The Clinton Foundation reportedly is seeing an increase in contributions from foreign governments after ending a self-imposed ban on such donations, raising new ethical questions as Hillary Clinton prepares for a possible 2016 presidential campaign. According to The Wall Street Journal, which cited the foundation’s online database, recent donors to the foundation include the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Oman, Australia, Germany, and a Canadian government agency promoting construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.
All posts by brucebecker
Columnist resigns over Telegraph’s ‘fraud’
The former chief political commentator for the UK newspaper the Daily Telegraph has resigned after claiming to have discovered that advertisers held immense power over the newspaper’s editorial division.
Peter Oborne, who had been with the Telegraph for five years, wrote a lengthy and blistering post on OpenDemocracy.net on Tuesday accusing the newspaper of committing “fraud” on its readers for not properly covering newsworthy events that involved their advertisers, such as the bank HSBC or the government of China.
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Cuomo says there will always be some corruption in Albany
There will always be corruption in government — and Albany is no worse than anywhere else, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday.
“You’ve always had and you probably always will have some level of corruption,’’ said Cuomo in an interview with New York 1.
“Power corrupts, and government is a source of power, you have it in the City Council, you have it in the state Legislature, you have it in the Congress of the United States, so, that continues.”
Lance Armstrong loses $10 million in fraud lawsuit
AUSTIN, Texas — A three-man arbitration panel has ordered Lance Armstrong and Tailwind Sports to pay $10 million in a fraud dispute with a promotions company.
Dallas-based SCA Promotions announced the 2-1 ruling against the former cyclist on Monday when it asked a Texas state court to confirm the arbitration decision.
Unemployment fraud: State seeks no criminal charges in 99.8% of cases
PORT WASHINGTON (WITI) — The economy is improving, businesses are expanding and unemployment is the lowest it’s been since 2008. So why are thousands of people with jobs still claiming they’re jobless? It is a common form of fraud, but what’s far less common is jail time for those caught ripping off the unemployment system. A FOX6 investigation finds the state did not seek criminal charges against tens of thousands of people suspected of filing false claims.
Obama doesn’t want to know about fraud
I help senior citizens correct bill errors to save money and protect their identities.
On Jan. 5, I helped a client phone the Social Security inspector general’s fraud hotline. The recording told us that there would be a 32-minute wait before we could talk to anyone. Such a delay is a roadblock that discourages reports of fraud.
Taxpayers Puzzled by Anti-Fraud Measures; ‘Is This a Scam?’
Thousands of Ohioans are getting asked some curious questions online and over the phone lately, such as: How old is your grandchild? What brand of car do you have? How long is your mortgage?
Many of these people have a question of their own: What is this — some kind of scam?
The answer: The quiz is legit, part of an effort by the state to thwart … scams. Specifically, the filing of phony tax returns.
Under the new program, some Ohioans who have filed their taxes get letters in the mail from thestate Department of Taxation directing them to take a quiz to verify their identity. They are told to go online or dial a number.
Oregon governor close to resigning over ‘surreal’ corruption scandal – reports
The governor of Oregon appears to be on the brink of resigning, after four months of revelations about his fiancee’s roles as a state contractor and first lady.
Among other allegations, Governor John Kitzhaber is accused of steering contracts to his fiancee’s environmental consulting firm. His fiancee, Cylvia Hayes, is accused of using public office to further private interests.
A controversial figure, Hayes has also come under scrutiny for having married an 18-year-old Ethiopian man in 1997, for $5,000 and to help him secure residency in the US, and for participating in the same year in a plan to buy land in a remote part of Washington state, for the purpose of growing marijuana.
Big Government and Corruption Are Inextricably Intertwined
When I write about the “inbred corruption of Washington” or “Washington’s culture of corruption,” I’m not merely taking pot-shots at the political elite.