Gingrich not running for president in '08

By JIM GALLOWAY
Published on: 09/29/07

A spokesman for Newt Gingrich on Saturday said the former U.S. House speaker has decided not to make a run as a Republican candidate for the White House in 2008.

The abrupt decision was the result of legal advice received this morning, said Gingrich spokesman Rick Tyler. Gingrich was told that it would be "legally impermissible" to continue as head of his non-profit American Solutions effort while operating an exploratory committee for president — a move that was to be announced Monday.

"Upon learning this, he made a decision," Tyler told the Journal-Constitution. "He decided it's better to continue as chairman of American Solutions. The news came as Gingrich finished two days of workshops on national problems on the campus of the University of West Georgia in Carrollton.

Only a day earlier, Gingrich's advisors were saying that the former Georgia congressman's entry into the race was made possible by the lackluster performance of former U.S. senator Fred Thompson of Tennessee.

GINGRICH RESIGNS FROM HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES!

"In my name and over my signature, inaccurate, incomplete and unreliable statements were given to the committee" -Stated Gingrich after he finally pled guilty in January of 1997 to charges brought against him by the House Ethics Committee. According to Michael Moore, Gingrich lied 13 times to the Committee..

GINGRICH RESIGNS!!!! On Friday, November 7, 1998, Newt Gingrich resigned as House Speaker and as the Representative from Georgia's sixth district. More than likely this was a as a result of the disastrous elections held on November 3, 1998. Over the summer and early fall, while the nation was embroiled over the Clinton scandal, Republicans, Gingrich included, were predicting pickups of a few seats in the Senate and 20-30 in the House. This is not an unreasonable prediction for a midterm election. The party of the President almost always loses seats because the opposition party is more energized and excited about voting and thus has a higher turnout. However, in a highly politically charged year, Democrats turned out to vote and picked up five seats in the House and held the Senate steady. This is an enormous win, and came as a shock to almost all pundits. It hasn't happened since about 1934, and has happened only twice since the Civil War. About the only one to correctly predict the outcome was Michael Moore , who's generally not regarded as an expert in such things..

Following the shocking Republican defeat, Newt Gingrich's firebrand leadership style had evidently worn its course in the House. After two failed coup attempts were led against him in prior years, Gingrich found himself unable to collect enough votes to remain speaker. Instead of dividing House Republicans further, Gingrich resigned. He stated that the "Republican conference needs to be unified, and it is time for me to move forward". Denny Hastert will suceed him, the conservative unknown from the Chicago area of Illinois. In addition to the loss of seats, Gingrich was also blamed for a budget deal which did little for the Republican leaderships goals. Other than increasing military funding, the budget was pre-dominantly Democratic orientated. Due to the Republican leaderships obsession with the Clinton Scandal, the House and Senate slapped the budget agreement together at the last minute. If Republicans held fast to what they desired, they risked shutting down the government again, which had ensured Clinton's reelection in 1996 when they refused to budge over certain budget matters then.    

From the New York Times of Sunday November 15, 1998.  It's in reference to the fact that Newt divorced his first wife at her bedside in the hospital. This was after she had undergone cancer surgery. A few days after, Newt showed up with the divorce papers.

During the call, Gingrich also accused the members of the coup of "blackmailing" him into retiring. This may have been a reference to many things, whether it be simply that they stated they would deny him the votes he needs to remain Speaker or whether they would blast him about his fundraising tactics....or whether they would make an issue of Gingrich's own illicit sexual behavior in the 1970s. According to fairly confirmed rumors, Gingrich lost his first two runs at a seat in the House largely because he couldn't stop having sex. This was while he was married to his first wife (whom he divorced at her bedside in a hospital after she had surgery to remove a tumor).

Corruption: Pre-GOPAC

Much of Newt's early life and, in fact, early legislative history do not reflect the staunch conservative that is now Speaker of the House. He was born in Pennsylvania in 1953 to a working class family. After earning his doctorate in European History from Tulane University, he went on to teach History and Environmental Studies at West Georgia College for eight years. Here he, from sources other than his web page, didn't publish anything (academically) and seemed more interested in being elected to a political office and sleeping with an aide than in doing anything academia related. In this time period, he allegedly asked each of his students for a $5 campaign donation, a gross violation of teacher-student relations. After winning a seat in 1979, Gingrich moved up through the Republican ranks until he became House Republican Whip from 1989-1994. The following year he was appointed the Speaker of the House.     

Gingrich first began his pattern of fundraising for favors before he was elected to any office. In 1977, while running for the position of U.S. Representative, Gingrich made a rather bizarre book deal. Gingrich was given $15,000 as an 'investment' in a futuristic future novel that he was supposedly writing. The fact that Gingrich was given this money strongly suggests something suspicious, as first time authors are almost never given any sort of money to do research, as Gingrich was in this case. Gingrich never finished the book, but he pocketed $15,000. The investors received a tax deduction and a several favors after Gingrich was elected. The most notable of the favors granted to the investors involved Chester Roush, the head of Dorchester Corporation (a house building company). In the first decade of Gingrich time in office, the Dorchester Corporation received nearly $12.6 million in federal subsidies. Gingrich also began manipulating the media and the public in order to better his own image. In 1984, Gingrich would give speeches on C-SPAN to what was assumed by most viewers to be a full council room of House representatives. In these speeches, he portrayed the 1984 Democrats as being "blind to communism" and "treasonous". However, his speeches were not fiery declarations in front of many Democrats and Republicans. He was giving speeches to an empty House.Nor did his quotes accurately represent the views of the Democrats, as they were taken from decade old Democrats (many of these quotes were also taken out of  context). Gingrich failed to note this in his diatribes against Democrats and Communist sympathizers. Gingrich was able to get away with this for much longer than he should have, because C-SPAN didn't start panning the House floor to show that there wasn't anyone else present until House Speaker Tip O'Neil (D-Mass.) requested that it be done. Needless to say, the Democrats were not happy at being painted in such a manner. At one point, Tip O'Neil said "You've pointed a finger at an empty chair and accused a man of being un-American. You deliberately stood in that well before an empty house and challenged these people...it is the lowest thing that I have ever seen in my 32 years in Congress."

