Thursday, July 31, 2014

Is the lunch meeting between AG Eric Schneiderman and U.S. Attorney for NY's Southern District Preet Bharara, together with a stern warning letter to Cuomo's guys, the signal of a pre-emptive first strike in an all-out civil war for control of New York's Democratic Party between Chuck Schumer and Andrew Cuomo

Was there some prior casus belli in the now open political and legal offensive  launched against Andrew Cuomo?  Does there really need to be one ?

When Preet Bharara speaks can you actually see Senator Chuck Schumer's lips move ?

Where does Regina Calcaterra fit into all of this ?  Is hers a bigger role than heretofore disclosed ?

Right now, I only have these few questions.  Continue looking at this space for some interesting answers or even more interesting and intriguing questions...

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btw ---  What follows is a reworking of a few of my most recent comments on this material that have already appeared elsewhere on this blog.
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"Galewyn Massey said...  [from my comment of July 31, 2014 at 12:00 AM to a prior post]
UPDATE: THE "REACHING THE BOILING POINT" EDITION
LATE BREAKING NEWS
U.S. Attorney fires a shot across Cuomo's bow, in the form of a sternly worded letter to panel of prosecutors on Moreland Commission to preserve evidence, not to interfere with witnesses and do nothing to alter perceptions and recollections
According to a report in the New York Times, "In an escalation of the confrontation between the United States attorney in Manhattan, Preet Bharara, and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo over the governor’s cancellation of his own anticorruption commission, Mr. Bharara has threatened to investigate the Cuomo administration for possible obstruction of justice or witness tampering. *** The warning, in a sharply worded letter from Mr. Bharara’s office, came after several members of the panel issued public statements defending the governor’s handling of the panel, known as the Moreland Commission, which Mr. Cuomo created last year with promises of cleaning up corruption in state politics but shut down abruptly in March...." (See "U.S. Attorney Warns Cuomo on Ethics Case" by Susanne Craig, Thomas Kaplan & William K. Rashbaumjuly, 7/31/14, NY Times [http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/31/nyregion/us-attorney-warns-cuomo-on-ethics-case-.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=HpSum&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0])."
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[LANGUAGE OF WARNING LETTER IS STARK AND SPECIFIC]

"TOUGH TALK IN U.S. ATTORNEY'S LETTER [from my comment of July 31, 2014 at 8:35 AM to a prior post]
Also, a key portion of the Times report cited in my comment of "... July 31, 2014 at 12:00 AM..." above states:  "The letter from prosecutors, which was read to The New York Times, says, 'We have reason to believe a number of commissioners recently have been contacted about the commission’s work, and some commissioners have been asked to issue public statements characterizing events and facts regarding the commission’s operation. *** To the extent anyone attempts to influence or tamper with a witness’s recollection of events relevant to our investigation, including the recollection of a commissioner or one of the commission’s employees, we request that you advise our office immediately, as we must consider whether such actions constitute obstruction of justice or tampering with witnesses that violate federal law.' "
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"Galewyn Massey said...   [from my comment  of July 31, 2014 at 8:35 AM to a prior post]
BACKFILL: THE "LET'S DO LUNCH AND ISSUE SOME WARNINGS" EDITION
BHARARA AND SCHNEIDERMAN DO LUNCH THEN ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE ON GOVERNOR CUOMO AND HIS GUYS

***

Liz Benjamin's post in the State of New York Politics on Wednesday said, "At the height of Moreland madness, two of the most high profile players in this seemingly never-ending saga – US Attorney Preet Bharara and state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman – met for a very public lunch in lower Manhattan yesterday, multiple sources confirm. *** The Democratic duo was spotted lunching at City Hall Restaurant – an eatery favored by members of the New York City political set due to its proximity to (you guessed it) City Hall. Schneiderman and Bharara have known each other in a professional capacity for the past several years, but aren’t personal friends, according to a source familiar with their relationship...." (See "Bharara and Schneiderman Do Lunch" by Liz Benjamin, 7/30/14, State of Politics - NY [http://www.nystateofpolitics.com/2014/07/bharara-and-schneiderman-do-lunch/] [following this posting was this notation: "This entry was posted by Liz Benjamin on July 30, 2014 at 2:05 pm"]). Assuming the lunch was "yesterday" from 7/30/14, it happened on 7/29/14.
According to a report in today's New York Post, "The development [Bharara's warning letter]came after Bharara dined with state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, a key potential witness in the investigation. *** Neither camp is saying whether Cuomo or his panel was on the menu...." (See "Bharara weighs tampering & obstruction probe of Cuomo administration" by Joe Tacopino & Carl Campanile, 7/31/14, NY Post [http://nypost.com/2014/07/31/bharara-weighs-tampering-obstruction-probe-of-cuomo-administration/])."

"Common Sense: Cuomo decommissioned" and other mumbles and bumbles by Jerry Kassar about the Moreland Commission

To start with:  Governor Andrew Cuomo has hardly been "decommissioned" by any of what Jerry Kassar was saying this week about the Moreland Commission story in the Times last week


Maybe, Kassar thinks he can get close in behind the New York Times and catch the draft of its blockbuster expose of Governor Cuomo's "interference" with the Moreland Commission


More likely, Marty Golden's Chief of Staff is trying to finesse the facts surrounding his boss, State Senator Golden's, and the State Senate Republican Caucus' negative involvement with the Moreland Commission 


Here's how Kassar tells it in the lead section of his weekly column in the Home Reporter: "Governor Cuomo creates a commission to investigate government corruption that he claims is independent, but in his view has no authority to investigate most of the government.  He then has his closest aide interfere when his appointed  panel of district attorneys running the commission begins to follow trails that lead back to him.  Throw in a little violence and you have the makings of an episode of 'House of Cards.'  ***   The story line gets better. The commission apparently was only formed to intimidate the legislature with the intent of causing members to do what Cuomo wanted on some potential high profile pieces of legislation.  ***   Once again, the commission members -- most of whom were sworn law enforcement officials -- were not aware that they were simply being used for this purpose until the governor’s chief aide Larry Schwartz began to issue instructions through a commission executive director who was reporting back to the governor’s office on a daily basis. So much for independence...."  (See ""Common Sense: Cuomo decommissioned"  by Jerry Kassar, 7/28/14, Home Reporter/ Spectator [http://www.homereporternews.com/news/government/common-sense-cuomo-decommissioned/article_9747a8f2-16ca-11e4-b075-0019bb2963f4.html]).  So far so good, right ?   Maybe, not so much !

No mention of  Golden's open expression of hostility to every aspect of Cuomo's Moreland Commission from the beginning


Nowhere in his column does Mr. Kassar indicate to his readers that his employer, State Senator Martin J. Golden was unalterably opposed to the Moreland Commission's mandate to look into government corruption, including a close look at the NYS Legislature, Assembly and Senate. Nor does Kassar  mention that Golden's GOP State Senate caucus went to court to fight Moreland Commission's subpoenas of various materials from GOP State Senators. And Kassar conveniently does not mention that the very same interests whose investigation by the Moreland Commission caused some of the most intense reaction from the Governor and his top lieutenant Larry Schwartz were the same or closely related interests to those that have had interactions with Kassar's own boss, State Senator Golden, over the years.

