* AP a couple of weeks ago…
Former Illinois congressman and U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in 2019 paid a $40,000 fine for allegedly making misleading statements to federal agents about a loan and failing to disclose it on ethics forms, according to the U.S. Justice Department.
Federal prosecutors disclosed the fine late Wednesday while discussing a California case unconnected to LaHood that concerned illegal political contributions. That case involved Lebanese-Nigerian businessman Gilbert Chagoury, who is prohibited from making political contributions because he isn’t a U.S. citizen.
LaHood, 75, denied to FBI agents he received a $50,000 loan from Chagoury through an intermediary until he was shown a copy of the check. He also didn’t tell agents he knew Chagoury was the ultimate source of the loan. Authorities say LaHood, who was transportation secretary during President Barack Obama’s administration from 2009 to 2013, was suffering financial difficulties at the time.
In an agreement with federal prosecutors, LaHood agreed to repay Chagoury and pay the fine.
Prosecutors said they agreed not to prosecute LaHood because of his “willingness to acknowledge and accept responsibility” for his actions, his cooperation with the government, the nature of the offense and “LaHood’s substantial mitigating factors.”
* You wonder how these conversations even happen. “Hey, Mr. Foreign Billionaire, I’m in over my head and I need a loan to remodel my house.” I just don’t get that sort of thinking…
According to the non-prosecution agreement signed by LaHood in December of 2019, but not made public until Wednesday, LaHood met Chagoury and Toufic Baaklini, one of Chagoury’s U.S. representatives, in July 2009 at a convention in Los Angeles.
In 2011 and 2012, the agreement said, LaHood was suffering “significant financial difficulties in part due to problems from home remediation and sought funds to conduct home repairs.”
* LaHood was appointed by Gov. Pritzker to chair the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in September of 2019, just a few months before he signed that non-prosecution agreement. That took an extraordinary amount of chutzpah to seek out a position while under federal scrutiny. But then he had to step down when the news emerged…
Former U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood on Monday resigned as chairman of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, just days after federal prosecutors said he “willfully” failed to disclose a $50,000 loan from a foreign national while a member President Barack Obama’s Cabinet.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who appointed LaHood to the Springfield museum’s post in September 2019, accepted the former Peoria congressman’s resignation, said spokeswoman Emily Bittner.
“Gov. Pritzker is grateful for Mr. LaHood’s service, and especially his vision in attracting an outstanding and historic new executive director: Christina Shutt. His stewardship of the museum during this pandemic also preserved this remarkable Illinois gem,” Bittner said in statement.
Shutt, 34, was named last month as the library and museum’s fifth executive director. She is the first person of color named to the post.
Seems awful nice considering the circumstances. But maybe Bittner had to say that to get him to leave. Whatever works, I suppose.
* LaHood’s last act on the board was severing ties with the presidential library foundation…
After months of disagreements and negotiations, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation are ending their relationship with each other.
The foundation serves as the fundraising arm of the library and museum, which means it will no longer handle fundraising duties or purchasing items for the museum’s collection. Each organization placed blame on the other.
“The ALPLM feels it is vital for the Foundation to disclose how much money it raises, where that money goes, and what fundraising plans are in the works to support this institution. The Foundation is unwilling to provide satisfactory answers to those questions,” the ALPLM said in a statement.
The Foundation shot back, saying “the State and ALPLM were inconsistent, unreasonable and threatening in their demands, and spreading misinformation about the Foundation, leading us to question if they were indeed negotiating with us in good faith.”
The foundation is a mess, so I suppose LaHood did us all a favor.
* The day the agreement was finally disclosed, an op-ed penned by LaHood was published by the Sun-Times…
As secretary of transportation under President Barack Obama, I traveled to all 50 states. I traveled to 225 cities. I’ve looked at literally hundreds of different plans centered on transit — the infrastructure backbone that built this country. And I can say, without a doubt, that ONE Central is a first-of-its-kind and visionary model that will unlock opportunities for Chicago to be the leader, nationally and internationally, in more equitable economic development and transit infrastructure delivery.
