Foley cover-up allegations grow; TONS of new polls; CIA warned Rice of 9/11 in July 2001; Kathy Augustine murdered; more
Continue Reading October 2nd, 2006
TUESDAY NEWS UPDATE.
CONGRESS: FOLEY SEX SCANDAL COVER-UP ALLEGATIONS GROW.
THE COVER-UP ALLEGATIONS: Despite GOP Leadership claims that the Mark Foley sex scandal matter was referred last year to the House Page Board for review, two of the three members say the Hastert/Shimkus story is not true. Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL), House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and NRCC Chair Tom Reynolds (R-NY) all knew of the emails ten months ago — and Boehner and Reynolds essentially said Hastert was handling the matter. Hastert says he referred the matter to the Page Board for review. This account was confirmed over the weekend to the media by Congressman John Shumkus (R-IL), Chair of the House Page Board Chair. Shimkus said the Board investigated in late 2005 the initial emails between Foley and the 16-year-old boy, but they had no knowledge of the explicit IM’s that subsequently surfaces. In fact, Shimkus said the Board warned Foley to cease further private communication with the boy. On Monday, the other two members of the Board — Congressman Dale Kildee (D-MI) and Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) — said Shimkus’ account was not truthful. “There’s only three of us on the Page Board. I feel that we should have been informed. I’m absolutely disgusted by what I’m hearing,” said Capito to the Charleston Gazette. Kildee — a 15-term incumbent respected on both sides of the aisle for his integrity — issued a written statement Monday saying the matter was “never investigated” by the Page Board. Kildee said he was “outraged to learn that the House Republican Leadership kept to itself the knowledge of Mr. Foley’s despicable behavior toward the House Pages … the House Republican leadership [is] more concerned with finding political cover for themselves than with the safety and wellbeing of the House pages.” So now we know — as confirmed by Board members from both parties — why the House Republican Leadership is able to claim it “never knew” about the explicit emails and IM’s: because they covered-up the matter and never investigated it. Late on Monday, the Washington Post and other news sites reported that Reynolds’ Chief of Staff — who formally worked for Foley — tried to get ABC News correspondent Brian Ross to kill the Friday story with the sexually explicit IMs in exchange for getting an exclusive on Foley’s resignation. Ross, however, rejected the cover-up trade-off: “I said we’re not making any deals.” In the wake of all this, the conservative Washington Times newspaper is publishing an editorial on Tuesday demanding that Hastert “resign his Speakership at once … Hastert has forfeited the confidence of the public and his party, and he cannot preside over the necessary coming investigation, an investigation that must examine his own inept performance.”
WHITE HOUSE REACTION: Meanwhile, the White House was largely dismissive of the entire Foley sex scandal. Presidential Press Secretary Tony Snow brushed off the scandal and cover-up on Monday as no big deal. “There have been other [Congressional] scandals, as you know, that have been more than simply naughty emails,” said Snow.
FLORIDA CD-16 RACE: In more related news, Foley checked himself into an alcohol rehab clinic on Monday — and the FBI announced it had opened a formal criminal investigation into Foley’s activities. In other related news, State Representative Joe Negron was selected to be the GOP replacement nominee for Foley. However, spokespersons for both Florida Secretary of State Sue Cobb (R) and the Florida Republican Party agree that Foley’s name must remain on the ballot in November under state law. Voters who wish to support Negron must actually cast their ballots for Foley’s name. “Holding the seat is the least of my concerns right now, but it’d be tough to hold that seat. Look at the shame [Foley] brought on the institution,” said Congressman Adam Putnam (R-FL), chair of the House Republican Policy Committee.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 10.03.06
BY THE NUMBERS: US SENATE RACES.
CALIFORNIA: US Senator Dianne Feinstein (D) - 50%, former State Senator Dick Mountjoy (R) - 33%. (Los Angeles Times).
CALIFORNIA: Feinstein (D) - 53%, Mountjoy (R) - 23%, Others - 3%. (MSNBC/McClatchy Newspapers/Mason-Dixon).
FLORIDA: US Senator Bill Nelson (D) - 58%, Congresswoman Kathryn Harris (R) - 31%. (Miami Herald/Zogby).
MARYLAND: Congressman Ben Cardin (D) - 47%, Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele (R) - 41%, progressive activist Kevin Zeese (Green) - 1%. (MSNBC/McClatchy Newspapers/Mason-Dixon).