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

MICHAEL SCOTTO REPORTS: Michael Grimm raises three times as much for his criminal defense fund as he does for his campaign

According to the person Congressman Grimm once threatened to throw off a Capitol balcony and then to break in half like a boy:   "...Grimm’s newly-established legal defense fund reports raising $67,400 last month..." 


Here's some of what Michael Scotto had to to say about Congressman Mike Grimm lately:  "Rep. Michael Grimm’s newly-established legal defense fund reports raising $67,400 last month, nearly triple what Grimm’s campaign raised during the same time period. ***   Grimm received donations from a mix of individuals, corporations and political action committees. A number of the donors had previously contributed to Grimm’s political campaign...." (See "Grimm’s Legal Defense Fund Raises $67K" by Michael Scotto, 7/29/14, State of Politics NY [http://www.nystateofpolitics.com/2014/07/grimms-legal-defense-fund-raises-67k/]).

The Scotto report also gave  background information indicating that Congressman Grimm got the approval of the House Ethics Committee in early June to create a legal defense fund to raise money for legal bills associated with his April indictment on Federal tax and obstruction charges.  However, it isn't  clear how much of Grimm’s attorney fees have been paid or what their total might be, since lawmakers, like Grimm, only have to report their expenditures from the fund; and the fund reported no spending for last month.

The Scotto report includes a list of donors; and the comments following the report deal with some of the who's -who of the donors too.

Thursday, July 24, 2014

BACKFILL: A BIG UNDER-REPORTED (UNREPORTED) STORY — The Commandant of U.S. Marine Corps Slams The Obama Administration Over Iraq

Obama's Lap-dog Press Largely Ignores Member of the Joint Chiefs' Criticism of the U.S. Current Poor 'Leadership' and Inadequate 'Courage' In the World 


To acknowledge Marine Corps Commandant's remarks would cause an "Emperor Has No Clothes" Moment for Impotent President


Yesterday, the NewsBusters blog reported that “It has been eight days since Marine Corps Commandant and Joint Chiefs of Staff member General James Amos spoke out against the current lack-of-leadership climate in Washington....  Despite the almost unheard-of nature of Amos's critique, it's not news —  proving yet again that the establishment press is far more interested protecting their President than in doing their jobs....” (See “Press Ignores General Amos's Criticism of U.S.'s Poor 'Leadership' and Inadequate 'Courage' ” by  Tom Blumer, 7/23/14, NewsBusters [http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tom-blumer/2014/07/23/press-ignores-general-amoss-criticism-uss-poor-leadership-and-inadequate]).

Last week, it was reported by the “Business Insider” that the Commandant of the Marine Corps, General James Amos, USMC,  while speaking at the Brookings Institution on July 2014, stepped out front and jumped into the political debate over the chaos in Iraq.  In doing so, he took aim right at the White House and the President of the United States — arguably an act of insurbordination (See “The Marine Corps' Top General Slams The Obama Administration Over Iraq” by Paul Szoldra, 7/17/14, Business Insider/ Military & Defense [http://www.businessinsider.com/marine-commandant-iraq-2014-7]). This is the line that is causing all the fuss: “I have a hard time believing that had we been there [in Iraq], and worked with the government, and worked with parliament, and worked with the minister of defense, the minister of interior, I don't think we'd be in the same shape we're in today....” Or it might have been this:   “We may think we're done with all of these nasty, thorny, tacky little things that are going on around the world.  And I'd argue that if you're in that nation, it's not a tacky, little thing for you. We may think we're done with them, but they're not done with us."

According to the Business Insider’ reporter, “While he didn't explicitly call out Obama while talking about Iraq, it's certainly being interpreted that way. And it's rather unusual for an active-duty officer to say things that can be viewed as critical towards his or her boss.”

General Amos’ gaff or flap or whatever it was should have been a big story. However, on this story the press was clearly more like the Holmesian  dog that did not bark.  The only print daily  to give timely coverage to the story of General Amos’ statements at Brookings was the right-leaning Washington Times (See “Top Marine Corps general slams Obama’s handling of Iraq” by Douglas Ernst, 7/17/14, The Washington Times [http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jul/17/gen-james-amos-marine-corps-commandant-slams-obama/]).

Even the Fox News Channel was slow to get on board with this story, being almost a week late to the story about the Marine Corps Commandant’s statements at the Brookings Institution (See “ 'Kelly File': Top Marine General Voices Rare Criticism Over Iraq” by Fox News Insider, 7/23/14, Fox News [Insider]/ As Seen On the Kelly File [http://foxnewsinsider.com/2014/07/23/kelly-file-top-marine-general-amos-criticizes-obama-admins-handling-iraq]).

However, when Fox did around to it, they pulled no punches, saying this: “It is almost unheard of for a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, but the nation's top Marine commander came out with some criticism of President Obama's policies. Four-star Gen. James Amos, the commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, slammed the administration last week at the Brookings Institution for the current situation in Iraq.”  Retired Marine Corps Lt. Col. Oliver North, a guest on “The Kelly File,” gave his reaction to his “friend” General James Amos’ remarks by saying, "It's about time somebody in Washington stood up and told everyone what they know to be true....  Everyone paying attention now realizes Obama should have taken the trouble to negotiate that status-of-forces agreement. ... Kudos to General Amos for speaking this way. He knows that diplomacy only works if it's backed up military prowess and a strong economy and right now we have neither.... He realizes that the finest military that's ever existed on this Earth is being systematically dismantled and we're calling them all home and throwing them out of the service."

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Does today’s NY Times Moreland Commission Bomb Threaten State Senator Marty Golden ? — It Surely Should

The Times’ focus on Governor Cuomo’s supporters among real estate developers shines a bright light on a bunch of guys that also have supported Golden over the years

Merely mentioning the Moreland Commission and Real Estate Developers in the same article makes Golden and his supporters very nervous  —   rightfully so  —  a narrower inquiry into what the governor or his people did  (like Christie in New Jersey), and when he/they did it, would not be nearly so upsetting


Which did you hear first,  the noise of the NY Times bomb going off or its immediate massive echo around New York ?   My bet is that most people heard about the Times article before they read it, if they ever get around to it. I certainly heard about it first; and I linked to the article and read it at around 4:00 AM this morning

According to a reporter of inside goings-on in Albany, “Today’s New York Times story on the Cuomo administration’s extensive meddling in the now-defunct Moreland Commission is exhaustive and comprehensive, laying out in detail the (successful) effort by the governor’s top aide, Larry Schwartz, to derail any lines of investigation that might expose or embarrass the executive. ***   But while the piece notes that US Attorney Preet Bharara is now investigatig the commission’s demise – shut down by Cuomo in exchange for agreement on an ethics reform package by legislative leaders – it does not directly address the question of what laws may have been broken during this entire mess, and by whom” (See “Did Anyone Break The Law?” by Liz Benjamin, 7/23/14, State Of Politics - NY [http://www.nystateofpolitics.com/2014/07/did-anyone-break-the-law/#disqus_thread]). That is a rather late and nifty echo, which actually pivots the story to what Liz Benjamin wanted to talk about  —  what possible laws were broken and by whom. So the Times’ story about whether the Governor interfered with the most recent Moreland Commission or just was properly steering and managing an ethics inquiry got morphed by Liz Benjamin’s column into an inquiry about, as yet undefined, crimes; and the guilt or innocence of, as yet unnamed, perpetrators. Or, to put it another way, the Times’ writers are telling a story about what was going on, whereas Ms. Benjamin wants to tell why it’s all so bad.

