Republican Dirty TricksAl Gore Speech: Unchecked Executive Power On Monday, January 16, 2006 former Vice President Al Gore delivered a major address on the threat posed by policies of the Bush Administration to the Constitution and the checks and balances it created. The speech will specifically point to domestic wiretapping and torture as examples of the administration’s efforts to extend executive power beyond Congressional direction and judicial review. Al Gore on "Restoring the Rule of Law"The Hammer Gets Nailed: The Mean-Spirited Rise & Well-Deserved Fall of Tom DeLay The Hammer Gets Nailed 23 Administration Officials Involved In Plame Leak The cast of administration characters with known connections to the outing of an undercover CIA agent: 23 Administration Officials Involved In Plame Leak Right-Wing Myths About The Leak Investigation Patrick Fitzgerald hasn’t even concluded his investigation, but the right-wing is already spinning the truth in anticipation of indictments. This document provides the facts to set the record straight. Right-Wing Myths About The Leak Investigation Abramoff: The House That Jack Built A comprehensive look at the potential scope of the “biggest scandal in Congress in over a century“: Abramoff: The House That Jack Built A Guide to the Abramoff and Delay Investigations A Guide to the Abramoff and Delay Investigations Rubber Stamp Republicans To put it plainly, the Republican Rubber Stamp Congress doesn't care about you. Their major legislation, engineered by the White House and Tom DeLay and rubber stamped by the Republican rank and file, appears to be little more than a quid pro quo with huge special interests -- with cynical indifference to the problems facing middle class Americans. Rubber Stamp Republicans Social Security "fright mail" targeting seniors helped fund GOP leader's trips to UK, Asia The National Center for Public Policy Research, a highly controversial and little-known conservative think tank which has been sending Social Security "fright mail" for years, paid for two posh trips for House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) in 1996 and 2000, each at the cost of at least $64,000. NCPPR also gave $1,000 to DeLay's legal defense fund in 2004. Social Security "fright mail" "Society is like a stew. If you don't stir it up every once in a while then a layer of scum floats to the top." ~ Ed Abbey ImpeachPAC ImpeachPAC supports Democratic candidates for Congress who support the immediate and simultaneous impeachment of George Bush and Dick Cheney for their Iraq War lies. ImpeachPAC Corporate Crime Reporter CRIME WITHOUT CONVICTION: REPORT DETAILS 34 SPECIAL DEALS WITH MAJOR CORPORATIONS Corporate Crime Reporter 
Office of Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald Special Counsel
Office of Special Counsel WebsiteAbramoff Probe May Threaten Leading Republicans as It Expands The widening investigation of lobbyist Jack Abramoff is moving beyond the confines of tawdry influence-peddling to threaten leading figures in the Republican hierarchy that dominates Washington. Abramoff Probe May Threaten Leading Republicans as It Expands NYT's Brooks revealed that "from Day One," the Bush White House "decided our public relations is not going to be honest" -- why hasn't he written about this? Bush White House "decided our public relations is not going to be honest" GOP Superlobbyist Jack Abramoff and His Closest Allies Jack Abramoff: Under investigation by the Justice Department, the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, the IRS, the Department of the Interior, and the FBI. GOP Superlobbyist Jack Abramoff and His Closest Allies The Lies of Condoleeza Rice What Condolezza Rice said as an official, and what the facts are. The Lies of Condoleeza Rice Exclusive: GOP talking points on Rove seek to discredit Wilson RAW STORY has obtained an exclusive copy of Republican talking points on Bush adviser Karl Rove's leaking the name of a CIA agent to a reporter, circulated by the Republican National Committee to "D.C. Talkers" in Washington. Exclusive: GOP talking points on Rove seek to discredit Wilson MSNBC Analyst Says Cooper Documents Reveal Karl Rove as Source in Plame Case Friday night, on the syndicated McLaughlin Group political talk show, Lawrence O'Donnell, senior MSNBC political analyst, claimed to know that name--and it is, according to him, top White House mastermind Karl Rove. Documents Reveal Karl Rove as Source in Plame Case Lying Liars & the Presidents Who Employ Them The respective media flaps involving Senate Democratic whip Richard Durbin and presidential consigliere Karl Rove invites a kind of admixture of awe and revulsion at the state of American political discourse and the media's inability to make the most fundamental kinds of distinctions to help citizens navigate it. Lying Liars & the Presidents Who Employ Them Rove-Gannon Connection? Karl Rove's hope to become a respected policymaker will be hampered if the dirty tricks from his political past are more apparent than his desire to spread liberty around the globe. Rove-Gannon Connection? Tom DelayThe Hammer