On May 5, I warned you that the federal investigation into political corruption in Allentown could be limited by the United States Supreme Court's decision in the McDonnell case, in which Virginia's then Governor accepted all kinds of gifts and loans in exchange for promoting a drug being pushed by a wealthy supporter. The Morning Call appears to have just reached the same conclusion.
Let me be clear. I expect the Supreme Court will reverse McDonnell's conviction. The ruling will impact how prosecutors prepare their charging documents. But he's going to be prosecuted.
Today's one-liner: "The shortest way to the distinguishing excellence of any writer is through his hostile critics." Richard LeGallienne
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Sunday, May 15, 2016
10 comments:
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If Fed Ed gets away with something this big, the American people should protest! Time to make strict laws about campaign financing and enforce them! What gives here Bernie? Why hasn't the FBI arrested him yet?
ReplyDeleteWho's listening at the Pa. Capitol? Might be the feds
ReplyDeleteI feel that the Feds are going to put many people behind bars. Some serious shit is going down in Pennsylvania by the looks of this.
Everyone was recorded. Text messages. Emails. Bugs. Wires. No wonder Pawlowski was having his office swept for bugs...and you and I paid for it!
If you did something "bad", I hope you had a chance to wear a wire for the Feds.
Their are emails prepared to be doinked to certain actors of Allentown's local circus administrational actors as well as there co-consperiting underhanded sigNUTure of the infamous criminality laws put to print in a laws fictitious happenings storyline that was designed by designing people behind the curtain of injustice against the voiceless that are but a number in this taking by the takers?!
ReplyDeleteThere are a few that have already been doinked to those acting under cover under colour of local circus law twisted by design of ommitianZ?!
Re:publican redd
If the supreme court REVERSES the CONVICTION what's the point of the prosecution?
ReplyDeleteI think I'm missing something?
The NSA has every phone call/text/email back to around 2006 on record at sites like Camp Williams near Bluffdale, Utah, plus the Stingray Device by Harris corporation lets local law enforcement listen in directly to anyone they want, then back engineer, whatever the investigation, to hide it's use.
I'm pretty sure they know who the bad guys are...at this point, and to the extent there is any criminal activity, it is being allowed and being used as leverage to push an agenda completely hidden from all us.
...anyone seen my tin foil hat? haha Beat ya to it...
I predict that flip phones will make a come back in public office soon!
ReplyDeleteI really don't think this case will have to much bearing on the Allentown issue. In Allentown, you have city officials who have admitted rigging the bidding process for the fat-man and the contracts have already been executed in their favor. This is more than political influence, this is criminality at it's best. This was a corrupt organization and should be charged under the RICO statutes. I'm sure FedEd will plea this down without blinking an eye! But since he shows NO remorse in his actions, the FBI and the Attorney General's office should go for the grand slam!
ReplyDelete@ 8:04 am. You are spot on ! The feds seem to be working their way up the political food chain , including , but not limited, to local, state and federal politicos and this should include big campaign bundlers on a national level. Political corruption at its finest and regardless of the outcome , most will still have the tax payers funding their pensions and healthcare benefits.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how this case would really impact the Allentown case. No one has been alleged to have set up meetings. Bid rigging is at the heart of the Allentown case, and it is very different from the idea presented in the VA case. The VA case is actually problematic, I think, and whatever the Court decides, it will give clarity. The precedent there will be whether or not just simply setting up meetings for a donor is an abuse of an elected official's authority. This is an eggregious example of ridiculous gifts in exchange for what amounted to promotional meetings AT THE GOVERNOR's HOME, and the use of the full color of official office to promote a donor's private business. But the idea that an elected official can't set up a meeting between...well...between anyone.... is a tough sell. It's too broad. It's a good idea to ban vendors from donating in the places where they seek contracts, and its a good idea to have other limits, and the VA case seems eggregious, but if the result is that a mayor or governor can't put two people in touch who don't know each other, than it's a bad decision... and it has no effect on Allentown investigation, where bids appear to have been rigged and City contracts appear to have been the carrot on a stick held out to donors.
ReplyDeleteBd rigging is part of the Allentown case but not its heart. Its heart is classic bribery and extortion. The VA case involves much more than merely setting up meetings. The governor also pressured people to conduct tests. There are a lot of similarities.
ReplyDeleteYou can sense the breathlessness with which the Morning Call story was written about the Virginia case possibly getting Fed Ed off the hook. "See, everybody does it." Kinda like the media excuse making after Bill Clinton's sexual attacks on women in the workplace.
ReplyDelete