Go figure!
Nothing new here.
Since few seem to be interested in the whole 2024 thing……I will change gears for awhile.
Americans are beginning (finally) to see that there is very little different between Dems and Repubs in our Congress…..both can be bought.
A senior Dem in the Senate, Menendez, was caught red handed and now a prominent Dem in the House is accused of bribery…..
Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas and his wife were indicted on conspiracy and bribery charges and taken into custody Friday in connection with a federal probe into ties between American business leaders and the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan, per the AP. From 2014 to 2021, Cuellar and his wife accepted nearly $600,000 in bribes from an Azerbaijan-controlled energy company and a bank in Mexico, and in exchange, Cuellar agreed to advance the interests of the country and the bank in the US, according to the indictment. The Department of Justice said the couple surrendered to authorities on Friday.
- Example: Among other things, Cuellar agreed to influence legislation favorable to Azerbaijan and deliver a pro-Azerbaijan speech on the floor of the House, the indictment states.
- Denial: Cuellar released a statement Friday declaring innocence. “Everything I have done in Congress has been to serve the people of South Texas,” he said. “Before I took action, I proactively sought legal advice from the House Ethics Committee, who gave me more than one written opinion, along with an additional opinion from a national law firm. Furthermore, we requested a meeting with the … prosecutors to explain the facts and they refused to discuss the case with us or hear our side.”
- Money: The payments to the couple went through a Texas-based shell company owned by Imelda Cuellar and two of the couple’s children, according to the indictment. That company received payments from the Azerbaijan energy company of $25,000 per month under a “sham contract,” purportedly in exchange for unspecified strategic consulting and advising services. “In reality, the contract was a sham used to disguise and legitimate the corrupt agreement between Henry Cuellar and the government of Azerbaijan,” the indictment states.
- A search: The FBI searched the congressman’s house in the border city of Laredo in 2022, and Cuellar’s attorney at that time said Cuellar was not the target of that investigation. That search was part of a broader investigation related to Azerbaijan that saw FBI agents serve a raft of subpoenas and conduct interviews in DC and Texas.
There is not a big difference in the people in Congress….both are corruptible and greedy….and yet we keep voting for these parties time and time again and expect a different outcome….what was it Einstein said about that?
This criminal activity runs deep….from the White House to state and local officials….greed is a prime motivator.
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”
In Saner Thought 
Politicians and money, nothing ever changes. At least they caught him, the worst ones over here just leave the country and disappear.
Best wishes, Pete.
Their hubris makes them think they are above the law…..I say burn all chuq
Getting involved in politics does things to people. Not good things either. I’ve known three state legislators personally and I’ve seen how it changes them. I used to run into one at a restaurant once a month or so and we’d sit and chat over breakfast. Nice guy. I knew him, his kids, etc. He was a republican in the days when being a conservative meant being a conservative, not what it means today. Some of the stuff he told me about what was going on behind the scenes down in Madison was, frankly, horrifying. The pressure to follow the party line no matter what his conscience or the voters who put him in office wanted was intense, often amounting to almost literal extortion. “Either you vote with us on the bill or… ” Fill in the blank yourself. Money was always an issue. Either toe the line or we cut off your funding, shut down donations from lobbyists, etc. He got out. His conscience couldn’t allow him to deal with that crap any more.
The other two? One was a dem another a GOP. I watched them gradually turn from caring, honest people into persons the Mafia would probably have tossed out.
The whole system seems intentionally designed to erode one’s sense of ethics, making them rationalize behavior that you and I would consider to be immoral, even illegal.
I agree with the system thing….my representative was a Dem but a conservative Dem….but he voted the way the majority wanted…..he lost his job because there was a ‘D” after his name. He and I did not see eye to eye but I respected that he had the people’s pulse in his voting. His replacement was a greedy douche that was called several times for his financial oopseys….jhe lost the last election to a guy that will be worse given time. chuq
Two wings on the same bird.
Exactly….corruption knows no party lines. Be well chuq
It will be all over after the election of 2024 and we can all settle into our new authoritarian landscape and do as we are told.
I have this problem with authority….that is why I did not stay in the Army….I do not like taking orders from my lesser. chuq
Obey or go to prison — that is the kind of days that are coming onto us.
Then issue me a number. chuq
The number will not be “Issued” it will be tattooed.
Then fire up the gun….chuq