Government Integrity Project

Reverend Al Sharpton has something new to be angry about. Last Friday, April 23, Arizona Republican Governor Jan Brewer signed legislation known as "SB1070" requiring law enforcement authorities to ask all criminal suspects to provide evidence of legal U.S. residence. The law is set to take effect 90 days after signing. Sharpton is determined to prevent that from happening. He recently announced his intent to travel to Arizona to stage mass protests against what he says is an assault on Hispanic civil rights.

Staging this campaign will cost money. But "the Rev" doesn't have many worries on this score. His New York-based nonprofit group, National Action Network (NAN), continues to receive financial support from some of the nation's biggest and most well known corporations and unions. This was very much in evidence at NAN's four-day 12th annual conference, his biggest fundraising event of the year, held earlier this month in New York City.

America's colleges and universities might not qualify as bailout material, but the nation should get ready for what amounts to massive federal government intrusion into higher education financing. Legislation signed March 30 by President Barack Obama practically seals the deal. And despite the administration's claims to the contrary, taxpayers may find the transition exceedingly expensive. The measure, tacked onto the health care overhaul, requires that campuses using the prevailing system - federally-guaranteed private-sector lending - must move to federal direct lending. The U.S. Department of Education would serve as loan originator, though with a likelihood of contracting with banks to perform servicing.

It was revealed Friday that former Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY) spent over $70K in campaign funds in the days immediately preceding and following his resignation amid sexual harassment allegations in early March.

According to Federal Election Commission filings, Massa cut a check for $40K to his chief of staff the day after he announced he was resigning. FEC filings also reveal that Massa made a $31,896.42 payment to GMAC for a “campaign car lease” just a few days earlier. Because the money was not being spent on a re-election effort, the former congressman may have violated campaign finance rules barring politicians from spending money on personal items that are unrelated to their campaigns.

On Tuesday, Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) formally notified the House of Representatives that he had received a subpoena, as required by House rules. The subpoena was first reported by the New York Daily News on April 2 in the wake of our allegations that Meeks got a sweetheart deal on his house, and is involved with a charity that raised money for Hurricane Katrina victims who never saw it.

Did Meeks and/or Pelosi sit on the subpoena notification until after the March 21 health care vote? It depends on when Meeks got the subpoena. House Rule VIII states: