The Angry Left

I honestly think one of the reasons that the Republican Party is unable to confront the corruption issue head-on is that the Angry Left feels no need to be constrained by the truth. Let me explain what I mean. First, I must define the Angry Left because not all Democrats are adherants to the lunatic fringe of their party. One defining characteristic of the Angry Left is their love of the politics of personal destruction. The Angry Left flings a whirlwind of personal attacks against their political opponents, hoping that something sticks. Any time you see someone attack President Bush by calling him "Chimpy" or something similar, you have good evidence you're dealing with the Angry Left.

One of the people the Angry Left hates is our own former Congressman, Tom DeLay. Travis County DA Ronnie Earle is a member of the Angry Left due to his Quixotic attempt to prosecute Mr. DeLay. Too many Democrats can't see Mr. Earle's personal vendetta. In fact, I've pointed out how some members of the Angry Left don't even think a crime is necessary to prosecute Mr. DeLay. Even Cragg Hines of the Houston Chronicle can't seem to escape the thought processes of the Angry Left.

Since the Angry Left is so irrational, too many Republicans assume that all criticisms of Tom DeLay are baseless. That thinking is just as illogical as the thinking of the Angry Left. Irrational behavior also explains the strong support the local Republican Party showered on Mr. DeLay in the 2006 primary election.

Why do I bring this up today? "News Hounds" is a voice of the veracity-unconstrained Angry Left. (The tagline of "News Hounds" is "We watch FOX [News Channel] so you don't have to." The implication is that nothing on Fox News Channel is credible.) Anyway, "News Hounds" has a piece regarding a recent appearance by Tom DeLay on the Fox News Channel. Here is the headline of the posting:

While Concealing Guest Tom DeLay’s Federal Indictment For Money Laundering And Forgetting Instances Of His Own Deceit, Hannity Sermonizes About Media Integrity

No one would like to see a federal indictment of Tom DeLay more than I would. Unfortunately, at this point, there is no such indictment. Elevating Mr. Earle's partisan-inspired state indictment to a very real and equally serious federal indictment demonstrates a reckless disregard of the facts. I'll be honest here. When I see a headline with that kind of factual error, I don't bother reading the article. I'm sure it is littered with vitriol and factual inaccuracies.

My point is serious, though. Just because "News Hounds" isn't a serious observer of events, and just because Ronnie Earle is a partisan hack, don't for a minute believe that Tom DeLay doesn't face serious criminal liability for his corrupt behavior.

Quiet Resignation

From the AP, we learn that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-Calif.) had made a political appointment:

Rep. John Doolittle is losing a top California staffer, the latest aide to leave while the Republican congressman is under criminal investigation.

Gordon Hinkle, 34, was named deputy press secretary for the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, according to a statement issued Wednesday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's office...

Hinkle has been Doolittle's communications director and senior field representative since February. He was among a handful of aides who received subpoenas in September from a Washington grand jury investigating Doolittle for his ties to jailed lobbyist Jack Abramoff. He was asked to turn over documents but was not required to testify.

I've written about Mr. Hinkle before. Mr. Hinkle commented on the subpoenas of some of his colleagues in Rep. Doolittle's office, but I didn't know that Mr. Hinkle himself had been subpoenaed. I suppose the reason for that is that Mr. Hinkle was subpoenaed for documents and did not have to testify. The other Doolittle staffers, CoS Ron Rogers, Deputy CoS Dan Blankenburg, and scheduler Alisha Perkins were subpoenaed to provide testimony.

Government seems to be a fluid industry, and political appointees in particular seem to change jobs often. Therefore, it may not be so noteworthy that Mr. Hinkle changed jobs two months after being subpoenaed in connection with the Doolittle-Abramoff scandal. But then I read this in today's AP report:

Doolittle's former chief of staff, Richard Robinson, and his longtime scheduler, Alisha Perkins, resigned earlier this year. Perkins was subpoenaed for documents and testimony.

What? Alisha Perkins has also resigned in the past two months? And this is after she had been subpoenaed, too? Of course I have no clue of the office mechanics of Rep. Doolittle's Congressional staff. I can only speculate. But it seems to me that it would be difficult to keep your job if you're providing testimony against the interests of your boss.

Friday Night Lights - Saturday Afternoon Version

Week Two of the Texas high school football playoffs is complete, and both of my teams outperformed. Pasadena Memorial (9-2-1) was a 1.5 pt favorite over Brazoswood (9-2-1). The two teams battled to the only tie in Texas high school football during the 2007 regular season. This time, there was certainly going to be a winner, and the Pas. Memorial Mavericks made sure that there was no doubt. After winning 28-17, the Mavs will face the #2 state ranked Katy Tigers (12-0) at 1 p.m. at Rice Stadium. Katy will be a 21-point favorite, but I'll still have to rummage through my closet to find some teal to wear. The Anti-Corruption family will try their best to make that game. I can probably get away with wearing black.

