That didn’t modify low Obama. Remember when the Obama White House desired to manipulate Democratic primaries in 2010?

Emanuel teamed with his then-Deputy Chief of Staff Jim metropolis to allegedly interfere with senate elections in Pennsylvania and river by substance federal appointments to Rep. Joe Sestak and saint Romanoff. Sestak and Romanoff were not Obama’s favored candidates, so Emanuel and metropolis ostensibly attempted to unlawfully persuade them to abandon their campaigns.

A Judicial Watch complaint to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel on June 15, 2010, tells the story: “As widely reportable in the media, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina, on behalf of the Obama Administration, hit both utilised their function and impact as highly settled federal employees to change the outcome of federal elections in direct violation of the Hatch Act, which states that an employee haw not ‘use his authorised authority or impact for the determine of meddling with or moving the result of an election.’”

And then, of course, there’s Emanuel’s status in the Blagojevich scandal.

According to bound evidence during the “Blago” trial, Emanuel served as Obama’s chief negotiator with the Blagojevich aggroup as the past Algonquin Governor attempted to illicitly delude Obama’s past senate centre to the maximal bidder. Unfortunately, the federal functionary cut short the housing against Blagojevich and Emanuel and added Obama insiders were never titled to testify.

Emanuel mitt the White House low an ethical darken and has definite to intercommunicate his headgear in the anulus for Mayor of Chicago, where he again stands accused of ignoring the rules and violating the accumulation regarding politician act requirements.

Senator Evangelist Ensign (R-NV): In a gossip that prototypal poor in 2009, Senator Ensign publically admitted to an intimacy with the spouse of a long-time staffer. And the evidence indicates Ensign then proven to counterbalance up his sexual shenanigans by bribing the couple with profitable gifts and semipolitical favors.

According to The New York Times, after Ensign’s aide, cheater Hampton, discovered the affair, “Mr. Ensign asked semipolitical backers to find a employ for…Hampton. Payments of $96,000 to the Hamptons also were prefabricated by Senator Ensign’s parents, who implore this was a gift, not quiesce money. Once a lobbying employ was secured, Senator Ensign and his chief of body continuing to support Mr. Hampton, advocating his clients’ cases directly with federal agencies.”

These lobbying activities were ostensibly in violation of the Senate’s “cooling off” punctuation for lobbyists. According to The Wall Street Journal, “Under senate rules, past senate aides cannot tap their past colleagues for digit assemblage after leaving pedagogue Hill.” jazzman began to tap Mr. Ensign’s duty immediately upon leaving his congressional job.

Ensign seems to hit unnoticed the accumulation and allowed jazzman lobbying access to his duty as a payment for his quiet most the affair. And despite the claims of Ensign and his parents, the $96,000 in “gifts” provided to the Hamptons were understandably quiesce payments.

Nonetheless, on Dec 1, 2010, the Obama Justice Department declared it will enter no malefactor charges against Ensign, patch the agent Election Commission has also dismissed a attendant motive complaint. If there is to be authorised for Ensign, it module hit to be up to the debased (see Boxer entry above) senate Ethics Committee, which is ease considering the charges against the Nevada Republican.

Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA): In a news that continuing to mushroom throughout 2010, Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) improperly intervened for Maxine Waters (D-CA) on behalf of his home-state OneUnited Bank to obtain Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) funds. When asked most the scandal, the Colony Democrat admitted he crosspiece to a “federal regulator” but, according to The Wall Street Journal he didn’t remember which federal controller he crosspiece with.” According to exploding Treasury Department emails bare by Judicial Watch in 2010, however, it appears this anonymous functionary was distance added than then-Treasury Secretary Henry “Hank” Paulson!

While Frank’s “partner in crime” in the OneUnited scandal, Congressman Maxine Waters, is existence investigated by the House Ethics Committee (see below), Frank’s colleagues in the House hit unforgivably unnoticed the Colony Democrat’s unification to the OneUnited grant.

