The Bush crime clan strikes again

[The Sponge]

Rove aide resigns in fallout over Abramoff report


By Steve Holland / Reuters

WASHINGTON - An aide to top White House political adviser Karl Rove resigned in the fallout over a congressional report showing many White House contacts with ex-lobbyist Jack Abramoff, a spokeswoman said on Friday.

Last week's report by the U.S. House of Representatives Government Reform Committee said Rove aide Susan Ralston had passed inside White House information to Abramoff while she was also accepting his tickets to as many as nine sports and entertainment events.

Abramoff and several associates have pleaded guilty to conspiracy and fraud in an influence-peddling scandal and are cooperating with a federal corruption probe that has reached into the U.S. Congress.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Ralston submitted her resignation after recognizing that "a protracted discussion of these matters would be a distraction to the White House."

Ralston chose to step down and "we support her decision and consider the matter closed," Perino said.

Ralston worked for Abramoff before joining Rove as a key aide in the White House in 2001.

Democrats quickly seized on the development, which came in the heat of the campaign for November 7 elections in which they hope to oust Republicans from control of the U.S. Congress.

"It seems the Republican culture of corruption has claimed its next victim," Democratic National Committee spokeswoman Stacie Paxton said in a statement.

Ralston submitted a letter of resignation to Bush on Thursday in which she said after "almost six years (at the White House) the time has come for me to pursue other opportunities."

"We appreciate her years of able service and accept her judgment that it's appropriate for her to step down at this time," Perino said.

The congressional report had identified 66 Abramoff contacts with the White House and more than half of them had been with Ralston.

The report cited instances in which Ralston apparently did not pay for sports or entertainment tickets. Government ethics rules bar the acceptance of gifts worth more than $20 from anyone doing business with the government.

Ralston was the latest victim of the Abramoff scandal. One Republican lawmaker, Ohio Rep. Bob Ney, and several former Republican aides have so far pleaded guilty in the corruption probe.

Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, a Texas Republican, resigned from his seat in June after his close ties with Abramoff were made public.

(Additional reporting by Tabassum Zakaria and Andy Sullivan)

 

[marine]

and in other news,

No one from the Kennedy family has resigned or even admitted guilt to anything at all.

 

[Penguinfan]

and in other news,

No one from the Kennedy family has resigned or even admitted guilt to anything at all.

Two wrongs don't make a right.

 

[The Sponge]

Two wrongs don't make a right.

That is how people who can't debate try to debate. Bringing up someone else to distract from reality today.

 

[marine]

Two wrongs don't make a right.

correct,

put both criminals, err, Kennedys together and they still cant do anything right.

Cmon sponge, lets keep it fair and balanced. If your going to be spewing crap about the republicans and how they are above the law, lets bring out the kennedys, and gary strudds (sp?).

Let it go and stop your bellyaching. Yes we get it, you think bush is a dummy, great, move on with yourself. Somehow over half the voting public disagreed with you.

 

[smurphy]

Marine, c'mon man. This shlt with Abramoff is RIGHT NOW. Should we let all current criminals off the hook simply because there were crimes people got away with 23 and 40 years ago? Isn't that kinda ridiculous?

 

[StevieD]

These guys are classics. This present administration does something and these guys bring up things, unrelated, from 23 or more years ago as some kind of a defense.:142smilie
It is precious. They have no defense. Even they know it is wrong but they can't admit it.
Hey Marine...Neil Bush!!!!!:142smilie :142smilie

 

[marine]

23 years ago?

I was talking the younger kennedy about 7 months ago... you know... when he drove his car thru DC for his own little private tour of the sidewalks?

and nothing happens?

I find it disturbing time and time again to see these attacks on republicans. Like its national frigging news that an aide resigns? seriously.. get real

 

[hammer1]

I cant take this.............

I cant take this.............

Marine u are a classic example of how the Military has lowered its standards....and u recruited our young men and want them to sleep in ditches get shot up and take it and not have Body Armour or what they need. Mr. you are an embarrassment!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OK have at it I'm done.

 

[smurphy]

23 years ago?

I was talking the younger kennedy about 7 months ago... you know... when he drove his car thru DC for his own little private tour of the sidewalks?

and nothing happens?

I didn't know that pleading guilty to driving under the influence of drugs and checking one's self into the Mayo clinic for substance abuse was the same as "nothing happens".

In his case, it sounds as if he's accepted full responsibility and is following the legal process. Whether Rhode Island wants to be dumb enough to re-elect him after this is another matter.

 

[The Sponge]

correct,

put both criminals, err, Kennedys together and they still cant do anything right.

Cmon sponge, lets keep it fair and balanced. If your going to be spewing crap about the republicans and how they are above the law, lets bring out the kennedys, and gary strudds (sp?).

Let it go and stop your bellyaching. Yes we get it, you think bush is a dummy, great, move on with yourself. Somehow over half the voting public disagreed with you.

cmon marine i will call it fair and balance and i think ur right about the Kennedy who recently got pulled over. I also don't think Bush is a dummy like everyone else. He knows good and well why he won't leave Iraq and he is paying his buddies off for supporting him. One thing i will say about GWB is this he may be the most loyal man in america. who else would hold onto some of the garbage he holds onto? He does favors for everyone that supports him and his classic line which i will never forget was this. He was in a room with millionaires and billionaires and he said something like this. "Some people call u the elite, I call u my base". But simpleminded americans love this stuff because they think they are someday gonna become millionaires. The satistics show otherwise.

