I don’t think any local official will ever top D.C.’s mayor for life Marion Barry for public corruption scandals - that is, being caught on tape smoking crack (and he later got elected to the city council!) - but this New Jersey sweep has got to be up there on the list:
Eleven public officials were charged Thursday in a widespread FBI corruption investigation in New Jersey, officials said.
Among those charged were Passaic Mayor Sammy Rivera and State Assemblyman and Orange Mayor Mims Hackett, investigators said.
FBI agents made the early morning arrests that included current and past Board of Education officials from Pleasantville. Current Board President James Pressley, board member Rafeal Velez and former board members Jayson Adams, James McCormick and Pete Callaway were all arrested. Callaway is currently serving as a member of the Pleasantville City Council.
What, no dog catchers involved?
Rivera, Hackett, Steele, Reid, all Democrats. So far.
One Republican. So far.
Saying there’s corruption in NJ politics is like saying there’s water in the ocean.
Tuco is correct, 10 Democrats and 1 Republican. NJ is a hot bed for local corruption and such corruption has tended to be more heavily democratic rather than Republican. Of course, nationally is a different story at the moment.
Well when Dems run something like 90% of NJ, a corruption probe is gonna lean Democratic.
I’m just glad Oliver posted about it, so we wouldn’t have other threads hijacked by variations on the comment:
“Of course you’re going to post about Bush’s latest lie or the state of the war, but when a bunch of Dems get indicted for corruption you’re absolutely silent!!!”
Please remember this post, and others, before making that comment again. Oliver’s been pretty consistent on his distaste for all corruption, regardless of party affiliation.
A cute way to try and suggest the Hsu story and Abramoff are the exact same story, but I suppose you’ve been waiting two days to make that pun after seeing it on another website somewhere.
Give tyfoc some credit - it was a good pun.
Well, it was more like how Hsu was a fundraiser who donated to Democrats, as opposed to Abramoff who was actually a lobbyist and sat in multiple meetings with Bush and Rove. Or how almost every Democrat who received donations from Hsu is returning them, whereas the financial influence Abramoff extracted ruined entire towns and wrapped multiple Republican Congressman in tow. Or how Hsu is a criminal whose crimes have actually no direct connection to the politicians he donated to, whereas Abramoff’s crimes WERE the influence on the politicians he worked with. Or how two weeks into the Hsu story, Michelle Malkin has written 17 blog posts and a New York Daily News editorial about it, while four years after Abramoff was investigated, she mentioned it twice.
So seriously, skipper, are we going to keep playing the snarky sarcasm game or are you going to admit the slight difference between a criminal who donated to Democrats and a criminal who was on Republican’s payroll? (And no, I’m not talking about Giuliani’s campaign staffer. Or Mitt Romney’s campaign staffers. Or John McCain’s campaign staffers. Oh, poop, there we go with the clever sarcasm again. Smiley face!)
Well, it was more like how Hsu was a fundraiser who donated to Democrats, as opposed to Abramoff who was actually a lobbyist and sat in multiple meetings with Bush and Rove. Or how almost every Democrat who received donations from Hsu is returning them, whereas the financial influence Abramoff extracted ruined entire towns and wrapped multiple Republican Congressman in tow. Or how Hsu is a criminal whose crimes have actually no direct connection to the politicians he donated to, whereas Abramoff’s crimes WERE the influence on the politicians he worked with. Or how two weeks into the Hsu story, Michelle Malkin has written 17 blog posts and a New York Daily News editorial about it, while four years after Abramoff was investigated, she mentioned it twice.
So seriously, skipper, are we going to keep playing the snarky sarcasm game or are you going to admit the slight difference between a criminal who donated to Democrats and a criminal who was on Republican’s payroll? (And no, I’m not talking about Giuliani’s campaign staffer. Or Mitt Romney’s campaign staffers. Or John McCain’s campaign staffers. Oh, poop, there we go with the clever sarcasm again. Smiley face!)
TV news outlets focused on Clinton fundraiser Hsu but ignored Romney finance co-chair Fabian’s indictment for fraud
I’m sure you’re as outraged as I imagine you are about this, tyfoc.
“He seems real vocal about Jack Abramoff, but he quiets down like all good Democrats when the Hsu is on the other foot.”
Did you know Romney’s have similar problems with fund raisers?
“Did you know Romney’s have similar problems with fund raisers?”
Do some Republicans not have similar problems with fund raisers?
The iraqi dinar is a new and evolving currency. It’s unstable situation in Iraq now, but we still have a hope.