* Indicted Rep. Derrick Smith’s attorney has submitted his witness list to the House Select Committee on Discipline. Victor Henderson says he wants to question “CS-1,” the federal government’s unnamed mole who allegedly passed the $7,000 cash bribe to Smith.
Henderson also wants to question FBI Special Agent Bryan Butler, who was the arresting officer in the case.
Smith’s attorney wants the committee to subpoena both people or be given the right to subpoena them himself. Needless to say, it’s highly doubtful either of those things will happen.
* Henderson also disclosed in his evidence list that he intends to ask for an extension of the committee’s scheduled July 19th hearing. According to Henderson, they’ll want the extension “in order to obtain other, unidentified, exculpatory evidence.
The July 19th hearing will be the committee’s one and only hearing before recommending his punishment to the full House.
Congressman Jackson’s medical condition is more serious than we thought and initially believed. Recently, we have been made aware that he has grappled with certain physical and emotional ailments privately for a long period of time. At present, he is undergoing further evaluation and treatment at an inpatient medical facility. According to the preliminary diagnosis from his doctors, Congressman Jackson will need to receive extended inpatient treatment as well as continuing medical treatment thereafter. We ask that you keep Congressman Jackson and his family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult period.
It looks to me that his staff has been kept in the dark as well.
At a Chicago press conference, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., stopped just short of calling on Mr. Jackson to immediately detail why he is on an indefinite leave of absence from Congress.
But, in the coded language of politics, Mr. Durbin was surprisingly frank, as the diplomats would say, in his first public comments on the flap.
“As a public official, there comes a point when you have a responsibility to tell the public what’s going on,” Mr. Durbin said. Mr. Jackson “will soon have to make a report on the physical condition he’s struggling with.”
The senator would not define “soon” and said a temporary exception perhaps could be made if there were some “medical necessity” for telling constituents only that Mr. Jackson is being treated at an unnamed health facility for “certain physical and emotional ailments,” as a statement from his office termed it.
U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.
But Mr. Durbin said he’s “concerned” by the news blackout, and noted that he has received no information about Mr. Jackson’s condition.
* Some people play their politics by attempting to turn their opponents’ strongest attributes into their biggest liabilities. And some folks are more successful at this little game than others.
It remains to be seen whether Congressman Joe Walsh will succeed in turning Tammy Duckworth’s military heroism into a liability, but it doesn’t look likely, mainly because Walsh just isn’t all that credible on anything.
If you missed this story during my vacation, here’s how it all started…
Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.), locked in an election battle with Democrat Tammy Duckworth — who lost both legs and partial use of her arm in Iraq — said she talks too much about her military service, something “true heroes” don’t do.
Walsh’s comment — especially coming before the Fourth of July — touched off a firestorm on Tuesday that spread beyond the 8th Congressional District in the northwest suburbs, where the two are running.
“Now I’m running against a woman who, I mean, my God, that’s all she talks about. Our true heroes, the men and women who served us, it’s the last thing in the world they talk about. That’s why we’re so indebted and in awe of what they have done,” Walsh said.
Duckworth Campaign Manager Kaitlin Fahey, in a statement, said “Walsh’s comments insult those who sacrificed to make this country free. Tammy is proud of her over 20 years of service with the Army and her family’s legacy of fighting for this country. We can’t recognize our servicemen and women enough and ask that we keep them in our thoughts during this holiday week.”
Walsh issued a statement in reply on Tuesday — and did not back down on the point that he thinks Duckworth talks too much about her military service.
“Of course Tammy Duckworth is a hero,” Walsh said. “I have called her a hero hundreds of times in the past four months. Just like every man and woman who has worn the uniform, her service demands — demands — our utmost respect. That’s why I recognize our veterans at the beginning of every one of my public town halls. However, unlike most veterans I have had the honor to meet since my election to Congress, who rarely if ever talk about their service or the combat they’ve seen, that is darn near all of what Tammy Duckworth talks about.”
* Walsh also said last week that, unlike Duckworth, John McCain was very reluctant to use his military service to his own political advantage…
One of the first McCain TV ads of 2007 featured a young McCain being interviewed in a Hanoi prison.
Interviewer: How old are you?
John McCain: Thirty one.
Interviewer: What is your rank in the army?
McCain: Lt. Commander in the Navy. … hit by either missile or anti-aircraft fire, I’m not sure which. And the plane continued straight down and I ejected and broke my leg and both arms.
Interviewer: And your official number?
McCain: 624787
The viewer hears the announcer say, “One man sacrificed for his country.”
It led to another ad based on McCain’s favorite scripted debate sound-bite: “I was, I was tied up at the time.”
In mid-December 2007, McCain completely gave up on subtlety: “One night, after being mistreated as a POW, a guard loosened the ropes binding me, easing my pain. On Christmas, that same guard approached me, and without saying a word, he drew a cross in the sand. We stood wordlessly looking at the cross, remembering the true light of Christmas.”