Corruption: GOPAC

GOPAC is, largely, Newt Gingrich's personal PAC (political action committee). When founded in 1979, it's mission was to create a so-called farm team of young Republicans. Ideally, Republicans would rise up through state legislatures to become nationally prominent. This remains GOPAC's stated goal. However, since 1986 (when Newt Gingrich took over as Chairman of GOPAC) it has become both a personal fundraiser and a way to tighten his hold over Republicans in the House.

For the first several years of GOPAC under Gingrich, it illegally funded national elections. By federal law, any sort of political group that donates money on a national level is required to provide a list of its donors to the FEC (Federal Elections Committee). GOPAC, which previously was funding state elections, never bothered to submit a list of donors after it changed its mission until the House Ethics Committee obtained it in 1996. Mother Jones has placed the 'secret' donor list on its web site. It features such noted bigots as Terry Kohler, the head of Kohler Co., who has stated such things as, regarding the South African anti-apartheid movement, that it would be a mistake to extend voting rights to blacks because they didn't possess any self-governing capabilities. Kohler is one of the biggest GOPAC contributors, with a total of well over $800,000 coming from the Kohler family.

In addition to featuring such champions of democracy and civil rights such as Terry Kohler, GOPAC also offers donors opportunities to buy influence with Gingrich. Gingrich has a history of intervening with various government departments in favor of those who donate to GOPAC. When Dwayne Andreas, chair of Archer Daniel Midland (an ethanol producer), was in danger of losing a federal subsidy (that will have provided $1 billion by 2000), he turned to Gingrich. Gingrich persuaded Rep. Bill Archer (R-Texas) not to push for a reduction of the subsidy. Oddly enough, Andreas was a $70,000 donor to GOPAC. In another instance, Kansas City developer J.C. Nichols, a $59,000 donor to GOPAC, was having "financial distress" in regards to new asbestos regulations. In one of the letters obtained by Mother Jones (dated January 19, 1990), Nichols states "The federal government is causing the J.C. Nichols Company. . . a great deal of financial distress. This is in connection with the asbestos regulations. . . It may be that I will call you for an appointment to come back to Washington to discuss this issue". On April 24 of the same year, Gingrich wrote a letter to the EPA stating "I am writing to you with concern over the crisis that is arising in our courts from asbestos litigation". Strange how Gingrich happened to see how bothersome this law was after he received a large campaign donation.

Corruption: Progress and Freedom Foundation

After Gingrich transformed GOPAC into the monster that it is today, he realized (presumably) that there were a wide variety of corporate donors who couldn't donate to political action committees because they either held contracts with the government or were subject to government regulation. At about the same time, he decided that, in order to get his 'message' out, he would teach a class by correspondence. Through these two endeavors, he managed to create an organization that would allow both to occur, the Peace and Freedom Foundation .

The Peace and Freedom Foundation was founded as a non-profit political organization that preached conservative values. It was not (officially) connected with GOPAC, so it was fully permissible for corporations to skate around federal campaign laws that prevented certain companies from donating money to individuals such as Gingrich. As time passed, it became obvious that much of the money donated to the organization went to fund Gingrich's various exploits, whether it be through a 'concerned citizens of America' sort of political ad or by funding his college course, "Renewing American Civilization".

Dr. Timothy Mescon, dean of Business at Kennesaw State College , and Gingrich composed the structure of the course to be taught at Kennesaw State College. The class was taught by videotape and/or satellite transmission, which would allow     individuals worldwide to take the course. Over the course of creating and teaching this class, Gingrich committed many questionable acts. Taxpayers footed part of the bill of the course since Gingrich's congressional staff researched portions of the course for him. In addition, when Gingrich requested permission from the Congressional Ethics Committee to create this course (a standard procedure) he told them that no advertising would be done for the course using GOPAC, which was a blatant lie. All GOPAC members received an invitation to take the course, mailed presumably via Gingrich's orders. Also, on at least 5 occasions, Gingrich announced the 800 on C-SPAN, and generally gave a short sound byte about his course for those watching C-SPAN. The ethics committee later verbally reprimanded Gingrich for his behavior in regard to the course.