 

[The Sponge]

Marine u are a classic example of how the Military has lowered its standards....and u recruited our young men and want them to sleep in ditches get shot up and take it and not have Body Armour or what they need. Mr. you are an embarrassment!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OK have at it I'm done.

Hammer i wanted to say this to this guy ten times so thankyou for getting the balls to say it. This guy challange me time and time again and i proved him wrong. The dispicable things some of these recruiters have been pulling are down right wrong. I wonder how many kids he is proud of that he conned to their death bed for a god dam lie for a rich guys war.

 

[marine]

I didn't know that pleading guilty to driving under the influence of drugs and checking one's self into the Mayo clinic for substance abuse was the same as "nothing happens".

In his case, it sounds as if he's accepted full responsibility and is following the legal process. Whether Rhode Island wants to be dumb enough to re-elect him after this is another matter.

WHAT?

the cops on the scene saw who it was and gave him a goddam ride home without stopping off at the police dept for some fingerprinting and charges!

 

[smurphy]

WHAT?

the cops on the scene saw who it was and gave him a goddam ride home without stopping off at the police dept for some fingerprinting and charges!

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,199290,00.html

Rep. Patrick Kennedy Pleads Guilty to DUI
Tuesday, June 13, 2006

E-MAIL STORY PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION
WASHINGTON ? Rep. Patrick Kennedy pleaded guilty Tuesday to driving under the influence of prescription drugs and was sentenced to undergo court-ordered drug treatment and a year's probation.

Kennedy, D-R.I., also was fined at least $350 in connection with his middle-of-the-night car crash last month near the U.S. Capitol.

In exchange, two other charges against Kennedy were dismissed: Reckless driving and failure to exhibit a driving permit.

Click here to read Kennedy's traffic accident report.

Accompanied by his lawyer, Kennedy entered his plea Tuesday afternoon before Superior Court Magistrate Judge Aida Melendez.

"I am pleading guilty to driving under the influence," Kennedy said.

 

[marine]

Marine u are a classic example of how the Military has lowered its standards....and u recruited our young men and want them to sleep in ditches get shot up and take it and not have Body Armour or what they need. Mr. you are an embarrassment!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OK have at it I'm done.

don't forget women. I recruited women too.
It's not just the young boys I was trying to hose over.

glad to see the relavance of topics here.

 

[marine]

great smurph, he finally owned up to it, not like he had much of a choice.... here's what was reported on the news for the full month before he fessed up to at least some semblance of it.

On May 4, 2006, Kennedy crashed his 1997 Ford Mustang convertible into a barricade on Capitol Hill at 2:45AM. He had been operating his vehicle with the lights off in the early morning darkness. Officers at the scene said that Kennedy appeared intoxicated, smelled of alcohol[8] and was visibly staggering, but Kennedy claimed that he was merely disoriented from prescription medications Ambien and Phenergan. [9] A woman who works at the nearby Hawk & Dove bar said that he had been drinking there.[10] A second report cites the capitol police have additional "witnesses" to Kennedy's drinking at the Hawk & Dove before the crash.[11]

Kennedy also stated to officers that he was "late for a vote." However, the last vote of the night had occurred almost six hours earlier. The standard field sobriety test was not administered. Kennedy was driven home by an officer. On May 5, 2006, Kennedy admitted he has an addiction to prescription medication and announced he would be re-admitting himself to a drug rehabilitation facility at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota where he has sought treatment for prior addictions.[12] He has stated that he has no recollection of the car crash. On June 5, 2006 Kennedy was released from drug rehab. [13]

Kennedy has stated that he does not plan to resign. [14] Currently his constituents have been supportive of Kennedy[citation needed], however, the chairwoman for the Rhode Island Republican Party has suggested that Kennedy resign, or at least take a medical leave of absence.[15]

On May 8, 2006, Kennedy received endorsement of the Rhode Island Democratic Party.[16]

In an earlier incident, on April 15, 2006, at 10:05 a.m., Patrick J. Kennedy was driving a Ford Crown Victoria registered to the "Friends of Pat Kennedy Inc" on Turnpike Avenue in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. As Patrick attempted to turn left into the CVS parking lot, his vehicle was "broadsided" by a Nissan Maxima driven by off duty Coast Guard warrant officer Thomas Guthlein who was attempting to make a right turn into the same parking lot. Portsmouth Rhode Island police did not issue a citation to either driver.[17] One woman who witnessed the accident has expressed her opinion that Kennedy was impaired.[18] Guthlein is quoted in the New York Daily News as saying 'I never really got that close to him ... It was just a regular traffic accident'.

Kennedy made news on the Drudge Report multiple times for the accident outside the capital, including being quoted as saying he hoped officials would treat him as if he "were an African-American in Anacostia".[19

 

[smurphy]

Like I said, whether or not RI wnats to be dumb enough to re-elect him is up to them. I just don't know what legal points you are trying to make on this. None of us were on the scene. He plead guilty, went for treatment. You are bitching over details, he obviously did not get off.

 

[marine]

"Rove aide resigns in fallout over Abramoff report"

So do we really need to keep seeing crap like that?

Smurph, its more to show that problems don't just exist on the "republican" side of the house.
Don't throw stones if you live in a glass house and all that jazz.

Fox news has been slipping lately. I'm taking it upon myself to make sure the news reports around here are fair and balanced. every retarded post the spooge makes about the right, i'm going to dig one up about the dems.