Culture of Corruption Scandal Vomits Up More Members Of Congress

A DWT oldie but goodie

Seth Hettena has been more on top of the Mitch Wade corruption case than anyone else and today he revealed who the 5 members of Congress are that Wade ratted out. Last week we speculated that they were the two obvious ones, Virgil Goode (R-VA) and Katherine Harris (R-FL) plus some combination of Jerry Lewis (R-CA), Tom Delay (R-TX), Duncan Hunter (R-CA), Roy Blunt (R-MO), and Elizabeth Dole (R-NC). We were on target with Goode, Harris and Lewis, all of whom should have been rotting in prison cells by now, but the other two were Democrats, Senator Dan Inouye (HI) and Congressman Alan Mollohan (WV).

The Inouye and Lewis connections involve Wade’s former employer, defense contractor Brent Wilkes, who introduced Wade to Cunningham.

During his trial, Wilkes testified that it was a “total misrepresentation” to say he relied on the Congressman Cunningham to do everything for him; Jerry Lewis, along with Rep. John Porter of Ill., were far more important, Wilkes said. (There’s excellent background on Lewis’ lobbying operation here.) The U.S. Attorney’s office in Los Angeles reportedly opened an investigation into Lewis back in 2006.

By contrast, Inouye, the Senate’s third-most senior Democrat, hasn’t yet been linked to an investigation of “corruption similar to Mr. Cunningham.” Wilkes was seeking the veteran Senate  appropriator’s help in lining up military and government contracts for his Honolulu document conversion subsidiary, Akamai Info Tech. Inouye was also one of more than a dozen members of Congress Wilkes unsuccessfully attempted to subpoena for his trial last year.

Mollohan’s ties to Wade are more direct. He received $23,000 in campaign contributions and gifts to a family foundation from Wade’s company, MZM Inc., and another firm that did business with MZM. In October 2002, MZM gave $20,000 to Mollohan’s Summit PAC.

No wonder Inouye was so adamant about defending Alaska's crooked senator, Ted Stevens. Maybe they can be cellies. Let's hope Inouye resigns as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee this evening-- although I'll happily cover any and all bets on that one.

Harry Reid And Daniel Inouye Take Very Different Positions On Alaska Felon Ted Stevens

Birds of a feather...

A hallmark of Stevens' corruption, though one that will never be subject to any kind of investigation, is how he took massive sums of money from the most disreputable sources and, through Northern Lights, his crooked PAC, distributed-- or laundered-- the funds to his colleagues. All of the money went to Republicans-- except one single, solitary case: Stevens gave the maximum allowed by law, $10,000, to his close friend Hawaiian Democrat Daniel Inouye. Now isn't that bipartisan!

I wonder what poor Cam Cavasso, Inouye's Republican opponent, would say. We don't have to wonder what Inouye would say; he never shuts up in his defense of Stevens. Even when some of the most corrupt Republicans in the Senate-- like Norm Coleman, Gordon Smith, Susan Collins and even Mitch McConnell-- started sending Stevens back his tainted cash (or some of it), Inouye, who was a character witness for Stevens at the disastrous trial, insisted he wouldn't give back a dime. Instead he went on a series of hysterical rampages defending Stevens, even impugning the integrity of the jury of American citizens who unanimously found Stevens guilty of all seven felonies with which he was charged. Needless to say, Inouye is not supporting Democrat Mark Begich for the Alaska Senate seat that Stevens is likely to lose Tuesday.

"I am absolutely confident that Ted Stevens will be sworn into the Senate while he appeals this unjust verdict," said Inouye, D-Hawaii, a longtime friend of Stevens. "I am certain that this decision in Washington, D.C., will be overturned on appeal."

No one is asking Inouye whether or not he is aware that he was accepting bribes from VECO through Stevens' PAC and if that influenced his votes at all. And, needless to say, Harry Reid, who is struggling to replace Stevens with Begich-- helping the Democrats get to a position where they can fight off GOP obstructionism-- was incensed by Inouye's interference in the Alaska election.

In a bluntly worded release from his office, Reid warned that Stevens would not only face an ethics investigation but also expulsion proceedings regardless of his efforts to appeal the convictions.

Reid’s decision to jump into the Alaska Senate race with both feet marks the first time a leading national Democrat has explicitly warned that Stevens’ ouster from the Senate would be sought. GOP leaders including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) have already called for him to step down or face expulsion.

Reid also rebuffed comments made by Sen. Daniel Inouye (Hawaii), one of the chamber’s senior Democrats who had previously endorsed Stevens, and who has reaffirmed that sentiment since his conviction last month.

In a statement released by the Stevens campaign, Inouye argues that his longtime friend will be seated as a Member of the Senate next year if re-elected and that he believes the felony convictions will be overturned.

...“While I respect the opinion of Senator Daniel Inouye, the reality is that a convicted felon is not going to be able to serve in the United States Senate. And as precedent shows us, Senator Stevens will face an ethics committee investigation and expulsion, regardless of his appeals process,” Reid said.

“This is not a partisan issue and it is unfortunate that Senator Stevens has used his long time friendship with Senator Inouye for partisan political gain,” he added.

It is also unfortunate that Inouye, whose own probity and ethics need careful examination is being talked about as the new chair of the Senate Ethics Committee, a position which requires someone of impeccable character.