Republican Scandal Week

Posted on | January 23, 2014 | 31 Comments

First, former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and his wife were indicted on federal fraud charges. Then, it was learned that a welder whose job was claimed as proof of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s economic plan turns out to be a convicted sex offender. Now, conservative author Dinesh D’Souza has been indicted on federal campaign finance charges for making $20,000 in illegal contributions to a GOP Senate candidate through straw donors.

Not a good week. Not good at all.

Category: Republicans, Scandal

Comments

31 Responses to “Republican Scandal Week”

Rob Crawford
January 23rd, 2014 @ 10:27 pm

D’Souza should have just set up a donation site that doesn’t check the validity of the donor. Worked for Obama; has to be legal, right?
Tim Turnstone
January 23rd, 2014 @ 10:36 pm

Why can’t ex-felons be good examples of skill training and job creation?!? I think showing that even THAT dude can do it is a great indicator of the possibilities.
G Joubert
January 23rd, 2014 @ 10:40 pm

The US DOJ, as we know, has been entirely corrupted by this administration. I’d wait for D’Souza’s defense before passing any kind of judgment on the allegations in the indictment. It’d be like reading the mad bomber’s complaint and assuming everything in it is true.
Evi L. Bloggerlady
January 23rd, 2014 @ 11:11 pm

I am not saying all GOP scandals are nonsense, but this prosecution of D’Souza really stinks. Even if the allegations are true (and that is hardly a given), if D’Souza did this for the Obama Administration he would get an Ambassador posting of his choosing (of course the bundled money would have to be a heck of a lot more than $20,000).
Evi L. Bloggerlady
January 23rd, 2014 @ 11:17 pm

A complete nonsense scandal. The Dems roll around with felons all the time. Still, the Walker people need to be more careful. Who knows if that guy was a plant or it was just bad luck his name was put forward. But this is the sort of hatchet job the Democrats are ready to pounce on. This should be a lesson learned.
Evi L. Bloggerlady
January 23rd, 2014 @ 11:18 pm

I am not accepting any of the allegations as true until I see evidence. These bastards will stop at nothing to destroy people. And Republicans who cooperate with them are nuts.
storibund
January 23rd, 2014 @ 11:22 pm

James Rosen’s parents would probably advise against you putting any faith in whatever this DOJ might be putting forward 😉
Adjoran
January 24th, 2014 @ 1:29 am

The Walker incident is more of a gaffe than a scandal. But even so, it was a staff vetting problem that should be addressed.

McDonnell has shown himself a sleaze who is disqualified for future public trust, but the gifts he and his family received were not illegal under Virginia’s admittedly lax ethics laws. The federal charges, or at least some of the felonies alleged, involve using the phone or the mail to facillitate some of those gifts. So it’s an interstate conspiracy to do something legal. It’s a political prosecution and the only way McDonnell is convicted is if he is forced to take a plea to avoid bankruptcy due to legal fees, which is the way our federal prosecutors work these days.

D’Souza knew he was violating the law, which is why he hid his donations, and is well enough educated to understand the consequences. He’s a private citizen, not a Republican official. Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time – just like Cunningham and Wey. We don’t excuse or save our crooks, that’s what Democrats do.
Adjoran
January 24th, 2014 @ 1:30 am

Yeah, but they would take you into the garden and whisper the advice.
Dana
January 24th, 2014 @ 6:46 am

Personally, I’m glad that the ex-con got a job; if ex-cons can’t get jobs, then all that’s left for them are robbery or welfare.

The other two problems mentioned, yeah, they’re problems.
Dana
January 24th, 2014 @ 6:53 am

Assuming the charges against Mr D’Souza are true, they make absolutely no sense at all. If true, the man committed felonies to get a measly $20,000 to a candidate. Just how dumb can you get?
Republican Scandal Week : The Other McCain | Dead Citizen's Rights Society
January 24th, 2014 @ 8:10 am

[…] Republican Scandal Week : The Other McCain. […]
FredBeloit
January 24th, 2014 @ 9:37 am

Just a little early for a D’Souza conviction, wouldn’t you say?
ihazconservative
January 24th, 2014 @ 9:52 am

Well, he made that movie attacking Obama, but when I read what his lawyer is saying….

“Mr. D’Souza did not act with any corrupt or criminal intent whatsoever…. He and the candidate have been friends since their college days, and at most, this was an act of misguided friendship by D’Souza.”

