posted on November 28, 2005 12:43:54 PM new
SAN DIEGO (AP) - Rep. Randy ``Duke'' Cunningham pleaded guilty Monday to conspiracy and tax charges and tearfully resigned from office, admitting he took $2.4 million in bribes to steer defense contracts to conspirators.
Cunningham, 63, entered pleas in U.S. District Court to charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, mail fraud and wire fraud, and tax evasion for underreporting his income in 2004.
Cunningham answered ``yes, Your Honor'' when asked by U.S. District Judge Larry Burns if he had accepted bribes from someone in exchange for his performance of official duties.
Later, at a news conference, he wiped away tears as he announced his resignation.
``I can't undo what I have done but I can atone,'' he said.
Cunningham, an eight-term Republican congressman, had already announced in July that he would not seek re-election next year.
House Ethics rules say that any lawmaker convicted of a felony no longer should vote or participate in committee work. Under Republican caucus rules, Cunningham also would have lost his chairmanship of the House Intelligence subcommittee on terrorism and human intelligence.
The former Vietnam War flying ace was known on Capitol Hill for his interest in defense issues and his occasional temperamental outbursts.
After the hearing, Cunningham was taken away for fingerprinting and released on his own recognizance until a Feb. 27 sentencing hearing. He could receive up to 10 years in prison.
He also agreed to forfeit to the government his Rancho Santa Fe home, more than $1.8 million in cash and antiques and rugs.
In a statement, prosecutors said Cunningham admitted to receiving at least $2.4 million in bribes paid to him by several conspirators through a variety of methods, including checks totaling over $1 million, cash, rugs, antiques, furniture, yacht club fees and vacations.
``He did the worst thing an elected official can do - he enriched himself through his position and violated the trust of those who put him there,'' U.S. Attorney Carol Lam said. The statement did not identify the conspirators.
The case began when authorities started investigating whether Cunningham and his wife, Nancy, used the proceeds from the $1,675,000 sale to defense contractor Mitchell Wade to buy the $2.55 million mansion in Rancho Santa Fe. Wade put the Del Mar house back on the market and sold it after nearly a year for $975,000 - a loss of $700,000.
He drew little notice outside his San Diego-area district before the San Diego Union-Tribune reported last June that he'd sold the home to Wade.
Cunningham's pleas came amid a series of GOP scandals. Rep. Tom DeLay of Texas had to step down as majority leader after he was indicted in a campaign finance case; a stock sale by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is being looked at by regulators; and Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff was indicted in the CIA leak case.
Associated Press reporter Erica Werner in Washington contributed to this report.
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An intelligent deaf-mute is better than an ignorant person who can speak.
Meanwhile, the Washington Post reports that at least half a dozen other members of Congress are the subjects of an ongoing investigation into the dealings of indicted Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Sources tell the Post that Ohio Rep. Robert Ney and his chief of staff have both been warned that prosecutors are preparing a possible bribery case against them. Other Republicans in investigators' sights? The Post identifies Montana Sen. Conrad Burns and California Rep. John Doolittle as well as former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, who has already been indicted on an unrelated criminal charge in Texas.
DeLay's former press secretary, Michael Scanlon, has already pleaded guilty to criminal charges in the Abramoff probe and is helping investigators now. Authorities are still looking into the suspiciously timed stock sales of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. David Safavian, the top procurement official in the Bush administration and former chief of staff for Republican Utah Rep. Chris Cannon, has already been indicted. And there are so many state-level Republican officials under investigation that you really do need a scorecard to keep track.
And then there's the CIA leak case. The vice president's chief of staff has been indicted, and now Patrick Fitzgerald is talking about needing a new grand jury amid revelations that somebody leaked Valerie Plame's identity to Bob Woodward and more questions about what Karl Rove did or didn't tell the grand jury and why.
Christmas is still a month away, but for prosecutors around the country, Republican control in Washington is already the gift that keeps on giving.
posted on November 28, 2005 11:39:29 PM new
"""In case ypu don't know it, Cunningham was the first "ACE" in Vietnam after killing 3 MIGS one one mission. """
Hahaha! So what does that have to do with him being a Republican crook with NO ethics or morals
posted on November 29, 2005 05:28:55 AM new
Bear, Viet Nam. Is that the same war America lost 50,000 troops in fighting the COMMIES? COMMIES like China?
