Tag Archives: corruption

The New York Times reports: Two vice officers were fired on Thursday by the city of Columbus, Ohio, for their role in the wrongful arrest of the pornographic film actress Stormy Daniels at a strip club in 2018, an arrest that a lawyer for Ms. Daniels said was the result of a “conspiracy of dunces.” The officers, Steven Rosser and …

The New York Times reports: Federal prosecutors in Brazil on Tuesday charged the American journalist Glenn Greenwald with cybercrimes for his role in the spreading of cellphone messages that have embarrassed prosecutors and tarnished the image of an anti-corruption task force. In a criminal complaint made public on Tuesday, prosecutors in the capital, Brasília, accused Mr. Greenwald of being part …

The Louisville Courier-Journal reports: Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron is asking the FBI to investigate former Gov. Matt Bevin’s pardons. “I stand by the outstanding work of Kentucky’s prosecutors and respect the decisions of juries who convict wrongdoers,” Cameron said in a Monday letter delivered to state Rep. Chris Harris and Sen. Morgan McGarvey. “While Kentucky’s Constitution gives the governor …

The Washington Post reports: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Wednesday that he would ask the Israeli parliament to grant him immunity from three criminal charges, tying up further the lengthy legal proceedings against him in a political system that has been gripped by deadlock for the past year. Netanyahu’s immunity request to the Knesset would shield him from prosecution at …

Haaretz reports: Immunity from prosecution is a cornerstone of democracy, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was indicted in three corruption cases, said Sunday. Netanyahu added that he would make a decision on whether he would ask the Knesset for immunity within two days. “Immunity isn’t against democracy; immunity is a cornerstone of democracy,” the prime minister told the audience at …

The Washingtonian is looking back at its best and worst political predictions of the decade. One highlight stands out: Our 2010 “Best & Worst of Congress” put Aaron Schock in the number two slot for “most likely to star in a scandal.” And did he ever deliver. Schock resigned in 2015 after reporters discovered he had been inappropriately using government …

The Washington Post reports: Former cardinal Theodore McCarrick gave hundreds of thousands of dollars in church money to powerful Catholic clerics over nearly two decades, according to financial records obtained by The Washington Post, while the Vatican failed to act on claims he had sexually harassed young men. Starting in 2001, McCarrick sent checks totaling more than $600,000 to clerics …

Reuters reports: The Philippines has banned two U.S. lawmakers from visiting and will introduce tighter entry restrictions for U.S. citizens should Washington enforce sanctions over the detention of a top government critic, the president’s spokesman said on Friday. President Rodrigo Duterte will impose a requirement on U.S. nationals to get visas should any Philippine officials involved in the incarceration of …

The Louisville Courier-Journal reports: The FBI is asking questions about the pardons Matt Bevin issued during his last weeks as Kentucky governor. State Rep. Chris Harris, D-Forest Hills, told reporters that a criminal investigator contacted him last week and asked what he knew about Bevin’s pardons. “I can confirm that I have been contacted by someone looking into the pardons …

USA Today reports: A prominent Kentucky banker who is one of the state’s largest Republican donors urged former Gov. Matt Bevin to pardon convicted killer Patrick Baker months before the outgoing governor issued a controversial last-minute order freeing the man. Terry Forcht, founder of Corbin-based Forcht Bank, has given more than $1 million to Republican candidates, committees and super PACs …

NBC News reports: The Republican chairman of the Judiciary Committee said, “I am trying to give a pretty clear signal I have made up my mind. I’m not trying to pretend to be a fair juror here.” On CBS’s Face the Nation, Graham, who’s grown quite incurious about basic details of recent White House scandals, added, “I don’t need any …

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports: In twenty tweets Friday evening, the Republican ex-governor defended his decision to issue pardons that ranged from a man convicted of beheading a woman and stuffing her in a barrel, to a man convicted of hiring a hit man to kill his business partner, to a man convicted of raping a 9-year-old. On Friday, Senate President …

The Louisville Courier-Journal reports: The family of a man pardoned by Gov. Matt Bevin for a homicide and other crimes in a fatal 2014 Knox County home invasion raised $21,500 at a political fundraiser last year to retire debt from Bevin’s 2015 gubernatorial campaign. The brother and sister-in-law of offender Patrick Brian Baker also gave $4,000 to Bevin’s campaign on …

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports: After years of denials and claims he was the target of a political witch hunt, Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, is scheduled to appear in federal court Tuesday morning to change his plea of not guilty to charges stemming from a sweeping campaign finance investigation. The announcement was posted on the U.S. District Court docket Monday …

Haaretz reports: For the first time in Israel’s history, a sitting prime minister is accused of bribery: Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit announced Thursday Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be charged with bribery, fraud and breach in three corruption cases, dubbed Cases 4000, 2000 and 1000. The indictment comes after a four-day hearing with Netanyahu’s defense team last month, followed by …

ProPublica reports: The Rybovich superyacht marina lies on the West Palm Beach, Florida, waterfront, a short drive north from Mar-a-Lago. Superyachts, floating mansions that can stretch more than 300 feet and cost over $100 million, are serviced at the marina, and their owners enjoy Rybovich’s luxury resort amenities. Its Instagram account offers a glimpse into the rarefied world of the …

ProPublica reports: Decisions about U.S. aid are often no longer being governed by career professionals applying a rigorous review of applicants and their capabilities. Over the last two years, political pressure, particularly from the office of Vice President Mike Pence, had seeped into aid deliberations and convinced key decision-makers that unless they fell in line, their jobs could be at …

Kansas City’s NPR affiliate reports: Former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach agreed to legal sanctions to resolve a disciplinary complaint about his conduct in a voting rights case he lost last year. As part of the resulting diversion agreement made public Monday, Kobach admitted that he did not properly supervise lawyers and others while contesting a lawsuit that challenged …

The Associated Press reports: A farming business owned by the family of West Virginia’s billionaire governor has received $125,000 in soybean and corn subsidies, the maximum allowed from a federal program meant to help American farmers through the U.S. trade war with China. There is no evidence Gov. Jim Justice did anything illegal. But at least one analyst said the …

Politico reports: In her first 14 months as Transportation secretary, Elaine Chao met with officials from Kentucky, which her husband Mitch McConnell represents in the Senate, vastly more often than those from any other state. In all, 25 percent of Chao’s scheduled meetings with local officials of any state from January 2017 to March 2018 were with Kentuckians, who make …