Yeah, I’m thinking his days of hawking gigantic Illinois projects may be over.
* But what gets to me the most was how saintly sanctimonious LaHood was last year when he was going after Supreme Court Justice Tom Kilbride…
“People recognize Kilbride’s name, but they also recognize Madigan’s name. They know that Madigan has been there too long. They know that Madigan has ruined Illinois,” LaHood added. “And they know that Madigan is under investigation by the state of Illinois, the city of Chicago, and the Department of Justice. So who does Kilbride report to? Not the constitution of Illinois. Kilbride reports directly to Speaker Madigan.”
He took a secret personal loan from a foreign national while he was a Cabinet member then lied about it to the FBI and then had the unmitigated gall to say that about Kilbride. Also, his son got some of the Chagoury campaign money. Not shady at all, Ray.
- Sir Reel - Tuesday, Apr 13, 21 @ 2:45 pm:
What a disappointment.
Ray was my kind of Republican. So much better than his empty suit son.
Now this will be the capstone of his career.
- 47th Ward - Tuesday, Apr 13, 21 @ 2:47 pm:
How does a guy like Ray LaHood, after a long career, need to go to such lengths to borrow $50,000 for house remodeling? If he’s so down on his luck that he couldn’t go to a bank, how did he get so broke so fast?
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Apr 13, 21 @ 2:48 pm:
Darren LaHood is the worst of the LaHoods, by far.
Ray wants ya to hold his beverage as he ruins his own reputation…
Pathetic
- Anyone Remember - Tuesday, Apr 13, 21 @ 2:50 pm:
Don’t remember (/irony) if it was as Congressman or Secretary of Transportation, but one of his economic disclosure forms showed he was paying off the student loans of his children. Perhaps he got in over his head being an indulgent parent?
- Sonny - Tuesday, Apr 13, 21 @ 2:55 pm:
He cared too much and then had to get a loan from a Nigerian businessman? Sorry can’t relate.
- Just Me 2 - Tuesday, Apr 13, 21 @ 2:58 pm:
If LaHood were a Democrat Fox News would be covering this 24/7.
- Fav Human - Tuesday, Apr 13, 21 @ 3:07 pm:
And what we need is more moderates like Ray LaH.
My fav memory? “Peter needs a primary”……
- Just Me 2 - Tuesday, Apr 13, 21 @ 3:15 pm:
Was he redecorating his home like Downton Abby?
- don the legend - Tuesday, Apr 13, 21 @ 3:15 pm:
Ray was either too honest or too dumb to get rich all those years in Congress.
- Annonin' - Tuesday, Apr 13, 21 @ 3:16 pm:
Darrin is just an empty suit
Let’s see wo can get any actual receipts from the US Distrc Court Clerk 1. repayment of the “loan” 2. $40Gs to the Feds as detailed in the NPA. Remember the “sweeping” ComEd fine has not gotten a dime yet.
- Three Dimensional Checkers - Tuesday, Apr 13, 21 @ 3:17 pm:
Sheesh, I don’t know why he was not prosecuted criminally. The federales can be as much of an old boys club as anyone else sometimes.
- Chicago Cynic - Tuesday, Apr 13, 21 @ 3:22 pm:
There are some politicians like Matt Gaetz that get into trouble and you sit back and go, “no surprise there.” But this one is truly a head-scratcher. And I just wonder how much this is going to taint his empty suit talking point machine…err, I mean Congressman son.
- Original Rambler - Tuesday, Apr 13, 21 @ 3:23 pm:
Why does Ray get a pass while other septuagenarians like Eddie V, Ed B, and even Madigan find themselves in the crosshairs? Lying to the FBI without criminal consequences? Rod would have signed up for that.
- Pundent - Tuesday, Apr 13, 21 @ 3:42 pm:
=Why does Ray get a pass=
Well consider that this agreement was entered into in 2019 and we’re just hearing about it now. And also consider “LaHood’s substantial mitigating factors.”
