HUD chief's departure a blow to Bush

[leekohler]

Oh my- Is it mean of me to hope for more? ;)

For the first time in President Bush's tenure, one of his Cabinet members is stepping down amid a criminal investigation.

Housing Secretary Alphonso Jackson, a longtime Bush ally from Texas, said Monday he'll leave his post on April 18. He announced his departure on the fourth anniversary of his Senate confirmation.

The FBI has been investigating the ties between Jackson and a friend who was paid $392,000 by the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department as a construction manager in New Orleans, according to the Associated Press. Jackson's friend got the job after Jackson allegedly asked a HUD staffer to pass along his name to the Housing Authority of New Orleans.

Other Bush Cabinet members, such as former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, have left office under political clouds. But Jackson, 62, is the highest-ranking Bush official to depart in this manner. Last June, former deputy Interior secretary Steven Griles was convicted and sent to prison for lying to a congressional panel about the access and favors he gave to lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-03-31-hud-sec_N.htm

[leekohler]

Wow- I thought this would at least get some views. I guess the administration is so corrupt that we're just used to it now.

[freeny]

I think were all just hoping this all goes away and looking to the future...
Or people are too busy sending out Rick Rolling links in honor of April 1st.

And it is not mean to hope for more. its your duty to demand for more...

[solvs]

Wow- I thought this would at least get some views. I guess the administration is so corrupt that we're just used to it now.
I posted something similar to this awhile ago (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=455411) (or is this another one?). People cared more about my baiting a troll. Nobody wants to think about him anymore. We don't even get people defending him here anymore. Just not easy to defend I guess without pulling a SL or whatshisname who was just banned after putting us all on ignore.

More here:

The Bushtanic Has Finally Sunk (http://www.theseminal.com/2008/03/31/the-bushtanic-has-finally-sunk/)

[solvs]

NOLA public housing advocates bid good riddance to HUD chief, urge policy change (http://southernstudies.org/facingsouth/2008/04/nola-public-housing-advocates-bid-good.asp)

They aren't the only ones.


Edit: And even more bad news from Bush's administration:

DoJ Investigators Probing Whether Goodling Fired Lawyer Due to Gay Rumors (http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/04/doj_investigators_probing_whet.php)

Justice Probes Lawyer's Dismissal Amid Gay Rumor (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89288713)

Nice. :rolleyes:

And more:

POPLINE, a federally funded database of reproductive health information, has removed "abortion" as a possible search term. (http://brassratgirl.livejournal.com/417175.html)

Statement Regarding POPLINE Database (http://www.jhsph.edu/publichealthnews/press_releases/2008/popline.org)

Health Database Was Set Up to Ignore ‘Abortion’ (http://www.nytimes.com/glogin?URI=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/05/us/05popline.html&OQ=_rQ3D1Q26hp&OP=eff3b75Q2FJodVJ5Q7BwmbQ7BQ7BiQ2BJQ2BQ20Q20zJQ201JQ20XJumJQ20XSQ7BSvytdQ60Q7Diev)

[solvs]

And another one bites the dust:

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/04/todays_must_read_327.php

It's the Bush administration's special approach to accountability: stand staunchly beside an administration official as the allegations pile up and his or her credibility dwindles to nothing, and then months later -- long after the administration could derive any credit for the deed, and it is widely assumed that they are content to let the official fester in office for the duration -- the official abruptly and inexplicably resigns. So it was with Donald Rumsfeld and Alberto Gonzales. And yesterday General Services Administration chief Lurita Doan stepped down.

But Doan, who gained mucky prominence for her clueless cronyism, wants everybody to know that she's not stepping down voluntarily. She was fired. And not only was she fired, but she was fired because she refused to cave to political pressure. Or something.

"I would rather get fired for something I believe in, and a cause I was willing to fight for, rather than to believe in nothing worth being fired for." That's what Doan told Government Executive in an email last night. It's far from clear precisely what this "something" she believes in is.

What we do know is that last June, the Office of Special Counsel recommended to the White House that Doan be fired for violating the Hatch Act. And that same month, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) told Doan to her face during a House oversight committee hearing that she should resign. And now, nearly a year later, the White House summons her for a meeting and asks for her resignation.

To refresh your memory on Doan's parade of horribles: her Golden-Duke-nomination-worthy testimony came in response to a meeting in early 2007, where Karl Rove's aide Scott Jennings came to brief GSA staff on the prospects for Republicans in the 2008 elections. The PowerPoint presentation detailed which seats were "House Targets" and which "Senate Targets", which states were "Republican Offense," and which "Republican Defense." For those who've never witnessed this proud moment in administration history, Doan's initial blubbering testimony on the topic is worth a watch:
Also:

Judges' Group Director Pays DOJ Settlement (http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4749998&page=1)
Group Also Settled Claims It Overcharged the DOJ for Services Related to Its $97 Million in Federal Grants

The Department of Justice has secretly agreed to settle conflict of interest allegations against the executive director of a group that has received $97 million in federal grants to improve the nation's family courts, according to people familiar with the matter.

Mary Mentaberry, of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ), failed to disclose that her husband had received $94,000 in real estate commission for helping the organization secure new office space. Mentaberry agreed to pay $16,500 in the settlement, which has not been previously been made public, to the consternation of some Justice Department officials.

"You would expect a nationwide association of judges to follow the rules," said one official, who called the matter an embarrassment not only to the group but also to the Department of Justice, which has given so many millions of dollars to the group.
I was just accused (again) of only seeing the bad, but really, does anyone see the good of this?