Bad Deeds for 3-29-07

Bush’s nominee for ambassador to Belgium contributed to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth – On Tuesday, John Kerry’s Vietnam crew mates had sent a letter urging committee members to oppose Sam Fox’s nomination as ambassador to Belgium. “In our judgment, those who finance smears and lies of combat veterans don’t deserve to represent America on the world stage,” said the letter signed by 11 Vietnam Swift Boat veterans who served with Kerry. Bush withdrew the nomination.

Cryptic thank-you note may link Rove to US Attorney scandal – A previously overlooked e-mail from the Department of Justice document dump may turn out to be a smoking gun, of sorts, that links White House Adviser Karl Rove to the US Attorney firing scandal. “New Mexico Republican Sen. Pete Domenici’s chief of staff sent a cryptic thank-you note to Karl Rove just as the senator was recommending replacements for David Iglesias, the fired U.S. attorney in New Mexico, according to internal White House and Justice Department documents.”

Congressman’s letter to US Attorney said to violate House ethics rules – A letter sent by a Republican Congressman to Carol Lam, former US Attorney for the Southern District of California, appears to violate the Ethics rules established by the House of Representatives

Justice Department Says Letter on Firings Inaccurate – The Justice Department said it provided inaccurate information to members of Congress in a February letter about the firings of eight U.S. attorneys. Writing today to lawmakers investigating the terminations, the agency’s acting head of legislative affairs, Richard Hertling, said that “certain statements” in the Feb. 23 letter were contradicted by documents that the department provided to Congress this month.

Income gap between rich and poor in the United States has increased significantly – New analyses of 2005 tax data shows that the top 300,000 Americans collectively enjoyed almost as much income as the bottom 150 million Americans. Per person, the top group received 440 times as much as the average person in the bottom half earned, nearly doubling the gap from 1980.

Top Interior Official May Have Leaked Documents to Oil Companies – Julie MacDonald, who oversees the Fish and Wildlife Service at the Interior Department, rode roughshod over agency scientists, and as many as 75% of the decisions made on her watch may not survive court challenges, investigators within the Interior Department have found. Furthermore, the inspector general found that MacDonald sent internal government documents by e-mail to a property-rights group that frequently challenges endangered-species decisions, and twice sent internal EPA documents to individuals whose e-mail addresses ended in “chevrontexaco.com”.

Former Interior Auditor Says He Was Told to Be Lax on Oil Fees – A former top auditor at the Interior Department accused senior officials on Wednesday of prohibiting him and other investigators from recovering hundreds of millions of dollars in underpayments from oil and gas companies that drill on federal land and in federal waters. Speaking before the House Natural Resources Committee, the former senior auditor said that the Interior’s Mineral Management Service is “the proverbial ostrich that has its head in the sand, that sees nothing, knows nothing, but says that no royalties are due.”

While Bush and McCain Say That Things are Getting Better in Iraq, Strikes on Baghdad’s Green Zone are on the Rise – Insurgents have struck inside the Green Zone, which includes the U.S. Embassy, on six of the past seven days.

McCain Calls News Reporters ‘Jerks’ – McCain was on “Fox and Friends” on Wednesday (March 28, 2007) where co-host Brian Kilmeade asked McCain, “You’ll take a question from anybody about anything at any time,” gushed Kilmeade. Out of nowhere, McCain responded, “And I also have these jerks come on the bus, too.” “You have who come on the bus?” asked Kilmeade. “These jerks from the media,” repeated McCain.

Justice Department told U. S. Federal Prosecutor to take it easy on big tobacco – U. S. Federal Prosecutor Sharon Eubanks regarding her allegations that specific employees of the DOJ compelled her to take it easy on Big Tobacco for political reasons. Ms. Eubanks, who resigned in protest after 22 years as a prosecutor, explained the issue this way: “When it became clear to all that we were going to win the case, that’s when the heavy-duty interference began and we were asked to do things like lower the remedy, interfere with the witnesses’ testimony … they wanted to make sure, I believe, that the number, any number that the court came out with, was pocket change for the companies. You’d have to ask [the Justice Department] why that was important to them.”

Republican who says nice things about Clinton is identified as Democrat by Fox News graphic – How many times has Fox identified Republicans as Democrats by putting a big (D) next to their name? I’ve lost count, but it seems to be whenever its convenient for them.

Do you know anyone who wold like to receive the Bad Deeds newsletter? Let me know their e-mail address.
Regards,

Jim