Might be something more to this than Ray simply walking.
- Grimlock - Tuesday, Apr 13, 21 @ 3:45 pm:
An Obama cabinet member finally gets busted but it was the Republican one, lol
- DuPage Saint - Tuesday, Apr 13, 21 @ 3:58 pm:
I hope Rain is talking. If not he should not get a pass. I would be more willing to give a freshman legislator a pass. This guy was around forever and passed his seat on. He needs at least a guilty plea probably with no time.
- EssentialStateEmployeeFromChatham - Tuesday, Apr 13, 21 @ 4:23 pm:
==Was he redecorating his home like Downton Abby?==
Ray’s successor, Aaron Schock, was the Downtown Abbey guy.
- Amalia - Tuesday, Apr 13, 21 @ 4:27 pm:
wow. I guess the lesson is don’t get caught in Illinois. cause those actions sure would not get this pass here.
- Powerhouse Prowler - Tuesday, Apr 13, 21 @ 5:03 pm:
Sad
- Nick Name - Tuesday, Apr 13, 21 @ 5:05 pm:
Hugely disappointing. Wow.
===LaHood, 75, denied to FBI agents he received a $50,000 loan from Chagoury through an intermediary until he was shown a copy of the check.===
Ray, as I’m sure you know, when the FBI asks you a question, they already know the answer. Jeez.
- MyTwoCents - Tuesday, Apr 13, 21 @ 5:25 pm:
When people who make a sizable salary, like a former long term Congressman and US Cabinet secretary plead money troubles I have very little sympathy. There are millions of people struggling to make ends meet on significantly less than 6 figure salaries. If LaHood was experiencing issues with his home there’s either home insurance or I”m sure he could have secured a traditional loan from a bank. A completely unforced error that destroyed his reputation.
- Annonin' - Tuesday, Apr 13, 21 @ 5:28 pm:
Perhaps the Kilbride-Madigan rants were Trump DOJ’s idea of a substantial mitigating factors.
- Angry Chicagoan - Tuesday, Apr 13, 21 @ 5:40 pm:
I guess I can’t say I’m that surprised. Shocked, but not surprised. The rot in the Republican Party runs deep, and it has run deep for a long time. Look at John Boehner, enabler of the Tea Party, two-time voter for Trump, suddenly having a major moment of clarity with his new book when it’s almost too late to matter. Perhaps we are finding out what the post-William F. Buckley Republican Party was about all along. Question is, where is there a functional political home for the soft center-right that all functioning democracies seem to need in some form or other?
- west wing - Tuesday, Apr 13, 21 @ 5:57 pm:
LaHood’s attacks on Justice Kilbride, especially now that we know about his own ethical problems, were really disgusting. Sorry they seemed to work against a good and solid member of the Illinois Supreme Court.
- JS Mill - Tuesday, Apr 13, 21 @ 6:50 pm:
I am disappointed but hardly surprised. Party affiliation does not preclude anyone from stupidity or criminal activity.
I see many here have had the pleasure of meeting Darrin LaHood. He is the poster boy for “empty shirtism’.
- theCardinal - Tuesday, Apr 13, 21 @ 8:25 pm:
Ray was my congressman for years and I always got the feeling he thought he was felt entitled. From getting the Michaels seat handing, it off to his kid and a major cabinet post. He spent way to much time inside the beltway.
- dr. reason a. goodwin - Tuesday, Apr 13, 21 @ 8:54 pm:
Very disappointing. He had a distinguished career,
- Candy Dogood - Wednesday, Apr 14, 21 @ 12:08 am:
Current and former members of congress need to be held to a higher standard when caught committing white collar crimes and lying to the FBI. Lahood’s consequences were so light he apparently went on living as if he had not engaged it such blatantly illegal contract.
Just the absolute gall of this kind of behavior. If I had retained his services to write up a nice endorsement of my public-private building and infrastructure project I would be taking him to court if he hadn’t disclosed these past violations.