The Pearland Oilers (10-2) were 8.5-point dogs against the #7 state ranked North Shore Mustangs (12-0). The Oilers played well and covered the spread, but saw their season end prematurely in the eyes of the Pearland faithful with a 20-24 loss. Congratulations to the Oilers for a great season. Facing North Shore in the second round for the past two years has been a tough draw. The Pearland Oilers nevertheless outperformed expectations in both years.

==

The UIL redistricts in February. There's been a lot of movement in 24-5A. Manvel High broke away from Alvin High. Will both schools be 5A? Will neither? I don't know. Dawson High split from Pearland. I think it is clear that Pearland will remain 5A, but Dawson will play in classification with less enrollment. Clear Creek ISD is building a new high school, but I don't expect them to be 5A.

Breaking News from 2004 (Williams & Jensen)

Texans for Public Justice is a liberal public interest group politically opposed to Tom DeLay. In December 2004, the Internal Revenue Service notified the non-profit group that it may have jeopardized its non-profit status by intervening in political activities. Texans for Public Justice was subsequently audited by the IRS. Eventually, Texans for Public Justice was cleared of wrongdoing.

If this stuff made the news in 2004/2005, I didn't pay attention to it. I'm not the political type. In fact, I didn't know about this matter until recently. The events that led to the IRS audit are troublesome to say the least.

According to the Washington Post, the IRS was acting on a letter from Rep. Sam Johnson (R-Tex.). Why was Rep. Johnson interested? From the WaPo:

The events leading to the IRS probe are laid out in documents the agency released to McDonald in response to his request for all records related to allegations of wrongdoing by the foundation. It began when [Barnaby] Zall wrote a July 19, 2004, letter to Johnson complaining about the Texas nonprofit group and noting that the lawmaker had "jurisdiction to review the Internal Revenue Service's supervision of tax-exempt organizations," according to a copy.

Zall's biography on his law firm's[*] Web site notes that he was "of counsel" from 1990 to 1998 to the Williams & Jensen law firm, which has long represented DeLay's leadership political action committee, Americans for a Republican Majority (ARMPAC). Barbara Bonfiglio, a principal at Williams & Jensen, was subpoenaed in January 2004 by Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle as part of his inquiry into DeLay.

Contacted by telephone on Friday, Zall declined to say if he had done legal work for ARMPAC, explaining that "I don't ordinarily discuss my clients." He said he was not representing the committee when he wrote his letter.

Zall said he could not recall exactly why he became involved, but added that "maybe somebody said something to me." He also confirmed that Bonfiglio was "a longtime friend," and when asked if she had requested his assistance, replied that "anything is possible."

Bonfiglio did not return several phone calls for comment Friday.

Ooh! Our friend Barbara Bonfiglio again! It appears to me that Ms. Bonfiglio asked Mr. Zall to sic the IRS on Texans for Public Justice. What would the motive be?

In his letter to Johnson, Zall was clear about his desire to protect DeLay.

"The continuing investigation led by . . . Earle against Texas Republicans is becoming a national problem," Zall wrote. "Recent news reports indicate a growing concern in Washington that Earle is attempting to use his local office as part of a calculated scheme to remove a federal elected official from a position of authority in Congress."

The problem, Zall explained, is that Earle "is not acting alone" but with the assistance of "an ostensibly tax-exempt organization." The IRS, he said, "should investigate organizations whose public records indicate . . . apparent noncompliance with tax laws at a time when they are engaging in an apparent attempt to influence national politics."

Portions of Zall's letter were redacted in the copy obtained by McDonald and The Post. But parts that were disclosed included an allegation that the group "may have been engaging in activities which are forbidden by the Internal Revenue Code, and may not have filed" accurate tax returns. It also alleged -- without providing evidence in the IRS-released portions -- improper links between the group and the Texas Democratic Party.

So in order to exact revenge for TPJ's alleged connections to Travis County DA Ronnie Earle's partisan criminal investigation into Tom DeLay, it is my opinion after reading this article that Mr. Zall wanted to set events in motion to create a partisan-inspired IRS investigation into TPJ. In some sort of perversion of the Golden Rule, Mr. Zall wanted to do unto his political opponents what he perceived his political opponents had done to Tom DeLay.

This kind of stuff tells me that Williams & Jensen is not a firm I'd like to deal with at all. Now I'm not suggesting that the firm has done a single thing outside of the law, and I know of no criminal investigation into W&J or any of the firm's present or former employees. The whole thing just stinks to me.

==

[*] Note: At the time of letter to Rep. Johnson and even today, Mr. Zall works for Weinberg & Jacobs. Could Mr. Zall's apparent favor to Ms. Bonfiglio have been intended to distance Williams & Jensen from the request to investigate Texans for Public Justice? If so, it didn't work in the end.