Before the smoke clears in all of this, the story will be told and retold, and it will be contradicted and even rebutted. During all of that, the prior clear or fuzzy focus will be refocused and even redirected. That’s where the danger is for out local Republican-Conservative State Senator Marty Golden and others like him.

The New York Times article described in great detail how commission investigators were getting too close to the Governor’s supporters in parts of New York’s real estate establishment; how the Governor’s operators tried steering them away; and then how  the Governor shut it all down, citing a legislative deal that made the commission moot ( See “Cuomo’s Office Hobbled Ethics Inquiries by Moreland Commission” by Suzanne Craig, William K. Rashbaum & Thomas Kaplan, 7/23/14, NY Times/ NY Region [http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/23/nyregion/governor-andrew-cuomo-and-the-short-life-of-the-moreland-commission.html?ref=nyregion&_r=0]). If you’ve followed the stories about State Senator Golden’s dealings with-and-for real estate developers, you’ll know why the Times’ glaring spotlight on what the Governor and his people did would make those hoping to stay in the shadows very uncomfortable.

You only have to mention Moreland Commission and real estate developers to Golden or any of the senior members of his staff, and you’d surely have to break out the epipens before somebody’s airway constricts.  The encyclopedic Times article did all of that, minus any reported need for an epipen. That’s why making the ongoing investigation something more like Liz Benjamin's pirouette - to looking for specific people committing specific crimes - might be preferable. Preferable, that is, to anybody, who’s not Governor Cuomo or a member of his staff  —  somebody like Marty Golden, for instance.

Monday, July 21, 2014

The Curious Cases of Arthur Aidala, “Joe” Hynes and Marty Golden — Part 1

READ ON  >>>  AND YOU WILL SEE HOW  >>>  Arthur Aidala was a key Hynes insider and some of what that involved  —   also included is a report of a recent disclosure of possible payments to Aidala from Dino Amoroso and a " ? ? ? Account"


That is mostly what this first installment, Part 1, of this two-part series  will deal with  —  Part 2 will be more of an "Artie and Marty Show"  —   It will show and tell what is not-so-well-known  —   that Artie Aidala is perhaps as close to being a real insider to Marty Golden as anyone

So, at last, here is the first installment of what I promised last week    (See 7/13/14 post below, "COMING ATTRACTIONS  —  Golden - Hynes -  Aidala Connections ..." [http://galewynmassey.blogspot.com/2014/07/coming-attractions-golden-hynes-aidala.html#comments]).


According to my sources, the New York Times, New York Post,  Daily News and New York Observer have all researched some or all of this story; and nobody from those papers has gotten back to any of those sources to say or otherwise indicate or complain that there was anything wrong with the material or information, which had been given to those papers.  Frustrated at the slow pace of various other journalists' inquiries, and who knows what phone calls back and forth, my sources authorized me to make this report at this time.

I’ve looked at it  —  I like the angle  —  So, I’m going with it.

Some of what is contained below  is based  on my sources’ first-hand, eye-witness account of events, together with other materials that they have gathered from published sources and elsewhere, and tied together. A few conclusions are my own.

FIRST HEARING ABOUT AIDALA AND A CHECK FROM THE THE " ? ? ? ACCOUNT"

Actually, I’ve  known about this story for a little while now.  A friend of mine gave me a “heads- up” a few weeks back that another person close to State Senator Marty Golden was going to be named as having received “Asset Forfeiture Fund” checks.  You might recall that on June 27th I wrote,  “... I have been assured by my source that there is ample proof of at least one other prominent person, whose name is well known in and out of southwest Brooklyn, who was quite active in the Hynes primary and general election campaigns and who received what most likely would have been an “Asset Forfeiture Fund” check. The propriety of such a check remains problematic; and it should be made clear, that check might not have been made in connection with any services or activities for either of the two Hynes' 2013 campaigns...” ( See Comment of June 27, 2014 at 10:59 PM to my Friday, June 27, 2014 post, “Question for Jerry Kassar: If it’s ‘Common Sense’ that Obama is ‘a sinking ship’  —  Isn’t it ‘Common Sense’ that Marty Golden is a sinking ship” below on this blog).

The person mentioned by my source and referred to above is Arthur Aidala, an attorney and figure of some note in the Bay Ridge-Dyker Heights community and some might say nationally and internationally.

Maybe, you know Arthur Aidala from back in his days at Poly Prep. Maybe, you’ve seen his colorful bombast as a regular commentator on legal matters on Fox News.  Maybe, you know him for his frequent visits to the 19th floor at 350 Jay Street to drop in on Dino Ameruso. Maybe, you remember when Mr. Aidala worked for Brooklyn DA Charles “Joe” Hynes as an ADA from 1992 until 1997.  Maybe, you’ve seen Aidala’s name in the papers for some of the “big cases” that he’s been involved with; or as you’ll see later on in Part 2 of this post, some of the not so big cases which had more or less local interest. Maybe, you know Artie from one of the events at which both he and Marty Golden were key participants, or activities that they worked on together. Maybe, you remember that both Marty Golden and Arthur Aidala ran to fill Sal Albanese’s City Council seat in 1997, you’ll see a little more about that later on in Part 2 of these posts along with the a discussion of some of the not so big local "cases" (the common link to all of it in Part 2 will be the Marty Golden connection to it).  Oh, and of course, most of you who read this blog know that both Aidala and Golden were big players in former Brooklyn DA Charles “Joe” Hynes’ fruitless and futile effort to hold onto the Brooklyn DA’s Office on the Republican and Conservative lines in the fall of 2013.

AIDALA USED TO HANG OUT AT AND MAKE LOTS OF CALLS TO THE BROOKLYN DA’S OFFICE YEARS AFTER HE STOPPED BEING AN ADA FOR HYNES

Somebody who worked in the Brooklyn DA’s Office not so long ago, remembers that Artie Aidala would occasionally come up to the 19th floor. The way the story goes, Aidala would more often make telephone calls to Dino Amoroso’s office and Dino would routinely take those calls ahead of most other things he was doing. As a matter of fact, a newcomer to the 19th floor heard so many calls with Arthur Aidala interacting with Dino Amoroso and Chief Assistant District Attorney Amy Feinstein that when the newcomer first saw Aidala on the 19th floor, it was assumed that he was employed somewhere else at 350 Jay Street as an ADA. That newcomer soon learned who Arthur Aidala really was; and that Aidala was doing a lot for the Hynes re-election campaign.

As an interesting little side note, an interesting thing happened after one of those many Aidala phone calls to Dino Amoroso.  Dino, half in jest and half exasperated, was heard to mutter,  “It’s not bad enough that he calls me ten times a day, now they want me to write him a check for something he should be doing for free....”  or words to that effect. So what was it that Mr. Amoroso thought former ADA Aidala should been doing for free ?

