I just about spit out my coffee when I read the lede on this press release.
The campaign manager for 11th District congressional candidate John Pavich today drew attention to 6-term incumbent Jerry Weller’s acceptance of a campaign contribution from a man described as a “world-class phone sex operator,†and challenged Weller to explain actions he took on behalf of the contributor. […]
Pavich’s campaign manager was speaking in response to news that in April 2005, Congressman Jerry Weller, who serves as Vice Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, of the House International Relations Committee, personally delivered a letter on behalf of his donor, Jeffrey Prosser, to the prime minister of Belize in an attempt to reverse the seizure of a Belizean telephone company owned by Prosser.
The story was carried by The Hill, a Washington based newspaper. […]
Prosser, whose Atlantic Tele Network traffics in phone-sex calls on a 900-number, contributed $2,100 to Weller on June 30, 2005 after Weller made a personal visit to Belize on Prosser’s behalf. Prosser’s wife contributed an additional $2100 in September, 2005, and Prosser declared bankruptcy earlier this month. […]
Please see this for information on how Mr. Weller wrote a letter on April 1st, 2005 on behalf of Mr. Prosser’s company, which he personally delivered to the prime minister of Belize.
Please see this and type in the name Prosser to search for the Prossers’ donations to Weller’s campaign just months after Weller’s personal actions on Mr. Prosser’s behalf.
Please see this in regards to Mr. Prosser’s Atlantic Tele Network and “substantial percentage†of revenue that comes from sex calls.
The Columbia Journalism Review did a story several years ago on Atlantic Tele Network and Presser, claiming he “makes much of his money from a phone-sex business.” Prosser recently filed for bankruptcy.
It should be interesting to see if the big media picks this one up.
- Judy, Judy, Judy - Thursday, Aug 31, 06 @ 12:43 pm:
Well since no one else took the bait I thought I’d jump in with my thoughts. I believe it’s time for a change. Jerry Weller has been in office for too long. We rarely see him on our communities unless of course an election is coming up. Vote for change!
- Reddbyrd - Thursday, Aug 31, 06 @ 12:45 pm:
Big Media
- Reddbyrd - Thursday, Aug 31, 06 @ 12:46 pm:
Big Media
Rich it don’t get no bigger than Capt.Fax and Blogapaloza!
- Bridget Dooley - Thursday, Aug 31, 06 @ 1:02 pm:
This is hilarious! How is it that the media hasn’t eaten this guy for dinner yet? Aside from the uber-liberal and out-of-district Chicago Reader, anyway.
Pavich is a good candidate and very representative of the district. If he doesn’t make it this time, I hear he’s committed to running in ‘08.
- Weller Watcher - Thursday, Aug 31, 06 @ 1:16 pm:
This from the man who once claimed to have been endorsed by God.
- moderate - half way between crazy and crazy. - Thursday, Aug 31, 06 @ 1:19 pm:
if anyone can find out how to become a world-class phone sex operator can they post instructions on here?
- 105th Blues - Thursday, Aug 31, 06 @ 1:20 pm:
Weller displays a sense of entitlement and he needs to be voted out of office and is a terrible member of Congress. Maybe he can move away to Central America and hang around his dictator in-laws.
- Still Anon - Thursday, Aug 31, 06 @ 2:07 pm:
Well, there’s family values for you!
- Anon - Thursday, Aug 31, 06 @ 3:13 pm:
“Lawmakers and a former Clinton administration insider are pressuring the government of Belize to make amends for what a Florida court has characterized as an illegal takeover of a U.S.-held company.â€
â€Lanny Davis, former White House special counsel to President Clinton and now a litigation partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, is representing a U.S. foreign investor whose telephone company was seized by the Belize government in February.â€
“U.S. District Court Judge Ursula Ungaro-Benages found Belize in contempt and said, “It does seem as though the government of Belize wants to be hit over the head by a 2-by-4.â€
“Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) has also sent a letter objecting to Belize’s actions.â€
“Jerry Weller (R-Ill.) said, “Aside from the clearly illegal and costly actions the government has taken against this company, there is an important precedent that is set by this case. Foreign investors will be watching very closely to see the outcome of this matter and will make decisions about whether Belize is a good choice for investing based on the actions in this case.â€
So, we have:
Mega Clinton Democrat Super Lawyer, Lanny Davis; A Federal Judge; Democrat Congressman Emanuel Cleaver; and Jerry Weller all intervening on behalf of a legal business – a business that was found to be illegally seized by a foreign government.
Mr. Weller’s statement was that why should U.S. businesses invest over-seas when they are subject to seizure – HELLOOO? Rule of Law, property rights and all that? Would we feel that same if say, Canada decided to seize the Ford Motor Company in Canada? I don’t think so, there would be national outrage.
Further, if you look at the story used to reference the business in question it is from 1998 – 8 years old. And neither of the companies mentioned in the story are the one that the Belize government stole from the U.S. investor group. Unless you looked into an almost decade old story – a good find, I’ll admit, how would you know that?
Finally, the person who sued Belize for the illegal seizure of a U.S. company also gave contributions, equal or in excess of the amount that Weller received to such Democratic luminaries as:
Tom Daschle, former Senate Majority Leader, and Charlie Rangel, the Ranking Member of the Ways and Means Committee.
In all, it really doesn’t seem to add up to a whole lot – U.S. Congressional Leaders support U.S. Federal Judge, at the Request of President Clinton’s Mega (and well respected by many) Lawyer, over the illegal seizure of a lawful U.S. Corporation.
Read the articles again. And do the research beyond the drive-by “gotcha†faux-headlines tossed out by a political opponent.
