Corruption

07/02/2007 -- Hours after a federal appeals court ruled that I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby would have to begin serving his prison sentence while appealing his conviction for crimes of perjury, obstruction of justice and lying to investigators, President Bush commuted his sentence.

Last week Vice President Cheney asserted that he was beyond the reach of the law. Today, President Bush demonstrated the lengths he would go to, ensuring that even aides to Dick Cheney are beyond the judgment of the law.

It is time for the American people to be heard.    » read more »

Administration clearly thinks it is above the law

07/02/2007 -- SANTA FE, NM -- New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson today issued the following statement regarding President Bush commuting the sentence of Lewis "Scooter" Libby, who was convicted on federal charges of perjury, obstruction of justice, and lying to investigators.    » read more »

02 July 2007 -- President Bush has commuted the prison sentence of a top administration aide, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, who had been sentenced to 30 months in prison for perjury. The president's action keeps Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, from going to jail.

In a statement issued late Monday, Mr. Bush said he took action because Libby's prison term was excessive.    » read more »

July 2, 2007 -- "The United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit today rejected Lewis Libby's request to remain free on bail while pursuing his appeals for the serious convictions of perjury and obstruction of justice. As a result, Mr. Libby will be required to turn himself over to the Bureau of Prisons to begin serving his prison sentence.    » read more »

A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America

July 2, 2007 -- WHEREAS Lewis Libby was convicted in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia in the case United States v. Libby, Crim. No. 05-394 (RBW), for which a sentence of 30 months' imprisonment, 2 years' supervised release, a fine of $250,000, and a special assessment of $400 was imposed on June 22, 2007;    » read more »

6/28/2007 -- House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) Released the Following Statement in Response to the President's Assertion of Executive Privilege in Response to the Committee's June 13 Subpoena for Documents:

"The president's response to our subpoena shows an appalling disregard for the right of the people to know what is going on in their government.

The executive privilege assertion is unprecedented in its breadth and scope, and even includes documents that the administration previously offered to provide as part of their 'take it or leave it' proposal.    » read more »

June 28, 2007 -- MR. FRATTO: This is Tony Fratto, Deputy Press Secretary at the White House. This is, as the operator said, a senior administration official call. So that's your sourcing. I'll turn the phone over to my colleague. He'll make some opening remarks, and then we will open it up to questions.    » read more »

June 28, 2007 -- On Thursday, June 28, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform will hold a hearing entitled “Waste, Fraud, and Abuse at K-Town: How Mismanagement Has Derailed DOD’s Largest Single Facility Construction Project.”

The hearing will review the preliminary findings of a Government Accountability Office investigation into the construction of the Kaiserslautern Military Community Center, a hotel and retail facility being built on the grounds of the Ramstein Air Base in Germany.    » read more »

June 27, 2007 -- WASHINGTON, DC — Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry A. Waxman (D-CA), Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), and Oversight and Government Reform Information Policy Subcommittee Chairman Wm. Lacy Clay (D-MO) today called upon Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to explain his role in the Vice President’s extraordinary attempt to remove his office from executive branch oversight and the subsequent refusal to comply with procedures to protect classified information in the Office of the Vice President (OVP).    » read more »

Last year, Rep. Henry A. Waxman released the first comprehensive assessment of government contracting under the Bush Administration. The report, entitled Dollars, Not Sense: Government Contracting Under the Bush Administration (link), found that between 2000 and 2005, federal procurement spending rose by over 80%, no-bid and other contracts awarded without full and open competition increased by over 100%, and contract mismanagement led to rising waste, fraud, and abuse in federal procurement.    » read more »

Sentence is for Obstructing U.S. Senate Investigation into Abramoff Corruption Scandal

June 26, 2007 -- WASHINGTON – James Steven Griles, the former Deputy Secretary of the Department of the Interior (DOI), has been sentenced to 10 months in prison for obstructing the U.S. Senate’s investigation into the corruption allegations surrounding former Washington lobbyist Jack A. Abramoff, Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division announced today.    » read more »

June 26, 2007 -- WASHINGTON — A Florida company today pleaded guilty to conspiring to rig bids on merchandise offered at a U.S. Postal Service (USPS) auction in Atlanta, the Department of Justice announced.    » read more »

June 26, 2007 -- Contrary to the recent claims of White House spokesperson Dana Perino, there is evidence that the White House has repeatedly failed to investigate security violations, take corrective action following breaches, and appropriately protect classified information.

In a letter to White House Counsel Fred Fielding, Chairman Waxman describes evidence that:    » read more »

June 26, 2007 -- WASHINGTON, DC - Editorial boards around the country are echoing the sentiments of the American people—they've had enough of the culture of corruption and lawlessness promoted by the Bush-Cheney White House. Vice President Cheney's most recent assertion that his office is not a part of the executive branch in order to skirt archiving regulations is only the latest example of the Republican Administration manipulating the law and our government to put partisan and ideological goals above the best interests of the American people.    » read more »

27 June 2007 -- A U.S. judge has sentenced a former high ranking Bush administration official, J. Steven Griles, to 10 months in prison for lying to Congress about his ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

The district judge, Ellen Segal Huvelle in Washington Tuesday ordered J. Steven Griles to pay a $30,000 fine and serve three years of probation following his release from prison. She said Griles had refused to take responsibility for his actions and had attempted to excuse his conduct.    » read more »