It’s believed by some,  that Arthur Aidala was getting legal fees for representing Brooklyn ADAs or other KCDA employees in their own cases; you know what I mean, cases in which they were in some kind of trouble. One such individual, “G.S.”, was technically not an ADA, but was one of a few people in the office not admitted as a lawyer that were allowed to do ADA-type work. “G.S.” once said to one of my sources on the inside that Arthur Aidala was his attorney for a problem that he had; and that the DA’s Office paid for it. When another ADA was called in to be questioned by the FBI about something in the office, that person attempted to get authorization from Feinstein and Amoroso, and then even Hynes himself for the same kind of representation by Mr. Aidala that “G.S.” had said he had gotten. In that instance, the ADA was told that there was a conflict of interest and as a result Mr. Aidala refused to take the case.

WERE AIDALA'S LEGAL FEES PAID FROM AMOROSO'S  "? ? ? ACCOUNT" ?

It would seem that at least some of those legal fees to Mr. Aidala might have been paid for by at least one check  from the now infamous "Asset Forfeiture Fund," unless the check to Mr. Aidala was for other-than legal fees or Dino Amoroso operated more than one checkbook out of his office on the 19th floor. (It should be noted that a recent DOI report indicated that Mr. Amoroso did write checks on an account associated with the so-called “Asset Forfeiture Fund.”)

Now, I can’t say with certainty that any check actually was given to Mr. Aidala  or that any such check was improper per se; or that Mr. Aidala might be responsible for any payments, regardless of what account it might have been drawn upon, if made to him by Dino Amoroso and/or others for properly billed legal services rendered to the Brooklyn DA’s Office. However, it certainly would seem unusual and suspicious that the Brooklyn DA’s Office might be making any payments for any reason to Arthur Aidala out of the “Asset Forfeiture Fund.”

An interesting question still nags at me; it is this:  even if the payments from the “Asset Forfeiture Fund” or whatever other accounts were being used to pay Arthur Aidala’s fees for services as described above were found to be perfectly legitimate, what would have made Dino Amoroso think that Mr. Aidala’s “legal work” should have been done for free ?

FRESH OUT OF QUEENS LAW SCHOOL, AIDALA GOT PICKED TO BE AN ADA BY HYNES  —   DID A BIG MURDER CASE AND THEN RAN FOR CITY COUNCIL

Even though Arthur Aidala was the son of a prominent criminal defense attorney and graduated from a prestigious prep school, he went to college at SUNY Purchase and was accepted into only one law school, the Queens School of Law in the CUNY system  —  then, still a relatively new law school set up largely for those who didn’t get into more established law programs.

He started out his career as a criminal law practitioner by being hired as an ADA in the Brooklyn DA’s Office under District Attorney Charles “Joe” Hynes in 1992. Artie Aidala learned his craft and moved up in the office until he left in 1997 to run for City Council in a district that included Hynes’ home and neighborhood of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Aidala’s 39% Democratic Primary vote almost beat Joanne Seminara, who went on to lose to Marty Golden in November 1997.  Interestingly, Aidala was fed a very newsworthy murder case right before he left to run for the City Council.

FAST FORWARD TO THE 2013 CAMPAIGN FOR BROOKLYN  D.A.

Brooklyn DA Charles “Joe” Hynes’ last hurrah was spread over the whole of the Primary and General elections of 2013.  Whenever it came time for the former DA to thank those who were key parts of both these 2013 campaigns, Hynes would make special mention of Mr. Arthur Aidala.  Video of Hynes’ final send-off on election night shows the mutual esteem and affection between Aidala and Hynes. The two had a connection that exceeded anything mentioned above, although what was mentioned above is certainly part of it.

AIDALA AMONG TOP FUND RAISERS FOR HYNES

Arthur Aidala has been widely reported as a significant contributor and bundler for Charles “Joe” Hynes and his campaigns (See “A Great Day for Hasidic Perverts” by Yerachmiel Lopin, 7/15/14, Frum Follies [http://frumfollies.wordpress.com/2014/07/15/a-great-day-for-hasidic-perverts-2/]).  According to the NY Times, “Mr. Aidala ... a former Brooklyn prosecutor and a former campaign manager for Mr. Hynes.... is the registered agent for the Charles Hynes Association. Mr. Aidala, his family, and his legal firm contributed $5,100 to the district attorney last year....” (See “Raising Questions of Professional Conduct as Brooklyn’s Prosecutor Pursues Votes”
by Michael Powell, 7/29/13, New York Times/ Gotham
[http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/30/nyregion/raising-questions-of-professional-conduct-as-brooklyns-prosecutor-pursues-votes.html?_r=0]). Aidala’s contributions to Hynes’ campaign even earned him a place among the high rollers’ “dishing” to a Daily News reporter about their backing of various candidates running for DA of Brooklyn in 2013, which article appeared in the Daily News early in 2013 (See “What makes the Brooklyn DA seat so hot?  Chris Noth, Chris Rock, Donald Trump, and others dish” by Simone Weichselbaum, 2/20/13, NY Daily News [http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/chris-noth-chris-rock-donald-trump-bk-da]).

I’m sure there are many other things that many others know about Arthur Aidala’s long-term and more recent dealings with former Brooklyn DA Hynes. Nonetheless, what I have sketched out above does demonstrate the degree to which Arthur Aidala was well-connected to the former Kings County District Attorney, Charles J. Hynes.  In Part 2 of this series of posts, we will explore how Mr. Aidala had enough connections to State Senator Martin J. Golden to be considered one of his close insiders as well.

Saturday, July 19, 2014

In 2014 most Republican and Conservative incumbents in Brooklyn are in the worst shape ever — That means Grimm and Golden — but not Malliotakis*

GOP-Cons slate for re-election, Michael Grimm and Marty Golden, are immersed in investigations, caught in a swirl of indictments or mired in political scandals and screw-ups

Brooklyn GOP and Conservative Party are ravaged by internal turmoil that is spilling over into efforts for two threatened incumbent office holders


Earlier this week, it was reported that in June 2014, former City Councilman Dominic Recchia, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Congress against Micheal Grimm raised ten times (10X ) the campaign money that Grimm did (See “Rep. Michael Grimm's fundraising in the dumps following indictment” by Dan Friedman, 7/16/14, NY Daily News [http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/rep-michael-grimm-fund-raising-dumps-article-1.18]). That is certainly not “the least of Grimm’s problems”; however, even though it probably ranks right behind the fact that he is under indictment for about twenty different Federal charges, Grimm’s re-election effort is beset by many other problems as well.

For example, having a blow-up appear in the city-wide press over so-called “bigoted” remarks made by Grimm’s new campaign manager Guy Molinari and  Staten Island Republican Party Vice Chairman Bill D’Ambrosio is not a good thing (See “Grimm campaign defends supporter’s ‘bigoted’ remarks” by Carl Campanile, 7/10/14, NY Post/ Metro [http://nypost.com/2014/07/10/grimm-campaign-defends-supporters-bigoted-remarks/]). If nothing else, with Guy Molinari's doubling-down on D'Ambrosio's fundraising gaff, the two of them turned their "bgotry"  into an ongoing campaign issue  —  that is a major screw-up  —  and with Guy Molinari running things, there will be lots more as Grimm's campaign proceeds.

