Corrupt Liberal
A number of third parties, like The Times-Picayune, The Washington Times, The Advocate, The LSU Daily Reveille and Gannett News Service, have been talking about corrupt liberal Mary Landrieu:
The Washington Times: "A Washington watchdog group yesterday accused Sen. Mary L. Landrieu of taking a bribe." 1
The Times-Picayune: "An ethics watchdog group Tuesday asked the Justice Department and Senate Ethics Committee to investigate whether Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., violated federal bribery laws in getting a $2 million earmark for a reading program whose executives and lobbyists donated to her 2002 re-election campaign." 2
The Advocate: "The nonpartisan Citizens for Responsibility for Ethics in Washington... said in the complaint that the Louisiana Democrat should be investigated over whether she committed bribery by accepting campaign contributions from the contractor." 3
The LSU Daily Reveille: "Landrieu earned her position of prominence when she accepted what CREW called a bribe from the D.C. lobbying firm O'Connor & Hannon, which Voyager Learning Company cofounder and CEO Randy Best hired to push through a $2 million earmark." 4
Gannett: "A government watchdog group has asked the Justice Department and the Senate ethics committee to investigate whether Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu traded favors for campaign cash in securing $2 million for a program run by a campaign donor." 5
Unfortunately for Landrieu, these third parties aren't the only ones writing on Mary's ethics, or lack thereof.
Corrupt liberal Mary Landrieu was even named to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington's 20 most corrupt members of Congress list.
According to The Advocate, "The Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington released its annual report last week of who they consider the most corrupt members of Congress -- and included Landrieu." 6
"The liberal government watchdog group has filed a Senate Ethics Committee complaint against Landrieu for her backing of a $2 million District of Columbia reading program in 2001 that was operated by one of her campaign contributors." 7
So what are all these third parties commenting on?
CBS News recently reported that Mary Landrieu placed an earmark in legislation for a specific company to provide a program for the Washington, D.C. school system. Landrieu has received about $80,000 in campaign contributions from employees and lobbyists of the company that received the $2 million earmark. 8, 9
Mary Landrieu and the founder of the company that pushed for the earmark, Randy Best, had a meeting in Landrieu's office. 10
According to The Washington Post, "[s]hortly after the meeting in Landrieu's office, Best said he was called by someone in her office to ask whether he would throw a campaign fundraiser. On Oct. 19, 2001, at Best's residence in the Claridge, a high-rise condominium complex overlooking the Dallas skyline, Landrieu gave a short talk on the importance of reading, Best said." 11
On November 6, 2001, four days after the Landrieu received about $30,000 in campaign contributions and some six plus months after Landrieu was originally asked to sponsor the earmark, Mary Landrieu inserted a $1 million federally-funded earmark for Voyager into legislation. 12, 13, 14, 15
"Landrieu jettisoned the matching money requirement and doubled the federal portion to $2 million." 16
1 S.A. Miller, "Landrieu Accused Of Taking Bribe," The Washington Times, Jan. 9, 2008 [PDF]
2 Bruce Alpert, "Ethics Group Targets Landrieu Earmark," The Times-Picayune, Jan. 9, 2008 [PDF]
3 Gerard Shields, "Landrieu Subject Of Complaints," The Advocate, Jan. 9, 2008 [PDF]
4 Ana Radelat, "Group Files Ethics Complaint Against Landrieu," Gannett News Service, Jan. 10, 2008 [PDF]
5 Matt McEntire, "Corruption Alive And Well In Landrieu," The LSU Daily Reveille, Sept. 21, 2008 [PDF]
6 Gerard Shields, "Landrieu Listed In Report," The Advocate, Sept. 15, 2008 [PDF]
7 Gerard Shields, "Landrieu Listed In Report," The Advocate, Sept. 15, 2008 [PDF]
8 Couric and Company, "Getting Schooled On Earmarks," http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/01/25/couricandco/entry3754070.shtml January 25, 2008 [PDF]
9 James V. Grimaldi, "A Reading Program's Powerful Patron," The Washington Post, December 20, 2007 [PDF]
10 James V. Grimaldi, "A Reading Program's Powerful Patron," The Washington Post, December 20, 2007 [PDF]
11 James V. Grimaldi, "A Reading Program's Powerful Patron," The Washington Post, December 20, 2007 [PDF]
12 James V. Grimaldi, "Landrieu Opens Files on Schools Earmark," The Washington Post Investigations Blog, January 22, 2008 [PDF]
13 James V. Grimaldi, "A Reading Program's Powerful Patron," The Washington Post, December 20, 2007 [PDF]
14 H.R. 2944, CQ Vote #356, December 7, 2001 [PDF]
15 Public Law 107 - 96, 107th Congress, December 21, 2001 [PDF]
16 James V. Grimaldi, "A Reading Program's Powerful Patron," The Washington Post, December 20, 2007 [PDF]
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