In the process of teaching the course, Gingrich also freely did highly unethical acts. He openly heralded corporations that had given to the Peace and Freedom Foundation in lectures given in the course. Miliken and Co., a $300,000 donor to GOPAC, was named "the most effective, most productive textile company in the world". He named Hewlett Packard, which gave $5,800 to the Peace and Freedom Foundation, "one of the greatest companies in the world". If a corporation or individual were willing to give $50,000 or more, they were able to work directly on the designing of the course with Gingrich and others. Obviously, Gingrich was doing little more than selling advertising space that masked itself as an educational tool.
Corruption: Abuse of Power

Gingrich's management of the House has also shown the same amount of morality that the rest of his dealings have. Chairs on the various committees in the House are granted to individuals by the Speaker of the House. Before Gingrich, the chairs of committees were granted on the basis of seniority within the majority party. While this may not be the most democratic manner in which to appoint chairmen/women, it is a reasonably fair way to go about it. However, Gingrich soon changed this. His new appointment system allowed him to keep a much greater reign on individuals committees. Congressmen who gave the largest sums of money to GOPAC (generally from their own campaign fund) were given the chairs of committees. Donations to GOPAC from fellow Republicans skyrocketed after he declared this, from six Republicans in the prior year to over 100 in the next. Gingrich also used this as a means of controlling the committees. When individuals stepped out of what Gingrich perceived to be party line, they were generally taken into his office and, if the situation necessitated it, threatened to be stripped of their chair.

Rigging the committees in such a manner also produced a side benefit when Gingrich went before the House Ethics Committee over the course of 1996-7. Gingrich faced 65 separate charges of ethics violations, ranging from concealment of GOPAC donors to the 'fundraising' of the Peace and Freedom Foundation. The Gingrich-loyalist packed committee appointed a special prosecutor to investigate one charge, after dismissing the other 64. It, of all of Gingrich's ethics violations, was probably one of the more minor. It involved the fact that one can't make money off of a non-profit's possession. Gingrich took passages of his course funded by the Peace and Freedom Foundation and placed them in book form, called To Renew America. Also contained in this charge was questionable financial transactions between GOPAC and the Peace and Freedom Foundation.

Newt's responses to the charges were highly contradictory. He first claimed ignorance of the law. Then, after internal GOPAC memo from a few years earlier stated the potential legal dangers of mixing non-profit funds with GOPAC funds surfaced, he claimed his lawyer made him say it.....until his lawyer left....in which case it was his lawyer's first year associate.      His second lawyer then offered some 25 separate "contextualizations" under the apologetic banner that Newt was so busy saving American civilization he didn't notice that he had given conflicting excuses in writing to the investigative subcommittee. "In my name and over my signature, inaccurate, incomplete and unreliable statements were given to the committee", stated Gingrich after he finally pled guilty in January of 1997. The committees response (later issued) was "Either Mr. Gingrich intentionally made misrepresentations to the Committee, or he was again reckless in the way he provided information to the Committee concerning a very important matter."

Both before and after the ethics investigation, Gingrich received a lot of questionable assistance from fellow Republicans. Rep. Nancy Johnson (R-Conn.), the chair of the Ethics Committee, helped to stifle some of the ethics charges against Newt early in the investigation. In addition, she was heard on C-SPAN microphones congratulating Gingrich's lawyer Randy Evans and expressing regret that she didn't have enough time investigate liberal groups that used tax-exempt funds (you can view and hear this here at Mother Jones). The rest of the Republicans on the committee were not much better. Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Washington), stated that the committee had been "totally unprepared to question" witnesses, which would indicate a deliberate lack of interest on the part of the Republican members of the committee.
For his crime of tax evasion, Gingrich was fined $300,000. Oddly enough, Gingrich's old non-friend in the Republican party Bob Dole 'generously' loaned Newt $300,000 in April of 1997. Bob Dole and Newt Gingrich have rarely been called friends, and at times have nearly been enemies. Both parties stated that they hadn't spoken since November until Dole suddenly decided to 'assist' the Republican party.

After Dole found a job with the law firm Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson & Hand, he received close to a $300,000 bonus as the new "special counsel". The law firm, in addition to other projects, was being retained as lobbyists by five different tobacco giants (Philip Morris, RJR Nabisco, Brown & Williamson, U.S. Tobacco, and Loews Corp). One theory is that the $300,000 bonus that Bob Dole received was earmarked for Gingrich directly from King Tobacco. Gingrich's behavior (in addition to the large amounts of tobacco money flowing into Gingrich and GOPAC campaign coffers) towards the tobacco bill indicates that he was in someone's palm. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) stated in response to this "We now have the chief lobbyists for Big Tobacco financing the payoff of the Speaker's fine for lying to the Congress." Gingrich has been no stranger to tobacco help. He's received at least $83,750 in donations to his campaign from tobacco companies, $20,000 of that coming in the past two years. This number does not include donations to GOPAC. In addition, in 1995 Gingrich, then majority whip, allowed John Boehner (R-OH) to walk around the house floor handing our checks from tobacco lobbyists to colleagues, until a fellow representative pointed out that this wasn't the best thing to be doing openly.

Gingrich's Strange Views

Welfare: Gingrich has the rather bizarre idea that most immorality stems from welfare, and also that the New Deal reforms created a large underclass of the poor and homeless. In what amounts to a blatant lie, Gingrich stated that 800 babies had been left in dumpsters in Washington DC (the real number was 4) over the course of a year. Among other crimes, welfare causes teenage mothers to toss their babies in dumpsters because "a 13 year old drug addict who's pregnant [is taught] 'put your baby in the dumpster, that's ok'".     The Nation, July 19, 1996 (by Tom Tommorow)

Drugs: Despite having admitted to smoking marijuana at least once in college, Gingrich advocated shooting (and killing) drug dealers. In a speech to religious broadcasters, Gingrich called for a mandatory life sentence for first offenders caught smuggling drugs or producing drugs for sale, and a death sentence for second offenders. In his speech, he offered no way out for repeat offenders. "If you sell it, we're going to kill you".

