Where is that special White House investigator when you need him?

[BrklynLiberal]

A report by the Inspector General's office found that Bush agreed to pay a politically well connected family in Florida more than 3 times what their Everglades property was worth so they wouldn't drill for oil and gas. Sounds OK, right? Well, turns out the government already owned the land

The Bush administration's offer in 2002 to overpay a prominent Florida family for oil and gas rights on Everglades land by as much as $80 million was ``at best, foolish and, at worst, complicit,'' the Interior Department's inspector general said today.

In a report to the Senate Finance Committee, Inspector General Earl Devaney said the department nearly tripled earlier estimates of the value of the mineral rights. The agreement wasn't completed and lawmakers said today that Devaney's report would scuttle it.

<snip>

President George W. Bush announced in May 2002 that the federal government would pay $120 million in cash plus an undetermined amount in tax deductions to prevent the Collier family's privately held Collier Resources Co. from drilling for oil and gas on 400,000 acres of land it owns in what he called ``critical parts of the Everglades.'' Two previous government assessments valued the rights between $5 million and $68 million.

<snip>

``The intentions behind the attempted acquisition have always appeared to be firmly grounded in the department's righteous desire to protect the environmentally sensitive Everglades from potential harm,'' Devaney said. ``The means by which these intentions were advanced, however, were very troubling.''

<snip>

Devaney's report also says the government may have already owned the mineral rights because the Colliers sold the government surface rights for the same land in 1988. In addition, it finds little evidence the rights had significant value and said Collier Resources never certified what percentage of the rights they owned.

<snip>

Members of the Collier family contributed more than $121,000 to Republican candidates in the last election cycle, including at least $5,000 to Jeb Bush, according to the Washington-based Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks campaign donations.

<snip>

more..

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=ajHcVIgKGoWI&refer=us

[cornermouse]

1. Near as I can see, the entire Bush family specializes in corruption.

But don't look for any prosecutors in the near future. I'm sure you've seen how Ken Lay still hasn't been charged with anything. I'm looking for that to continue until George can issue a pardon.

[Teena]

2. "Where is that special White House investigator when you need him?"

So, this is how they finance election campaigns? Each time they want some cash from their slimy friends, they use tax generated funds to buy out the "owners" of a piece of property that the government already owns, then the so-called owners pay them and other Republicans back with the cash the tax payers provided for what is called "environmental protection." Hard to trace and not considered stealing, since the "government" paid them for the land, and the cash is distributed out to several Republican candidates, thus keeping each contribution within guidelines. Good plan, though illegal and immoral, as most Republican plans seem to be!

[CanOfWhoopAss]

3. Never thought of it that way. Just when I think I know it all...

Excellent observation.

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