fishbob
5th May 2007, 01:01 PM
A little background:
The Corrupt Bastards Club reportedly started as a joke among Alaska legislators linked to large campaign contributions from VECO Corp. All local Republicans. In FBI raids on state legislator offices last year,
A specific item named in the search for seizure: "Any physical garments (including hats) bearing any of the following logos or phrases: `CBC,' `Corrupt Bastards Club,' `Corrupt Bastards Caucus,' `VECO.'"
source (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/9/2/91211/56628)
A good spoof is based in reality (http://www.thespoof.com/news/spoof.cfm?headline=s2i18338)
Kott is my neighbor. An unpleasant sort of neighbor.
Weyhrauch was arrested on Friday along with Rep Victor Kohring of Walrus and former state Rep Pete Kott of Eagle River in a pipeline scam that the Feds began investigating over six months ago connected to big oil corruption clean-up artists VECO Corporation.
Kohring has been charged with extortion, attempted extortion, bribery and conspiracy. Kott was charged along with Weyhrauch with conspiracy to commit extortion, extortion, bribery and fraud.
Prosecutors allege the three Corrupt Bastards Club members dreamed up a scam involving a new petroleum profits tax structure and a new natural gas pipeline contract first discussed as part of a Rovian dream to keep the Alaskan state legislators sweet prior to the erection of the state's first woman Governor Sarah Palin.
Another, less entertaining source (http://www.adn.com/front/picture_inset/story/8857016p-8757597c.html)
Acting on felony indictments brought by the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section, federal agents arrested the three Republicans in Juneau - one a sitting legislator, Rep. Vic Kohring of Wasilla, and two others who left office in January, Reps. Pete Kott of Eagle River and Bruce Weyhrauch of Juneau.
Link to Gonzo-attorney hijinks (http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/8816351p-8717151c.html)
The state’s chief federal prosecutor, Pittsburgh native Nelson Cohen, owes his job to the U.S. attorney in his hometown, who succeeded in getting him the Anchorage post over Alaskans nominated by Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Ted Stevens.
------------------
The U.S. attorney position in Alaska opened Jan. 23, 2006, when Timothy Burgess left to become a U.S. district judge. His first assistant, Deborah Smith, was named acting U.S. attorney that day. U.S. attorneys are typically nominated by the president and approved by the Senate. Traditionally, Alaska’s two U.S. senators send the names of one or more Alaskans to the White House for consideration. Sen. Murkowski said her clear choice was Smith, a career prosecutor who started out in the federal prosecutor’s office in Anchorage in 1982 and worked in Boston and Washington.
After submitting Smith’s name, Murkowski said in a telephone interview, her legislative director periodically called the White House during the first part of 2006 to check the status of the nomination.
“We’d get these vague, 'Oh, we’re still working on it, still working on it,’ ” Murkowski said. “So it gets to the point where you’re thinking, 'Wait a minute, this has been a heck of a long time. What is happening?’ And so the response to my inquiry is, 'We still haven’t, there’s some issues,’ and ultimately what we got back was, 'The picks were not acceptable by the White House,’ and yet no explanation as to why they’re not acceptable.”
-------------------------------
In an interview at his office in the Federal Building last week, Cohen said he was unaware of all the political forces that resulted in his appointment. But he knew his boss, Buchanan, was well-connected, and it was she who told him about the opening in Alaska.
Through a spokeswoman, Buchanan declined a request for an interview. But the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently reported that she pushed the White House agenda, prosecuting such targets as famed cinematic pothead Tommy Chong, of Cheech and Chong fame, for selling bongs over the Internet. She also went after pornographers in California.
The Post-Gazette said Buchanan’s office prosecuted a host of public corruption cases - all against Democrats.
Always entertaining in the last frontier.
The Corrupt Bastards Club reportedly started as a joke among Alaska legislators linked to large campaign contributions from VECO Corp. All local Republicans. In FBI raids on state legislator offices last year,
A specific item named in the search for seizure: "Any physical garments (including hats) bearing any of the following logos or phrases: `CBC,' `Corrupt Bastards Club,' `Corrupt Bastards Caucus,' `VECO.'"
source (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/9/2/91211/56628)
A good spoof is based in reality (http://www.thespoof.com/news/spoof.cfm?headline=s2i18338)
Kott is my neighbor. An unpleasant sort of neighbor.
Weyhrauch was arrested on Friday along with Rep Victor Kohring of Walrus and former state Rep Pete Kott of Eagle River in a pipeline scam that the Feds began investigating over six months ago connected to big oil corruption clean-up artists VECO Corporation.
Kohring has been charged with extortion, attempted extortion, bribery and conspiracy. Kott was charged along with Weyhrauch with conspiracy to commit extortion, extortion, bribery and fraud.
Prosecutors allege the three Corrupt Bastards Club members dreamed up a scam involving a new petroleum profits tax structure and a new natural gas pipeline contract first discussed as part of a Rovian dream to keep the Alaskan state legislators sweet prior to the erection of the state's first woman Governor Sarah Palin.
Another, less entertaining source (http://www.adn.com/front/picture_inset/story/8857016p-8757597c.html)
Acting on felony indictments brought by the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section, federal agents arrested the three Republicans in Juneau - one a sitting legislator, Rep. Vic Kohring of Wasilla, and two others who left office in January, Reps. Pete Kott of Eagle River and Bruce Weyhrauch of Juneau.
Link to Gonzo-attorney hijinks (http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/8816351p-8717151c.html)
The state’s chief federal prosecutor, Pittsburgh native Nelson Cohen, owes his job to the U.S. attorney in his hometown, who succeeded in getting him the Anchorage post over Alaskans nominated by Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Ted Stevens.
------------------
The U.S. attorney position in Alaska opened Jan. 23, 2006, when Timothy Burgess left to become a U.S. district judge. His first assistant, Deborah Smith, was named acting U.S. attorney that day. U.S. attorneys are typically nominated by the president and approved by the Senate. Traditionally, Alaska’s two U.S. senators send the names of one or more Alaskans to the White House for consideration. Sen. Murkowski said her clear choice was Smith, a career prosecutor who started out in the federal prosecutor’s office in Anchorage in 1982 and worked in Boston and Washington.
After submitting Smith’s name, Murkowski said in a telephone interview, her legislative director periodically called the White House during the first part of 2006 to check the status of the nomination.
“We’d get these vague, 'Oh, we’re still working on it, still working on it,’ ” Murkowski said. “So it gets to the point where you’re thinking, 'Wait a minute, this has been a heck of a long time. What is happening?’ And so the response to my inquiry is, 'We still haven’t, there’s some issues,’ and ultimately what we got back was, 'The picks were not acceptable by the White House,’ and yet no explanation as to why they’re not acceptable.”
-------------------------------
In an interview at his office in the Federal Building last week, Cohen said he was unaware of all the political forces that resulted in his appointment. But he knew his boss, Buchanan, was well-connected, and it was she who told him about the opening in Alaska.
Through a spokeswoman, Buchanan declined a request for an interview. But the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently reported that she pushed the White House agenda, prosecuting such targets as famed cinematic pothead Tommy Chong, of Cheech and Chong fame, for selling bongs over the Internet. She also went after pornographers in California.
The Post-Gazette said Buchanan’s office prosecuted a host of public corruption cases - all against Democrats.
Always entertaining in the last frontier.