Family Values: Gingrich, in his "Contract with America", proclaims the values of having a strong, traditional family. Once again, Gingrich is hypocritical on this. Gingrich has been accused of committing adultery twice and has never denied that he did. Both occurred early in his career. In addition, after divorcing his first wife, he became a 'deadbeat dad'. He paid his ex-wife and children a rather small sum after his divorce. His ex-wife had to take him to court in order to be able to pay the electricity bill. Regarding 'deadbeat dads' Gingrich has stated "...any male who does not take care of his children is a bum and deserves no respect". Evidently, he's not referring to himself.

Gingrich Links

The book Newt Gingrich: Capital Crimes and Misdemeanors was extremely helpful in the construction of this page. See author John K. Wilson's web page.
Mother Jones' Newt-O-Rama has an excellent stock of articles
Newt's Congressional home page has the usual stuff found on a Congressional web page GOPAC is Gingrich's PAC
The Peace and Freedom Foundation 'helped' Gingrich create his college course.
Guerrila page: A quite funny site dealing with Newt. Elsewhere on the site you can find the Republican Wife Cheating Hall of Fame, which also features Newt.

A CULTURE OF CORRUPTION

THE SCANDALS OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY  

SEVENTY AND STILL COUNTING!!!

Jan 18, 2005 | Once upon a time -- about five years ago -- conservative pundits often talked about "scandal fatigue." Remember scandal fatigue? It was an affliction supposedly either turning voters against Democrats or, alternatively, a weariness in the body politic preventing Republicans from pursuing even more grievances against Bill Clinton. By any objective measure, however, after four years of George W. Bush's presidency, the entire nation should be suffering from utter scandal exhaustion.

Consider the raw materials of scandal that this administration has produced: False claims about Iraq's supposed weapons of mass destruction. Torture in Abu Ghraib. The virtually treasonous exposure of a CIA agent by White House officials. And those are just the best-known examples.

After all, how many citizens can name all the ongoing investigations of Halliburton, Vice President Dick Cheney's old firm? Who remembers that the administration illicitly diverted $700 million from Afghanistan to Iraq? Or that, on Capitol Hill, Senate Republicans stole strategy memos from Democrats, while a House Republican said he was offered a bribe during a crucial vote? Even a conscientious citizen cannot be expected to keep score, so Salon has compiled a list.

If the next four years of Bush and the GOP running the federal government are anything like the previous four, however, potential scandals will lead to few political consequences for the Republicans. Bush opponents will likely be disappointed if they are waiting for a renewal of the supposed "second-term scandal jinx" dogging Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and Clinton.

After all, Washington Republicans are insulated by a rabidly partisan Congress with no interest in investigating the executive branch (and little taste for disciplining itself). By contrast, presidents Nixon, Reagan and Clinton each faced an adversarial Congress. As the late Senate Watergate Committee counsel Sam Dash noted in 2003 about congressional oversight: "Although it worked then, it doesn't mean it would work now."

Moreover, Congress allowed the independent-counsel statute, the law that brought us Ken Starr, to expire as Bush assumed office. And the right-wing media -- cable news, talk radio, several newspapers -- are not about to replicate the drumbeat of scandal they pounded out while Clinton held office. Thus scandals are not a defining part of the GOP's current identity.

The Democrats, terminally cautious even in the minority, seem unlikely to change this dynamic -- although Harry Reid, the Democrats' new Senate leader, has announced his party will hold monthly oversight hearings, beginning this January, on "unasked and unanswered questions" about the Bush administration. Reid's project, however, is an uphill battle. The Democrats cannot compel anyone to testify, unlike standard congressional committees, and memorable rhetoric is not a party strength. "This is about honesty and accountability and reforming our federal government," Reid said in the prepared statement the Democratic Policy Committee released about its oversight plans.

Just think: Someone prepared that quote. To put it more bluntly than Reid did: This is about the dozens of scandals occurring while the Republican Party has enjoyed almost complete control over the federal government. This is about the GOP's utter disrespect for the laws of the United States. This is about stopping greed, bribery and influence-peddling.

Indeed, here are 34 Republican scandals worthy of further attention, gathered into one place. The list focuses on scandals involving apparently illegal activity or violations of ethics codes. Not everything that is politically, legally or ethically scandalous constitutes a scandal. It is scandalous, for instance, that House Republicans have further weakened their own ethics committee. But that is not, properly speaking, a political scandal. It is just contemptible governance.

This list is also limited to events of the past four years, or those coming to light in that time. It covers both the executive branch and the Congress, since the latter, especially the Senate, is increasingly a mere adjunct to the White House. However, the items are not arranged in terms of moral or historical gravity. Abu Ghraib might create years of anti-American hatred abroad, but it and some other headline-generating events appear near the end of the list, to help familiarize readers first with lesser-known or now-overlooked scandals. Recall how John Ashcroft broke the law? Know why Dick Cheney wants to keep those energy task force documents secret? Read on. You too, Harry Reid.

1. Memogate: The Senate Computer Theft

The scandal: From 2001 to 2003, Republican staffers on the Senate Judiciary Committee illicitly accessed nearly 5,000 computer files containing confidential Democratic strategy memos about President Bush's judicial nominees. The GOP used the memos to shape their own plans and leaked some to the media.