To this day, Barney Frank continues to indorse his persona in the meltdown of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, saying he was meet as blindsided as the rest of America when the digit polity sponsored enterprises collapsed, triggering the playing crisis. Frank has been selling this falsity ever since the frugalness collapsed in September 2008. But, as The Beantown Globe reportable in a disrespectful article published on October 14, 2010, not some grouping are buying Frank’s lies anymore. And Frank knows it. Here’s an select from the Globe:

The issue…in 2003 was whether mortgage backers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were fiscally strong. Frank declared with his trademark certainty that they were, accusing critics and regulators of exaggerating threats to Fannie’s and Freddie’s playing integrity. And, the Colony Democrat maintained, ‘even if there were problems, the federal polity doesn’t recognizance them out.’ Now, it’s country he was malefactor on both points…

Frank wasn’t wrong. He was meet misrepresentaation finished his teeth. Frank claims that he “missed” the warning signs with Fannie and Freddie because he was wearing “ideological blinders,” which was meet his lame endeavor to blessed Republicans. But he did not woman them. According to evidence bare by Judicial Watch, he meet chose to cut them.

Judicial Watch obtained documents in 2010 proving that members of Congress, including â€" and perhaps especially â€" Barney Frank, were substantially aware that Fannie and Freddie were in deep pain due to immorality and incompetence and still they did null to kibosh it.

Moreover, as the Globe notes, in July 2008, then-Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson says he titled Frank and told him the polity would requirement to spend “billions of taxpayer dollars to backstop the institutions from catastrophic failure.” Frank, despite that conversation, appeared on domestic broadcasting digit days later and said the companies were “fundamentally sound, not in danger of feat under.” Less than digit months later, the polity seized Fannie and Freddie and the bailout began.

Rep. Jesse politician Jr. (D-IL): This year’s trial of scandal-ridden past Algonquin Governor Rod Blagojevich ended with “Blago” existence guilty of exclusive 1 of 24 charges attendant to the plot to delude Obama’s vacated senate centre to the maximal bidder. But as the polity plans its ordinal endeavor to prosecute the case, digit person who should be on the hot-seat is Rep. Jesse politician Jr. (D-IL).

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, “Rep. Jesse politician Jr. directed a field semipolitical fund-raiser to offer past Gov. Rod Blagojevich millions of dollars in crusade change in convey for an designation to the U.S. Senate.”

How such cash?

The metropolis Sun Times place that amount at $1.5 meg in its initial reports. But according to Jackson’s fundraiser, Raghuveer Nayak, the Algonquin Congressman asked him to offer not $1.5 million, but a whopping $6 meg in crusade change to Blagojevich to secure the senate seat!

In constituent to his debased deal-making, in 2010 politician was also nailed for conducting an incorrect and potentially malefactor relation with a someone “social acquaintance.”

Nayak told investigators that politician asked him to “pay to fly a Washington, DC, restaurant steward titled Giovana Huidobro…to metropolis to visit him.” Nayak reportedly did so twice.

We every undergo what “social acquaintance” means low these circumstances. politician says this is a “private and individualized matter between me and my wife.” But not if it involves open assets or banned gifts — issues which remain unsettled.

President Barack Obama: Remember the promise President Obama prefabricated meet after his start in 2009? “Transparency and the conception of accumulation module be the touchstones of this presidency.”

Instead, Americans hit suffered finished lies, stonewalling, cover-ups, corruption, secrecy, gossip and conspicuous disregard for the conception of law…this has been the Obama heritage in its prototypal digit years.

In 2010, Obama was caught in a lie over what he knew most Algonquin Governor Rod Blagojevich’s plot to delude the president’s vacated senate seat. Blagojevich’s past Chief of Staff Evangelist Harris testified that Obama had individualized noesis of Blago’s plot to obtain a statesmanly compartment function in mercantilism for appointing a politician handpicked by the President. In fact, according to Harris’s suite testimony, Obama dispatched Blagojevich a itemize of “acceptable” senate candidates to modify his old seat. Obama was interviewed by the FBI even before he was bound into office. He claimed he and his body had no occurrence with Blagojevich’s office. Unfortunately federal prosecutors never titled the President or his body to declare low oath.

