CREW files ethics complaint against Vitter for 'bribery' of Interior secretary

Source: The Hill

CREW files ethics complaint against Vitter for 'bribery' of Interior secretary
By Jordy Yager - 06/21/11 01:33 PM ET
A watchdog group filed a complaint with the Senate Ethics Committee on Tuesday against Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) over allegations that he attempted to “bribe” the Interior Department Secretary Ken Salazar.

The complaint, filed by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), cites a letter that Vitter wrote to Salazar last month. In the letter Vitter said he would continue to oppose increasing Salazar’s paycheck by $19,600 until the secretary issued permits for new exploratory deepwater wells in the Gulf of Mexico.


In a five-page letter to committee Chairwoman Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Vice Chairman Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), CREW’s executive director Melanie Sloan detailed the allegation of Vitter’s “quid pro quo” and recommended that the committee refer matters to the Justice Department if they found the senator guilty of wrongdoing.

“Our country’s criminal laws apply to everyone, including senators,” said Sloan in the letter. “There is no exception to the bribery law allowing a senator to influence a department secretary’s official acts by withholding compensation.”

Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/167609-crew-files-ethics-complaint-against-vitter-for-bribery-of-interior-secretary

---

http://www.citizensforethics.org/legal-filings/entry/crew-files-ethics-complaint-against-senator-david-vitter
http://www.scribd.com/doc/58394245/CREW-Senate-Select-Committee-on-Ethics-Regarding-Sen-David-Vitter-Bribery-Offer-6-21-2011-Complaint

what's not to despise?

Republicans only want to win at any cost.. they could care less about ethics or laws...unless of course a Democrat did something...

to the greatest page!

Criminal.

Not enough for Vitter, though, he needs to be spanked :spank:

and follow his own advice re: abstinence. :evilgrin:

:evilgrin:

And don't forget when he set off alarms going through a closed airport gate and gave the security guard the "Do you know who I am?" baloney.

I mean, come on- WIENER. Or better yet- Weiner's wiener (hey, douchebags in the media, his name is pronounced "Whiner" not "Weener"- jeez- grow the fuck up)

He would know all about criminal activity. Too bad this one came to light before the statute of limitations, eh, shitbag?

"eh, shitbag," that is.

He didn't ask the Sec of the Interior to change his diapers, did he?

Maybe he shoulda.

on the kickbacks the supreme court is getting.

could find himself in deep shit--------------------again.

:rofl:

IOKIYAR

"I urge the Obama administration to prosecute," Vitter spokesman Luke Bolar told Politico. "They'll make fools of themselves in court and make my boss a Louisiana folk hero at the same time."

:mad:

Bribery usually implies EXTRA, UNEARNED money.

Salazar's scheduled raise was being blocked by diaper-boy.

Salazar shouldn't get that raise if he issues new permits or not. We have a budget crisis.

The wrong doing lies with bitter.

nothing will be done.

i don't care how they get vitter, just get him, he's an embarrassment to us all...why does he get to entertain whores and party on our dime and he doesn't have to resign???

“Perhaps given that Sen. Vitter escaped accountability for soliciting prostitutes, he also thinks he can evade responsibility for violating the bribery laws,” said Sloan in a statement. “At some point, the Senate Ethics Committee needs to make clear to Sen. Vitter that he has to follow the same rules and laws as everyone else.”

YOWZA! :headbang:

attempted coercion and has asked the pay be withdrawn. Boxer referred Ensign's case to the justice dept. so she sure as heck will do the same with V.

The federal bribery statute states that “whoever directly or indirectly, corruptly gives, offers or promises anything of value to any public official… to influence any official act” could faces fines, up to two years in prison or both.

This is in writing..not hearsay. I believe Holder will have no choice. This happen almost a month ago though so it needs a lot more light on it. Olbermann just talked about it.

David will give in.

Vitter committed a crime for which he should have been forced out of the Senate.
Weiner did not commit a crime, albeit he was very inappropriate and disgusting, and he was forced out.
Alcee Hastings (D-FL) is accused of sexual harrassment and he is being investigated by the Ethics Committee.
I am pretty fed up with the double standard here. Democrats are made to pay the price for their actions, Republicans are given a pat on the back.

Throw the book at him, throw him in jail and then throw away the key.

why is he still in the senate?

And likes it!

When the hooker scandals broke, Democrat Kathleen Blanco was governor of LA so Vitter got applause from his Republican colleagues upon his public return.

What a bunch of hypocrites.

n/t

I know they are trying to make him pay for his bad behaviors but I would think they could investigate both. This still is unfair. It still says that republicans can get away with sex scandals and democrats eat their own.

It sounds like there was no schlong involved in this particular incident. Therefore the media will not cover it for long.

Diapers - okay, interesting, but not really newsworthy.
Extortion - sorry, too hard to pronounce.
Penis - lead story on all the networks.

like Anthony Weiner...

I hope this goes somewhere, though.

to muck around with the compensation of members of Congress.

Vitter needs to be marched to the woodshed. Unless he likes that, too.

That's EXTORTION.

Get your prosecutable crimes straight.