Today under your conservative form of government. America barrows around 2 billion dollars a day. A lot of that money comes from Bush's old buddies the COMMIES in China.
Today conservatives like you talk big about honoring our American Troops. Your conservative words are all just bull roar. The truth is your side have short memories about honoring troops.
My side is truly trying to honor our troops by getting them out of a bad war in Iraq. A bad war started by this White House.
posted on November 29, 2005 06:43:48 AM new
About the same defense for him as that liar Kerry.
So it is none now?
Cunningham played and now is going to pay, why ever he would do something like that?
Focus on the leaders of this country is nothing new, they should of known this would be the case but guess stupidity can carry over from the donkey.
Ron
"Better to be hated for who you are than loved for who you are not."
posted on November 29, 2005 08:33:06 AM new
"Bear, Viet Nam. Is that the same war America lost 50,000 troops in fighting the COMMIES? COMMIES like China?"
yes the one where Kennedy got us in,Johnson escalated and Nixon got us out...yes thats the war he's talking about.
posted on November 29, 2005 09:10:15 AM new
And don't forget Delay , Frist, Rove, Libby, Abramoff......all the ones being investigated, arrested, indicted.....it hasn't gone away oh ye neocons !
posted on November 29, 2005 10:16:49 AM new
Classic, your right a bad war is a bad war no matter who starts them. Today in the bad Iraq War America has lost over 2100 Troops and we are still counting.
Again, today (11/29/05) conservatives like you talk big about honoring our American Troops. Your conservative words are all just bull roar. The truth is you conservatives have short memories about how dishonoring it is to send American troops into a bad war.
Today 11/29/05 my side wants to truly honor our troops by getting them out of a BAD WAR STARTED BY THIS WHITE HOUSE.
So again your words are just empty words from a guy that supports this failed conservative form of Government. Another Iraq War supporter with a short memory.
posted on November 29, 2005 12:22:14 PM new
So what would you like to discuss mingotree? The fact he got caught taking bribes? The fact that President Bush is still President and will be until Jan 2009, the fact that Delay will probably be dismissed soon? The fact that Libby probably won't be convicted? The fact that Democrats haven't won anything yet.
So take your pick.
Ron
"Better to be hated for who you are than loved for who you are not."
posted on November 29, 2005 12:56:44 PM new
""Bush is still President and will be until Jan 2009, the fact that Delay will probably be dismissed soon? The fact that Libby probably won't be convicted? The fact that Democrats haven't won anything yet."""
Oh ya, the Democrats have won some elections ...didya miss that ?
Oh, and are you BRAGGING that the Republican crooks will get away with their crimes?
Such TRUE Republican neocon, conservative religious right ETHICS!
posted on November 29, 2005 02:26:23 PM new
Ron - Why, when there is testimony from seven other White House staffers/officials that directly contradict Libby's testimony as well as his own notes... Why do you believe that he will not be convicted of lying? Seriously. I keep hearing this assertion from the right about how since it now seems that others were outing Plame that Libby will not be convicted but the charges against Libby are that he went into the Grand Jury and lied. This does not make sense to me. The question is not whether it now seems to have been a logical lie, the question is whether or not he purposely lied to the grand jury. Knowing what we know about his own notes and about the contradictory testimony, why do you believe that he would not be convicted of perjury?
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An intelligent deaf-mute is better than an ignorant person who can speak.
[ edited by fenix03 on Nov 29, 2005 02:26 PM ]
posted on November 29, 2005 11:57:19 PM new
bigpeepa said: "My side is truly trying to honor our troops by getting them out of a bad war in Iraq. A bad war started by this White House."
Let's not forget they couldn't have done it without the complicity of the Democrats. It seems like they supported the war when the majority of Americans did, and now that people are waking up, they are appalled at the quagmire they helped get us into.
It's nice to tell ourselves that the Democrats are trying to honor the troops by bringing them home, but I think there are about 2100 families that probably wish they would have started honoring the troops a little sooner.
posted on November 30, 2005 12:05:27 AM new
""Let's not forget they couldn't have done it without the complicity of the Democrats. It seems like they supported the war when the majority of Americans did, and now that people are waking up""
The WORLD knows that Americans , Democrats and Republicans alike were LIED to about the reasons for going to war.