… I think it looks pretty much like a confession that D’Souza committed the criminal acts. What’s the defense? That he’s a good person who meant well and enjoyed camaraderie with the beneficiary of his illegal acts? I don’t think campaign finance laws work that way, but maybe I’m wrong.
(Ann Althouse)
richard mcenroe
January 24th, 2014 @ 11:37 am

Interesting wording in the D’Souza indictment: “caused to be made.” Be interesting to see what the Feds try to make that out to be.
richard mcenroe
January 24th, 2014 @ 11:39 am

That’s what Althouse is a law professor and not a trial lawyer….
richard mcenroe
January 24th, 2014 @ 11:40 am

D’Souza never struck me as that stupid. I’ve read his books and heard the man speak. plus seeing his documentary. I’m really interested in seeing what the specifics will be. Harrassment under color of authority is a Democrat art form. Ask Palin and Delay.
ihazconservative
January 24th, 2014 @ 11:48 am

Okay, but it doesn’t negate the point that D’Souza’s own lawyer isn’t denying that it happened, and appears to be admitting it by saying that D’Souza did not have an impure intent in what he did.
ihazconservative
January 24th, 2014 @ 11:55 am

It isn’t that interesting. They are alleging that he caused donations to be made by third parties to Wendy Long by offering to reimburse those individuals for those donations. It’s pretty standard wording for the allegation.
Dana
January 24th, 2014 @ 12:14 pm

Some very intelligent people have done some head-scratchingly stupid things. Perhaps we might consult Richard M Nixon (Deceased) on this point.
K-Bob
January 24th, 2014 @ 1:45 pm

None of this would make the news—not even the back pages—if these folks would always put a (D) after their names.

Sincerely,

K-Bob (D – Logic)
K-Bob
January 24th, 2014 @ 1:47 pm

Foreign donors welcome!
Boehner ‘Appealingly Human and Thrillingly Dangerous’ | Regular Right Guy
January 24th, 2014 @ 3:33 pm

[…] Republican Scandal Week […]
Obama Filmmaker Targeted by #ObamaJustice | Regular Right Guy
January 24th, 2014 @ 5:13 pm

[…] I hope these charges prove to be untrue for D’Souza’s sake—I’d be willing to bet they are—but if you are going to take shots at a MSM messiah, it pays to have your sh*t together. […]
DaveO
January 24th, 2014 @ 7:55 pm

Who’s word are we taking for Governor and Mrs. McDonnell and D’zousa? Federal prosecutors, who work for AG Holder? If an employee of AG Holder says the sky is blue, best to poke your head outside and take a look for yourself. AG Holder undermined the rule of law, and nothing he says or does can be taken as truth – and that goes double for his employees.
Adjoran
January 25th, 2014 @ 4:12 am

Did you see his lawyer’s statement after the indictment was announced? He may be able to plea bargain down to a misdemeanor, but he’s convicted, all right.
Adjoran
January 25th, 2014 @ 4:15 am

He’s brilliant. But he not only did what they alleged, he took steps to cover it up.

It may still be harassment, since most prosecutions of violations in these amounts carry lighter charges. But Palin and Delay weren’t guilty of anything. If D’Souza is innocent he has the worst lawyer in the world because the official statement sounds like an argument for mitigation, not innocence.
Adjoran
January 25th, 2014 @ 4:20 am

She can read an attorney’s public statement pretty clearly. This guy is arguing lack of intent or mitigation of intent. That means you did it, but without criminal intent.

Right, he got several people to donate under their names, then reimbursed them. So how many of them will go to jail to save D’Souza?
Adjoran
January 25th, 2014 @ 4:24 am

The McDonnells do not dispute that they took the gifts. I don’t think they even dispute that Mrs. McDonnell solicited gifts. The gifts weren’t illegal under Virginia law, the feds allege they were illegal under federal law. It’s a huge stretch, but McDonnell may be willing to cop a plea to avoid spending a million bucks defending himself.

But D’Souza’s attorney isn’t denying the allegations, either, and in his case they are alleging felony violations.
DeRP’sViews You Can Use 01.24.2014 | Dead Republican Party (DeRP)
January 25th, 2014 @ 8:09 am

[…] Republican Scandal Week […]
DaveO
January 25th, 2014 @ 10:02 am

The Big Story is Democrats are successfully criminalizing being a Republican. For the last 3 election cycles we’ve seen what should have been slam-dunk races reversed due to timely indictments, and convictions.
Hence the tie to Ted Stevens – the Alaska senator did nothing illegal under Alaska law, and was convicted of following the law, which put Begich into the Senate. Here, we have a Virginia Governor did nothing illegal under Virginia Law, but the Feds, during an election, suddenly show up and indict? Will the Feds do the same for McAuliffe? Yeah, don’t think so. Terry McAuliffe’s pay-to-play political operation has been going on for decades. Now he is Governor of Virginia, and he’ll clean up his act?

Why are we allowing our politicians to be spun through criminal proceedings ?

Drudge reports Dems, if caught, only get charged with misdemeanors: “[I]n 2011, a prominent Los Angeles attorney, Pierce O’Donnell, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor chargest of making $20,000 in donations to the presidential campaign of former Sen. John Edwards and reimbursing straw donors.” http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/conservative-author-and-pundit-dinesh-dsouza-charged-in-campaign-finance-case/2014/01/23/69c67ee4-848a-11e3-bbe5-6a2a3141e3a9_story.html

Being a Republican is now a crime.