"This is a horribly unfortunate story," Payne is a synopsis of the Bush years

[underpants]

All tied up with a bow

You have a slimy lobbyist/operative appointed for no reason anyone can ascertain to an advisory position and he uses this position to literally sell access (read: government contracts) all feeding off the worst disaster of national security ever (but they take credit for it) and they are going to squirm out of by basically getting ahead of the story and claiming "no fair" which the media (see second link below) is already spewing.


WASHINGTON, July 14 (UPI) -- Homeland Security officials are looking into allegations that a member of the department's advisory council offered to arrange meetings with senior administration officials in exchange for a large donation to the Bush presidential library.
Stephen Payne, a major GOP fundraiser and international affairs lobbyist, also touted his success in getting an Uzbek opposition leader removed from the U.S. terrorist watch list and issued a U.S. visa.

"This is a horribly unfortunate story," said Homeland Security spokeswoman Laura Keehner. "We are looking into the facts." She declined to comment further.

Payne was appointed to the Homeland Security Advisory Council's subcommittee on "secure borders and open doors" by Secretary Michael Chertoff in August last year.

http://www.metimes.com/Security/2008/07/14/analysis_bush_library_corruption_charges/2a6b/

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/07/15/payne-investigated/

Payne admits selling access could be ‘perceived to be bribery,’ but insists it’s legal.»
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/07/14/payne-bribery/

[Mrs. Overall]

1. Pain is also a synopsis of the Bush years.

[sammythecat]

4. A concise and accurate one too. n/t

[SoFlaJet]

2. who do we write to about this?

I'll start with Robert Wexler my rep...

[Taverner]

3. Sigh...nothing shocks us anymore

Nothing

8 years ago they almost crucified Clinton for giving out pardons.

This is wayyyy worse.

[ljm2002]

5. What she meant was...

...it's horribly unfortunate that he got caught on videotape.

Gads, I've been waiting for a smoking gun videotape of these slimy bastards for years. And you can be sure, this is far from the worst of their crimes. But hooray for the person who taped it! I hope he knows to be careful though -- these thugs don't like being crossed. IMO he is a very brave man.