The President also poor his famous pledge to televise healthcare negotiations. And in 2010, we learned ground he poor his pledge. In what is today famous as the “Cornhusker Kickback” scheme, Obama and the Democrats in the senate “purchased” the balloting of digit of the terminal Democrat hold-outs, Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson, who opposed Obamacare over the supply of concealment abortions with taxpayer funds. admiral forsaken his opposition to Obamacare after receiving millions of dollars in federal resource for his home-state, serving to wage the Democrats the 60 votes they necessary to overcome a politico filibuster. Same goes for Louisiana Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu, who conventional a $100 meg payoff in what has been titled “The Louisiana Purchase.” (The Kickback was so debased that Democrats empty it discover at the terminal minute. The Louisiana Purchase, on the added hand, became accumulation of the land.)

Obama lied most his White House’s status in this legislative bribery that helped advance to the lawmaking of the mode contract action of his presidency.

Rep. metropolis Pelosi (D-CA): “Air Pelosi” is today grounded.

Judicial Watch bare documents backwards in 2009 detailing attempts by bureaucratism body to alter Pelosi’s numerous requests for expeditionary escorts and expeditionary bomb for herself and her kinsfolk as substantially as the speaker’s 11th distance cancellations and changes. In 2010, Judicial Watch kept the push on Pelosi, uncovering documents that demonstrated the Speaker was using U.S. Air Force bomb as her possess individualized band planes. Overall, the Speaker’s expeditionary travel outlay the United States Air Force $2,100,744.59 over a two-year punctuation â€" $101,429.14 of which was for in-flight expenses, including food and alcohol.

For example, purchases for digit Pelosi-led congressional deputation traveling from Washington, DC to Tel Aviv, Zion and Baghdad, Irak May 15-20, 2008, included: Johnny Walker Red scotch, Grey Goose vodka, E&J brandy, Bailey’s Goidelic Cream, Maker’s Mark whisky, Courvoisier cognac, Bacardi Light rum, Jim Beam whiskey, Beefeater gin, Dewar’s scotch, Bombay Sapphire gin, Jack Daniels whiskey, Corona beer and individualist bottles of wine.

Moreover, Pelosi also abused the rules by allowing members of her family to join her on taxpayer-funded Air Force flights. For example, on June 20, 2009, Speaker Pelosi’s daughter, son-in-law and digit grandsons joined a grace from naturalist Air Force Base to San Francisco International Airport. That grace included $143 for on-flight expenses for food and added items. On July 2, 2010, Pelosi took her grandson on a grace from naturalist Air Force Base to Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, California, which is north of San Francisco.

Judicial Watch’s efforts not exclusive unclothed metropolis Pelosi’s debased abuse of expeditionary aircraft, but they also led to reform when Rep. Evangelist Boehner declared after Election Day that, as Speaker of the House of Representatives, he module curb advertizement to and from river instead of using expeditionary aircraft.

Of course, it was Rep. metropolis Pelosi who famously promised to “drain the swamp” in Washington, DC during the crusade of 2006 when the Democrats seized curb of noesis on pedagogue Hill. That did not happen. Aside from her possess individualized transgressions, Pelosi also turned a blindfold receptor to immorality on the conception of her Congressional colleagues (see Charlie Rangel entry below).

Rep. physicist Rangel (D-NY): On Dec 2, 2010, the House of Representatives voted 333-79 to “censure” Rep. physicist Rangel. Next to expulsion, this is the most earnest endorsement that crapper be condemned by the House against an individualist member. This knock balloting followed an enquiry by the Committee for Official Standards of Conduct, which finally guilty Rangel on 13 motive violations, including:

• Forgetting to pay taxes on $75,000 in concept income he attained from his off-shore concept property. (Rangel was erst in calculate of the NGO responsible for composition set policy.)
• Misusing his congressional office, body and resources to improve money for his clannish Rangel Center for Public Service, to be housed at the City College of New York. (He also place the squeeze on donors who had playing before his House Ways and Means Committee, and utilised the congressional “free mail” permit to offer funds.)
• Misusing his residentially-zoned Harlem housing as a crusade headquarters.
• Failing to inform $600,000 in income on his authorised congressional playing revealing reports, which contained “numerous errors and omissions.”

It is worth noting that the Committee did not study added earnest immorality charges against Rangel. For example, it has been alleged that Rangel preserved a set loophole for an oil consort in mercantilism for a Rangel Center donation. The Committee also did not study the calculate that Rangel utilised incorrect impact to maintain control of his highly desirable rent-controlled housing — the aforementioned housing he improperly utilised for crusade activities.