The problem: The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act states it is illegal to obtain confidential information from a government computer.

The outcome: Unresolved. The Justice Department has assigned a prosecutor to the case. The staff member at the heart of the matter, Manuel Miranda, has attempted to brazen it out, filing suit in September 2004 against the DOJ to end the investigation. "A grand jury will indict a ham sandwich," Miranda complained. Some jokes just write themselves.

2. Doctor Detroit: The DOJ's Bungled Terrorism Case

The scandal: The Department of Justice completely botched the nation's first post-9/11 terrorism trial, as seen when the convictions of three Detroit men allegedly linked to al-Qaida were overturned in September 2004. Former Attorney General John Ashcroft had claimed their June 2003 sentencing sent "a clear message" that the government would "detect, disrupt and dismantle the activities of terrorist cells."

The problem: The DOJ's lead prosecutor in the case, Richard Convertino, withheld key information from the defense and distorted supposed pieces of evidence -- like a Las Vegas vacation video purported to be a surveillance tape. But that's not the half of it. Convertino says he was unfairly scapegoated because he testified before the Senate, against DOJ wishes, about terrorist financing. Justice's reconsideration of the case began soon thereafter. Convertino has since sued the DOJ, which has also placed him under investigation.

The outcome: Let's see: Overturned convictions, lawsuits and feuding about a Kafkaesque case. Nobody looks good here.

3. Dark Matter: The Energy Task Force

The scandal: A lawsuit has claimed it is illegal for Dick Cheney to keep the composition of his 2001 energy-policy task force secret. What's the big deal? The New Yorker's Jane Mayer has suggested an explosive aspect of the story, citing a National Security Council memo from February 2001, which "directed the N.S.C. staff to cooperate fully with the Energy Task Force as it considered the 'melding' of ... 'operational policies towards rogue states,' such as Iraq, and 'actions regarding the capture of new and existing oil and gas fields.'" In short, the task force's activities could shed light on the administration's pre-9/11 Iraq aims.

The problem: The Federal Advisory Committee Act says the government must disclose the work of groups that include non-federal employees; the suit claims energy industry executives were effectively task force members. Oh, and the Bush administration has portrayed the Iraq war as a response to 9/11, not something it was already considering.

The outcome: Unresolved. In June 2004, the U.S. Supreme Court sent the case back to an appellate court.

4. The Indian Gaming Scandal

The scandal: Potential influence peddling to the tune of $82 million, for starters. Jack Abramoff, a GOP lobbyist and major Bush fundraiser, and Michael Scanlon, a former aide to Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas), received that amount from several Indian tribes, while offering access to lawmakers. For instance, Texas' Tigua tribe, which wanted its closed El Paso casino reopened, gave millions to the pair and $33,000 to Rep. Robert Ney (R-Ohio) in hopes of favorable legislation (Ney came up empty). And get this: The Tiguas were unaware that Abramoff, Scanlon and conservative activist Ralph Reed had earned millions lobbying to have the same casino shut in 2002.

The problem: Federal officials want to know if Abramoff and Scanlon provided real services for the $82 million, and if they broke laws while backing candidates in numerous Indian tribe elections.

The outcome: Everybody into the cesspool! The Senate Indian Affairs Committee and five federal agencies, including the FBI, IRS, and Justice Department, are investigating.

5. Halliburton's No-Bid Bonanza

The scandal: In February 2003, Halliburton received a five-year, $7 billion no-bid contract for services in Iraq.

The problem: The Army Corps of Engineers' top contracting officer, Bunnatine Greenhouse, objected to the deal, saying the contract should be the standard one-year length, and that a Halliburton official should not have been present during the discussions.

The outcome: The FBI is investigating. The $7 billion contract was halved and Halliburton won one of the parts in a public bid. For her troubles, Greenhouse has been forced into whistle-blower protection.

6. Halliburton: Pumping Up Prices

The scandal: In 2003, Halliburton overcharged the army for fuel in Iraq. Specifically, Halliburton's subsidiary Kellogg, Brown & Root hired a Kuwaiti company, Altanmia, to supply fuel at about twice the going rate, then added a markup, for an overcharge of at least $61 million, according to a December 2003 Pentagon audit.

The problem: That's not the government's $61 million, it's our $61 million.

The outcome: The FBI is investigating.

7. Halliburton's Vanishing Iraq Money

The scandal: In mid-2004, Pentagon auditors determined that $1.8 billion of Halliburton's charges to the government, about 40 percent of the total, had not been adequately documented.

The problem: That's not the government's $1.8 billion, it's our $1.8 billion.

The outcome: The Defense Contract Audit Agency has "strongly" asked the Army to withhold about $60 million a month from its Halliburton payments until the documentation is provided.

8. The Halliburton Bribe-apalooza

The scandal: This may not surprise you, but an international consortium of companies, including Halliburton, is alleged to have paid more than $100 million in bribes to Nigerian officials, from 1995 to 2002, to facilitate a natural-gas-plant deal. (Cheney was Halliburton's CEO from 1995 to 2000.)

The problem: The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act prohibits U.S. companies from bribing foreign officials.

The outcome: A veritable coalition of the willing is investigating the deal, including the Justice Department, the SEC, the Nigerian government and a French magistrate. In June, Halliburton fired two implicated executives.

9. Halliburton: One Fine Company

The scandal: In 1998 and 1999, Halliburton counted money recovered from project overruns as revenue, before settling the charges with clients.