Gets Nailed: The Mean-Spirited Rise & Well-Deserved Fall of Tom DeLay The Hammer Gets NailedSwiftly Defending DeLay A somewhat misleading pro-DeLay ad is funded by $200,000 from a donor who also bankrolled the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. Swiftly Defending DeLay Tom DeLay Indicted - SEPTEMBER 28--House Majority Leader Tom DeLay was hit today with a felony conspiracy indictment for his alleged involvement in a Texas campaign finance scheme. Tom DeLay Indicted GOP talking points on ethics obtained; Dems targeted in battle The talking points suggest that Democrats sought to derail the ethics process, though it was Republicans who forced through a controversial ethics page in January that gave the Republican majority the upper hand on a committee that was supposed to be bipartisan. GOP talking points on ethics obtained; Dems targeted in battle DeLay airfare charged to lobbyist's card The airfare to London and Scotland in 2000 for then-House Majority Whip Tom DeLay, R-Texas, was charged to an American Express card issued to Jack Abramoff, a Washington lobbyist at the center of a federal criminal and tax probe, according to two sources who know Abramoff's credit-card account number and to a copy of a travel invoice displaying that number. DeLay airfare charged to lobbyist's card If Newt is warning DeLay about ethics, times are bad As a result of subsequent changes in House rules, it is now harder to institute an ethics complaint against a member. Hastert also replaced the fair-minded chairman of the House ethics committee, Joel Hefley, R-Colo., with a leadership stooge, Rep. Richard "Doc" Hastings, R-Wash., and replaced two of the Republicans on the panel. Two of the newly appointed members, including Rep. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio, have been contributors to DeLay's legal defense fund. If Newt is warning DeLay about ethics, times are bad Tom DeLay's Legal Defense AUSTIN, Texas -- You may be wondering why House Majority Leader Tom DeLay is raising money for a legal defense fund and telling his fellow Republicans in Washington to be prepared to name his replacement in the event he is indicted. DeLay and Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick may have achieved the near-impossible by breaking Texas campaign finance laws. Since Texas essentially has no campaign finance laws, this is no mean feat. Tom DeLay's Legal Defense With Friends Like These... A lunchtime chat with a lobbyist close to Tom DeLay suggests he may be headed for hotter water. With Friends Like These... DeLay's Lavish Island Getaway The DeLay trip to the South Pacific island, originally reported by a "20/20" investigation, was part of an effort by former aide Jack Abramoff to stop legislation aimed at cracking down on sweatshops and sex shops in the American territory, which is known as the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. "You represent everything that is good about what we are trying to do in America," DeLay said at the time to his audience, which included Saipan officials and factory owners. DeLay's Lavish Island Getaway Media failed to identify conservative think tank that laundered DeLay travel money News reports on recent revelations that gambling interests funded a lavish, expense-paid trip to Britain by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) and his wife by funneling the money through a tax-exempt organization, the National Center for Public Policy Research (NCPPR), have consistently failed to note that NCPPR is a conservative think tank. Media failed to identify conservative think tank that laundered DeLay travel money Texas Trial Begins Against Treasurer of DeLay Group DeLay, one of the most powerful Republicans in Washington, played a key role in pushing a redistricting plan through the new GOP-controlled state legislature that helped defeat four veteran U.S. House Democrats in 2004. Three of his political associates were indicted by a Texas grand jury last year as part of an investigation into illegal corporate contributions to Texas legislators. Texas Trial Begins Against Treasurer of DeLay Group Republicans Lower Their Moral Values To Let Tom Delay Stay Around House Republicans showed their appreciation of the majority leader by approving a rule change that could enable DeLay to retain his leadership post if he is indicted by a Texas grand jury on state political corruption charges. Merry Christmas, Tom DeLay Consultant takes 5th in Indian casino case Michael Scanlon replied with seven assertions of his Fifth Amendment right not to testify against himself. His refusal to speak came at a Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing on allegations that he and a companion bilked Indian tribes out of tens of millions of dollars while representing them on casino issues. Consultant takes 5th in Indian casino case House Republicans proposed changing their rules last night to allow members indicted by state grand juries to remain in a leadership post, a move that would benefit Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) in case he is charged by a Texas