In March 2008, the McCain campaign released its first national ad — one-fourth of which was interrogation footage taken while McCain was a prisoner of war.
And then in June 2008, in his first general-election ad, McCain told voters, “I was shot down over Vietnam and spent five years as a POW. Some of the friends I served with never came home.”
* Then Walsh took heat for his subsequent CNN appearance…
When Rep. Joe Walsh looks back on his brief and inglorious career in Congress, he will have many moments to blame for his demise, but none more colorful than Thursday afternoon, when he managed to utter the word “Ashleigh” 91 times over the course of a 12-minute interview.
Oh, c’mon. He’s not gonna blame himself for anything. The guy is a professional victim…
In response to the Democratic criticism, Walsh issued a statement calling the controversy a “political ploy to distort my words and distract voters.”
“She’s a hero with whom you disagree,” Ingraham said helpfully. “…Most disabled people that I know just want to be treated like everybody else and they don’t want to be babied.”
“He really disrespected 23 million veterans across this nation with those comments,” Duckworth told MSNBC’s Martin Bashir later on Tuesday. “Anyone who has worn the uniform of this great nation for a single day has done more for their nation than Joe Walsh has ever done.”
Oh, come on. Some guy in his first day of basic training has done more for the nation than Walsh? Look, I don’t agree with the guy and find him irritating, but, really, this “super citizen” stuff is getting outta hand here.
* And as far as military service goes, just about nobody in Illinois talks more about their service these days than Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger. Check out his website.
* To sum up, Walsh’s claim against Duckworth is nothing more than a phony, hyperpartisan DC issue. Duckworth’s response was way over the top. Just another day on the campaign trail.
* Related…
* Joe Walsh’s words reap big cash for Tammy Duckworth: While the email didn’t specifically ask for donations, it so far has brought in more than $85,000, this at a time when “only a couple of thousand” normally would have been expected, according to a Duckworth spokeswoman.
* Gov. Pat Quinn signed a bill into law Friday that repeals campaign contribution caps when outside groups and individuals start dumping big money into their races…
A spokeswoman for the Democratic governor conceded it’s a short-term fix to ensure campaign fairness since the U.S. Supreme Court and a federal ruling in Illinois put a crimp on enforcing limits on such outside groups, giving rise to super PACs with deep pockets.
“This new law is necessary to keep the playing field as level as possible,” Quinn spokeswoman Annie Thompson said. “This issue absolutely requires more analysis and more study to figure out what the best long-term reforms might be.”
Just three years ago, Quinn signed into law campaign-cash limits in Illinois after his two predecessors, George Ryan and Rod Blagojevich, landed in federal prison for political crimes. But the law just took effect this year.
Generally, it restricts contributions to a candidate to $10,000 for individuals, $20,000 for corporations, labor groups or political parties, and $50,000 from political action committees or the candidate’s committee.
The caps disappear if independent expenditures reach $250,000 in a statewide race or $100,000 in other races.
* Reaction from the goo-goos was harsh and a bit over the top. From a press release…
The co-chairs of the CHANGE Illinois! coalition on Friday said Gov. Quinn’s signing of Senate Bill 3722 has damaged the state’s campaign contribution limits system and opened the door to unlimited contributions in election contests where independent expenditure groups spend significant amounts of money.
Under the new law, there will be no limits on campaign contributions in any election where spending by an independent committee (or super PAC) exceeds $250,000 in support of a candidate in a statewide race or $100,000 in an election for state legislator, mayor, judge and all other non-statewide contests.
“This new law could open the floodgates to a torrent of special interest money surging into the campaigns of candidates seeking some of the most important offices in our state,” said CHANGE Illinois! Co-Chair Peter Bensinger. “Those unlimited contributions will carry more opportunities for the kind of corruption that has denied Illinoisans a fair and honest representation in their governments.”
So, what happens to that “fair and honest representation” if outsiders can dump uncapped millions into campaigns here? The reformers have yet to answer that question.
The Illinois Campaign for Political Reform ripped the governor, saying he’s opened a huge loophole in the state’s campaign finance laws,
“He has made it easier for large campaign contributors to buy political favors, and he has moved Illinois back toward the same kind of system that produced two corrupt governors now serving prison sentences,” said Brian Gladstein, the organization’s executive director. “He has opened the door to a return of Blagojevich-proportion contributions in the 2014 gubernatorial election.”
On Friday, the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform contended the law provides a road map for any candidate who wishes to evade the limits. He or she could urge a group to pour in major donations on behalf of either side, and both sides would see the limits removed, said David Morrison, the group’s deputy director.
“With this law, I’m confident there will not be limits in a governor’s race,” Morrison said.
Except the reformers never admit that state law already forbids candidates from urging any group to make independent expenditures, under penalty of perjury…
Each quarterly report shall include the following information regarding any independent expenditures made during the reporting period… a certification, under penalty of perjury, that such expenditure was not made in cooperation, consultation, or concert with, or at the request or suggestion of, any candidate or any authorized committee or agent of such committee.