The problem: Doing so made the company's income appear larger, but Halliburton did not explain this to investors. The SEC ruled this accounting practice was "materially misleading."

The outcome: In August 2004, Halliburton agreed to pay a $7.5 million fine to settle SEC charges. One Halliburton executive has paid a fine and another is settling civil charges. Now imagine the right-wing rhetoric if, say, Al Gore had once headed a firm fined for fudging income statements.

10. Halliburton's Iran End Run

The scandal: Halliburton may have been doing business with Iran while Cheney was CEO.

The problem: Federal sanctions have banned U.S. companies from dealing directly with Iran. To operate in Iran legally, U.S. companies have been required to set up independent subsidiaries registered abroad. Halliburton thus set up a new entity, Halliburton Products and Services Ltd., to do business in Iran, but while the subsidiary was registered in the Cayman Islands, it may not have had operations totally independent of the parent company.

The outcome: Unresolved. The Treasury Department has referred the case to the U.S. attorney in Houston, who convened a grand jury in July 2004.

11. Money Order: Afghanistan's Missing $700 Million Turns Up in Iraq

The scandal: According to Bob Woodward's "Plan of Attack," the Bush administration diverted $700 million in funds from the war in Afghanistan, among other places, to prepare for the Iraq invasion.

The problem: Article I, Section 8, Clause 12 of the U.S. Constitution specifically gives Congress the power "to raise and support armies." And the emergency spending bill passed after Sept. 11, 2001, requires the administration to notify Congress before changing war spending plans. That did not happen.

The outcome: Congress declined to investigate. The administration's main justification for its decision has been to claim the funds were still used for, one might say, Middle East anti-tyrant-related program activities.

12. Iraq: More Loose Change

The scandal: The inspector general of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq released a series of reports in July 2004 finding that a significant portion of CPA assets had gone missing -- 34 percent of the materiel controlled by Kellogg, Brown & Root -- and that the CPA's method of disbursing $600 million in Iraq reconstruction funds "did not establish effective controls and left accountability open to fraud, waste and abuse."

The problem: As much as $50 million of that money was disbursed without proper receipts.

The outcome: The CPA has disbanded, but individual government investigations into the handling of Iraq's reconstruction continue.

13. The Pentagon-Israel Spy Case

The scandal: A Pentagon official, Larry Franklin, may have passed classified United States documents about Iran to Israel, possibly via the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a Washington lobbying group.

The problem: To do so could be espionage or could constitute the mishandling of classified documents.

The outcome: A grand jury is investigating. In December 2004, the FBI searched AIPAC's offices. A Senate committee has also been investigating the apparently unauthorized activities of the Near East and South Asia Affairs group in the Pentagon, where Franklin works.

14. Gone to Taiwan

The scandal: Missed this one? A high-ranking State Department official, Donald Keyser, was arrested and charged in September with making a secret trip to Taiwan and was observed by the FBI passing documents to Taiwanese intelligence agents in Washington-area meetings.

The problem: Such unauthorized trips are illegal. And we don't have diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

The outcome: The case is in the courts.

15. Wiretapping the United Nations

The scandal: Before the United Nations' vote on the Iraq war, the United States and Great Britain developed an eavesdropping operation targeting diplomats from several countries.

The problem: U.N. officials say the practice is illegal and undermines honest diplomacy, although some observers claim it is business as usual on East 42nd Street.

The outcome: Little fuss here, but a major British scandal erupted after U.K. intelligence translator Katherine Gun leaked a U.S. National Security Agency memo requesting British help in the spying scheme, in early 2003. Initially charged under Britain's Official Secrets Act for leaking classified information, Gun was cleared in 2004 -- seemingly to avoid hearings questioning the legality of Britain's war participation.

16. The Boeing Boondoggle

The scandal: In 2003, the Air Force contracted with Boeing to lease a fleet of refueling tanker planes at an inflated price: $23 billion.

The problem: The deal was put together by a government procurement official, Darleen Druyun, who promptly joined Boeing. Beats using a headhunter.

The outcome: In November 2003, Boeing fired both Druyun and CFO Michael Sears. In April 2004, Druyun pled guilty to a conspiracy charge in the case. In November 2004, Sears copped to a conflict-of-interest charge, and company CEO Phil Condit resigned. The government is reviewing its need for the tankers.

17. The Medicare Bribe Scandal

The scandal: According to former Rep. Nick Smith (R-Mich.), on Nov. 21, 2003, with the vote on the administration's Medicare bill hanging in the balance, someone offered to contribute $100,000 to his son's forthcoming congressional campaign, if Smith would support the bill.

The problem: Federal law prohibits the bribery of elected officials.

The outcome: In September 2004, the House Ethics Committee concluded an inquiry by fingering House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas), saying he deserved "public admonishment" for offering to endorse Smith's son in return for Smith's vote. DeLay has claimed Smith initiated talks about a quid pro quo. The matter of the $100,000 is unresolved; soon after his original allegations, Smith suddenly claimed he had not been offered any money. Smith's son Brad lost his GOP primary in August 2004.

18. Tom DeLay's PAC Problems

The scandal: One of DeLay's political action committees, Texans for a Republican Majority, apparently reaped illegal corporate contributions for the campaigns of Republicans running for the Texas Legislature in 2002. Given a Republican majority, the Legislature then re-drew Texas' U.S. congressional districts to help the GOP.

