Dem Senator Bob Menendez Resigns Following Bribery Conviction

Bob Menendez

Democratic New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez resigned his seat in the Senate on Tuesday, according to multiple outlets.

The Senate Democrat announced his resignation following his conviction in a bribery scheme involving three New Jersey businessmen and the Egyptian government. Democratic New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has signaled that he will replace Menendez with George S. Helmy, a healthcare executive and his former chief of staff.

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Kari Lake Praises New Arizona Republican Party Chair Gina Swoboda as ‘Election Integrity Hero,’ Confirms She Released AZGOP Audio

Arizona U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake expressed full confidence in newly-elected Arizona Republican Party (AZGOP) Chair Gina Swoboda during a Sunday interview. She also offered new insight about the alleged bribe that was relayed by former AZGOP Chair Jeff DeWit.

Speaking to “Sunday Morning Futures” host Maria Bartiromo, Lake called Swoboda “an incredible woman who is an election integrity hero and will make prioritizing securing our elections a top priority” before the November elections.

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Neil W. McCabe Says There Is ‘Deception’ in NRSC Chairman Steve Daines’ Denial of Leaked Kari Lake Audio Recording

Daines Lake

National political reporter Neil W. McCabe joined Thursday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy to discuss the latest developments in the leaked audio recording story where now-former Arizona Republican Party (AZGOP) Chairman Jeff DeWit offered Arizona U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake money in return of staying out of politics for two years.

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Newly-Resigned AZGOP Chair Jeff DeWit Told NBC ‘No One Believes Kari Can Attract Independents’ and Win Senate Race

Jeff DeWit

Information regarding a recorded conversation between newly-resigned Arizona Republican Party Chair Jeff DeWit and Kari Lake continues to trickle out as speculation increases regarding who the “very powerful people” “Back East” were who told him to offer her a job to keep her out of politics for two years. An inside source told The Arizona Sun Times that it was the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), which was denied by NRSC Chair Senator Steve Daines (R-MT).

DeWit told NBC News after resigning that the offer “had everything to do with her being a drag on the ticket. There are people who want to make sure we win the election and that’s it. No one believes she can get across the finish line, particularly with independents.” Lake is running for U.S. Senate and is a strong supporter of former President Donald Trump, with some circulating her name as a possible vice presidential candidate. She flew to New Hampshire before the primary on Tuesday.

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NRSC Silent on Whether It Was Behind AZGOP Chair’s Offer of Money from ‘Back East’ for Kari Lake to Stay Out of Politics

Jeff DeWit

Jeff DeWit, the chair of the Arizona Republican Party (AZGOP), resigned on Wednesday after an audio recording was leaked revealing him offering Kari Lake money and a job if she stayed out of politics for two years. Now, questions are arising as to who told DeWit to make the offer.

The former chair of AZGOP said “very powerful people” “Back East” were behind it. A source knowledgeable of the situation told The Arizona Sun Times that it was the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), naming Political Director Tim Edson. However, when The Sun Times asked the NRSC if this was true, the organization did not respond.

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Kari Lake Confirms She Recorded AZGOP Audio, Reveals Daughter’s Concern Helped Motivate Release

Kari Lake

Arizona U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake confirmed on Thursday that she recorded the audio of former Arizona Republican Party (AZGOP) Chair Jeff DeWit relaying an offer for Lake to receive a well-paying private sector job in exchange for staying out of politics. She also said listening to the audio with her daughter was a key motivation to release the recording.

Lake, during an appearance on “Louder with Crowder” on Thursday, confirmed she recorded the audio of DeWit, who resigned from his position leading the AZGOP after the audio surfaced and gave conservative commentator and comedian Steven Crowder new details about its release.

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Kari Lake Holds Press Conference Discussing Newly Resigned AZGOP Chair’s Financial Offer to Get Her Out of Politics

Kari Lake held a press conference on Rumble Wednesday evening to discuss revelations from a newly released recording of a conversation last March between herself and former Arizona Republican Party Chair Jeff DeWit, who was forced to resign after it came out. In the recording, DeWit is heard attempting to convince Lake to drop out of politics for a couple of years in exchange for a well-paying job, prompting an outcry that forced his resignation on Tuesday. Lake fielded questions from both reporters and other viewers during her talk, which lasted around half an hour.

One of the questions asked of Lake was whether she knew who DeWit was referring to when he told her “very powerful people” “Back East” were behind the offer. Lake said she didn’t know, but said D.C. was so corrupt it would be possible to come up with a list of 400 to 500 people or groups that could be behind it.

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Audio Recording: AZGOP Chair Jeff DeWit Allegedly Attempted to Offer Money to Kari Lake to Stay Out of Politics

Dewit Lake

The Daily Mail released an audio recording of Arizona Republican Party Chair Jeff DeWit allegedly trying to convince Kari Lake to stay out of politics for two years by suggesting he could find her a well-paying nonpolitical job in the private sector. He said during the call, which was reportedly recorded at the beginning of March last year, “So the ask I got today from back East was, ‘Is there any companies out there or something that could just put her on the payroll to keep her out?’”

