Top Ten Political Scandals of 2008

Today on my Republican blog: I’m not in the habit of posting other peoples work, but I came across a great article on Washington Post.com that I think everyone should read. Great work by Amanda Zamora on this piece. And don’t forget: Get on your Republican blogs, your Libertarian blogs and (unfortunately) your Democrat blogs. Let your voice be heard… and GOP in 2012! Enjoy!

Top 10 Scandals of 2008
POSTED: 03:08 PM ET, 12/22/2008 by Amanda Zamora
TAGS: Barack Obama, Charlie Rangel, Congress, Eliot Spitzer, FBI, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Kwame Kilpatrick, Ponzi scheme, Rod Blagojevich, Ted Stevens, Wall Street, anthrax, bailout, federal courts, finance, fraud, mortgage lending

From Albany to Alaska, from Chicago to Wall Street, 2008 produced a bumper crop of political and business scandals.

Sen. Ted StevensThe editors here at The Post’s Investigations blog have sorted through the greatest hits of the year — from the first hints of a corruption probe into Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens last January to the FBI’s wiretap of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich in December. With so much to choose from in 2008, you might have a different ranking. Let us know.

10. Hillary’s 1996 Trip to Bosnia » During her unsuccessful bid to become Democratic presidential nominee, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) made a point of describing a rather harrowing encounter at an airport in the Bosnian city of Tuzla in 1996. She described a scene involving “sniper fire” in the war-torn region and claimed she had to duck as she ran to an awaiting vehicle. Videos taken during Clinton’s landing showed an otherwise peaceful setting. The former first lady was forced to admit to a “mistake” in memory.

There was supposed to be some sort of greeting ceremony, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles
— Clinton, describing the scene at the Bosnian airport in 1996. She later admitted to being mistaken about the episode.

9. Rangel Hounded by Ethics Questions » Rep. Charles B. Rangel, the New York Democratic congressman who heads the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, has been at the center of a swirl of questions since July, including a questionable gift from an oil executive to his charitable foundation, the use of office stationary to solicit contributions and the below-market-rate rentals of apartments in New York and Washington.

I have to give that some serious thought. Yes, I may give up the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, give up the seat I’ve had for 38 years, and say woe, woe, woe, woe, how could this happen to me.
— Rangel, sarcastically speaking at the same July press conference, in response to a question about whether he will resign his chairmanship.

8. Palin’s Family Feud » When Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin became the GOP vice-presidential candidate, her political record came under intense scrutiny, including the most controversial point during her gubernatorial term — the dismissal of the state’s police commissioner. Palin had fired Walt Monegan after unsuccessfully pushing the state’s top cop to fire her ex-brother-in-law, a state trooper. “Troopergate” became a hot-button campaign issue and two independent reports released around Election Day didn’t agree on whether Palin had erred in firing Monegan.

(My thoughts) “went to my ex-brother-in-law, the trooper, who threatened to kill my dad yet was not even reprimanded by his bosses and still to this day carries a gun, of course.
— Palin, in a July 17, 2007, e-mail to Monegan, relaying a story about how a Alaska state proposal to prohibit people considered mentally ill from carrying firearms made her think of her ex-brother-in-law.

7. AIG Goes to California » The subprime mortgage mess was encapsulated by the quick fall of American International Group Inc., the giant insurance firm, which got $124 billion from the government in October as it teetered. Lavish trips for senior managers after the bailout, including a $400,000 weeklong excursion to the St. Regis resort in Orange County, Calif., didn’t help matters.

I was not aware of it, and if I had been, I would not have let it happen.
— AIG CEO Robert Willumstad, speaking to congressmen about an executive trip to the St. Regis resort in California (after the federal bailout had been secured).

Bars!
— An unknown audience member during the congressional hearing, responding to a question from Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), who had wondered aloud what $10,000 on “leisure dining” at the St. Regis was actually spent on.