* As you already know, Gov. Pat Quinn refused to pay for state raises for 30,000 unionized workers last year because he claimed the General Assembly didn’t appropriate enough money to fund them. Quinn was right about the lack of appropriations, but during my vacation a judge ruled that he has to prove it…
A nonbinding arbitrator’s ruling last summer sided with the union representing nearly 30,000 state workers, saying they should get the raise. Now Cook County Judge Richard Billik Jr. says the arbitrator should consider the administration’s contention that $75 million needed was not provided by the Legislature in the budget for fiscal 2012. […]
Billik sided with some of the administration’s arguments, including that Quinn can’t spend money that hasn’t been appropriated by lawmakers even if bound by a contract.
But the judge said that for that argument to hold up, the administration must prove that it lacked the money, and he ordered the matter sent back to the arbitrator for additional fact-finding. No date was immediately set.
“It is the court’s view that because the amount of funds is disputed, further proceedings are necessary. … The case is remanded to arbitration,” Billik said.
Quinn insisted the moves were necessary to restore fiscal stability to Illinois when questioned by reporters after signing the budget over the weekend. “A lot of those facilities have been in place for a long time, but having said that, the mission has to be to carry out what’s good for the people of Illinois in their needs, and we cannot see state government putting facilities in places as an employment program”, said Quinn.
Quinn once again emphasized his reasoning for closing both the Jacksonville and Murray Developmental Centers. “We’re not going to have an institution-based system. Now we’re in the future. We’re moving forward towards community care. I think it’s a better way to go. It makes sure that they’re is a way of independent living, and a fulfillment opportunity for those who are in those systems. It’s a fundamental policy difference that I have with some members of the General Assembly, but I think that is what the people of Illinois want”, said Quinn.
It once belonged to a succession of Roman Catholic cardinals in Chicago. Then, it went to an Illinois secretary of state who would later be remembered for the shoeboxes stuffed with cash that he left behind after his death. Most recently, it adorned the car of a former Illinois first lady. […]
But for the past decade, Illinois’ No. 1 license plate — the most coveted of all the state’s nearly 7.8 million passenger-vehicle license plates — has quietly been kept out of circulation.
That has been the case ever since the widow of former Gov. Richard Ogilvie relinquished the showpiece plate in 2002. […]
But told that that’s the case by a Chicago Sun-Times reporter, Quinn now has a plan to put passenger plate No. 1 back into circulation.
He wants the plate sold to the highest bidder, with the proceeds going to programs for military veterans.
The governor has long been a proponent of auctioning off coveted low-digit and single-letter license plates, which for decades have gone to those with political clout — including more than a few who ended up being felons.
Four other states now allow license plates to be auctioned to the high bidder.
No one can say for certain how much Illinois’ No. 1 might draw. In 2009, though, Delaware plate No. 11 pulled in a whopping $675,000 at auction. And that was No. 11, not No. 1.
* Related…
* ADDED: Prison workers say violent incidents on rise
* Budget blocks funds for prisons Quinn is to close
* Illinois Services Threatened As Pension Hole Grows: “It’s a little bit humorous to me,” Allan says. “The retirement card that I received today simply says ‘thank you.’ And the reason for that is because there are so many state employees and university people retiring within the city of Springfield that you cannot go into any store and buy a retirement card at this point.”
* Advocates praise Quinn’s plan to close juvenile prisons: “Consolidation of the youth prison system will drive down the cost of a system where the annual cost has recently risen to close to $100,000 per bed. That drains away money that could better be spent on rehabilitation of our youth and helping them transition safely back into their communities,” said Paula Wolff, senior executive of Metropolis Strategies, a Chicago-based civic organization.
* I’m trying to catch up on all the stories I missed during my vacation. So, rather than make you wait while I read through all the articles, let’s start the day with a question. The setup…
U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., used a fake name — Hillel Underwood — when he entered a suburban Chicago hospital in January after a stroke that has kept him from the Capitol ever since. […]
Eric Elk, a top Kirk aide, wrote in an e-mail that the senator used the alias to “enhance his privacy” and “reduce the chances of unwanted visitors” when he checked into Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital on Jan. 21.
Elk said Kirk “follows procedures recommended to members of Congress by the sergeant at arms, including using a pseudonym when checking into the hospital.”
Chicago native Terry Gainer, who formerly led the Illinois State Police, is Senate sergeant at arms. Gainer said Friday that he was aware early on that Kirk was going to be hospitalized, but he could not recall when he discussed with the senator using an alias.
“I don’t know that there was a threat, but I know he or his staff was concerned to want that privacy,” Gainer said. In the past, he said, he has counseled senators to use pseudonyms when checking into a hospital.
So, apparently, using pseudonyms is standard practice.
* The Question: What pseudonyms do you think would be appropriate for other state politicians?