Grimm is the only the TOP local Republican-Conservative incumbent running in the last remaining GOP-Conservative “stronghold” in Brooklyn. NEXT on the list of seriously threatened incumbents is State Senator Martin J. Golden. Based on a recent GOP-Conservative Party event held in Southwest Brooklyn, Grimm and Golden appear to be campaigning as running mates in the overlapping parts of their districts. For now, Golden looks to be in somewhat better shape than Grimm  —  but that can change with the next big headline or other negative disclosure.

Regular readers of this blog know full well about State Senator Golden’s long-term problems with the Kings County Republican Party under County Chairman Craig Eaton, all of which came to a head in early 2013 when Golden personally attacked Eaton with political innuendo and myriad insinuations of possible criminal acts; and that was followed by three failed attempts to oust Eaton  —  once at the polls, once at the party convention and once in NYS Supreme Court. Those combined acts were probably one of the biggest series of political screw-ups by (a) political professional(s) in a very long time. As a result, right now, about half of the Republican activists in the Golden State Senate District do not support the re-election of Marty Golden; and several of the GOP organization clubs did not carry Golden’s 2014 petitions.

In addition to all of that, there are percolating investigations flowing out of the NYS Moreland Commission, the NYC DOI and various local and Federal prosecutors that have already mentioned Golden’s staff members, insiders and a associates; and such percolating investigations do threaten to boil over and possibly scald Golden sooner rather than later.

These combined problems mean that many Republicans, Conservatives and conservative-minded Democrats who live in the overlapping Grimm-Golden districts in Brooklyn do not support either Golden or Grimm. Many of the Republican activists have even openly stated that they intend to be active in support of Grimm’s or Golden’s Democrat opponents; a few might even be actively supporting both of the Democrats opposing Grimm and Golden. This kind of open crossing-over from Republican, Conservative and or other conservative-minded voters to Democrats is something that is very new and very rare, and it’s impact cannot readily be measured on either Grimm or Golden at this time. In any case, this is the year of the “Eric Cantor effect” —  and that effect was only narrowly avoided by long-time Republican warhorse Thad Cochran because of cross-over liberal Democratic votes.  Ask yourself this   —   which phenomenon will be more likely to occur vis a vis Golden and/or Grimm  —  Cantor's or Cochran's ?

At one time or another over the last year or two, both of these establishment Republicans  —  Grimm and Golden  —  have been strongly attacked at meetings of the Brooklyn Tea Party.  Any serious Republican or Conservative Party member should know that in many parts of Southwest Brooklyn either or both Grimm and/or Golden can suffer the “full-Cantor treatment” this November.

So, where are Grimm and/or Golden going to pick up enough loose votes to make up for that ?
_____________________________

*A much-quoted political consultant indicated to me that Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis is the most popular Republican-Conservative in Southwest Brooklyn and that she should have been tapped to run for the U.S. Congressional seat now held by Michael Grimm.

Friday, July 18, 2014

GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Rob Astorino Appears in Brooklyn At Young Republican Club Event

GOP STATEWIDE STANDARD-BEARER INTRODUCED  BY BYRC PRESIDENT GLENN NOCERA


Neither Kings County GOP Chairman Craig Eaton nor either of Brooklyn’s elected Republican officials were present at the BYRC speech by Rob Astorino in Downtown Brooklyn


Video of the event can be watched in a two part link on You Tube.

In Part 1 of the video Mr. Astorino can be seen entering the hall, being introduced and swearing in the officers of the Brooklyn Young Republican Club; and in turn newly re-sworn Brooklyn Young Republican Club President Glenn Nocera can be seen thanking Republican Candidate for Governor Rob Astorino who visited with the Brooklyn club on 7/13/14 at an event held at the Brooklyn Sheraton on Duffield Street on the edge of the Metro Tech hub ( See “Republican Rob Astorino for Governor visits the Brooklyn Young Republican Club 7/13/14 - pt. 1” posted on You Tube by the Brooklyn Young Republican Club [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OieQ_p5Bj_w]).

The program proceeded with Mr. Astorino giving a campaign speech, which was well received by those Young Republican Club members and their guests gathered in the small banquet room. The remainder of the Astorino appearance and answers to Q & A can also be seen on You Tube (See “Republican Rob Astorino for Governor visits the Brooklyn Young Republican Club 7/13/14 - pt. 2 ” also posted on You Tube by the Brooklyn Young Republican Club [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0njn8cUEClU]).

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Republican State Senator Maziarz’ Retirement Puts New Spotlight on Golden’s Problems

Another GOP State Senator “retires” and staff members “resign” while under investigation by U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara

As investigations swirl all around him, the real threat to State Senator Marty Golden’s continuing in office might come from the man Marty beat in the first place, Vinny Gentile


“State Senator George Maziarz's seemingly sudden retirement is the latest in a pattern: He's the fourth G.O.P. incumbent senator to pass on running for re-election this year, citing personal reasons people close to him say have percolated for years....” ( See “Maziarz and the erosion of the Senate Republicans” by  Jimmy Vielkind and Josefa Velasquez, Capital New York/ Capital Pro [http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/albany/2014/07/8548902/maziarz-and-erosion-senate-republicans]). Of course that is only the lead-in; it’s not the meat and potatoes of Vielkind’s and Velazquez’ article in yesterday’s Capital New York.

Vielkind and Velazquez also noted that there was also the cloud of an investigation into unitemized campaign spending that led two of the Niagara County senator's longtime aides to resign last Thursday. According to the Capital New York report, an attorney for the Senator Maziarz's chief of staff confirmed to reporters on Monday that the aide had been served with a subpoena by federal prosecutors in Manhattan, where U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara inherited the Moreland Commission's files and has aggressively pursued investigations and brought cases against several state lawmakers.

Efforts by Republican sources to characterize all of this as a mere “hangover” from the now-defunct anti-corruption Moreland Commission are clearly ringing quite hollow. This is especially true when rumors have swirled that other Republicans would also be jumping ship for similar reasons. Such rumors have thus far  proved to be untrue with respect to State Senators John Bonacic in the Hudson Valley and Pat Gallivan of Erie County. There has even been rampant speculation that the same federal investigators have been looking long and hard at State Senator Martin J. Golden, members of his operation and others close to him.  Psst ! Don’t spread this around....    Even though it might have nothing to do with anything mentioned above, one of my “Baker Street Irregulars” called me last night and told me that Jimmy Vielkind wanted to talk about goings-on in Brooklyn, but all that’s happened with that so far is a bunch of Email and voice-mail misses.

The politics of all of this swinging strongly against the GOP holding its own in the NYS Senate. As one upstate paper sees it, “Now, with word of Maziarz’s surprise announcement Sunday night that he will not seek re-election this fall, Republicans find themselves suddenly having to protect a seat they believed, just [a few days] ago, was not in play. ***  What is now in play more than ever is control of the State Senate....” (See “Senator’s surprise exit has GOP scrambling” by  Tom Precious, 7/14-7/15/14, The Buffalo News [http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/albany-politics/senators-surprise-exit-has-gop-scrambling-20140714] [Note: this article contains a lengthy background portion laying out many of the problems that have fallen upon several GOP State Senators lately]).

