The astonishing 35-page Duke Cunningham Sentencing Recommendation

[stevedeshazer]

It's posted at Talking Points Memo here: http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/docs/cunningham-rec/

Some snippets:

Having admitted unparalleled corruption, defendant Randall H. Cunningham now comes before the court to be sentenced for his stunning betrayal of the public trust. Cunningham used his status as a war hero to get into Congress, and then he used his congressional office to get rich. In doing so, Cunningham reneged on his obligation to execute his office with conscientious, loyal, faithful, disinterested, and unbiased service. The length, breadth, and depth of Cunningham's crimes against the people of the United States are unprecedented for a sitting member of Congress. So, too, should be his sentence. For the reasons detailed below, the United States requests that this Court impose the statutory maximum sentence of 120 months in custody.


And that's just the first page....

A passage from Page Two:

Cunningham abused the public trust and ignored his solemn oath of office to illegally enrich himself on a scale never before seen in Congress; accepting millions of dollars in a wide array of illicit payments and benefits. For the better part of a decade, Cunningham, in effect, erected a "for sale" sign upon our nation's capital.

The naked avarice that animated Cunningham's corruption is starkly framed in one of Cunningham's Congressional note cards. Under the very seal of the United States Congress, Cunningham placed this nation's governance up for sale to a defense contractor - detailing the amount of bribes necessary to obtain varying levels of defense appropriations.

In this "bribe menu," the left column represented the millions in government contracts that could be "ordered" from Cunningham. The right column was the amount of the bribes that the Congressman was demanding in exchange for the contracts....

MUCH MORE AT LINK

[joeunderdog]

1. Wasn't Rove trying to get this guy minted on a coin?

An "up and coming star" in the repub handbook.

[stevedeshazer]

11. The guy was wearing a wire

I hope he was sitting in Karl's office.

[demosincebirth]

2. It could describing the bush administration

[unblock]

3. i get it. for it to be illegal, you have to be INCREDIBLY stupid at it

for instance, steering no-bid contracts to companies you've accepted options in is nothing at all like this, because options are far more complicated than cash.

so you see, no similarity at all.

[spindrifter]

4. These government attorneys are practicing

for the sentencing briefs they may soon have a chance to write for other well-known government officials. I especially liked on page 2:
"Under the very seal of the United States Congress Cunningham placed this nation's governance up for sale...."

Imagine how they would wax elequent if given the opportunity to write about the high crimes and misdemeanors associated with Katrina, NSA spying, election theft, port sales, and it goes on and on.

[stevedeshazer]

6. Looks to me like they had a damn good practice run

This is SCATHING.

[spindrifter]

9. Thanks for posting this. It is

a must-read!

[madrchsod]

5. 8-8.5 mandatory in the

"fuck`m in the ass federal prison"..poor baby he`ll be a prize cellie in prison

[stevedeshazer]

7. From page 5

"As but one example of these extravagances, on March 8-9 2004, a defense contractor flew Cunningham by private jet to Miami, so that Cunningham could go yacht-shopping. Cunningham stayed in Delano Hotel, Room 603, for $1254.50. Cunningham's personal tab for meals at the Hotel was $848.27. The cost of the charter flight was $12,975.23."

[spindrifter]

8. How the heck

could he have a personal meal tab of $848.27? Wh* or what was he eating? (oops!)

[Warpy]

10. I'm sure the wine list was extensive

and the vintages the best. Also, I'm sure the food was as tall as it could be, a remarkable edifice erected in the kitchen by a failed artist turned chef. Tall costs.

[spindrifter]

13. Oh, I have the next screenplay ready.

It's Brokeback Goes to Congress. There's a hotel scene in it. They threw the federal per diem guidelines to the wind. Darn!

[FatDave]

22. My question exactly!

I'm a big fat f*ck, and I couldn't eat $848 worth of food over two days!

[Stephanie]

16. So why doesn't it matter that Cheney shot Mr W. at the home of a lobbyist?

Cheney had a free hunting weekend, with meals and guides and servants and transportation and press relations, all as a guest of a lobbyist who earned over $750,000 in fees in the last few years. Why isn't that an issue? Why is it any different than golf trips with Abramoff?

[stevedeshazer]

18. Bingo!

Duke is small fry compared to Dick.

[Stephanie]

19. I asked this the other day -

I wonder how much that weekend was worth in cash money? It's exactly like Abramoff.

[depakid]

12. "...on a scale never before seen?"

Think that might be a bit of an exaggeration?

The whole damn Republican party is one big bribery machine.

(the whole system is, for that matter).

[stevedeshazer]

14. Of course it's an exaggeration.

I've said that a million times!

Seriously, though, Duke is just the tip of the iceberg. :)

[Stephanie]

17. it's all unravelling

their web of lies is to vast to maintain

[dysfunctional press]

15. what's really sad about it-

is how many members- on BOTH sides of the aisle, that this bit could be applied to:

"...and then he used his congressional office to get rich. In doing so, (insert congressional name) reneged on his obligation to execute his office with conscientious, loyal, faithful, disinterested, and unbiased service."

[barbaraann]

20. There's just no comparison between the Culture of Corruption

of the GOP and the far, far lesser corruption of some individual Democrats. For example, there is not one Dem in Congress who can even come close to what Cunningham did, or the Bush Administration would have prosecuted them.

[TahitiNut]

21. Apparently Duke didn't get much on his wire or help the prosecutors.

So much for those contrite scripted remarks and crocodile tears, I guess. :shrug:

[Wilms]

23. K&R n/t

[stevedeshazer]

24. kick

:kick: