F.B.I. Investigates Missing G.O.P. Money

[Lone_Star_Dem]

Source: New York Times

WASHINGTON — Hundreds of thousands of dollars are missing and presumed stolen from the chief fund-raising arm of House Republicans, according to party officials who described the findings of emergency internal audits.

The financial records of the group, the National Republican Congressional Committee, may also have been falsified for several years, Republican officials said. The campaign committees of several Republican lawmakers may also have been victims of a scam that is now under criminal investigation by the F.B.I.

The audits were ordered after the abrupt departure several weeks ago of Christopher J. Ward, who had been treasurer of the committee. Lawmakers said that Mr. Ward, who served a similar role for dozens of individual members of Congress and their political committees, is the focus of the F.B.I.’s criminal investigation.

<snip>

But until now the committee has not acknowledged that any money was missing from its bank accounts or that the financial irregularities might extend beyond the national committee to the campaign funds of individual Republican lawmakers who also worked with Mr. Ward, a longtime party operative.

<snip>

The F.B.I. investigation comes at an especially awkward time for House Republicans, who are struggling to raise money for Congressional races in November.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/06/washington/06gop.html?_r=1&ex=1362546000&en=7a88dcd2f2742a49&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin

[skooooo]

1. i bet DU adbot has the $$$$$

:evilgrin:

[zabet]

2. For as little as

10 bucks, you can have
the power to cut the ads off.

:hi:

Too bad we cannot get rid of
the GOP that easily!

[skooooo]

9. I donated in the Valentines day thing..

Gave $10..so???

[zabet]

10. I would have thought you

would have a donor star then. :shrug:
I am confused now. With a donor star
you can got to 'options' and turn off
the adds.
Sorry, I did not know you had donated and
did not get a donor star. Maybe it takes
more than 10. If it does, I apologize for
my mistake. :blush:

[Lasher]

6. Oh, you mean Grovelbot?

Heh heh.

My guess is, they secretly diverted the money to set up a secret slush fund laundered in Mexico so they can pay people to conduct campaign fraud, political espionage & sabotage and illegal break-ins.

[leftofcool]

3. Somebody has stolen our stash!!!!!!!!!

[Ian David]

4. Hmmmm.... WHERE could that money have gone...

http://media.2theadvocate.com/images/vitter+palfrey+071107.jpg

[Zorra]

5. How republican. The thugs are ripping each other off. I'm shocked. n/t

[pattmarty]

7. Better look at all those expensive lunches & golfing trips.

[truthisfreedom]

8. They'll poke around looking for it just long enough for the whole episode to go down the memory hole

Just like they always do when it comes to rethugs.

[SpiralHawk]

11. republicon cronies stealing from republicon cronies = republicon family values

[Turbineguy]

12. There's a photoshop

of that picture of Bush with a planeload of flag-draped coffins in the background somewhere.

[indypaul]

13. Once Again

There is no honor among thieves.

[electprogdems]

14. I wish the FBI would investigate missing

Alabama governors.

[tanyev]

15. It took awhile for Karma to show up to the party, but once she finally arrived,

things really started happening.

:)

[defendandprotect]

16. "There's no honesty among thieves . . . " ---

[classysassy]

17. Check

the freezer in Chaney's basement.

[Javaman]

18. Pallet loads of money vanish in Iraq, but does that get investigated?

nope.

[burythehatchet]

21. That was OUR money, not the GOOP's money. Get it? n/t

[Yavapai]

19. With luck, someone will steal all their money earmarked for

this year's Swift Boat ads.

[Taverner]

20. They eat their own

[NashVegas]

22. What a Wonderful Metaphor

Don't ya think?

[donkeyotay]

23. This is priceless. You've got to ask yourself if the money ever existed or

if it isn't the GOP itself that's the fraud.

The financial records of the group, the National Republican Congressional Committee, may also have been falsified for several years, Republican officials said.

And it's so hard to tell the extend of the fraud because:

Their job has been made even more difficult by the large number of Republican lawmakers — more than two dozen from the House — who have announced their retirements, and by a series of unrelated criminal and ethics investigations of other Congressional Republicans.

Cherry on top:

Mr. Ward had been treasurer of the national Republican committee since 2003. He had also been a partner in a private campaign consulting firm, Political Compliance Services, that gained notice in the 2004 presidential campaign because of its work on behalf of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth...

:rofl:

Crime family values.

[Greyskye]

24. It's not just for breakfast anymore

[Supersedeas]

25. check with the Black Ops -- dirty tricks department

[Festivito]

26. As long as there was enough for dirty ops, no one would check.

That would be my bet.

[OKthatsIT]

27. The FBI? Investigating the GOP? LOL Who will they target?

With all that privatized intelligence...snooping in private citizens files and accounts, they caan just about pick and choose whoever they want to 'PATSY'.

[donkeyotay]

28. kick nt