grand jury that has indicted three of his political associates, according to GOP leaders. DeLay Draws Third Rebuke The two-pronged rebuke marked the second time in six days -- and the third time overall -- that the ethics panel has admonished the House's second-ranking Republican. The back-to-back chastisements are highly unusual for any lawmaker, let alone one who aspires to be speaker, and some watchdog groups called on him to resign his leadership post. DeLay Draws Third Rebuke Tom DeLay Redistricting Problems DeLay had pressed state lawmakers to redraw districts. Democrats complained and the bipartisan House ethics committee determined earlier this month that DeLay, the No. 2 House Republican, raised "serious concerns" by contacting the Federal Aviation Administration last year to help locate Democratic lawmakers who fled to Oklahoma in an effort to thwart passage of the DeLay-engineered redistricting plan. DeLay Redistricting Problems "Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) condemns the House Ethics Committee's weak admonition against Majority Leader Tom DeLay for trying to bribe Rep. Nick Smith (R- Mich.) Ethics Committee Admonition of Majority Leader Tom DeLay Indictments In Tom DeLay PAC Probe Tom DeLay rebuked over favor tied to vote House committee finds Tom DeLay broke rules Lou Dubose and Jan Reid expose how Tom DeLay turned campaign fundraising into a shadowy enterprise GOP Hypocrite of the Week: Tom DeLay More Oily SlimeBush's Most Radical Plan Yet With a vote of hand-picked lobbyists, the president could terminate any federal agency he dislikes. Bush's Most Radical Plan YetDELETIONS A new kind of lie It was Benjamin Disraeli who first said, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies, and statistics.” But the Bush administration could show him a fourth kind: deletions. A new kind of lie Bush Mixes Politics And Telecom Standards Bad news for Kerry supporters in the telecom field: they won't be allowed to come play at The Inter-American Telecommunication Commission. Bush Mixes Politics And Telecom Standards Counsel to GOP Senator Wrote Memo On Schiavo The legal counsel to Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) admitted yesterday that he was the author of a memo citing the political advantage to Republicans of intervening in the case of Terri Schiavo, the senator said in an interview last night. Counsel to GOP Senator Wrote Memo On Schiavo Martinez: Memo calling Schiavo dispute "great political issue Martinez: Memo calling Schiavo dispute "great political issue" Media failed to identify conservative think tank that laundered DeLay travel money News reports on recent revelations that gambling interests funded a lavish, expense-paid trip to Britain by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) and his wife by funneling the money through a tax-exempt organization, the National Center for Public Policy Research (NCPPR), have consistently failed to note that NCPPR is a conservative think tank. Media failed to identify conservative think tank that laundered DeLay travel money Truth is incontrovertible, ignorance can deride it, panic may resent it, malice may destroy it, but there it is." ~ Winston Churchill Ask Delay To Step Down Tom DeLay is ethically unfit to serve as a leader of the people’s House. America has higher standards than to let someone with his track record lead an institution as important to our democracy as the United States House of Representatives. We believe the time has come for Rep. DeLay to step down. Ask Delay To Step Down NPR, media quoted "think tank" without noting industry, GOP ties During a March 3 report on Sen. Edward Kennedy's (D-MA) proposal to increase the federal minimum wage to $7.25 an hour, Kathleen Schalch, national desk reporter for National Public Radio, made NPR the latest news outlet not to identify the Employment Policies Institute (EPI), an opponent of raising the minimum wage, as an industry-funded think tank with Republican ties. NPR, media quoted "think tank" without noting industry, GOP ties American Enterprise Institute finds profit in prejudice Second on the list of grant recipients of the conservative foundations, AEI garnered close to $7 million over the 1992-1994 period to help finance its work in domestic and foreign policy affairs. American Enterprise Institute finds profit in prejudice Fake reporter unmasked at White House The fake White House correspondent quit his job at the Talon News site on Wednesday after liberal bloggers found he had been operating under a pseudonym, and that he was linked to several gay pornographic web domain addresses under his real idenity, James Guckert. Fake reporter unmasked at White House Media Matters For America: Some "Jeff Gannon" highlights ... no longer available on the Talon News website Jeff Gannon" highlights Loose 'Gannon': White House Reporter Is Really James D. Guckert Loose 'Gannon': White House Reporter Is Really James D. Guckert Senators to Introduce 'Stop Government Propaganda Act' Senators to Introduce 'Stop Government Propaganda Act' RNC Seeks Donations to Push Bush Agenda RNC Seeks