Ohio's John Boehner: DCCC Says GOP House Leader Is Quiet Now Over Republican Boodling Report

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- House Democrats have accused Rep. John Boehner -- the GOP Minority Leader from Butler County -- of a double standard when it comes to Republican members of Congress who are under a corruption cloud. Boehner wanted Louisiana Democrat U.S. Rep. William Jefferson booted off a committee, then expelled when he was targeted by the FBI. But Boehner hasn't said a word about Alaska's Don Young, a member of his party who may have taken gifts and bribes for political favors.

Jennifer Crider, communications director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee took the shot at the Ohioan's purported hypocrisy:

"Apparently, Minority Leader John Boehner didn't mean it when he said that the 'clear likelihood of of serious transgressions will lead to suspension from important committees.' Don Young is being investigated for bribery -- one of the most 'serious transgressions' a Member of Congress faces -- but he still sits on the Committees overseeing the issues important to the company that allegedly bribed him. Clearly, Republicans haven't leared their lesson about holding their Members accountable for their wrong doing."

The DCCC's blast is HERE and followed news reports last week about Young's problems with an on-going corruptions investigation that has brushed up against several political figures in Alaska.

When Jefferson was in the headlines, Boehner was outspoken about ethics and cleaning the crooks out of Congress. Cynics and skeptics might suspect he only wants to clean out Democrats. Others say there is another double standard at work -- Jefferson is a black man, and the Republicans targeted him especially because of race.

GOP Guru Richard Viguerie: Republican Hot Tubbers And Crooks Hold Office

CINCINNATI (TBB) -- Fundraising mastermind Richard A. Viguerie told CPAC that the Republican Party he loved has become immoral, corrupt and hooked on power. "When most of the Congressional Republicans first ran for office, they ran against the sewer that Washington had become. But after a few years in Washington most of them act like they've discovered that Washington isn't a sewer after all -- it's a hot tub."

He didn't name names, but it seems obvious he tossed House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Butler County, in with the Washington hot-tub GOPers. He said the congressonal leadership took the party "over a cliff" in last year's elections. Viguerie became an important figure in the Reagan era when he helped the party regain and consolidate power. He was a genius at raising money by direct mail, which has been somewhat overtaken by the Internet as a source of political funding.

He says the White House and GOP Congress spent like Democrats, and shelled out trillions to stay in office and buy votes. Those were the kind of words that Republicans used to hurl at Dems. Now they are flinging them at each other, and Viguerie was unstinting.

"The voters spoke in November, and what was the first thing the Republicans did? They kept in power all the leaders who had taken them over the cliff! Obviously, the initials GOP now stands for Go On Partying. Or Give up On Principles." He called on conservatives to break away from the party and form their own movement. And he said CPAC had moved in the right direction. "I congratulate CPAC for not having the chairman of the Republican National Committee at CPAC for the first time in memory."

Crooked Ohio Congressman Bob Ney: Kept Loot In House Safe

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Former Ohio U.S. Rep. Bob Ney's top aide admitted in federal court today that he took part in the corruption conspiracy that landed his boss in a penitentiary for 30 months, and said Ney stored payoffs in his House office safe. William J. Heaton described in his guilty plea "periodically opening the safe at Ney's request so that Ney could withdraw funds."

An FBI official said Republican Ney, who represented Oh-18, and Heaton both sold their integrity. There was $47,000 in the stash of illegal cash.

Ney resigned last year in disgrace after being snared in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal. Some of the money he took under the table included chips from a British casino, which were cashed in and wound up as bills stacked in the House safe. The Justice Department said Heaton, 28, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle in Washington. He was charged in a one-count information charging him with conspiracy to commit honest services mail and wire fraud. Below is an excerpt from a statement issued by the Justice Department:

"According to court documents, beginning in September 2001, Heaton was employed by former Congressman Ney, serving as the executive assistant for Ney and later as his chief of staff. Ney was a Congressman representing the 18th District of Ohio from 1995 until he resigned last fall before being sentenced to 30 months in prison on corruption charges. In Ney's office, Heaton's duties included managing Ney's office personnel and approving on behalf of Ney the staff's receipt and use of tickets to sporting and entertainment events.

"During his plea, Heaton admitted that he joined a conspiracy with Ney and others beginning in August 2002 and continuing through April 2004, wherein he and Ney corruptly solicited and accepted a stream of things of value from Jack Abramoff, Abramoff's lobbyists, and a foreign businessman, in exchange for agreeing to take and taking official action to benefit Abramoff, his clients, and the foreign businessman. The named co-conspirators in the charge to which Heaton pleaded guilty include Ney, Abramoff, and Ney's former chief of staff Neil Volz, all of whom previously have pleaded guilty.

"Heaton admitted that he and Ney corruptly solicited and accepted things of value from Abramoff and his lobbyists-including international and domestic trips, meals and drinks, concert and sporting tickets, and substantial campaign contributions and in-kind contributions such as free fund-raisers for Ney-with the intent to be influenced and induced to take official actions. Heaton admitted that Ney, with Heaton's knowing assistance, took and agreed to take official actions benefiting Abramoff, his lobbyists, and their clients, including supporting legislation at Abramoff's request and contacting executive branch agencies to influence those agencies at Abramoff's request.

"Heaton also admitted that he and Ney accepted thousands of dollars worth of gambling chips from a foreign businessman who was hoping to sell U.S.-made airplanes and airplane parts in a foreign country. Heaton admitted that he helped Ney conceal some of the money Ney had received, storing the money for Ney in a safe in Ney's Congressional Office and periodically opening the safe at Ney's request so that Ney could withdraw funds.

"These cases are being prosecuted by trial attorneys Mary K. Butler, M. Kendall Day, and James A. Crowell IV of the Public Integrity Section, headed by Acting Section Chief Edward C. Nucci of the Criminal Division. The case was investigated by a task force of federal agents including special agents of the FBI, the Department of the Interior Office of the Inspector General, the General Services Administration Office of the Inspector General, and the Criminal Investigation branch of the Internal Revenue Service. The investigation has received assistance from the U.S.
Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida. The broader
investigation into the lobbying activities of Jack Abramoff is being
conducted by federal agents from the above-named agencies as well as prosecutors in the Public Integrity and Fraud sections of the Criminal Division and prosecutors in the Criminal Tax Section of the Tax Division."