Becerra and the Cocaine Dealer
EmailWhile the Eric Holder AG nomination revives the case of the Marc Rich pardon, the potential nomination of Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Calif., to be U.S. Trade Representative is reviving Becerra’s activism on behalf of Carlos Vignali, a convicted cocaine dealer whose sentence then-President Bill Clinton commuted on his way out the door in January 2001. Becerra requested that the Justice Department review the case; Vignali’s sentence was ultimately commuted.
There may even be spillover onto PEBO’s Secretary of State nominee; the father of the coke dealer in question, Horacio Vignali, paid Hugh Rodham — the brother of Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y. — more than $200,000 to help lobby for a commutation for his son.
The Los Angeles Times has more.
On the other hand, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says the nation’s employers cut 533,000 workers from their payrolls last month — the worst month since December 1974 and a significantly worst number than the best guess of economists (-333K). The national unemployment rate is now 6.7%, the highest unemployment number since October 1993.
So, one has to wonder if these controversies will resonate.
- jpt
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The LAT link doesn’t have anything about the 200K paid to Rodham for lobbying on the sentence commute. So where’s the support for the Rodham allegation?
Posted by: kat | December 5, 2008, 1:43 pm 1:43 pm
And why shouldn’t it “resonate” MORE in bad times as honest people down on their luck hear about drug dealers getting a “get out of jail” card though hardly free, if they “lobby” the powerful with barrows full of money??
Posted by: robert b | December 5, 2008, 2:29 pm 2:29 pm
kat – its there about Rodham on page 1 of the article. It was a bad link job sending us to page 2.
Posted by: robert b | December 5, 2008, 2:32 pm 2:32 pm
everybody has their own things to worry about, so no, it will not resonate.
and concerned in ohio, i hope you find work soon, pebo will help you soon.
you are on here anytime,day or night,
ready to write your negative stuff.
why don’t you try instead of being negative to the new govt. coming in.
use your comment space, to remind us of the positive the adm. going out has done.
and remind us of how and why would would have been better off with a president? Who? you fill in the blank.
because your being on here all the time
ready to pounce on the obama deal, is really lame, and kinda sick.
i am afraid you will, with so much hatred toward obama, go over the deep in to no return.
tell us of the good of bush and co.
and the good of what your person for president would be doing.
thanks.
Posted by: what? | December 5, 2008, 2:37 pm 2:37 pm
Gosh what? brings up very good ideas.
In bad times, don’t look for those that rob you blind. Good advice.
More seriously, yeah let’s look on the positive albeit now dream world of McCain as Messiah in waiting. He’s done his mea culpas over Keating back in the Stone Age and has been a proven reformer.
Can you see him picking retreads let alone tolerating any new shenanigans, but then our new Savior has a great record of turning over the tables of corruption in the temples of Chicago biz and govt, doesn’t he (OH?! maybe not)
Posted by: robert b | December 5, 2008, 2:52 pm 2:52 pm
Positive #2, a GOP fantasy
Not only would PEBO Mick be choosing quality people but he would be taking names and preparing pink slips for all those still in SEC and Fannie Mae as well as all those in Fed Govt part of the nonsense that precipitated this crisis.
There’d be a rational plan forming of immediate incentives to boost sales and productivity in this country, not bailouts and handouts.
Our allies whether India or Israel or Europe would not have an aching uncertainty on the next steps of the war on terror and facing down thugs with big bank accounts.
Posted by: robert b | December 5, 2008, 2:59 pm 2:59 pm
Sorry for purposes of fantasy change PEBO to FPE McC(Fantasy Prez Elect McCain).
Posted by: robert b | December 5, 2008, 3:14 pm 3:14 pm
- you’ll have to forgive ‘Concerned in OH’ for somehow not remembering all the many scandals of the last 8 years of Republican ‘leadership’ as well as the ‘great job’ Bush and his puppet masters have done….
‘Concerned in OH’ has yet to understand that
the Republicans were shown as the frauds and liars they are in the 2008 election, no spin or revisionist punditry will change that.
I guess we’ll have to wait and see how many of his crime cronies Bush pardons, ‘Scooter’ was probably just the first of many……
Posted by: Blue | December 5, 2008, 4:21 pm 4:21 pm
The 200K Rodham fee from over a decade ago does not resonate with the current joblessness. I just don’t think the populist sensibility will latch onto that.
Posted by: kat | December 5, 2008, 7:16 pm 7:16 pm