Donations to Push Bush Agenda McManus and Gallagher have more in common than Bush administration contracts Nationally syndicated columnists Maggie Gallagher and Michael McManus, who were exposed this week for accepting government payments to promote the Bush administration's marriage initiative, have both received support and funding from a network of advocacy organizations, foundations, and publishers known for advancing conservative causes. McManus and Gallagher have more in common than Bush administration contracts Third columnist caught with hand in the Bush till Michael McManus, conservative author of the syndicated column "Ethics & Religion," received $10,000 to promote a marriage initiative. Third columnist caught with hand in the Bush till Second Anti-Gay Commentator Paid Off By White House Syndicated conservative columnist Maggie Gallagher who testified before the Senate in support of a constitutional ban on gay marriage was paid by the Bush Administration it was revealed on Wednesday. Second Anti-Gay Commentator Paid Off By White House Armstrong Williams: I Am Not Alone USA Today had reported--as you probably know--that Williams had been paid nearly a quarter of a million dollars by the Bush administration to promote its No Child Left Behind education bill. And Williams, who supported the legislation in his column and as a cable news talking head, had not bothered to inform his audiences or the folks who book him at CNN, Fox, and MSNBC that he was a shill on the Bush payroll. Armstrong Williams: I Am Not Alone In 2001, Armstrong Williams criticized aspect of plan he was later paid to promote In an attempt to defend his decision to accept $240,000 from the Bush administration in return for promoting the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) education law, Armstrong Williams has claimed that he always supported the policy. But in 2001, he strongly criticized the administration's decision to drop private school vouchers from NCLB, even touting this criticism on television and going so far as to write in his nationally syndicated column that by dropping the voucher provision, Bush had "scooped out" the legislation's "soul." And Williams's January 10 column, purporting to explain his arrangement with the Bush administration, focused much more on his support for vouchers than his support for NCLB. In 2001, Armstrong Williams criticized aspect of plan he was later paid to promote U.S. Pays Commentator to Tout School Law The Bush administration paid a prominent commentator to promote the No Child Left Behind schools law to fellow blacks and to give the education secretary media time, records show. U.S. Pays Commentator to Tout School Law Taxpayer-funded Medicare Ads as Campaign Commercials The Associated Press reported on February 5, 2004, that National Media, Inc. was "purchasing $9.5 million worth of television advertising for a 30-second commercial that the administration intends to educate older Americans about changes in Medicare such as the new prescription drug benefit, executives involved in the advertising campaign said Wednesday. ... Critics of the new law contended the firm's involvement is evidence that the administration is mounting a political rather than educational campaign for the new law." Taxpayer-funded Medicare Ads as Campaign Commercials Blogs: New Medium, Old Politics The two leading South Dakota blogs – websites full of informal analysis, opinions and links – were authored by paid advisers to Thune’s campaign. Blogs: New Medium, Old Politics Frist's Hypocritical and Dishonest Attack on Democracy Documents obtained by American Progress show Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist participated in an effort to block one of Bill Clinton's judicial nominees via filibuster, then lied about it. Frist's Hypocritical and Dishonest Attack on Democracy Senior Republican charged in phone jamming plot A former Bush campaign official has been charged with plotting to jam the phone networks of political opponents during the November 2002 election. Senior Republican charged in phone jamming plot Beware of Media-Assisted Republican Dirty Tricks Republican dirty tricks undermined Al Gore and are now slandering John Kerry. Will Republican lies and distortions give Bush another “victory”? Beware of Media-Assisted Republican Dirty Tricks The 9/11 Secret in the CIA's Back Pocket The agency is withholding a damning report that points at senior officials. The 9/11 Secret in the CIA's Back Pocket WMD FalloutLEAK - GATE The White House's retraction of the uranium claim in the president's State of the Union address is the only time it has admitted a flaw in its case for war with Iraq. It came after former Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson undermined the Iraq-Africa connection, saying he was sent to investigate the claim a year earlier and found no credible evidence. A short time later, the identity of Wilson's wife as a CIA operative was leaked to several journalists. The White House denies being the source of the leak, and the Justice Department has opened a full-blown investigation. THE LEAKVoter