Culture of Corruption

Rep. Meeks Threatens to 'Go After' NLPC

Submitted by Peter Flaherty on Mon, 01/30/2012 - 13:54

Meeks photo In a recent interview with the "City and State" website, which covers New York politics, Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) said that he wants "to go after" our not-for-profit status. The threat was part of a more general attack on the New York Post, which has published a series of articles based on information we have provided. We have also provided information to the New York Times and New York Daily News. All the headlines have led to a House Ethics Committee investigation, and reportedly, a grand jury investigation of Meeks' finances.

NLPC Asks Feds to Investigate Meeks' House Sale

Submitted by Ken Boehm on Tue, 01/10/2012 - 11:09

Meeks photo NLPC has asked federal prosecutors to investigate the sale of a home by Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), alleging that it was sold at an inflated price and that the purported buyers could not have qualified for a mortgage. The 2006 transaction was handled by an attorney named Alexander Kaplan, who was subsequently convicted of 18 counts of mortgage fraud and is currently serving a 46-month prison sentence.

Countrywide Probe is Chance for Ethics Committee to do 'Something Significant'

Submitted by NLPC Staff on Wed, 12/21/2011 - 12:00

Edolphus Towns photo It appears that four current members of the United States House of Representatives received loans via the VIP program of Countrywide Financial Corporation. Once again the motives of the former giant mortgage institution have been brought into question. Where they trying to peddle influence with these loans?

Blago Gets 14 Years; Ethics Committee Must Now Act on Jesse Jackson, Jr.

Submitted by NLPC Staff on Fri, 12/09/2011 - 09:01

Jesse Jackson, Jr. photo Yesterday, former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was sentenced to 14 years in prison for, among other things, attempting to "sell" the US Senate seat that was once held by President Barack Obama. Blagojevich's punishment comes on the heels of the U.S. House Ethics Committee's decision to continue its investigation into Congressman Jesse Jackson's role in the same scheme.

Rep. Gregory Meeks Assailed by NY Post as Meeks Attacks NLPC

Submitted by Ken Boehm on Sun, 11/06/2011 - 16:09

Meeks photo The New York Post today published an editorial titled "Greg Meeks - Again" regarding the allegations in our Complaint filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) on October 28.

Meeks apparently had not yet received a copy of the Complaint at the time he wrote a column published last week in the Queens (New York) Tribune. In the column, Meeks characterized us as "right wing" and (again) blamed us for his ethics problems. I can't wait to see his reaction to our new Complaint.

Watchdog Files FEC Complaint Against Rep. Meeks for Stanford Fundraiser

Submitted by Ken Boehm on Thu, 11/03/2011 - 13:26

Meeks photo On October 28, NLPC filed a formal Complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) against Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), his campaign, and his "leadership" political action committee called Build America PAC.

The Complaint alleges that Stanford Financial Group made illegal, in-kind contributions to Meeks' campaign for a 2008 fundraiser in the Virgin Islands. The event was hosted by R. Allen Stanford, who is currently in prison awaiting trial for charges related to his multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme.

Rep. Richardson to Face Full Ethics Probe?

Submitted by NLPC Staff on Fri, 10/28/2011 - 11:40

Laura Richardson photo The House Ethics Committee may soon conduct a complete investigation of Congresswoman Laura Richardson (D-CA). She has been under investigation for some time now for allegations that her staff undertook political activities while working on government time.

As reported this week by John Bresnahan in Politico, Ethics Committee staff members have been looking into potential Richardson violations since last year. At isssue is whether some of Richardson senior staff pressured subordinates to work on her reelection campaign matters during official time. This is against House rules and federal law.

FBI Files Detail Murtha Corruption

Submitted by NLPC Staff on Thu, 10/27/2011 - 09:58

Murtha photo Accusations of corruption directed against the late Congressman John Murtha (D-PA) look like they were true. Recently released files seem to confirm that the Federal Bureau of Investigation suspected that Murtha schemed to route federal dollars to bogus companies and other operations that would benefit his friends and former employees and ultimately his own campaigns.

Case of Jesse Jackson, Jr. is Test for House Ethics Commitee

Submitted by Peter Flaherty on Tue, 10/25/2011 - 11:27

Jesse Jackson Jr. photo Last week, the United States House of Representatives Ethics Committee voted to end its temporary deferral of a case against Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL). The US Justice Department had requested the deferral but has since withdrawn that request. The case had been deferred for over two years.

Jackson, the son of Rev. Jesse Jackson, is in his ninth term in the US House and is under investigation for allegations that he attempted to buy the open US Senate seat that was vacated by President Barack Obama. It has been reported that Jackson's supporters were willing to raise $1.5 million on behalf of Governor Blagojevich's re-election campaign.

Watchdog Rejects Pelosi Explanation of Late Disclosure

Submitted by NLPC Staff on Thu, 10/13/2011 - 13:03

Paul and Nancy Pelsosii photo Paul Pelosi, husband of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, will reportedly make millions of dollars from a previously undisclosed real estate venture in Mrs. Pelosi's home state of California. Mr. Pelosi is a real estate developer and an investment banker and entered into this project with the father of the current Ambassador to Hungary, as reported by The Washington Times earlier this week. Mrs. Pelosi helped the ambassador secure her the post.