And now people ARE waking up to the lies that killed their children and to the fact that their grandchildren and great grand children will be paying for it and to the fact that Republicans are stealing tax money that could HAVE gone to provide armor and better equipment to the troops.
"" but I think there are about 2100 families that probably wish they would have started honoring the troops a little sooner.""
I bet there's many families of service members who are dead or dismembered that wish BUSH hadn't LIED about our reasons for going to war.
posted on November 30, 2005 12:09:36 AM new
Agreed. However, many thinking people knew there was no justification for war before it started, and even seen it coming after 9-11, but did nothing about it because it was unpopular. Publications like "The Nation" are just about the only ones that had the balls to speak out back then.
posted on November 30, 2005 12:13:31 AM new
And how could anybody have honestly thought that a Christian nation (whether you want to call it one or not - perception is everything) attacking a Muslim nation wouldn't have had consequences stretching out into possibly hundreds of years - if History is any guide.
posted on November 30, 2005 12:25:49 AM new
Thank you!
""However, many thinking people knew there was no justification for war before it started, and even seen it coming after 9-11, but did nothing about it because it was unpopular""
Well I was in several war protests and emailed, emailed, emailed, my senators and representatives BEFORE the war but obviously to no avail.
The Democrats were trapped...if they voted against it they would've been seen as unpatriotic because the bushites lead Americans to believe that 9/11 had something to do with Iraq and sheep-like many Americans fell for it.
posted on November 30, 2005 06:07:29 AM new
Nerfballwillie,
Yes, the Majority of American people and lawmakers bought into the Bush/Cheney reasons for going to war in Iraq.
Then Bush/Cheney sent our troops off with no plan plus lacking the Armour and military Tools to keep them safer.
After that Rumsfield starting making his blunders and statements. The American quickly saw our troops had very poor leadership from Bush/Cheney and Rumsfield.
About that time Bush/Cheney had to start changing the reasons for going to war in the first place. Why,no WMDs,no links with the 911 terrorist etc.
All the while more Americans were being killed or wounded. More American dollars were being waisted.
That is the beginning of todays fact that 6 out of 10 Americans today no longer support the Bush/Cheney Iraq War.
I support those 6 out of 10 people not caring if they are republicans or democrats. Those people are all Americans that are on my side. Better yet I should say I am on their side.
nerfballwillie, again I will say to you. The American majority is sending their message to BOTH PARTIES. That message is WORK FOR US OR GET OUT.
Industry and the rich are getting richer. While the rest of us are paying for it with our blood and money.
Now nerfballwillie if you want to dispute what I just said fine.
posted on November 30, 2005 06:35:06 AM new
If it was so black and white as you seem to make it out Fenix, why is he pleading not guilty? He did that to get a jury trial, after all of these other people come out about Plame, his alleged lying looks more doubtful all the time. You can say he lied all you want, until he is convicted of it he didn't lie.
Ron
"Better to be hated for who you are than loved for who you are not."
posted on November 30, 2005 07:44:06 AM new
Ron - please tell me that that is not your arguement. People plead "not guilty" for a number of reasons. Among them would be to have the neccesary time to negotiate a plea bargain as well as those that think they can beat the charges. I would not be at all surprised that someone that would lie as blatantly as he did would also believe that he might be able beat the charges.
As for this - he has not been convicted, he did not lie rationale... come on. Get real. How are you rationalizing the fact that SEVEN White House Staffers/Officials gave testimony that directly contradicted his claim that he knew nothing until a reporter told him and that his very own notes state that he was informed by Cheney that Plame was a CIA operative on a date prior to the conversation in which he states that Russert told him? This is SEVEN republicans and his own hand that contridict his testimony. If you truly believe that Libby did not lie to the Grand Jury when he said he knew nothing until Russert told him (which Russert says he did not do but that's another story) then how do you explain those things?
You can say he lied all you want, until he is convicted of it he didn't lie.
I woonder what you would say if that claim was made about a child that lied about taking a cookie.... or a democrat.
~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~
An intelligent deaf-mute is better than an ignorant person who can speak.