WHAT IT MEANS FOR GOLDEN

Frankly, given all the problems Golden, his staff and his crew of insiders already have with the deteriorating situation of an actual “hangover” from the 2013 Hynes Campaign for DA, the Moreland Commission stuff might be among the least of their worries.

Of course, none of this helps Golden’s fortunes in the “local” politics underlying all of this. Governor Cuomo is known to have called NYC Councilman Vincent Gentile to ask him to run against Golden in 2014. So far the ever-popular “Vinny” Gentile has held out. Nonetheless, there still might be a few million ways [$$$$] for the Governor to get more persuasive now that all organized statewide GOP resistance to Cuomo’s re-election appears to have collapsed. With the complicated election proceedings involving various petitions about to begin, a last minute switch to “Vinny” should not be surprising. I'm sure, you'll be among the first to know if that happens.

Monday, July 14, 2014

COMING ATTRACTIONS — Golden - Hynes - Aidala Connection(s) to be explored — WATCH THIS BLOG FOR DETAILS*

______________________

*Note 7-22-14: The first installment of the two-part post, can be found above, posted by Galewyn Massey on 7/21/14 as “The Curious Cases of Arthur Aidala, “Joe” Hynes and Marty Golden  —   Part 1" [https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3872239785607728837#editor/target=post;postID=6811780591459975005;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=0;src=postname]

______________________


NOW YOU SEE 'EM  —  NOW YOU DON'T


. SEE HOW DA Hynes “hid in plain sight” after sending the case of State Senator Marty Golden’s nephew and other Golden relatives to a Special Prosecutor from Queens   —   all the while, Brooklyn DA Hynes kept the companion case against a computer tech, a case that could tie State Senator Golden into the rest of the Kettle Black mess; it was all by way of  some alleged cover-up or the destruction of video surveillance evidence of key moments during the Kettle Black "Blow-up"

. LETS KEEP THIS PART A LITTLE INCOGNITO, OK...   while one of y/k/w’s nephews and his other relatives were on trial in Brooklyn, another of y/k/w's nephews was getting “hooked-up” by y/k/w to come onboard with the Hynes DA team as part of the 2013 class of new ADAs

 . AND ON TOP OF THAT YOU'LL GET TO BE IN THE KNOW that y/k/w spoke at the January 10, 2013 swearing in of new ADA's in the courtroom of Judge Barry Kamin's  —  and what's more, that y/k/w walked around telling everybody he could that "Jimmy S" was his nephew

YES, A THOUSAND LAUGHS, BUT THERE IS A SOMBER AND SERIOUS SIDE TOO


WOULD YOU BELIEVE THIS ?   —   WELL-KNOWN  LAWYER ARTHUR AIDALA  IN ON THE ACTION  —    DINO AMOROSO COMPLAINS ABOUT HAVING TO PAY HIM


.YOU WILL GET TO SEE THAT Marty Golden’s nephew, who had been charged with attacking a police officer at the Kettle Black, had as his attorney, one Arthur Aidala, who continued as a regular caller and visitor to the Brooklyn DA’s executive offices on “The 19th Floor” of 350 Jay Street during all of this stuff

.YOU WILL ALSO GET TO SEE THAT somebody overheard an exasperated Dino Amoroso say  this about Arthur Aidala (admittedly half in jest), “It’s not bad enough that he calls me ten times a day, now they want me to write him a check for something he should be doing for free...”  —   you too can enjoy asking, "What account was that check coming from and  what could it possibly have been for ?"

FEEL THE EMOTION OF AIDALA’S BIG MOMENTS  AT HYNES’ “LAST HURRAH”


. AH, THE PATHOS of Arthur Aidala’s asking over and over, “"When are we going for a Martini...”  outside the event at Hunter’s Steak and Ale House,  “early” on election night 2013   —   or Aidala’s helping a dazed Charles “Joe” Hynes to the door of his SUV after Hynes’ final election night  —   Lastly, see the high-priced lawyer’s passionate hug of a completely drained Larry Morrish

STILL MORE   —   MARTY GOLDEN BESTOWS CULTURAL HONORS ON HIS NEPHEW’S DEFENSE LAWYER


.EXPERIENCE THE GRATITUDE as State Senator Martin Golden honors Arthur Aidala with a “cultural” award not long after Aidala did lots of the heavy lifting for Golden’s nephew to “beat the rap” of attacking a police officer at the Kettle Black

These topics in greater detail and much more will be in upcoming post(s),  “The Curios Cases of Arthur Aidala, ‘Joe’ Hynes and Marty Golden  —   Parts 1 & 2 ” (expected to be posted in two parts on a blog near you)  —  With any luck, all of you can see it here first  —  ahead of the News, Post, Times and Observer, whose guys and gals are looking at most of this stuff too.

Saturday, July 12, 2014

The "2014 Free Concerts in the Park" Phase of Marty Golden’s Re-election Campaign

“Concerts In the Park” are one of the more benign pieces of political flim-flam that local pols, including the Hon. Martin J. Golden, State Senator (22–SD), like to bestow as if they were items of personal largesse given to the public


“Senator Golden’s Free Summer Concert Schedule” for 2014 is no exception  —  And it is one of those “same old stories”  —  But let’s tell it, yet again 


                              >>>  SPOILER ALERT <<<  

THE “FREE SUMMER CONCERTS” AREN’T REALLY FREE



“The following is a press release from the offices of State Senator Marty Golden: State Senator Martin J. Golden (R-C-I, Brooklyn), in partnership with the Southwest Brooklyn Parks Task Force, today has announced the complete lineup of summer concerts set to take stage in our local parks this Summer....”  (See “Senator Golden’s Free Summer Concert Schedule 2014” by Sheepshead Bites, 7/8/14 [http://www.sheepsheadbites.com/2014/07/golden-summer-concerts/]). The “Sheepshead Bites article” also says this: “Senator Marty Golden stated, ‘After a long, cold winter, I am sure the residents of Southwest Brooklyn are anxiously awaiting the start of the 2014 summer concerts which I will again be hosting in our local parks. We have a great lineup of entertainment, so mark your calendar, bring a chair, or a blanket, and make your way to our scheduled fourteen shows in our beautiful parks. I guarantee you will enjoy the entertainment that will feature classic rock, the greatest hits of all time, disco, blues and dance.’ ” A virtual identical item appeared on State Senator Golden’s website ( See “SENATOR GOLDEN ANNOUNCES LINEUP OF SUMMER CONCERTS IN THE PARK” posted by Martin J. Golden, 7/2/14 [http://www.nysenate.gov/press-release/senator-golden-announces-lineup-summer-concerts-park]). [Btw, I thought it would be easier to quote from the “Sheepshead Bites article” than from Golden’s own release, because Golden spoke of himself in the third person an quoted himself in the release, making proper quotation punctuation problematic.]

