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OneAngryDemocrat

(2,060 posts)
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 07:16 PM Jun 2014

Grassley's Hunt For An Obama Insider Trading Scandal Backfires: Nabs GOP Staffer instead

Source: TALKING POINTS MEMO

Early last year, Wall Street traders somehow found out that the Obama administration planned to make a policy change to Medicare before the news was even announced.

The flurry of stock trades in major health care companies that followed has since caught the eye of federal law enforcement as well as Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), who has made investigating the matter one of his pet projects on the Senate Finance and Judiciary committees. In his search, Grassley has gone as far as to cast suspicion on the Obama administration as the source of the leak.

But in a twist, the Wall Street Journal reported last week that federal regulators and law enforcement officials have now focused their attention on a Republican health policy staffer in the House. A lawsuit filed on Friday by the Securities and Exchange Commission, first reported by the Journal, said investigators believe the staffer "may have been" the source of the leak. It also sought to force the staffer to turn over records to investigators, something he and the committee have reportedly refused to do despite being handed subpoenas.



Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/grassley-medicare-leak-sutter



The SEC has filed a lawsuit after Brian Sutter, the top Republican health staffer on the House Ways and Means Committee, refused to comply with its subpoenas. House lawyers, according to the SEC, had argued that the Constitution protected them from having to comply with the subpoenas.

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Grassley's Hunt For An Obama Insider Trading Scandal Backfires: Nabs GOP Staffer instead (Original Post) OneAngryDemocrat Jun 2014 OP
Way to go, Chuck! Lionel Mandrake Jun 2014 #1
Chuck is the dumbest cluck in the Senate. His staff works triple time saving his ass. nt SDjack Jun 2014 #3
"Dumbest" is a very strong statement to make. caballojm Jun 2014 #8
Excellent point. They should be divided into classes rurallib Jun 2014 #9
Republicans can just ignor subpoenas? justgamma Jun 2014 #2
Elected officials of any type have immunity because they represent people who voted for them and freshwest Jun 2014 #6
Even better, the lobbyist involved truebluegreen Jun 2014 #4
BWAHAHA! Of course Sutter would! That's the GOP's favorite way to steal. freshwest Jun 2014 #5
Those records belong to the staffers employer, our Federal Gov. Sunlei Jun 2014 #7
Because the crimes benefited donors to the GOP jmowreader Jun 2014 #12
Go Grassley Buffoon. Cha Jun 2014 #10
what a great thread title. I scrolled past and had to backup KittyWampus Jun 2014 #11
lol What comes around goes around. n/t Psephos Jun 2014 #13
Actually, the focus has been on Hayes for over a year onenote Jun 2014 #14
TPM's headline is somewhat foolish Enrique Jun 2014 #15
Calling Darrell Issa - here's a real criminal. lark Jun 2014 #16
It's so funny watching the right-wing trying to take down Obama... C Moon Jun 2014 #17
always have fun with him PatrynXX Jun 2014 #18
Never understood how Iowa could elect a Tom Harkin AND this idiot. LoisB Jun 2014 #19

caballojm

(269 posts)
8. "Dumbest" is a very strong statement to make.
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 09:13 PM
Jun 2014

The Republicans have such a cornucopia of morons from which to choose. I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable stating which one is actually the dumbest.

rurallib

(62,328 posts)
9. Excellent point. They should be divided into classes
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 09:34 PM
Jun 2014

I am sure Chuck could win a "best in Class."
And he is MY senator! I am so proud.

freshwest

(53,661 posts)
6. Elected officials of any type have immunity because they represent people who voted for them and
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 08:44 PM
Jun 2014
they would be disenfranchised if another part of the government removes them from office...

At least that's my reasoning. They have to be removed by their equals, usually.

The staffer may on the hook in this case because of personal benefit.

Rove isn't an elected official and it appears that subpoenas are not enforced:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Rove#Congressional_subpoenas

I don't know if they can arrest anyone to make them talk...

Sunlei

(22,651 posts)
7. Those records belong to the staffers employer, our Federal Gov.
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 09:03 PM
Jun 2014

Why is a Republican run 'committee' protecting a 'leaker' who may have committed serious federal crimes?

onenote

(42,296 posts)
14. Actually, the focus has been on Hayes for over a year
Wed Jun 25, 2014, 06:24 AM
Jun 2014

Not to defend Grassley, but after questioning one administration official about a week after the leak, he turned his attention to his former staffer.

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/04/grassley-eyes-former-aides-role-in-market-intelligence-90197.html

Enrique

(27,461 posts)
15. TPM's headline is somewhat foolish
Wed Jun 25, 2014, 08:08 AM
Jun 2014

Grassley's insider trading probe, which has been going on for years, hasn't been entirely partisan, and this isn't the only Republican who has been a focus of it.

Why shouldn't we be supporting the rare occasions when Congress does its job, regardless of which party the insider traders turn out to be from?

And by the way, Patrick Leahy has been working with Grassley on this.

lark

(22,941 posts)
16. Calling Darrell Issa - here's a real criminal.
Wed Jun 25, 2014, 02:35 PM
Jun 2014

Of course, since the staffer is a Repug - nothing for him to see, nothing at all will ever be done by them. He makes me so sick!!

C Moon

(12,182 posts)
17. It's so funny watching the right-wing trying to take down Obama...
Thu Jun 26, 2014, 01:09 AM
Jun 2014

they look in all the dark corners where they commit crimes, but instead of finding something on the President, they either end up looking like fools, or incriminating their own. It's just so precious.

PatrynXX

(5,668 posts)
18. always have fun with him
Thu Jun 26, 2014, 10:30 AM
Jun 2014

parents used to go to a church he goes to.

until they fired the band leader for attempting suicide (didn't go thru with it) Jesus helped and then the devil fired him. figures

if something like this happens usually it's on the right.

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