Who is Pete Olson?

I have written several posts mentioning the Washington DC law/lobbying firm of Williams & Jensen. W&J is where Barbara Bonfiglio worked when she was the assistant treasurer or treasurer for many troubled PACs and charities run by politicians. I'm likely painting with a excessively broad brush here, but it is my opinion that there is something very toxic about W&J. Anyone who gets too close to the firm gets tainted, too.

Pete Olson is a Fort Bend County resident who is running for the US House of Representatives seat held by Democrat Nick Lampson of Beaumont Stafford. Mr. Olson appears to be the candidate of the establishment Republican Party. In fact, according to Harper's Magazine, Mr. Olson has already gone to DC to collect money from, among others, associates of Williams & Jensen:

On September 14, [2007] the very day that Bush signed the [ethics in lobbying] bill into law, a number of top lobbyists sent out an invitation for a fundraiser luncheon for Pete Olson, a Texas Republican who is hoping to unseat Democratic Congressman Nick Lampson in next year’s elections. Lampson holds Tom DeLay’s old seat and is considered to be highly vulnerable.

The fundraiser was held at the Independence Avenue townhouse of Williams & Jensen, a top lobbying firm whose clients include a number of big energy and pharmaceutical firms, as well as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Yes, the entire point of this post is to connect Mr. Olson to Williams & Jensen. I'm planning another post about a partner at W&J in the near future. W&J is quickly becoming a firm of significant interest to me. Now I won't pretend that this piece of information makes me less likely to vote for Mr. Olson in the March primary. I've said before that I find the Fort Bend County Republican Party to be unethical. All along, I've been more likely to vote for a Harris County candidate. But this information is evidence to me that Mr. Olson is not as sensitive to the government-by-lobbyist scheme as I am.

Susan Hirschmann & Barbara Bonfiglio

Susan Hirschmann
Barbara Bonfiglio

I've mentioned both of these scandal figures before. Both women are deeply connected to our former Congressman, Tom DeLay.

Background

Susan Hirschmann was Mr. DeLay's CoS from the late 90s until 2002. Six months ago, I speculated that Susan Hirschmann may have been given immunity in exchange for providing evidence against Mr. DeLay. A correspondent who is in a much better position to know these things than I am recently tried to warn me away from that prediction. Now I have no information to suggest that my correspondent has any clue what the Justice Department is up to, but I have to admit he provides a pretty good circumstantial case.

I mentioned Barbara Bonfiglio when her name came up in the Curious Case of Corwin Teltschik^TM. Ms. Bonfiglio was the former assistant treasurer to ARMPAC, Mr. DeLay's political action committee. While Mr. Teltschik was technically the treasurer, he asserts in his lawsuit that he didn't really assume the responsibilities of the position. If Mr. Teltschik is to be believed, and I'll admit that I tend to believe him, it was Ms. Bonfiglio who performed the duties of treasurer at ARMPAC.

My correspondent tells me that Ms. Hirschmann and Ms. Bonfiglio are personal friends. The evidence to support that assertion is spotty at best. We do know that both Ms. Hirschmann and Ms. Bonfiglio worked at the white shoe lobbying and law firm of Williams & Jensen. (Ms. Hirschmann still does work at W&J to the best of my knowledge; Ms. Bonfiglio left W&J under circumstances that the Wall Street Journal's website coyly suggests may be related to questions about her role in Republican fundraising.) The only thing I can find connecting the two women is in a Complaint (.pdf) filed with the Federal Election Commission. Ms. Bonfiglio was Treasurer of Value in Electing Women Political Action Committee (VIEWPAC), the leadership PAC of Rep. Deborah Pryce (R-Ohio). VIEWPAC raised $30,000 in a fundraiser hosted by Ms. Hirschmann. (page 23 of the complaint). [Rep. Pryce has her own connections to the Jack Abramoff scandal. According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, an aide to then-Senate Indian Affairs Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) said that a letter supporting Indian casinos signed by Rep. Pryce appears to have been authored by Jack Abramoff and/or his employees. Since then, the 56-year old Pryce abruptly announced her retirement from the US House.]

Therefore, I admit that my direct evidence is dispositive of nothing. But I have no reason to doubt my correspondent when he says the two were personal friends, either. And my correspondent is in a much better position to know these things than I am.

The most significant thing I learned from my correspondent is that Ms. Bonfiglio has been Treasurer to literally dozens of campaigns, PACs and charities run by politicians. Many of those entities have the stench of scandal attached to them. From TPM Muckraker:

High-powered campaign finance specialist Barbara Bonfiglio was treasurer or adviser to a broad range of Republican money operations, from campaign funds to political action committees. An unfortunate number of them seem to be turning up in headlines.

