Prosecutors Subpoena Baltimore Officials

[Rose Siding]

BALTIMORE -- Federal prosecutors have subpoenaed several Baltimore City Council members in an investigation into their hiring practices, acceptance of gifts and connections with two local businessmen.

The council members have until Saturday to turn over five years of records to U.S. Attorney Thomas M. DiBiagio's office, The (Baltimore) Sun reported Friday.

News of the subpoenas came two days after the city's Board of Ethics concluded the entire council violated ethics law by accepting free parking passes from a company doing business with the city. Three council members violated the law by hiring siblings as assistants, the board said.

Some members of the all-Democratic council accused DiBiagio, a Republican, of a political witch hunt.

"It's all racially motivated," Councilman Bernard C. "Jack" Young said, contending that nepotism and council perks didn't raise eyebrows until the council became majority black. "We haven't done anything wrong."

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-baltimore-council-ethics,0,5238802.story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines

[LisaM]

1. Is this their latest tactic?

Now that they've stolen all the national elections, they're going to arrest all the local officials?

[Divernan]

2. First Philly; now Baltimore

nt

[morebunk]

7. Democratic public servants are being attacked all over.

This ought to get out the base!

[Ella]

4. Not ALL local officials, not at first

It'll begin with black officials in big cities of states that may be in play for the Repubs if they can convince the soccer moms and Nascar dads that their problems are caused by corrupt colored politicians (who are always guilty until proven innocent). Yeh, there's a pattern here; now will the national Democratic Party fight back or pretend nothing's happening, rollover and pee themselves because they don't want to look like the party of the non-white either?

[tom_paine]

9. Yep, ella. The Busheviks are as tranmsparently predictable as

ALL Totalitarians.

Astute observation.

[tom_paine]

8. Of course it is -- not entirely unlike Stalin's "new tactic"

of putting an icepick in Trotsky's brain (or was it a ball-peen hammer?)

Because we used to live in a Free nation, a Republic, turned now into a Slave Nation and Empire, the Busheviks will maintain the illusions that these are all coincidences and "normal procedure".

Sure it's normal procedure...for Ferdinand Marcos.

At least the Busheviks are "kinder and gentler".

[benfranklin1776]

11. But Thomas didn't Fox, er I mean Pravda, say that Trotsky killed himself.

The state run media always tells the truth Big Brother assures us. I mean they are rolling out the
"everything is chipper in Iraq ignore the accumulating death toll" product line so we must suspend our capacity for rational thought and listen to Big Brother. I mean these days "if Fox says it, it must be true" is the new mantra of the mesmerized. Facts are just too damned inconvenient.

[fob]

3. The council members have until Saturday to turn over five years of records

I hope they make sure to have them vetted through their legal counsel's office before sending them over. From what I hear that takes about 2 weeks.

[tlcandie]

5. Do they follow the WHorehouse example and gather them but then

hold for review? No deadlines for the WH! Why anyone else? Well, the next phase has started, but will the average American see past the crap?

[benfranklin1776]

10. Yes if the subjects take the Alcee Hastings approach.

Which is fight bogus charges tooth and nail. He didn't roll over but fought ferociously. The voters of his district saw through the garbage and elected him to Congress. As a judge, Halstee was charged with supposedly accepting a bribe, but he was acquitted of any wrongdoing by a jury. However Congress went ahead and tried to impeach him. He fought and the impeachment was overturned by the DC Court of Appeals since he had been acquitted and becasue he had been denied a proper trial before the full Senate. Had he rolled over he would not be effectively representing his district today and the country would have been denied an excellent Congressman.

[patdem]

6. ENRON FIELD Anyone????