The problem: Texas law bans the use of corporate money for political purposes.

The outcome: Unresolved. Three DeLay aides and associates -- Jim Ellis, John Colyandro and Warren RoBold -- were charged in September 2004 with crimes including money laundering and unlawful acceptance of corporate contributions.

19. Tom DeLay's FAA: Following Americans Anywhere

The scandal: In May 2003, DeLay's office persuaded the Federal Aviation Administration to find the plane carrying a Texas Democratic legislator, who was leaving the state in an attempt to thwart the GOP's nearly unprecedented congressional redistricting plan.

The problem: According to the House Ethics Committee, the "invocation of federal executive branch resources in a partisan dispute before a state legislative body" is wrong.

The outcome: In October 2004, the committee rebuked DeLay for his actions.

20. In the Rough: Tom DeLay's Golf Fundraiser

The scandal: DeLay appeared at a golf fundraiser that Westar Energy held for one of his political action committees, Americans for a Republican Majority, while energy legislation was pending in the House.

The problem: It's one of these "appearance of impropriety" situations.

The outcome: The House Ethics Committee tossed the matter into its Oct. 6 rebuke. "Take a lap, Tom."

21. Busy, Busy, Busy in New Hampshire

The scandal: In 2002, with a tight Senate race in New Hampshire, Republican Party officials paid a Virginia-based firm, GOP Marketplace, to enact an Election Day scheme meant to depress Democratic turnout by "jamming" the Democratic Party phone bank with continuous calls for 90 minutes.

The problem: Federal law prohibits the use of telephones to "annoy or harass" anyone.

The outcome: Chuck McGee, the former executive director of the New Hampshire GOP, pleaded guilty in July 2004 to a felony charge, while Allen Raymond, former head of GOP Marketplace, pleaded guilty to a similar charge in June. In December, James Tobin, former New England campaign chairman of Bush-Cheney '04, was indicted for conspiracy in the case.

22. The Medicare Money Scandal

The scandal: Thomas Scully, Medicare's former administrator, supposedly threatened to fire chief Medicare actuary Richard Foster to prevent him from disclosing the true cost of the 2003 Medicare bill.

The problem: Congress voted on the bill believing it would cost $400 billion over 10 years. The program is more likely to cost $550 billion.

The outcome: Scully denies threatening to fire Foster, as Foster has charged, but admits telling Foster to withhold the higher estimate from Congress. In September 2004, the Government Accountability Office recommended Scully return half his salary from 2003. Inevitably, Scully is now a lobbyist for drug companies helped by the bill.

23. The Bogus Medicare "Video News Release"

The scandal: To promote its Medicare bill, the Bush administration produced imitation news-report videos touting the legislation. About 40 television stations aired the videos. More recently, similar videos promoting the administration's education policy have come to light.

The problem: The administration broke two laws: One forbidding the use of federal money for propaganda, and another forbidding the unauthorized use of federal funds.

The outcome: In May 2004, the GAO concluded the administration acted illegally, but the agency lacks enforcement power.

24. Pundits on the Payroll: The Armstrong Williams Case

The scandal: The Department of Education paid conservative commentator Armstrong Williams $240,000 to promote its educational law, No Child Left Behind.

The problem: Williams did not disclose that his support was government funded until the deal was exposed in January 2005.

The outcome: The House and FCC are considering inquiries, while Williams' syndicated newspaper column has been terminated.

25. Ground Zero's Unsafe Air

The scandal: Government officials publicly minimized the health risks stemming from the World Trade Center attack. In September 2001, for example, Environmental Protection Agency head Christine Todd Whitman said New York's "air is safe to breathe and [the] water is safe to drink."

The problem: Research showed serious dangers or was incomplete. The EPA used outdated techniques that failed to detect tiny asbestos particles. EPA data also showed high levels of lead and benzene, which causes cancer. A Sierra Club report claims the government ignored alarming data. A GAO report says no adequate study of 9/11's health effects has been organized.

The outcome: The long-term health effects of the disaster will likely not be apparent for years or decades and may never be definitively known. Already, hundreds of 9/11 rescue workers have quit their jobs because of acute illnesses.

26. John Ashcroft's Illegal Campaign Contributions

The scandal: Ashcroft's exploratory committee for his short-lived 2000 presidential bid transferred $110,000 to his unsuccessful 2000 reelection campaign for the Senate.

The problem: The maximum for such a transfer is $10,000.

The outcome: The Federal Election Commission fined Ashcroft's campaign treasurer, Garrett Lott, $37,000 for the transgression.

27. Intel Inside ... The White House

The scandal: In early 2001, chief White House political strategist Karl Rove held meetings with numerous companies while maintaining six-figure holdings of their stock -- including Intel, whose executives were seeking government approval of a merger. "Washington hadn't seen a clearer example of a conflict of interest in years," wrote Paul Glastris in the Washington Monthly.

The problem: The Code of Federal Regulations says government employees should not participate in matters in which they have a personal financial interest.

The outcome: Then White House counsel Alberto Gonzales, spurning precedent, did not refer the case to the Justice Department.

28. Duck! Antonin Scalia's Legal Conflicts

The scandal: Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia refused to recuse himself from the Cheney energy task force case, despite taking a duck-hunting trip with the vice president after the court agreed to weigh the matter.

The problem: Federal law requires a justice to "disqualify himself from any proceeding in which his impartiality might reasonably be questioned."