6. The Mayor and the Text Messages » Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is spending four months in a county jail after he was convicted of lying under oath to hide an affair with his chief of staff. He pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice Sept. 4 as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors. The Detroit Free Press had obtained dozens of sometimes-racy text messages between Kilpatrick and Christine Beatty, which showed the extent of the relationship.

LOL LOL! (Expletive) that. Never busted. Busted is what you see! LOL.
— Kilpatrick, in a text message to Beatty on Sept. 13, 2002, talking about whether the romantic liaison between the pair was seen by the mayor’s bodyguards.

Check out Scandals No. 1 though 5 after the jump:

5. ‘Uncle Ted’ Indicted, Convicted, Loses Seat » Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens was charged with accepting illegal gifts from a wealthy oil executive and was convicted of seven felonies in a federal trial in October. He vowed to fight the conviction and hold onto his seat, but the Republican icon lost re-election.

The worst that can happen to us is we run up a bunch of legal fees, and might lose and we might have to pay a fine, might have to serve some time in jail. I hope to Christ it never gets to that…I don’t think we have done anything wrong.
— Stevens, speaking to onetime friend, wealthy oil executive Bill Allen, in a secretly-recorded phone call in October 2006 that was played during his trial.

4. Edwards and His Mistress » Former presidential candidate John Edwards, once a North Carolina Democratic senator, found himself in hot water after the National Enquirer revealed he had an extramarital affair with a campaign videographer. Edwards admitted the affair in a nationally-televised interview with ABC but denied he was the father of Rielle Hunter’s child. The baby’s birth certificate was noticeably missing the name of a father.

John EdwardsI don’t know if that picture is me. It could well be. It looks like me. I don’t know who that baby is. I have no idea what that picture is.
— Edwards, speaking to ABC News about a photo published in the National Enquirer allegedly showing him holding the child of his former lover, Rielle Hunter. Edwards has denied being the father of the baby.

3. Spitzer and the Hooker » New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, once a shining star in the Democratic Party, was forced to resign in March after federal investigators discovered he hired an expensive escort during a trip to Washington. The former state attorney general saw his career go up in smoke, although he ended up not facing any criminal charges.

Eliot SpitzerGreat, OK, wonderful.
— Spitzer, speaking to an escort company operator when told that his prostitute for the evening would be a young brunette named “Kristen,” according to a federal affidavit.

2. Tapping The Governor’s Phone » An FBI wiretap in late November and early December caught Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich allegedly trying to sell President-elect Barack Obama’s soon-to-be-vacant Senate seat for future jobs, lobbying connections for his wife and even his own Cabinet position. The fallout is still being felt. Blagojevich has been charged but refuses to resign.

I’ve got this thing and it’s (expletive) golden, and, uh, uh, I’m just not giving it up for (expletive) nothing. I’m not gonna do it. And, and I can always use it. I can parachute me there.
— Blagojevich, talking about potentially selling President-elect Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat, according to a federal wiretap.

Whether you tape me privately or publicly, I can tell you that whatever I say is always lawful and the things I’m interested in are always lawful. And if there are any things out there like that, what you’ll hear is a governor who tirelessly and endlessly figures out ways to help average, ordinary working people.
— Blagojevich, speaking to reporters the day before he was arrested on federal corruption charges.

And, drumroll, please. The No. 1 scandal of the year…

1. Madoff’s Ponzi Scheme » New York financier Bernard L. Madoff came under investigation in December after his two sons, both business partners, told federal authorities that their father admitted to running possibly the largest Ponzi scheme in American history. Investors are still coming forward but Madoff has estimated that investors lost $50 billion.

Bernard Madoff (By Ruby Washington / AP)It’s a proprietary strategy. I can’t go into it in great detail.
— Madoff, speaking to Barron’s in 2001 about his approach to trading on Wall Street.

By Amanda Zamora | December 22, 2008; 3:08 PM ET