Scandal after scandal after scandal
Posted March 18, 2004 09:54 AM
I remember "scandal fatigue" was a conservative buzz phrase in the late 90s. The point, obviously, was to suggest the Clinton years were marred by too many controversies and that the public could use a little down time, free of strife and scandal. (Never mind that virtually all of these alleged indignities turned out to be baseless, partisan witch hunts that ultimately demonstrated no wrong doing on the part of Clinton or other administration officials...)
But with yesterday's news that the White House supports an investigation into the higher-than-advertised cost of Bush's Medicare plan, I started realizing that there have been an amazing number of investigations of Republicans since Bush took office, some of which directly involve the White House. So much for restoring "honor and dignity" to the Oval Office.
In fact, we've seen more substantive scandals involving the GOP in the last three years than we ever did with Dems in the 90s. I'm not talking about scandals that ought to be investigated; I mean Republicans and their scandals that have actually been the subject of formal investigation.
Let's see, I can think of about a dozen, but I'm sure I'm missing a few. In no particular order...
* Cheney's secretive Energy Task Force was investigated by the GAO and the case is currently pending at the Supreme Court.
* The Plame Game is under investigation by the Justice Department.
* Bush's Medicare scam and the circumstances that led the administration to lie to Congress about the cost of the legislation is under investigation by the HHS inspector general's office.
* The massive intelligence failure that led Bush to lie to the world about the Iraqi threat is under investigation by a congressionally-authorized independent commission (which Bush fought the creation of).
* Bribes offered on the House floor to Rep. Nick Smith (R-Mich.) in exchange for his vote on Bush's Medicare plan are under investigation by the House Ethics Committee and the Justice Department.
* Attorney General John Ashcroft was under investigation by the Federal Election Commission for violating campaign finance laws in 2000, and the FEC concluded that Ashcroft accepted $110,000 in illegal contributions.
* An investigation into House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's criminal fundraising schemes in Texas -- which allegedly used corporate funds to help state GOP lawmakers -- is already before a Texas grand jury.
* Republican staffers on the Senate Judiciary Committee were investigated for stealing thousands of confidential memos from Dem computers, a matter that has now been referred to the Justice Department for a possible criminal probe.
* Republican Connecticut Gov. John Rowland is under a criminal investigation (and an impeachment investigation) after he lied about prominent state contractors and several government aides paying for refurbishments to his lake-front cottage.
* Former Rep. Bill Janklow (R-S.D.) was under investigation for vehicular manslaughter, a crime for which he was later convicted.
* The Pentagon launched a formal investigation into well-armed evangelist and three-star General William "Jerry" Boykin, Bush's pick for deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence, and his record of extreme religious rhetoric.
* The circumstances that led to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 are under investigation by a congressionally-authorized independent commission (which, again, Bush fought the creation of and then later resisted cooperating with).
* And honorable mentions should go, of course, to investigations into Halliburton (Dick Cheney's former company) and Enron (George Bush's biggest corporate supporter).
If I'm missing any -- and I'm sure I am -- be sure to let me know and I'll update this list.
Update: One reader has alerted me to a helpful list of GOP ethics abuses that the Washington Post published yesterday. Only one of the nine on the list actually is under investigation right now, but they all deserve to be.
Second Update: Thanks to an outpouring of assistance from a variety of readers, here are four more GOP scandals that have been the subject of formal inquiries:
* California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was investigated for violating state campaign finance laws, a charge for which he was later found guilty by a state judge. The state has a $100,000 cap on candidate loans; Schwarzenegger loaned himself over $4 million in the closing days of his campaign. (Updated 3/21/04, thanks to reader Josh C. for the tip.)
* The forged documents that led Bush to inaccurately claim that Iraq had sought to purchase uranium from Niger are under investigation by a Senate committee and the FBI. (Updated 3/21/04, thanks to reader N.Z. for the tip.)
* John Korsmo, Bush's choice to chair the Federal Housing Finance Board, is the target of an ongoing Justice Department criminal probe related to his political fundraising activities and their subsequent cover-up. The scandal cost Korsmo his career; he was forced to resign from his position last week. (Updated 3/21/04, thanks to reader R.G. for the tip.)
* The Texas GOP's decision to seek assistance from the FAA to track down Democratic lawmakers fleeing the state to deny a legislative quorum was the subject of two formal inquiries -- one from the U.S. Department of Transportation, the other from the Department of Homeland Security. (Updated 3/21/04, thanks to reader Joe C. for the tip.)
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