- HANKSTER - Thursday, Aug 31, 06 @ 5:50 pm:
This did not fit in any of the posts but this is a hell of a story…
http://www.forbes.com/technology/ebusiness/feeds/ap/2006/08/31/ap2986766.html
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Thursday, Aug 31, 06 @ 6:51 pm:
Anon 3:13 - Way to jump in there. I was waiting for someone to jump in and defend Jerry Weller’s phone sex connection. To summarize:
1) Phone sex operators are legitimate businesses
2) Don’t blame Weller, Democrats like phone sex too.
Unfortunately for that argument, Weller isn’t running against any of the aforementioned Democrats.
- Henry Krinkle - Thursday, Aug 31, 06 @ 9:23 pm:
Well what is Rahm Emmanuel waiting for? Bean can hold her own and she will be re-elected; Duckworth isn’t going anywhere, the DNC might as well write that one off. Weller is vulnerable and his challenger looks like a Blue Ribbon candidate (not some doorknob like in years past). If the DNCC is smart, they will get in this with both feet. How? Do a sh*tload of direct mail after Labor Day. And I am talkin’ saturation bombing here. Get the word on the street and A-HA! The Weller ship goes down!
- Way Northsider - Thursday, Aug 31, 06 @ 9:48 pm:
Weller is a sleaze ball and worse. I hope his constituents will take the opportunity to boot him in November.
- Anon - Friday, Sep 1, 06 @ 9:58 am:
Just as I suspected…. no intelligent response to the facts. You should do some research before you just “jump in there” and make accusations. You dems are pathetic! Just keep spewing the same old canned bs responses with no factual data to back it up. Typical….
- TomD - Friday, Sep 1, 06 @ 10:07 am:
Ummm, doesn’t the government of Belize have more important things to do than chase after phone-sex operators?
- Anonymous - Friday, Sep 1, 06 @ 10:15 am:
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/heraldnews/top/4_1_JO01_WELLER_S10901.htm
- HANKSTER - Friday, Sep 1, 06 @ 10:45 am:
“You dems are pathetic! Just keep spewing the same old canned bs responses”
Maybe you didnt see this…
http://www.forbes.com/technology/ebusiness/feeds/ap/2006/08/31/ap2986766.html
Yes democrats are the ones with the “same old canned responses”
- grand old partisan - Friday, Sep 1, 06 @ 11:09 am:
I really have to give Pavich’s campaign credit on this one – brilliant mudslinging indeed.
Look what’s he’s accomplished:
1) Gotten a press release out with the words “phone sex operator†in the same sentence as “Jerry Weller.â€
2) He’s got Weller’s surrogates in the awkward position of appearing to be defending said phone sex operators.
Yellow Dog, as far as Weller not running the Democrats who are guilty for the same alleged sin, I’d remind you that Rangel (on of those aforementioned Dems) is poised to become Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee – a rather prestigious and influential post. Would it be fair to ask Pavich if, on the off chance that he gets appointed to that committee, he would support Rangel’s Chairmanship, given his involvement in such scandalous activities?
- Kankakee Voice - Friday, Sep 1, 06 @ 2:02 pm:
As for the Pavich Campaign “brilliant mudslinging,” I seem to recall quite a bit of mudslinging Weller and his staff did to Terri Renner last election. So I guess some are just angry that Pavich beat Weller to his own tactics and used them on him to see how he likes it for a change. Turnabout is fair play.
There is not just ONE thing that is a problem for Weller, there’s many. The conflict of interest caused by his marriage. He and the wife met while both were working on the legislation for CAFTA for their respective Governments. Weller sits on the International Relations Committee, his wife is on the equivalent of that seat, or was until recently.
The international warrant for arrest issued for his father-in-law for genocide and terrorism, his wife own enthusiastic support for her father and their corrupt political party. And the human rights issue of Weller marrying in the home of a man many people in Guatemala see as as murderer. And now he and the wife have the child in Guatemala instead of here in America, while our military, as Weller likes to say - are dying for “freedom” and “democracy.” I guess the big house in Morris isn’t good enough for the organized crime princess.
- Disappointed Republican - Wednesday, Sep 20, 06 @ 12:20 am:
As a staunch R, I would love to say that I could support JW, but at what point do voters have to accept that there are so many controversies surrounding this man as to warrant his removal from office? He takes a trip on Jack Abramoff’s dime and then denies he knows the man, despite the numerous contributions from JA clients. He is one of the top ten receipients from the very same defense lobbyists who bought off now-former Congressman Duke Cunningham. Not to mention the shady situation with his wife — I still remember the screams for Gary Condit to step down from the International Relations committee based on the appearance of potential impropriaty and yet JW remains not only on the committee, but in a leadership position on the subcommittee that directly overseas Guatemala. Just wondering if a crack down on drug operations in neighboring countries wouldnt provide a boom to those in his wife’s homeland.
Now we have the “phone sex” scandal. My question is would the Congressman have taken time out of his schedule to meet with foreign officials on behalf of a businessman who was NOT lining his campaign coffers? More importantly, while the businessman in question was contemplating bankruptcy, a move which leaves employees and other debtors to suffer finacially, he still had the resources to max out to Weller.
Any one of these things might be explainable, but when taken in their totality, it certainly raises serious doubts as to his integrity in office.
I am not in agreement with Mr. Pavich on the issues, but in the end we as voters have a responsibility to reject those candidates who would sell out our democracy to the highest bidder. I think in this case the old adage, “where there is smoke there is usually fire” unfortunately seems to hold true.