Ethics in the News | Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington

Judge Limits Stevens’ Character Witness List

newsig — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 11:12:02 -0500

10 Oct 2008 // A federal judge has ordered Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens ’ lawyers to pare back the number of character witnesses they plan to call to testify at the veteran Republican lawmaker’s corruption trial.

Fictitious Donors Found in Obama Finance Records

newsig — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:55:38 -0500

10 Oct 2008 // Last December, someone using the name “Test Person,” from “Some Place, UT,” made a series of contributions, the largest being $764, to Senator Barack Obama’s presidential campaign totaling $2,410.07.

GOP Accuses Esch Of Ad Violations

newsig — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:45:27 -0500

10 Oct 2008 // Lawyers for the National Republican Congressional Committee accused Jim Esch of violating a Federal Election Commission rule in his political television ads.

The lawyers said the FEC requires Esch to include a disclaimer on the ads that say he approved or authorized them. The complaint said Esch didn't do it.

Obama money from abroad could total $3.3 million

newsig — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:43:50 -0500

10 Oct 2008 // WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has raised about $3.3 million from contributors who did not list a home state or who designated their state with an abbreviation that did not match one of the 50 states or U.S. territories, according to records provided by the Federal Election Commission.

Stevens’ Team Launches His Defense

newsig — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:38:57 -0500

10 Oct 2008 // Attorneys for Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) launched his criminal defense Thursday by calling to the witness stand Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), who said, “I can assure you that his word is good. As far as I am concerned, it is good enough to take the bank.”

Palin pre-empts state report, clears self in probe

newsig — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:37:59 -0500

10 Oct 2008 // Trying to head off a potentially embarrassing state ethics report on GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, campaign officials released their own report Thursday that clears her of any wrongdoing.

Lawsuit over Palin's e-mails gets under way today

newsig — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:36:20 -0500

10 Oct 2008 // A lawsuit aimed at forcing Gov. Sarah Palin to preserve any private e-mails she wrote involving state business hits the courtroom today.

Former state employee Andree McLeod filed the suit a week ago. The goal, she said, is to make Palin retrieve e-mails from her private accounts that involve state business and make them part of the state's public records.

Palins Repeatedly Pressed Case Against Trooper

newsig — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:32:29 -0500

10 Oct 2008 // ANCHORAGE — The 2007 state fair was days away when Alaska’s public safety commissioner, Walt Monegan, took another call about one of his troopers, Michael Wooten. This time, the director of Gov. Sarah Palin’s Anchorage office was on the line.

Bond apologizes, faces ethics complaint in U.S. attorney firing

pbjork — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:02:17 -0500

10 Oct 2008 // A government watchdog group filed a complaint on Sept. 30 with the U.S. Senate Ethics Committee against Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., asking for an investigation into whether Bond was personally involved in the firing of a U.S. attorney in 2006.

Norm Coleman Facing Questions About Donor's Payment Of Clothes

pbjork — Thu, 9 Oct 2008 14:24:38 -0500

9 Oct 2008 // St. Paul, MN (AHN) - With the critics still insisting that his special living arrangements still constitute illegal gifts, Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) is now being hounded by accusations that he has also received donor gifts in the form of clothes from an upscale retail store.