FraudStories of election year chicanery appear in the paper every day. TAL contributor Jack Hitt compiles a list of the most egregious accounts, double checks the facts, and gives his election eve rundown of the dirtiest tricks so far. This American Life Special Report: Vote Fraud"We were told that if they wanted to register Democrat, there was no way we were to register them to vote," said Michele Tharp, of Meadville, who said she was sent out to canvass door-to-door and outside businesses in Meadville, Crawford County. "We were only to register Republicans." Campaign 2004: Voter registration workers cry foul Voter registration is exploding in the swing state, but a ruling by the obstructionist Republican secretary of state may result in thousands not voting. GOP Dirty Tricks in Ohio? Paul Krugman noted in the Times this week “The important point to realize is that these abuses aren’t aberrations. They’re the inevitable result of a Republican Party culture in which dirty tricks that distort the vote are rewarded, not punished. Voter Fraud a Nationwide Practice by Republicans A voter registration outfit largely funded by the Republican National Committee is being accused of destroying the registration forms of hundreds of newly registered Democratic voters in Nevada. Democracy in a Trash Can Knapp reported that two former employees claimed that they had "personally witnessed company supervisors rip up and trash registration forms signed by Democrats." Trashing democracy If voters were leaning Republican, the group is said to have assisted in their registration. If they leaned Democratic, the group allegedly ignored them or later destroyed the form. Voter Fraud Charges Out West "I'm going to lay this at the footsteps of the county if there aren't enough ballots in the city," said Barrett. In Wisconsin GOP Pressures Rock the Vote to Stop Talking About the Draft Corporate Media Parrots of PropagandaTwo Bush ads full of misleading and false statements ran more than 9,000 times in 45 cities last week. $8 Million Worth Of DistortionsA misleading Bush ad criticizes Kerry for proposing to cut intelligence spending -- a decade ago, by 4%, when some Republicans also proposed cuts. Would Kerry Throw Us To The Wolves? Bush accuses Kerry of 350 votes for "higher taxes" Higher than what? Bush campaign falsely accuses Kerry of voting 350 times for tax increases. Bush's own words mislead reporters. The Sinclair Broadcasting Group – that wonderfully fair and balanced media firm that made news in April for refusing to run a Nightline program in which Ted Koppel read the names of American soldiers killed in Iraq – is up to its old political tricks again. Stolen Honor: The Moon Connection One of these things is not like the others: Why is GOP lawyer Ben Ginsberg on MSNBC's debate panels? Bush-Cheney Lawyer Benjamin L. Ginsberg Advised Anti-Kerry Vets So why is Benjamin L. Ginsberg one of the talking heads evaluating debates on MSNBC? MSNBC's Countdown, Abrams Report ask: Would FOX have been as forgiving? Netlore Archive: Email flier falsely alleges that Teresa Heinz Kerry, heiress to the Heinz catsup fortune and wife of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, contributes money to radical left-wing political causes Teresa Heinz Kerry: Urban Legends and Folklore After reading the letter why not get rid of that new virus by deleting part of you operating system you idiot! George Will Cheater - Theft Of Carter's Briefing BookIn October 1980, Will appeared on the ABC television program "Nightline" to praise Ronald Reagan's "thoroughbred performance" in a debate with incumbent President Jimmy Carter. But Will did not disclose to viewers that he'd helped coach Reagan for the debate -- and, in the process, had read Carter briefing materials stolen from the White House. George Will's Ethics: None of Our Business?George Will: Theft Of President Jimmie Carter's Breifing-Book Prier To The Reagen Debate> Pee Yew Call The FumigatorsHealth and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson joined Republican lawmakers on the House floor in an extraordinary lobbying campaign to round up votes for the Medicare bill. AlterNet: Republican Dirty TricksJames Baker's Double Life A Special Investigation Political Spin Disguised as "Business" News GAO finds Scully violated rule by stifling communication between his staff and congressional staff DAWSON BELL: Bush bashing during shows could backfire for Democrats Fox News pulls item with fake Kerry quotes SMOKING PISTOLS: GEORGE "RAT AD" BUSH AND THE SUBLIMINAL KID 'Hardball' interview with John Kerry was used and edited by a RNC-related website Juan Williams noted Swift Boat Vets "are lying"; highlighted Jerome Corsi's slander against pope, Jews, Muslims Republican-funded Group Attacks Kerry's War Record Robert Novak Has Ties to Anti-Kerry Book Letter from David Brock to The Washington Post (8.31.04) Latest Bush Ad Uses Kerry Quotes Out of Context Secret Service Attempts Subpoena For Indymedia Logs Swift Boat Liars For Bush RNC protesters plan rally around Johnny Cash fete IN DEFENSE OF THE HONOR OF JOHNNY CASH |