Lake responded and declined, ”’This is about defeating Trump and I think that’s a bad, bad thing for our country.” Later, he brought it up again, “Just say, is there a number at which….” he began. Lake cut in, “I can be bought? That’s what it’s about.” DeWit responded, “You can take a pause for a couple of years. You can go right back to what you’re doing.” She continued to object, “This is not about money, it’s about our country,” and said she wouldn’t even take a billion dollars. She said she would not be “bought,” calling it “immoral.” 

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Federal Prosecutors in Menendez Bribery Case Say Found Gold Bars, Hidden Cash in Senator’s Home

Prosecutors said Friday morning they have indicted New Jersey Democrat Sen. Bob Menendez and his wife on federal bribery charges.

They alleged in a press conference shortly after the charges were announced the Menendezs took bribes of cash, gold bars and a luxury car for corrupt acts, including having the senator, who leads the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, use his influence to benefit the authoritarian government of Egypt.

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Ramaswamy: Plea Deal Keeping Hunter Biden out of Prison Is a ‘Joke,’ the ‘Perfect Fig Leaf’

GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is blasting a plea deal announced Tuesday that will keep President Joe Biden’s troubled son out of prison on two federal misdemeanor counts of failing to pay his taxes and a separate felony charge of possession of a firearm by a known drug user.

Multiple news outlets are reporting that Hunter Biden and his attorneys have reached an agreement in which U.S. Attorney David Weiss would recommend probation on the tax violations. The younger Biden also would avoid prison time on the gun possession charge, “subject to a pretrial diversion agreement,” his attorney said in a statement.

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Ohio Democrats Seek Preservation of Records in Connection with FirstEnergy

Ohio Democratic Party (ODP) Chairwoman Elizabeth Walters last week filed a preliminary injunction seeking assurance that Gov. Mike DeWine (R) will preserve all records pertaining to House Bill 6 as an ODP lawsuit goes forward.

The legislation, which DeWine signed into law in July 2019, created a $1.3 billion bailout for the Perry and Davis-Besse nuclear-power plants operated by FirstEnergy Corp. Federal prosecutors have alleged that GOP former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and numerous other individuals, including erstwhile Ohio Republican Party Chairman Matt Borges, participated in a $61 million bribery scheme to effect the subsidies.

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Commentary: Democrats’ 2020 Tactics in Philadelphia Part of a Failing Attempt to Keep Control

Mail in ballot with U.S. flag

Pennsylvania was by far one of the most contentious battleground states in the 2020 election, but new analysis shows even in Philadelphia Democrats are only treading water.

In 2020, both Democrat and anti-Trump groups dumped millions into Philadelphia and surrounding suburbs, with roving food vans that would extract votes out of people in exchange for a meal, or the use of “street money” to incentivize election-day door knockers to push people to the polls.

Despite these borderline-bribery efforts to drag people out to vote against Trump in 2020, Democrats gained less than 20,000 votes in Philly compared to 2016 numbers.

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Documents from FBI Investigation Include Name of Dayton Mayor; She Was Cleared

Mayor Nan Whaley

The Democrat Mayor of Dayton, also a gubernatorial candidate, was implicated in a bribery scheme for which four people went to jail, all stemming from an FBI investigation in 2013-2014. 

“In the documents, the agents told the judge that a controller for demolition company Steve Rauch Inc. — which pleaded guilty last year to a charge of conspiracy to engage in mail fraud regarding subcontracting work — said in recorded phone calls with another company official that Whaley accepted cash bribes from Rauch on multiple occasions,” according to a report in The Ohio Capital Journal. 

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Commentary: Vaccine Mandates and Bribery Are Headed for K-12 Schools

Young girl getting COVID vaccination

According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, more than 680 U.S. public and private colleges require students to get a coronavirus vaccine. This is a non-negotiable mandate for students to maintain enrollment status.

The vaccination edicts come even as the coronavirus has an extremely low mortality rate among college-aged students — CDC data attributes only 2.8 percent of coronavirus deaths to those under age 45. Regardless of this reality, those favoring mandated vaccines argue that schools already require students to provide proof of other vaccinations.

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Detroit, Michigan Councilman Spivey Arraigned for Bribery

U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Stafford entered a not-guilty plea for a silent Detroit City Councilman André L. Spivey in U.S. District Court in Detroit Tuesday to accepting over $35,000 in exchange for council votes. 

Spivey was released on a $10,000 unsecured bond. Stafford reportedly agreed to the release under the conditions that Spivey to give up his enhanced driver’s license, his passport and his expired concealed-carry permit.

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Pension Bailout Agency Flagged for Contract Bribery, Fraud and Payments to Dead Americans

American flag with handcuffs and $100 bills

This week’s Golden Horseshoe award goes to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp., the nation’s pension bailout agency that is still reeling from revelations its chief of contracting engaged in a bribery scheme that steered $4.8 million in fraudulent business to a vendor in return for more than $1 million in personal benefits.