THERE SEEMS TO BE SOME DISCREPANCY,  DISAGREEMENT OR MISUNDERSTANDING AS TO WHAT STATE SENATOR GOLDEN HAS TO DO WITH PUTTING ON THESE SHOWS

The shows Golden says that he is “hosting” are actually produced by something called “Blu Buffalo,” although at least one site reports that “All events are produced by SWB Parks Task Force/Blue Buffalo.” (See “Marty Golden's Concerts in the Park” by Kip, 6/3/14, Bay Ridge Journal [http://bayridgejournal.blogspot.com/2014/06/marty-goldens-concerts-in-park.html]). Another site described it thus: “Concerts In The Park 2014 –  Sponsored by State Senator Marty Golden.... Produced by Blu Buffalo...”(See “Concerts In The Park 2014” by  Bay Ridge –  Community Web Site, undated (viewed 7-12-14) [http://bayridge.net/]).  And Paula Katinas of the Brooklyn Eagle gave it all a slightly different take  —  “State Sen. Marty Golden (R-C-Bay Ridge-southwest Brooklyn), in partnership with the Southwest Brooklyn Parks Task Force, is sponsoring a summer concert series in parks in his senate district....” (See “Parks are alive with the sound of music —  Golden presents summer concert series” by Paula Katinas, 7/9/14, Brooklyn Daily Eagle [http://www.brooklyneagle.com/articles/parks-are-alive-sound-music-2014-07-09-190000]).

By way of contrast, in past years the sponsorship was spread among more local “sponsors.” For example in 2011 the attribution went like this: “The series is hosted by Sen. Marty Golden (R–Bay Ridge), and co-presented by the Bay Ridge–Bensonhurst Beautification and Preservation Alliance, and the Southwest Brooklyn Parks Task Force....” (See “Sen. Golden’s free summer concerts — a musical boon for parks” by Shavana Abruzzo, 7/25/11, Courier Life/ Brookyn Daily [http://www.brooklyndaily.com/stories/2011/30/br_bb_parkconcert_2011_07_29_bk.html]) [but a little more about that later].

Uh, enough already !  “Presenting” –  “Producing” –  “Sponsoring” – “Hosting”; isn’t there a simple way to find out who is doing the “paying” ?   And almost as important, who is getting paid ?


JUST HOW MUCH DO THESE “FREE CONCERTS” COST ?  – AND –  WHO IS ACTUALLY PAYING AND GETTING-PAID FOR ALL THIS “FREE” ENTERTAINMENT THAT MARTY GOLDEN IS “SPONSORING,” “PRESENTING,”  “PRODUCING” OR  “HOSTING” ?

“‘It costs money to put on a free show....  I spend my days — all day long — talking to sponsors, doing production, getting backline, security, permits, food vendors, booking talent....’ [says Sarah Hooper, the co-owner of a tiny company that produced shows in 2010] ” (See “The Real Cost Of A Free Concert” by Jacob Ganz, 8/11/10, The Record - Music News from NPR [http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2010/08/05/129005119/the-real-cost-of-a-free-concert]). It is certainly no easier or cheaper to mount “free entertainment” in 2014 than it was in 2010.

Well, some how or other Marty Golden, Blu Buffalo and  the Southwest Brooklyn Parks Task Force are putting on these concerts in the park.  BUT WAIT A MINUTE....

In 2012 there was a piece in Bay Ridge Odyssey that observed the following:  “This year’s concert series will be organized by the South West Brooklyn Parks Task Force and produced by Blu Buffalo Consultants. Emil “Chip” Cafiero, the prodigious community events organizer, is attached to both, as the head of the SWB Parks Task Force (according to City & State and The Home Reporter) and as a Special Events Coordinator for Blu Buffalo (LinkedIn). Cafiero ...was [ ] named by Chris Bragg of City & State in a January 2012 exposé of the patronage shell game between Senator Golden’s office and the non-profits that have received funds from Golden’s member item or campaign budgets. ***  In particular, Bragg noted that Cafiero was a part-time Community Events Coordinator in Golden’s office from 2003 to 2007, “yet he also worked as a paid consultant organizing many Bay Ridge-Bensonhurst Beautification and Preservation Alliance festivals and parades, funded by Golden’s member items....” ... At the time of Bragg’s article, Kip of the Bay Ridge Journal said that “in a style reminiscent of the Tammany era, Cafiero and Golden have cleverly branded practically every family-friendly event in Bay Ridge, a major source of Golden’s political strength,” and the summer concert series is one of the events most closely associated with Golden[ ]...” (See “Tomorrow: Summer concert series returns, first since January exposé on Golden patronage” by Brian Hedden, 7/9/12, Bay Ridge Odessey [http://www.bayridgeodyssey.com/2012/07/tomorrow-summer-concert-series-returns-first-since-january-expose-on-golden-patronage/]).

If anybody can show or tell me what has changed about the “Free Concerts in the Park” since 2012, I’d like to know what it is ?

Earlier today, I spoke with somebody who has been a close observer of the inner workings of Golden’s operations. I asked that person this straight forward question, “Who actually pays for Marty Golden’s Free Concerts in the Park ?”  I got this answer back immediately, “You do. Basically, it all comes out of Golden’s member items grants – so it’s taxpayer money.”

Remember how I said that I’d get back to the 2011 funding that included the Bay Ridge–Bensonhurst Beautification and Preservation Alliance, well back around that time, one of the presidents of a local BID complained bitterly that a member grant from Marty Golden that had been pledged to reimburse BID members for money fronted by them for BID expenses was diverted to the Bay Ridge–Bensonhurst Beautification and Preservation Alliance so as to help fund the Summer Concerts in the Park Series. This seemed to have followed a failed attempt to have that same BID contribute directly to the concerts.

So it looks like 2014 and the so-called “Free Concerts” are just part of the same old story. They’re “free” and they’re “hosted,” “sponsored,” “presented” or “produced” by Marty Golden, only because he can spend some of your tax money any way he likes.

If you really want to know how much they actually cost, please call  (718) 238-6044. That is Marty Golden's Bay Ridge District Office; I'm sure they will be glad to tell you, if you ask nicely.

Enjoy the concerts....  BUT you see, they aren’t really free at all.

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

TO: MICHAEL GRIMM — WARNING: NOTICE* — POSSIBLE TERMINATION OF TEMPORARY EMPLOYMENT

Joseph Farrah of the “World Net Daily” says that a “NOTICE”* of termination of employment needs to be sent to certain Republicans as much as to any Democrat ( See “SEND CONGRESS THE PINK SLIP –  Shock campaign that fired up 2010 revolution is back,” published 6/19/2014, World Net Daily [http://www.wnd.com/2014/06/send-congress-the-pink-slip/])

Congressman Michael Grimm (R-C, NY-11th Cong. Dist.) is one such “Republican” who needs to have a “Pink Slip” sent to him  —  BUT, let's give him a warning first !