MISSOURI: US Senator Jim Talent (R) - 43%, State Auditor Claire McCaskill (D) - 43%, Others - 1%. (MSNBC/McClatchy Newspapers/Mason-Dixon).
NEW JERSEY: State Senator Tom Kean Jr. (R) - 42%, US Senator Bob Menendez (D) - 37%. (WNBC-TV/Marist College).
NEW JERSEY: Kean (R) - 44%, Menendez (D) - 41%. (MSNBC/McClatchy Newspapers/Mason-Dixon).
NEW YORK: US Senator Hillary Clinton (D) - 59%, former Yonkers Mayor John Spencer (R) - 27%, Others - 2%. (CBS News/New York Times).
OHIO: Congressman Sherrod Brown (D) - 45%, US Senator Mike DeWine (R) - 43%, Richard Duncan (Independent) - 2%. (MSNBC/McClatchy Newspapers/Mason-Dixon).
PENNSYLVANIA: State Treasurer Bob Casey Jr. (D) - 49%, US Senator Rick Santorum (R) - 40%, Others - 1%. (MSNBC/McClatchy Newspapers/Mason-Dixon).
RHODE ISLAND: Former Attorney General Sheldon Whitehouse (D) - 42%, US Senator Lincoln Chafee (R) - 41%. (MSNBC/McClatchy Newspapers/Mason-Dixon).
TENNESSEE: Congressman Harold Ford Jr. (D) - 48%, former Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker (R) - 43%. (Rasmussen Reports).
TENNESSEE: Ford (D) - 43%, Corker (R) - 42%, conservative activist Bo Hayward (Independent) - 1%. (MSNBC/McClatchy Newspapers/Mason-Dixon).
VIRGINIA: US Senator George Allen (R) - 50%, former Navy Secretary Jim Webb (D) - 44%, USAF veteran Gail Parker (Indep. Green) - 2%. (WUSA-TV/SurveyUSA).
VIRGINIA: Allen (R) - 43%, Webb (D) - 43%, Parker - 2%. (MSNBC/McClatchy Newspapers/Mason-Dixon).
VIRGINIA: Allen (R) - 49%, Webb (D) - 43%. (Rasmussen Reports).
WASHINGTON: US Senator Maria Cantwell (D) - 50%, insurance executive Mike McGavick (R) - 40%, Others - 1%. (MSNBC/McClatchy Newspapers/Mason-Dixon).
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 10.03.06
BY THE NUMBERS: GOVERNOR RACES.
CALIFORNIA: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) - 49%, State Treasurer Phil Angelides (D) - 36%, Others - 3%. (MSNBC/McClatchy Newspapers/Mason-Dixon).
FLORIDA: Attorney General Charlie Crist (R) - 51%, Congressman Jim Davis (D) - 30%, term-limits activist Max Linn (Reform) - 2%. (Miami Herald/Zogby).
GEORGIA: Governor Sonny Perdue (R) - 53%, Lieutenant Governor Mark Taylor (D) - 34%, computer consultant Garrett Hayes (Libertarian) - 2%. (MSNBC/McClatchy Newspapers/Mason-Dixon).
KANSAS: Governor Kathleen Sebelius (D) - 48%, State Senator Jim Bennett (R) - 39%. (Rasmussen Reports).
MARYLAND: Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley (D) - 47%, Governor Bob Ehrlich (R) - 43%, Others - 1%. (MSNBC/McClatchy Newspapers/Mason-Dixon).
MASSACHUSETTS: Former US Assistant Attorney General Deval Patrick (D) - 55%, Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey (R) - 30%, businessman Christy Mihos (Independent) - 7%, affordable housing activist Grace Ross (Green) - 1%. (Boston Globe/UNH).
NEW YORK: Attorney General Eliot Spitzer (D) - 64%, former State Assembly Minority Leader John Faso (R) - 18%, Others - 2%. (CBS News/New York Times).
OHIO: Congressman Ted Strickland (D) - 53%, Secretary of State Ken Blackwell (R) - 36%, Others - 2%. (MSNBC/McClatchy Newspapers/Mason-Dixon).
OREGON: Governor Ted Kulongoski (D) - 47%, former Portland School Board Member Ron Saxton (R) - 42%. (Rasmussen Reports).
PENNSYLVANIA: Governor Ed Rendell (D) - 54%, former football player Lynn Swann (R) - 37%. (MSNBC/McClatchy Newspapers/Mason-Dixon).