The bribery scheme involving the now convicted director of PBGC’s Procurement Department was possible because the agency suffered from several vulnerabilities, including reduced competition among vendors, missing legal reviews and sole-source contracts that evaded bidding designed to get taxpayers the best bargain, the PBGC’s inspector general reported.

“His actions were enabled by internal control weaknesses; specifically, inadequate oversight of PD procurements and a lack of a control mechanism to ensure that PD sent all requisite contract actions for legal review,” the inspector general reported. “Although PBGC began requiring that more contract actions receive legal review after the PD Director resigned in February 2020, it does not have a mechanism to ensure PD complies with this requirement.”

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Another Guilty Plea Entered in Ohio House Bill 6 Corruption Scandal

A nonprofit organization has become the latest to enter a guilty plea in a $60 million bribery and racketeering scheme involving Ohio’s taxpayer-funded energy company bailout and the former speaker of the House.

Generation Now pleaded guilty in federal court, admitting it was used to funnel millions of dollars in bribes from a utility company to former Speaker Larry Householder, R-Glenford, in relation to the passage of House Bill 6. In the plea agreement, Generation Now allowed the government to take nearly $1.5 million from two bank accounts and received five years of probation.

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Philly’s Long History of Corruption Includes Judge Convicted of Bribery to Cast Fraudulent Ballots

Even as members of the mainstream media largely dismiss concerns about possible voter fraud, they are ignoring Philadelphia’s long history of endemic political corruption.

Less than six months ago, for example, a former Philadelphia Judge of Elections pled guilty and was convicted for his role in accepting bribes to cast fraudulent ballots and certify false voting results during the 2014, 2015, and 2016 primary elections.

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Conservative Organizations Call For Next Ohio House Speaker to Have Character, Be Supporter of Faith and Family

Even as the Ohio House of Representatives looks to replace disgraced Speaker Larry Householder, a coalition of conservative organizations is urging lawmakers to be thoughtful in how they do so.

Householder and four others were arrested July 21 in connection with a $60 million federal bribery probe in connection with the Legislature’s 2019 bailout of FirstEnergy and its nuclear power plants.

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Commentary: ‘Abuse of Power’ and ‘Obstruction of Congress’ Are Not High Crimes or Misdemeanors, Bribery or Treason

Donald Trump smile

“The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.”

That is Article II, Section 4 of the Federal Constitution, outlining what a case for impeachment is supposed to consist of, namely, crimes. Therefore, without a crime there cannot be an impeachment.

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Commentary: The Bribery Bait-and-Switch, Explained

Rep. Adam Schiff

The president’s enemies remain unable to find any “smoking gun” – any clear, irrefutable and publicly compelling proof of “Treason, Bribery [or] other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.” Ordinary, decent folk in search of actual crimes, having not found any, would have backed off long ago. But our Javert-Democrats are having none of that. Well aware that the public wasn’t buying the product they’re selling, they’ve kept the product – there’s nothing wrong with New Coke! – and changed the marketing.

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Michigan State Rep Larry Inman Charged with Bribery Is Seeking Treatment for Opioid Use

by Tyler Arnold   Michigan state Rep. Larry Inman, R-Traverse City, is seeking treatment for opioid use after being indicted on bribery charges. His attorney, Christopher Cooke, said that Inman sought treatment last week and had been using the drugs for several years after he was prescribed the medicine following major surgeries, the Associated Press reported. Cooke said that Inman and his physicians “will continue to evaluate his ability to effectively serve his constituency as his treatment progresses,” according to the report. Inman has faced calls for resignation from both sides of the aisle after he was charged with bribery, extortion and lying to a federal officer. The charges allege that Inman requested money from a labor union in exchange for a vote against repealing the state’s prevailing wage law. The union said it did not provide Inman the money and Inman voted in favor of repealing the law. In the text messages Inman sent to the union’s representatives, he referenced 11 other representatives who were allegedly seeking money. Some of the representatives were named in the text, but those names were redacted from the court documents. Inman was quickly removed from the House Republican Caucus after the indictment and House Speaker…

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Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to be Indicted

by Joshua Gill   Benjamin Netanyahu is set to become the first sitting prime minister in Israel’s history to be indicted, according to Israel’s attorney general’s Thursday announcement. Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit said Thursday that his office will charge Netanyahu with one count of bribery and two counts of breach of trust and fraud, according to NBC. The charges come as the culmination of a two-year investigation at the recommendation of Israeli police. Israeli police alleged that Netanyahu’s confidants promoted changes to regulations that resulted in benefits worth hundreds of millions of dollars for Israeli telecom giant Bezeq. The controlling shareholder of Bezeq, Shaul Elovitch, shares a close relationship with Netanyahu, which police characterized as a “bribe-based relationship” that Netanyahu allegedly leveraged to get positive media coverage from Walla, a subsidiary of Bezeq. Police also alleged that Netanyahu offered legislation that would have benefited a particular newspaper in exchange for positive coverage and that he accepted gifts from billionaires in exchange for political favors. Netanyahu has denied all allegations of fraud and corruption and claimed that the investigation against him is merely a witch hunt. Mandelblit’s decision to announce the indictment of Netanyahu ahead of Israel’s April 9 general election…

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