Tag Archives: corruption

Miami’s CBS affiliate reports: Taxpayers will not be on the hook for a multi-million judgment against Commissioner Joe Carollo. Last June, a jury found him liable for violating the First Amendment rights of businessmen William Fuller and Martin Pinilla, the operators of a string of businesses along the Little Havana business corridor that includes the iconic Ball & Chain nightclub. …

The Associated Press reports: The Supreme Court is adopting its first code of ethics, in the face of sustained criticism over undisclosed trips and gifts from wealthy benefactors to some justices. The policy was issued by the court Monday. The justices, who have hinted at internal deliberations over an ethics code, last met Thursday in their private conference room at …

The Texas Tribune reports: Nate Paul, the Austin real estate investor whose relationship with Attorney General Ken Paxton was central to his September impeachment trial, was charged with new crimes by federal prosecutors on Wednesday. The U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas filed an amended indictment charging Paul, 36, with four counts of wire fraud related to allegations …

Mississippi Today reports: Gov. Tate Reeves’ top campaign contributors netted $1.4 billion in state contracts or grants from agencies the governor oversees, a Mississippi Today investigation found. Of the 88 individual or corporate donors who have given Reeves’ campaigns at least $50,000, Mississippi Today identified 15 donors whose companies received a total of $1.4 billion in state contracts or grants …

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports: As Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign dealt with widely publicized financial strains and some prominent mega donors signaled they were closing their checkbooks, the Florida governor turned to people with an incentive to stay on his good side: businesspeople, lawyers, lobbyists and others whose employers or clients have financial interests before state government. Many obliged. Campaign …

The Texas Tribune reports: Attorney General Ken Paxton’s long-delayed trial on securities fraud charges has been set for April 15. State District Judge Andrea Beall scheduled the trial during a hearing Monday morning in Houston. Paxton was indicted on the charges over eight years ago, months into his first term as the state’s top law enforcement official. The charges stem …

The New York Times reports: The terms of the private loan were as generous as they were clear: With no money down, Justice Clarence Thomas could borrow more than a quarter of a million dollars from a wealthy friend to buy a 40-foot luxury motor coach, making annual interest-only payments for five years. Only then would the principal come due. …

NBC News reports: Conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett indicated Monday she would support a code of conduct for the Supreme Court in the wake of recent claims that some justices have fallen short of required ethical standards. Speaking at the University of Minnesota Law School, Barrett said it would be “a good idea for us do it” and suggested that …

The Arkansas Times reports: An anonymous former state employee came forward Friday claiming to have evidence that the Arkansas governor’s office doctored documents and unlawfully withheld financial records that should have been made public under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA. Attorney Tom Mars, who is representing the whistleblower, sent a letter today to Sen. Jimmy Hickey (R-Texarkana) …

The Arkansas Times reports: Arkansas state Sen. Jimmy Hickey (R-Texarkana) is asking for an audit regarding Gov. Sarah Sanders’s controversial purchase of the now infamous $19,000 lectern. While they’re at it, Hickey wants the bean counters at Legislative Audit to look at the governor’s expenses and other records retroactively pulled from public view thanks to a bill just passed in …

USA Today reports: Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan says she hopes colleagues will adopt an ethics “code of conduct,” while a new report details a relationship between Justice Clarence Thomas and conservative political activists. New ethics rules would “go far in persuading other people that we were adhering to the highest standards of conduct,” Kagan said during a Friday speech …

ProPublica reports: On Jan. 25, 2018, dozens of private jets descended on Palm Springs International Airport. Some of the richest people in the country were arriving for the annual winter donor summit of the Koch network, the political organization founded by libertarian billionaires Charles and David Koch. A long weekend of strategizing, relaxation in the California sun and high-dollar fundraising …

Mike Allen reports at Axios: National Republicans organized an under-the-radar campaign of outside conservative pressure on the Texas senators designed to neutralize mainstream media coverage, top strategists tell me. This outside unofficial team operated independently of the Paxton legal operation — like “a super PAC without the money,” a top GOP strategist said. Pro-Paxton forces also paid social media influencers …

The Miami News Times reports: City of Miami Commissioner Alex Díaz de la Portilla was arrested Thursday afternoon on counts of money laundering, bribery, and criminal conspiracy in an alleged scheme to conceal political contributions. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) claims that among other misconduct, Díaz de la Portilla accepted bribes from William W. Riley Jr., a lobbyist …

Austin’s CBS News affiliate reports: The Texas House of Representatives voted to adopt 20 articles of impeachment against the attorney general over Memorial Day weekend. Those articles included charges of constitutional bribery, disregard of official duty and misapplication of public resources. Paxton’s relationship with real estate developer and campaign donor Nate Paul were at the heart of the allegations made …

The Texas Tribune reports: Laura Olson, the woman with whom suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton allegedly had an affair, is expected to take the witness stand Wednesday after 3 p.m. The prosecution attempted to call Olson as their first witness on Wednesday, but Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said she was not eligible to testify yet because she had not been …

The Hill reports: The former chief of staff in Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office testified on Monday about the top law enforcement officer’s alleged affair as his historic impeachment trial continues into its second week. Katherine “Missy” Minter Cary recalled giving Paxton “ethics advice” about the risks of an extramarital affair and warned that the office morale was being …

Reuters reports: Brazil’s Supreme Court on Saturday authorized a cooperation deal between former President Jair Bolsonaro’s former aide and the country’s Federal Police, tightening the vice on the ex-leader who faces multiple criminal probes that could land him in jail. He has already been ruled politically ineligible until 2030 by Brazil’s federal electoral court. The aide, Mauro Cid, has been …

The Texas Tribune reports: Whistleblower Ryan Vassar revealed during testimony Friday morning that the attorney general’s office kept a “blacklist” of reporters whom they “handled differently than other reporters.” Vassar testified that Dallas Morning News reporter Lauren McGaughy, who has covered the attorney general’s office for a decade, was on that list. The revelation came during the cross examination of …

Courthouse News reports: Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito released a sharp statement on Friday, rebutting a request from lawmakers to step down from an upcoming tax case after he gave an interview with an attorney involved in the matter. In July, Alito sat for an interview with David Rivkin Jr. and James Taranto to discuss the workings of the court. …