RHODE ISLAND: Governor Don Carcieri (R) - 50%, Lieutenant Governor Charlie Fogarty (D) - 34%. (MSNBC/McClatchy Newspapers/Mason-Dixon).
TENNESSEE: Governor Phil Bredesen (D) - 63%, State Senator Jim Bryson (R) - 28%. (Rasmussen Reports).
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 10.02.06
BY THE NUMBERS: US HOUSE RACES.
KENTUCKY - CD-3: Congressman Anne Northup (R) - 50%, former newspaper publisher John Yarmuth (D) - 44%, State Party Chair Donna Mancini (Libertarian) - 2%, State Party Chair Ed Parker (Constitution) - 1%. (WYTV-TV/SurveyUSA).
NEW MEXICO - CD-1: Congresswoman Heather Wilson (R) - 44%, Attorney General Patricia Madrid (D) - 44%. (Albuquerque Journal).
OHIO - CD-6: State Senator Charlie Wilson (D) - 54%, State House Speaker Pro Tem Chuck Blasdel (R) - 41%. (WYTV-TV/SurveyUSA).
PENNSYLVANIA - CD-7: Retired Navy Admiral Joe Sestak (D) - 45%, Congressman Curt Weldon (R) - 44%. (Keystone Poll).
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 10.02.06;
IRAQ: DID CIA DIRECTOR WARN WHITE HOUSE ABOUT AL-QUEDA ATTACK BEFORE 9/11?
In Bob Woodward’s new book, he alleges CIA Director George Tenet and CIA anti-terrorism expert Cofer Black warned then-White House National Security Advisor Condi Rice on July 10, 2001 that al-Queda was planning an imminent attack on US soil. According to the book, Rice “brushed off” the pre-9/11 warning. The White House is in spin mode, making general denials about the damaging claim. Tenet and Black have made no public confirmation or denial since the book was released. Will either Tenet or Black end the silence and tell the US public whether the liar is Woodward or the White House/Rice? Former NSC Staff Director Roger Cressey, who attended the July 2001 meeting, told MSNBC on Monday evening that Woodward’s account is accurate … but still only silence from Tenet and Black.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 10.02.06
NEVADA: HUSBAND ARRESTED FOR MURDER OF NEVADA STATE CONTROLLER.
Nevada State Controller Kathy Augustine (R) died of an apparent heart attack — under suspicious circumstances — less than three months ago in the midst of her campaign for State Treasurer. Within days her husband, former critical care nurse Chaz Higgs, was a suspect. Higgs initially told police he discovered Augustine unconscious on the floor and not breathing after she apparently collapsed from a massive heart attack at their second home in Reno. The toxicology tests, however, identified what really happened. According to police, Higgs administered succinylcholine, a muscle relaxant that he believed should have been undetectable after Augustine’s death. However, the test results found it in her system. Higgs was previously the hospital nurse who cared for Augustine’s second husband, Charles, when he died following an apparent stroke in 2003 at age 63. Higgs and Augustine were married about one month later. Higgs was arrested on Monday in Virginia, where he was visiting relatives.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 10.02.06
OBITUARY: FORMER IDAHO CONGRESSWOMAN DIES IN CAR CRASH.
Former Congresswoman Helen Chenoweth-Hage (R-ID) was killed in a one-car accident in Nevada on Monday, according to the Las Vegas Sun. Chenoweth-Hage was elected to the US House in the 1994 Republican wave, defeating incumbent Larry LaRocco (D) by 11 points. Known as one of the most conservative and controversial members of the House, Chenoweth-Hage insisted on being addressed as “Congressman Chenoweth” and once served endangered salmon at a fundraiser to make a point of what she thought of protection laws. Chenoweth-Hage was also a major critic of President Bill Clinton’s affair with Monica Lewinsky, although her vocal stance was questioned once she admitted to her own affair with a married man in the mid-80’s. Chenoweth-Hage pledged to serve only three terms in her first campaign and retired in 2000, despite having renounced her support for term-limits.
Writer: Mike Hatchett - 10.02.06
FREE SPEECH ZONE.
Here’s another follow-up to a past story we previously reported. On Monday, a criminal court jury in New Mexico acquitted former State Treasurer Robert Vigil on 23 counts of extortion and racketeering in his public corruption case. The jury convicted him of one count of attempted extortion. In his first trial on these same charges, the jury deadlocked and was unable to reach a verdict.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 10.02.06
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