Here's a partial list of groups she's worked for: Rep. Tom DeLay's (R-TX) ARMPAC; Sen. Conrad Burns' (R-MT) leadership PAC; Rep. Richard Pombo's (R-CA) RichPAC; Santorum's senate re-election campaign and leadership PAC; Rep. Jerry Lewis' (R-CA) Future Leaders PAC; and former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham's (R-CA)American Prosperity PAC. DeLay, Burns, Pombo and Lewis all had ties to Abramoff, mainly by taking his and his clients' money. Cunningham, he's his own kettle of rotting fish.

Mr. Bonfiglio has also worked for the troubled "charities" of former Rep. DeLay and former Sen. Rick Santorum. [I commented on DeLay's and Santorum's abuse of so-called charities back in January without recognizing the common thread of Ms. Bonfiglio].

I have muddled conclusions about all of this. It is clear to me that Ms. Bonfiglio will be a focal point of the Justice Department's investigation of this scandal. In fact, she seems to connect all of these webs. Just how connected is Ms. Hirschmann to all of this? I don't know. But suffice it to say that I'll take my correspondent's warning seriously and pass it along to you. Ms. Hirschmann may be more involved in this scandal than I first thought. If that is the case, the Justice Department may be less interested in offering her immunity.

==

I have assured my correspondent that I will maintain his anonymity. His name and background are known to me. He is a Republican and has been involved in electoral politics. We may not have a whole lot in common, but where we do find common ground, it is significant: We are both Republicans who abhor corruption.

==

Special thanks to Corwin Teltschik and his lawsuit. There is no doubt in my mind that my correspondent took notice of my humble little blog in large part due to my posts on Mr. Teltshik's lawsuit.

Prediction Review

In the beginning of September, I predicted that Rep. John Doolittle (R-Calif.) would announce that he wouldn't run for re-election by Halloween. Well, it appears that my timing is off, but the prediction is coming true. The National Journal reports:

This could be the best news the House GOP has gotten since Rep. Barbara Cubin (R-WY) decided to retire. According to Hank Shaw's blog at the Stockton Record, it "appears" that Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA) "is about to" announce his retirement and will "ultimately endorse" state Sen. Rico Oller (R) to be his successor.

A couple of comments. First, this Rico Oller guy should consider declining Rep. Doolittle's endorsement. Getting an endorsement from a corrupt pol like Rep. Doolittle would make me less likely to vote for Oller. During the 2006 general election, I criticized former Rep. Shelley Sekula Gibbs (R-Clear Lake) for inviting tainted Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) to a fundraiser. And Rep. Blunt's ties to corruption are far from clear. Republicans need to steer clear of corruption in 2008 just like they should have in 2006.

Secondly, Rep. Doolittle has an incentive to keep his 2008 campaign nominally active. As we saw with former Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Fort Bend County), campaign accounts can be converted into legal defense funds. Rep. Doolittle already has a legal defense fund. People who want to exceed the legal limit on contributions to Rep. Doolittle's legal defense fund may simply contribute to his campaign account which will eventually be converted into legal defense resources. Rep. Doolittle may also increase the resources available for his legal defense by duping uninformed people into contributing to his campaign. Rep. Doolittle has no intention of running for re-election. At this point, all campaign contributions are essentially legal defense contributions. Therefore, the timing of a formal announcement that Rep. Doolittle does not intend to run for re-election may still be a bit elusive.

==

On October 1, I predicted that Brad Paisley's "Online" video would win Best Music Video at the CMA awards. I am pleased to report that the timing of this prediction was spot on. "Online" won Best Music Video on the very night of the CMA awards. It should have won "Best Music Video of All Time"!

Friday Night Lights

The two high school teams I follow are still in the playoffs, and play at the same time Friday night. Pearland (10-1) plays North Shore (11-0) at 7:00 p.m. in Deer Park. Simultaneously, Pasadena Memorial (8-2-1) squares off against Brazoswood (9-1-1) at the newly renamed Veterans Memorial Stadium in League City (formerly Clear Creek ISD's District Stadium).

There is no more mystique about North Shore after Pearland beat them 21-14 in the second round of the 2006 playoffs. Nevertheless, North Shore will likely be a 10+ point favorite when the new ratings come out.

Brazoswood's two scars in its record were due to each of my teams. Pasadena Memorial and Brazoswood were knotted up at 7-7 during Week Zero when thunderstorms caused the game to be called early. Pearland beat Brazoswood 26-18 in 24-5A action this year. The Brazoswood / Pasadena Memorial game should be a good one. In addition to being the tie on each other's record from the regular season, Massey Ratings will probably rate this game a pick when it publishes lines later this week.

I've been traveling an awful lot lately, so it doesn't surprise me that I won't have to choose which game to attend. I won't even be in Houston on Friday. Let's hope both the Oilers and the Mavericks survive to play in Week Three of the playoffs.