As this is Washington, politicians of both parties module play that knock is a earnest punishment. But it is a “punishment” that simply requires Rangel to come to the substantially of the House and center a disapproving evidence read by lame-duck House Speaker metropolis Pelosi. In the actual world, you intend fired or tangled in jail for abusing your duty and not stipendiary your taxes.

Here is further context: The terminal happening the House disapproved anyone was in 1983, when digit congressmen (a politico and Democrat) were disapproved for having sexual relationships with teenaged House pages. It seems that unless digit is guilty of a crime, digit crapper do anything as a legislator and not be tangled discover of the House! The fact that the House has so rarely resorted to knock is more indicative of the demand of rigor most motive in legislature than of the so-called rigor of the knock punishment.

Rangel should hit been expelled from the House of Representatives.

Rep. Hal actress (R-KY): On Election Day 2010, voters dispatched legislature a country message: No more big spending or debased back-room deals! And what did House Republicans decide to do as digit of their prototypal moves for the newborn Tea Party Congress? Appoint Rep. Hal Rogers, also famous as the “Prince of Pork,” to advance the coercive House Appropriations Committee.

According to ABC News: “In digit years, actress pushed finished 135 earmarks worth $246 million. He’s brought tens of millions of dollars into his hometown of Somerset, Ky., so such so that the municipality has been dubbed ‘Mr. Rogers’ neighborhood.’” Among the most gross earmarks was a $17 meg present actress obtained for an “Airport to Nowhere,” a Kentucky airport with “so lowercase traffic that the terminal advertizement line pulled discover in February (2010).”

But the most earnest calculate against actress involves an earmark he obtained that could goodness digit of his possess kinsfolk members.

Rogers secured $5 meg in the House for advance groups that impact with disorderly cats, including the Cheetah Conservation Fund, a Namibia-based methodicalness that employs Rogers’ girl Allison. In fact, Allison actress serves as grants administrator. After she joined the methodicalness in 2007, Congressman actress began his push for funding. In 2009, with support from Rogers, the bill passed the House by a 2-1 margin. (It has still to be voted on in the Senate.)

Congressman actress claims he’ll modify his stripes now: “No more earmarks. I’ll be the enforcer of the moratorium.” But Rogers’ 27 assemblage news of wasting taxpayer assets on supposed projects is sure cause for skepticism.

On Nov 9, 2010, Judicial Watch sent a letter to House Speaker Evangelist Boehner asking him to reject a effort by Rep. Jerry adventurer (R-CA), who prefabricated our 2009 “Top Ten” list, to once again serve as Chair of the Appropriations Committee, given Lewis’s penchant for impact peddling. Rep. Rogers, however, is no upgrade.

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA): Now that Charlie Rangel has been “punished” for his wrongdoing is California Rep. Maxine Waters incoming up on the hot-seat?

The Committee on Standards of Official Conduct (known informally as the House Ethics Committee) plans to stop hearings, although the NGO delayed the trial indefinitely on Nov 29, 2010, citing newly discovered documentary evidence that haw impact proceedings. According to The Associated Press, “The charges pore on whether Waters poor the rules in requesting federal support for a slope where her economise owned hit and had served on the commission of directors.”

Judicial Watch has investigated the Waters/OneUnited Bank gossip for months. In fact, JW successfully sued the Obama Treasury Department to intend documents and obtained exploding emails from the Treasury that wage documented evidence to hold the charges against Waters.

For instance, a January 13, 2009, email from Brookly McLaughlin, Treasury’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, expresses surprise at Waters’ manifest conflict of interest:

Further to telecommunicate below, WSJ [Wall Street Journal] tells me: …Apparently this slope is the exclusive digit that has gotten money finished section 103-6 of the EESA law. And Maxine Waters’ economise is on the commission of the bank. ??????

Judicial Watch also bare documents detailing the deplorable playing information of the slope at the happening of the change infusion, which showed that the slope would hit been an implausible politician to receive TARP funding without intervention from Waters and Frank.

Aside from OneUnited, there was still added gossip with Waters’ fingerprints every over it.

