Tag Archives: scandal

CBS News reports: A federal grand jury in New York is investigating top Republican fundraiser Elliott Broidy, examining whether he used his position as vice chair of President Donald Trump’s inaugural committee to drum up business deals with foreign leaders. A wide-ranging subpoena the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn recently sent to Trump’s inaugural committee seeks records relating to 20 …

Reuters reports: The former governor of Rio de Janeiro state said in court testimony on Thursday that he paid $2 million (1.59 million pounds) to buy votes to ensure the sprawling Brazilian seaside city would be chosen to host the 2016 Olympic Games. Sergio Cabral told a judge the money went to Lamine Diack, the former president of the International …

The Miami Herald reports: Jerry Falwell Jr., 57, who took over the mantel of Liberty University following the death of his father, the Rev. Jerry Falwell Sr., has denied the suggestion that in 2015 he sought help from Michael Cohen, who told actor Tom Arnold in a surreptitiously taped conversation that he embarked on a mission to recover “personal” photographs …

The Peoria Journal-Star reports: Former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock quickly threw cold water on reports published elsewhere, including by a Peoria TV station, that he was taking steps to run for Congress again in Peoria. The former lawmaker said that a recent Federal Election Commission filing has been misconstrued and does not signal an intent to run for his old …

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports: Margaret Hunter, the wife of longtime East County Congressman Duncan Hunter who was co-indicted with her husband last summer, has agreed to change her plea of not guilty and is scheduled to appear in federal court Thursday morning. The announcement was posted on the U.S. District Court docket late Wednesday morning without any supplemental documentation. …

The Christian Post reports: The Southern Baptist Convention overwhelmingly voted on Tuesday to expel churches accused of racial discrimination and mishandling cases of sexual abuse. On the opening day of the largest protestant denomination’s annual meeting, held June 11-12 in Birmingham, Alabama, messengers — the delegates selected from SBC member churches to attend the meeting — cast their votes in …

The Bridgewater Courier News reports: A Presbyterian minister, who said he was following the Bible, used Native American exorcism rituals, gemstones and even oral sex to extract “evil spirits” from men undergoing crises in their lives, the church and men claim. The so-called healing acts, which date to 1999, were allegedly performed by the Rev. Dr. William Weaver, a prominent …

The Washington Post reports: In the years before he was ousted for alleged sexual harassment and financial abuses, the leader of the Catholic Church in West Virginia gave cash gifts totaling $350,000 to fellow clergymen, including young priests he is accused of mistreating and more than a dozen cardinals in the United States and at the Vatican, according to church …

The Associated Press reports: When Cardinal Daniel DiNardo first met Laura Pontikes in his wood-paneled conference room in December 2016, the leader of the U.S. Catholic Church’s response to its sex abuse scandal said all the right things. He praised her for coming forward to report that his deputy in the Galveston-Houston archdiocese had manipulated her into a sexual relationship …

NBC News reports: Federal prosecutors filed additional charges against high-profile attorney Michael Avenatti on Wednesday, claiming the frequent White House critic pocketed nearly $300,000 from former client Stormy Daniels. Daniels was owed money from a book deal and Avenatti allegedly used a “fraudulent document purporting to bear his client’s name and signature to convince his client’s literary agent to divert …

Michigan Live reports: State Rep. Larry Inman said he probably should have picked up the phone and called labor union representatives instead of sending texts that would later be part of a federal indictment alleging he solicited bribes. Inman, R-Traverse City, was indicted May 15 by federal prosecutors for attempted extortion, bribery and lying to an FBI agent. The indictment …

The Detroit Free Press reports: A state representative has been indicted by a federal grand jury, accused of trying to sell his vote on a measure to repeal Michigan’s prevailing wage law. Rep. Larry Inman, R-Traverse City, was indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury in Grand Rapids, court records show. House Speaker Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, called on Inman on …

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports: Georgia Insurance Commissioner Jim Beck was accused today by a federal grand jury of stealing more than $2 million from his former employer. The 38-count indictment charges Beck, an ex-insurance lobbyist and long-time leader of the Georgia Christian Coalition, with fraud and money laundering in an elaborate scheme to defraud the Georgia Underwriting Association. With the …

The New York Times reports: A review of tax records by The New York Times shows that, to steady its finances, the powerful lobbying group has increasingly relied on cash infusions and other transactions involving its affiliated foundation — at least $206 million worth since 2010. The role of the foundation is among the issues being examined in a new …

NBC News reports: Actress Felicity Huffman tearfully pleaded guilty to federal charges Monday, admitting that she paid a fixer thousands of dollars to boost her daughter’s college admission hopes. Prosecutors said Huffman, 56, shelled out $15,000 to have wrong answers corrected on daughter Sofia Grace Macy’s SAT exam, leading to a remarkably improved score from the teen’s PSAT performance, prosecutors …

Yesterday Reuters reported that Michael Cohen recorded a phone call with Jerry Falwell Jr. in which the evangelical leader pleaded for help in destroying “racy” personal photos that should be “kept between a husband and wife.” Cohen reportedly then flew to Florida where he met with a lawyer who supposedly handed over the photos for destruction, one of which Cohen …

Yesterday Reuters reported that Michael Cohen recorded a phone call with Jerry Falwell Jr. in which the evangelical leader pleaded for help in destroying “racy” personal photos that should be “kept between a husband and wife.” Falwell has run to Todd Starnes to deny the story: “This report is not accurate,” Falwell said. “There are no compromising or embarrassing photos …

The Tennessean reports: House Speaker Glen Casada said Tuesday he will not resign from his leadership position, despite participating in sexually charged text messages with his now former chief of staff. Speaking to WTN’s Brian Wilson, the Franklin Republican said he had no intentions to step down, adding, “I’m sorry that I did it and I’m embarrassed that I did …

The Baltimore Sun reports: Baltimore Mayor Catherine E. Pugh resigned Thursday, a month after taking a medical leave amid a growing scandal over her sales of a self-published children’s book series, sources tell The Baltimore Sun. Pugh submitted a letter of resignation dated Thursday. Her resignation is effective immediately, attorney Steven Silverman said at a news conference. She did not …

The BBC reports: Gavin Williamson has been sacked as defence secretary following an inquiry into the leak of information from the National Security Council. Downing Street said the PM had “lost confidence in his ability to serve” and Penny Mordaunt will take on the role. The inquiry followed reports over a plan to allow Huawei limited access to help build …