BREAKING:Hastert Office Blocked Corruption Probe

[cal04]

Congressional Quarterly reporting:

Two former House committee investigators who were examining Capitol Hill security upgrades said a senior aide to Speaker J. Dennis Hastert hindered their efforts before they were abruptly ordered to stop their probe last year.

The former Appropriations Committee investigators said Ted Van Der Meid, Hastert’s chief counsel, resisted from the start the inquiry, which began with concerns about mismanagement of a secret security office and later probed allegations of bid-rigging and kickbacks from contractors to a Defense Department employee.

Ronald Garant and a second Appropriations Committee investigator who asked not to be identified said Van Der Meid engaged in “screaming matches” with investigators and told at least one aide not to talk to them. Van Der Meid also prohibited investigators from visiting certain sites to check up on the effectiveness of the work, the investigators said.

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/001896.php

Investigators Say Speaker’s Aide Hindered Inquiry of Hill Security Contracts
Garant said the investigators believed that the Speaker’s office had successfully pressured appropriators to stop their inquiry. “From our perspective it was obvious. . . . The only people who would give a (expletive) was the Speaker’s office because this was an organization very close to them.”

http://www.cq.com/public/20061027-spending.html

[bullimiami]

1. anyone surprised? i didnt think so.

[Jackpine Radical]

2. It's a bipartisan scandal.

Never forget that in 1873, a Democratic Congressman voted to block an investigation into contracts for providing beef to reservation Indians.

[bullimiami]

3. ha ha. good point.

:)

[papau]

7. Was that the Uncle Sam's beef wagon contract? :-)

:-)

[Jackpine Radical]

9. Mondale was still talking about the incident in 1984. Remember?

"Where's the beef?"

[papau]

13. LOL - :-)

:-)

[Jackpine Radical]

4. Wow. The Puggy Scandal-a-Day bandwagon is back on track.

[EFerrari]

5. Geeze, no wonder they don't get anything done.

They're too busy covering up their crimes.

[Monkeyman]

6. If this is true John will win his district

Replugs are in wait an see mood. A lot have crossed over to John that why he in about 7 points of Hastert in a pure red district
www.john06.com

[never_get_over_it]

8. You're right on

and DU if you can PLEASE send John Laesch some money - 10 bucks whatever you can

www.john06.com/donate

[StrictlyRockers]

10. This was previously posted by kpete.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2500076&mesg_id=2500076

[cal04]

11. mine was posted before but the more the

better

[Quixote1818]

12. When will this come out in the MSM? nt