The outcome: Scalia stayed on, arguing no conflict existed because Cheney was party to the case in a professional, not personal, capacity. Nothing new for Scalia, who in 2002 was part of a Mississippi redistricting ruling favorable to GOP Rep. Chip Pickering -- son of Judge Charles Pickering, a Scalia turkey-hunting pal. In 2001, Scalia went pheasant hunting with Kansas Gov. Bill Graves when that state had cases pending before the Supreme Court.

29. AWOL

The scandal: George W. Bush, self-described "war president," did not fulfill his National Guard duty, and Bush and his aides have made misleading statements about it. Salon's Eric Boehlert wrote the best recent summary of the issue.

The problem: Military absenteeism is a punishable offense, although Bush received an honorable discharge.

The outcome: No longer a campaign issue. But what was Bush doing in 1972?

30. Iraq: The Case for War

The scandal: Bush and many officials in his administration made false statements about Iraq's military capabilities, in the months before the United States' March 2003 invasion of the country.

The problem: For one thing, it is a crime to lie to Congress, although Bush backers claim the president did not knowingly make false assertions.

The outcome: A war spun out of control with unknowable long-term consequences. The Iraq Survey Group has stopped looking for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

31. Niger Forgeries: Whodunit?

The scandal: In his January 2003 State of the Union address, Bush said, "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa."

The problem: The statement was untrue. By March 2003, the International Atomic Energy Agency showed the claim, that Iraq sought materials from Niger, was based on easily discernible forgeries.

The outcome: The identity of the forger(s) remains under wraps. Journalist Josh Marshall has implied the FBI is oddly uninterested in interviewing Rocco Martino, the former Italian intelligence agent who apparently first shopped the documents in intelligence and journalistic circles and would presumably be able to shed light on their origin.

32. In Plame Sight

The scandal: In July 2003, administration officials disclosed the identity of Valerie Plame, a CIA operative working on counterterrorism efforts, to multiple journalists, and columnist Robert Novak made Plame's identity public. Plame's husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, had just written a New York Times opinion piece stating he had investigated the Niger uranium-production allegations, at the CIA's behest, and reported them to be untrue, before Bush's 2003 State of the Union address.

The problem: Under the Intelligence Identities Protection Act it is illegal to disclose, knowingly, the name of an undercover agent.

The outcome: Unresolved. The Justice Department appointed special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald to the case in December 2003. While this might seem a simple matter, Fitzgerald could be unable to prove the leakers knew Plame was a covert agent.

33. Abu Ghraib

The scandal: American soldiers physically tortured prisoners in Iraq and kept undocumented "ghost detainees" in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

The problem: The United States is party to the Geneva Conventions, which state that "No physical or mental torture, nor any other form of coercion, may be inflicted on prisoners of war to secure from them information of any kind whatever."

The outcome: Unresolved. A Pentagon internal inquiry found a lack of oversight at Abu Ghraib, while independent inquiries have linked the events to the administration's desire to use aggressive interrogation methods globally. Notoriously, Gonzales has advocated an approach which "renders obsolete Geneva's strict limitations on questioning of enemy prisoners and renders quaint some of its provisions." More recently, Gonzales issued qualified support for the Geneva Conventions in January 2005 Senate testimony after being nominated for attorney general. Army reservist Charles Graner was convicted in January 2005 for abusing prisoners, while a few other soldiers await trial.

34. Guantánamo Bay Torture?

The scandal: The U.S. military is also alleged to have abused prisoners at the U.S. Navy's base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. FBI agents witnessing interrogations there have reported use of growling dogs to frighten prisoners and the chaining of prisoners in the fetal position while depriving them of food or water for extended periods.

The problem: More potential violations of the Geneva Conventions.

The outcome: An internal military investigation was launched in January 2005.

MORE SCANDALS

Paul Wolfowitz in the World Bank With Nepotism
The World Bank president and "Iraq war architect" allegedly helped his girlfriend get a generous salary package and promotion when she transferred to the State Department. Wolfowitz said an ethics panel approved the deal, but the panel denies it. An investigative committee found that the deal was a conflict of interest. (He apparently helped her career in the past, too.) Wolfowitz critics also allege that he used his position at the bank to promote a conservative agenda on family planning and global warming.

Federal Employees in the Department of Education With Corporate Ties
Leading colleges have long received kickbacks for guiding their students to certain loan companies, but a new investigation into the practice has implicated the Department of Education. One department official was suspended for owning stock in a student-loan company called Student Loan Xpress. Loan companies also temporarily lost access to a federal student-information database because they were using it to find borrowers, not just to determine the eligibility of applicants. The House education committee is investigating—and Education Secretary Margaret Spellings is on the defensive. Six years ago, the Department of Education wanted to tighten restrictions on college/loan-company relations, but the Bush administration nixed it.

Bushies in the Election Assistance Commission With Fraud
The Bush administration and Karl Rove pushed for U.S. attorneys and others to look into voter fraud more thoroughly, alleging that illegal immigrants (and dead people) are casting ballots. A couple of the recently fired U.S. attorneys said that they were pressured by Republican lawmakers to bring voter-fraud cases they didn't think warranted attention, and the president himself allegedly spoke to Alberto Gonzales about U.S. attorneys not pushing hard enough to find-voter fraud cases. Last year, the Election Assistance Commission, a federal panel, allegedly altered findings to make it seem like experts thought voter fraud was