Another corrupt Republican bites the dust...you're next Delay!

The Coffee Shop
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Rep. Cunningham to Plead Guilty

By ERICA WERNER, Associated Press Writer

Monday, November 28, 2005 Printable Version Email This Article

(11-28) 09:01 PST WASHINGTON, (AP) –

Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham will plead guilty to tax violations, a source close to the investigation of the California Republican has told The Associated Press.

Cunningham has been under investigation since his sale of his home to a defense contractor at an apparently inflated price in 2003 attracted the attention of federal investigators.

A hearing in the case was scheduled in federal court in San Diego on Monday, and two sources close to the investigation said Cunningham would enter a guilty plea. One of those sources said he would plead to tax violations related to the home sale.

Cunningham, 63, is an eight-term congressman and Vietnam War flying ace.

In November 2003, he sold his Del Mar, Calif., home to defense contractor Mitchell Wade for $1,675,000. Wade put the house back on the market and sold it after nearly a year for $975,000 — a loss of $700,000 in one of the nation’s hottest housing markets.

Cunningham and his wife, Nancy, used the proceeds from the sale to buy a $2.55 million mansion in ritzy Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.

Wade also let Cunningham live rent-free on his yacht, the Duke Stir, at the Capital Yacht Club. His firm, MZM Inc., donated generously to Cunningham’s campaigns.

Around the same time, MZM was winning valuable defense contracts at a time when Cunningham sat on the House Appropriations subcommittee that controls defense dollars. In 2004 the little-known company based in Washington, D.C., tripled its revenue and nearly quadrupled its staff, according to information posted on the company Web site.

Though he denied wrongdoing when he announced in July that he wouldn’t seek re-election, Cunningham himself acknowledged that the sale didn’t look good.

Cunningham’s attorney, Lee Blalack, declined comment in advance of Monday’s hearing.

Associated Press reporter Elliot Spagat in San Diego contributed to this story.

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Good luck on the Delay conviction, its a pipe dream

Quite a plan for success the Dems have.

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So, your point is ONLY republicans are corrupt? Interesting thought, however naive…

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So, your point is ONLY republicans are corrupt? Interesting thought, however naive…

Did I say that?..did anyone hear me say that???..are you putting thoughts in my head???..words in my mouth??? I think you might be.

No, my point is not that ONLY Republicans are corrupt, my point is that this current crop of Republicans is particularly corrupt and they are following the example of their party leadership who have absolutely no regard for either the truth, ethics or the law. Thats my point.

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Thanks for clarification. However, whenever someone points out specific someone or group it can come across that way :slight_smile:

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Surprise, surprise…a corrupt politician…who would’ve guessed…

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Wow. What is most disturbing is that, like drugs in cycling, one has to believe that there are many more Congresscritters who have done the same stuff, but just haven’t (yet) been identified.

SAN DIEGO (AP) – Rep. Randy ‘‘Duke’’ Cunningham pleaded guilty Monday to conspiracy and tax charges and tearfully resigned from office, admitting he took $2.4 million in bribes to steer defense contracts to conspirators.

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poor Duke…he was so cute today, blubbering away like that in front of all those microphones, whining about the lost respect of family and friends

hope his future cellmate likes tall tales about 'Nam.

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Most of them do what amounts to the same thing, but are not so stupid as to allow a direct path to their own pockets.

Selling a house at something like twice its market value to someone with business before your committee is just plain dumb.

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What’s interesting is that they couldn’t even get an ethics investigation started against the guy in Congress. That’s sad.

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What’s interesting is that they couldn’t even get an ethics investigation started against the guy in Congress. That’s sad.

That’s funny. I guess they couldn’t fill the ethics committee due to an inability to find ethical people.

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I don’t know about the whole Congress thing, but the guy got up in front of the cameras, admitted to everything, tearfully apologized, said he’s prepared to go to prison, and also said he will spend the rest of his life making amends.

In other words, he fell on his sword, which is more than we can say for the mast majority of these folks in D.C. who get caught with their hands in the cookie jar. And now he’ll do his time. Sounds like justice was served here.

T.

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**I don’t know about the whole Congress thing, but the guy got up in front of the cameras, admitted to everything, tearfully apologized, said he’s prepared to go to prison, and also said he will spend the rest of his life making amends. **

Actually, he only admitted things once he was caught which is a far cry from falling on his sword. It’s worth noting how we have become so used to scandal, that anyone who admits a crime after they are charged is now considered noble and honorable. I think the days of admitting a mistake before anyone finds out are long over.

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I’m not so impressed. His first response was to deny. If he were more honorable, he might have at least had no comment or admitted. But it took until it was clear that he was nailed to the wall for him to show contrition.

Here was his original denial.

“My whole life I’ve lived aboveboard,” Cunningham said. “I’ve never even smoked a marijuana cigarette. I don’t cheat. If a contractor buys me lunch and we meet a second time, I buy the lunch. My whole life has been aboveboard and so this doesn’t worry me.”

Later, he added, “The last thing I would do is get involved in something that, you know, is wrong. And I feel very confident that I haven’t done anything wrong.”

Evidently, he’s no longer confident.

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Well, the guv’mint proved actus rea (bad acts), as the first element of his crime. If he, initially, didn’t think that he did anything wrong (though even he admitted that the sale of his home to a defense contractor for what turned out to be an inflated price “looked bad”), there wasn’t mens rea (bad thoughts). My guess is that once he stopped to think things out, and I concede he probably knew all along that he was doing something that was at the very least unethical, he fessed up. Or at least, that’s what his lawyer told him to do. Same difference.

But, all of this ignores the point of what I was trying to say, which is that the Left continually applies a double standard to all of this stuff when it comes to wrongdoing by someone from the Right. I’d like to hear the same truth squads crowing with glee when someone from the other side of the aisle stumbles and falls.

He should be punished. Because along with repentance comes atonement. That’s not only a religious concept, but it’s what the basis of our criminal justice system (that’s why prisons are called “penitentiaries”, and we house most inmates in a “congregant”-type of prison of one sort or another) is based on.

T.

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poor Duke…he was so cute today, blubbering away like that in front of all those microphones, whining about the lost respect of family and friends

Reminds me of Willy Clinton when he lied about his affair.

On national TV trying to gain sympathy from the people for lying to their faces about his affair…getting all droopy eyed and sorrowful.

Good ole’ Willy…what an actor…

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WOW! it only took 15 replies for someone to pull out the Clinton card…thats pretty impressive.

Seems that after a political career of graft and taking bribes from arms manufacturers Duke is going to dedicate the rest of his life to God.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20051130/news_1n30hunter.html

I guess he had an epiphany like Donald Rumsfeld.