washingtonpost.com (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/06/AR2009020604151.html?wprss=rss_politics)


The Post corroborated some details of Fabian's claims through public records and interviews with former staff workers. Other details were disputed by people involved in the transactions.
In one of his allegations, Fabian points to a February 2007 payment by Steele's Senate campaign of more than $37,000 to Brown Sugar Unlimited, the company run by Steele's sister, Monica Turner. Campaign finance records list the expense as having been for "catering/web services." Turner filed papers to dissolve the company 11 months before the payment was received...
Over the years, money trouble has been a persistent problem for Steele. His first race for public office, a 1998 bid for the Republican nomination for state comptroller, ended nearly $35,000 in debt, much of it to his sister. He was fined twice by state officials for missing deadlines to file campaign finance reports and was in debt and had faced foreclosure in 2001, the year before he was selected as Ehrlich's running mate. The state party threw Steele a financial lifeline, awarding him an unusual $30,000 consulting contract.
Do they have another candidate ready to go that has been vetted for improprieties?

This is old news that the Washinton Compost dredged up. . This is what Steele said yesterday on 'This Week'

STEPHANOPOULOS:... and I want to give you a chance to respond to these allegations -- here was the Washington Post yesterday. It says that "Steele's campaign spending is questioned." It goes on to say, "Michael S. Steele, the newly elected chairman of the Republican National Committee, arranged for his 2006 Senate campaign to pay a defunct company run by his sister for services that were never performed, his finance chairman from that campaign has told federal prosecutors."
Is that true?
STEELE: No, it's not true. And -- and -- and those allegations were leveled by a convicted felon who is trying to get a reduced sentence on his -- on his conviction.
And the reality of it is that the U.S. attorney, as well as the judge, looked at what he presented and did not apply it, said there was no credibility to it. The Washington Post ought to be ashamed of itself for getting out in front of something without all the facts.
To the extent that we gave the Washington Post the documentation to show the receipts that were -- that were used and applied towards the $37,000, it was a legitimate reimbursement of expenses. If my sister had not been reimbursed, I and she would have been in violation of McCain-Feingold finance law.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Yet the records show -- and I hope you can clear this up, as well...
STEELE: Sure.
STEPHANOPOULOS:... that the payment was made in December 2007, and your sister's company had been dissolved 11 months before that. STEELE: Well, that was -- that's -- that I don't know about. What I do know about is the fact that, as she understood it, the company was still in existence. Her lawyers were -- were telling her they were in the process of dissolving the company.
So at the time when the checks were written back to her to reimburse her, she just said write the checks to the company, because the company had, you know, done the services that were provided.
But, again, even in that instance, you can still -- there are many companies out there that dissolve and still receive payments for services that are rendered, and so forth. So I -- that aspect of it for me is, again, is clarified, cleared up with the lawyers, and was a legitimate transaction back to her.
STEPHANOPOULOS: And all of the other allegations in -- in the article about financial transfer is false?
STEELE: It's all false. Everything -- the thing about this, George, that is so frustrating to me is that you're -- you're -- you're looking -- the Washington Post elevated this -- this guy to a level and gave him credibility when no one else would. That's disturbing.
The fact is, we've supplied -- all these documents are on record with the state board of elections, with the FEC. And I think, if there were any funny business there, in two-and-a-half years -- because they audit, and the lord knows I have enough Democrats pouring through my records to -- you know, in the last few years, they would have caught that. So this is...
STEPHANOPOULOS: You say it's been cleared up, but the Washington Post also reports that federal agents have contacted your sister just in the last few days.
STEELE: And that is for purposes of closing out this -- closing out this matter, because, once the judge -- once the judge did not apply or did not think that this was credible, in terms of reducing this gentlemen's sentence, the FBI is now in the position of winding this thing...
(CROSSTALK)
STEPHANOPOULOS: So they have told you, you are not being investigated?
STEELE: I have not -- this is the thing. I have not been contacted by the FBI at all. And what we sent to the Washington Post is, would you just wait? You're getting ahead of yourselves here. You're trying to make a story out of something that isn't a story. We'll provide you with the information.
STEELE: We faxed to them, gave to them the receipts, all the documentation that we have.
And let me tell you one other thing, George. We're going to -- we're being very proactive about this, because I'm sick and tired of this -- this "gotcha" business that the Washington Post and other -- others in the media attempt to engage in.
We're getting out in front. We're pulling all the data together. We're going to take it to the FBI. I'm not going to wait for them to come to me. I'm going to take it to them and give them everything that they think they need. And if that's not enough, we'll give them more...
STEPHANOPOULOS: OK.
STEELE:... because I want to clear up my good name. This is not the way I intend to run the RNC, with this over my head. We're going to dispense with it immediately.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Thank you for sharing that this morning.

Yeah, investigative reporting at its finest. Someone from Justice "inadvertently" sent a sealed document to the Post and they ran with it as a hit job. Will Justice demand an investigation? Will the rest of the MSM or say, the Congressional Black Caucus, the NAACP or Al Sharpton come to Steele's defense?

I get it now, the NY Times has cleared this all up for me. The appearance of impropriety is what counts for Republicans as the Compost demonstrates, but corrupt Democrats are victims.


No one has accused Senator Dodd of serious wrongdoing. Rather, the suspicion is he might have been tripped up by the moneyed Washington subculture (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/09/opinion/09mon4.html?_r=1&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink) where powerful incumbents are invited to get something wholesale. The chastened senator apologized to constituents that he was not more responsive much earlier.

LOL, how pathetic.

Suspicion my a$$ . He got sweetheart loan rates as a friend of Angelo. It is undeniable that his rates were well below market rates while at the same time being the head of the Senate oversight committee.

That's not an appearance of corruption. It is corruption . It's not getting caught up in the moneyed Washington subculture ;it is being a leader of the moneyed Washington subculture .

suspicion my a$$ . He got sweetheart loan rates as a friend of Angelo. It is undeniable that his rates were well below market rates while at the same time being the head of the Senate oversight committee.

That's not an appearance of corruption. It is corruption . It's not getting caught up in the moneyed Washington subculture ;it is being a leader of the moneyed Washington subculture .
So if Steele is involved in corruption why isn't he subpoenaed?

Because he has already been investigated .

And the reality of it is that the U.S. attorney, as well as the judge, looked at what he presented and did not apply it, said there was no credibility to it.