To hold Judicial Watch’s efforts to fisticuffs semipolitical corruption, donate here.

According to The pedagogue Times: “A lobbyist famous as digit of California’s most flourishing noesis brokers patch serving as a legislative cheater in that state stipendiary Rep. Maxine Waters’ economise $15,000 in consulting fees at a happening she was co-sponsoring legislation that would support spend the real-estate direction playing of digit of the lobbyist’s best-paying clients, records show.” That “real-estate direction business” was labeled a “scam” by the bureau in a 2006 report.

Where Are They Now? (Updates on Selected Judicial Watch “Ten Most Wanted” Alumni)

Jack Abramoff, Former Lobbyist: Jack Abramoff appeared on Judicial Watch’s 2006 “Ten Most Wanted” itemize for his persona in a slew of open immorality scandals that led to the convictions of 20 people, including past river politico Congressman Bob Ney. Abramoff was sentenced that assemblage to nearly sextet eld in situation for a fraudulent cards deal. In 2008, Abramoff conventional a concurrent four-year declare “for conspiring to defraud the government, corrupting open officials and defrauding his clients in a separate case.” In Dec 2010, Abramoff complete a six-month stint at a Baltimore dish joint, which officially concludes his situation sentence, and he is today on probation for threesome years. In 2010, Abramoff was also the person of a newborn film titled “Casino Jack,” which stars person Kevin Spacey. Spacey conventional a Golden Globe nomination for his acting of the ashamed past lobbyist.

Former Senator Roland Burris (D-IL): Former Senator Roland Burris prefabricated Judicial Watch’s 2009 “Ten Most Wanted” itemize for his debased (and ultimately successful) endeavor to secure Barack Obama’s vacated senate centre from then-Governor Rod Blagojevich. According to Reuters: “Roland Burris came low fresh scrutiny…after disclosing he proven to improve money for the ashamed past Algonquin controller who titled him to the U.S. senate centre once held by President Barack Obama…Burris said he looked into mounting a fundraiser for Rod Blagojevich — later live with trying to delude Obama’s senate centre — at the aforementioned happening he was expressing welfare to the then-governor’s aides most his want to be appointed.” Burris denaturized his news fivesome nowadays regarding his contacts with Blagojevich preceding to existence ordained to the U.S. Senate. Three of those dynamical explanations came low oath. As a primary appointment, Roland Burris’s term ended in Nov 2010, and he is no longer in the U.S. Senate.

Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX): Congressman DeLay was involved in a program of scandals patch serving as eld cheater for House Republicans, earning him a blot on Judicial Watch’s 2006 “Ten Most Wanted” list. DeLay, who was also investigated for his ties to “Ten Most Wanted” graduate Jack Abramoff, hopeless his place as eld cheater in 2005 and hopeless from legislature in 2006. In Nov 2010, DeLay was ultimately guilty of “illegally funneling joint money to Texas candidates in 2002,” according to The Associated Press. “He faces fivesome eld to chronicle in situation on the money laundering calculate and digit to 20 eld on the conspiracy charge.” Mr. DeLay is adamant he did null malefactor and plans to attractiveness the verdict. Mr. DeLay is also the exclusive “Ten Most Wanted” graduate to appear on the broadcasting diversion rivalry Dancing with the Stars.

Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT): Senator Dodd prefabricated Judicial Watch’s “Ten Most Wanted” itemize in 2008 for his debased relation with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and for improperly accepting advantageous communication from Countrywide Financial as conception of the company’s debased “Friends of Angelo” panjandrum program. Then he prefabricated the itemize again in 2009 for undervaluing a concept he owns in island on his senate Financial Disclosure form. Dodd allegedly obtained a truelove actual realty care for the island concept in mercantilism for his resource in obtaining a statesmanly pardon (during the cheater administration) and added favors for a long-time friend and playing associate. It seems the scandals were too such politically, and in 2010 Dodd declared he would not separate for re-election. Despite his ethical lapses attendant to the playing sector, Dodd’s study (along with Barney Frank’s) is basifixed to the “Doddâ€"Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act,” the Brobdingnagian restrictive overhaul of the playing facet passed and subscribed into the accumulation early this year. In Jan 2011 he module be discover of office.