Please, copy (preferably on pink paper)  the “NOTICE”* below; and send or personally deliver it to Congressman Michael Grimm at one of the following addresses, whichever you believe would be the most effective:

Congressman Michael Grimm
512 Cannon HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-3371

Brooklyn District Office of
Congressman Michael Grimm
7308 13th Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11228

Staten Island District Office of
Congressman Michael Grimm
265 New Dorp Lane, 2nd Floor
Staten Island, NY 10306


___________________________________________
___________________________________________


TO:  CONGRESSMAN MICHAEL GRIMM


THIS IS YOUR FINAL WARNING NOTICE ! 


NOTICE OF POSSIBLE TERMINATION OF TEMPORARY EMPLOYMENT !


Quite apart from the legal problems arising out of your Federal indictment containing multiple counts of criminal activities, IT’S TIME FOR YOU TO ACTUALLY DO THE TEMPORARY JOB YOU WERE HIRED TO PERFORM AFTER YOUR ELECTION IN 2010, BEGINNING WITH YOUR TAKING OFFICE IN 2011, THROUGH YOUR RE-ELECTION IN 2012 TO THE PRESENT   —   THAT TEMPORARY JOB IS BEING A RESPONSIVE AND RESPONSIBLE MEMBER OF CONGRESS IN NY'S 11th CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

WE HAVE BEEN WATCHING YOU  —  AND THUS FAR, YOUR PERFORMANCE HAS BEEN UNSATISFACTORY

WE ARE STILL WATCHING YOU.
HOWEVER, YOU CAN HAVE ONE LAST CHANCE TO GET IT RIGHT...

You must act immediately to try to hold the President of the United States accountable for repeated violations of the Constitution and other U.S. laws.
This means your immediately demanding that Barack Obama enforce this nation’s Immigration Laws now, or else nationhood for the United States will have no meaning. If President Obama should continue fail to enforce these laws, he needs to face Impeachment Hearings from a House Select Committee, the empaneling of which you must fully support in the House of Representatives  –  and those hearings need to be quickly concluded and followed by an Impeachment Vote in the House based on a quick report from the House Select Impeachment Committee.

WE ARE WATCHING YOU

Immediately, you must push for stronger measures  to uncover and punish, directly and/or indirectly by whatever means Congress can muster, all those culpable for using the IRS to target citizens based on their political beliefs and activities.

WE ARE WATCHING YOU

You need to support the break up the Veterans Administration cartel on care for veterans. And you must support emergency efforts to get necessary medical care to our vets immediately – both inside and outside the VA system.

WE ARE WATCHING YOU

If you fail to meet the urgent demands presented above, a REAL EFFORT TO THROW YOU OUT OF YOUR TEMPORARY JOB AS A MEMBER OF CONGRESS WILL BE MOUNTED BY THE UNDERSIGNED ON ELECTION DAY.

Signed,

____________________________
[Name], One of Your most offended employers,
( Add in as appropriate, e.g.: “A Tea Party Republican”
“A conservative Republican”; “An independent Republican”;
“An un-corrupted Conservative Party member....
 [give street name and borough, or "On Staten Island" or "In Southwest Brooklyn"])


___________________________________________
___________________________________________

*Original concept and some points taken from WND's  “Send Congress the pink slip?” email of 7-2-14 (See also “SEND CONGRESS THE PINK SLIP  –  Shock campaign that fired up 2010 revolution is back”
Published 6/19/2014, World Net Daily [http://www.wnd.com/2014/06/send-congress-the-pink-slip/])

Monday, July 7, 2014

Obama's American-German Spy Scandal starting to boil over, but he is as un-engaged as usual

 IS IT ALL MOVING A LITTLE TOO FAST FOR OUR PRESIDENT AND HIS CURRENT CAST OF ADVISORS ?   —   WHITE HOUSE ON ITS BACK FOOT WHEN IT COMES TO CIA’S ROLE IN THE GERMAN SPY SCANDAL  —   OBAMA HASN’T EVEN VOTED ‘PRESENT’ YET ON THIS GROWING CRISIS 


CIA DIRECTOR ASKS TO TELL KEY MEMBERS OF CONGRESS WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT



Does everybody get the feeling that sometime soon, or not so soon, President Obama is going to come out in front of a bank of microphones and say, "I learned about this CIA-German Spy thing the same time everybody else did when I read about it in the newspaper."   So far, the Obama Administration isn’t even admitting that there is a problem, but Germany is already taking counter-measures. Meanwhile, the CIA maintains its public silence over the alleged recruitment of a German intelligence official, but John Brennan has asked for a meeting to whisper some sweet nothings into a few congressmen's ears.

According to a detailed report in The Guardian, “The White House spokesman, Josh Earnest, said he could not comment on the arrest of a suspected US spy because it did not want to interfere in ‘a pending German law enforcement investigation” and because “it obviously goes to, purportedly, a direct intelligence matter as relates to the United States.’ ***  But Earnest appeared to acknowledge that the suspicion alone may have already caused damage to its relationship with Berlin and sought to reassure its ally about the longer term relationship between the two countries. ***   ‘The relationship the US has with Germany is incredibly important,” said Earnest, insisting it was a partnership “built on respect” and “decades of cooperation and shared values....   All those things are high priorities not just of this administration but of this country, so we are going to work with the Germans to resolve this situation appropriately,’ he said during the White House's daily briefing with reporters.... (See “White House on the back foot over CIA role in German spying scandal” by Dan Roberts, Spencer Ackerman and Philip Oltermann, 7/7/14, The Guardian [http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/07/white-house-response-german-spying-scandal]).

Two U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity with Reuters, told that news agency the CIA was involved in the alleged recruitment of a German official, a 31-year-old employee of that country’s intelligence agency, the BND. That German official was arrested in Germany on Wednesday on suspicion of having sold secret documents to a contact at the CIA (See “Exclusive: CIA had role in Germany spy affair” by Mark Hosenball, 7/7/14, Reuters/ Washington [http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/07/us-germany-usa-spying-cia-idUSKBN0FC21920140707]).

According to the Reuters report, “The Central Intelligence Agency was involved in a spying operation against Germany that led to the alleged recruitment of a German intelligence official and has prompted renewed outrage in Berlin, two U.S. officials familiar with the matter said on Monday. ***  CIA Director John Brennan has asked to brief key members of the U.S. Congress on the matter, which threatens a new rupture between Washington and a close European ally, one of the officials said. ***  It was unclear if and when Brennan's briefing to U.S. lawmakers would take place. The CIA declined any comment on the matter.”

Things are pretty bad when you get more foreign policy pronouncements from the former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, who is shilling her own book, than you do from whole rest of the Obama Administration that she left behind.

Sunday, July 6, 2014

President Obama’s and top Democrats’ statements must resort to LIES against Supreme Court’s HOLLY LOBBY DECISION to have any arguments at all

Supreme Court Case did not address anybody's “rights” to use birth control, women’s rights to obtain abortion services or any employer’s rights to make any decisions about any employee’s health care decisions

In the Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. case, the issue was about whether the government mandated insurance coverage that required a closely held company to provide a particular class of birth control/abortion coverage was an overly restrictive burden on religious belief and practice


The abbreviated statement about the Hobby Lobby case from  the Obama White House was as follows:

“Today, the Supreme Court ruled on the much-publicized Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. case. ***  This decision would allow some bosses to withhold contraceptive care from their employees' health coverage based on their own religious beliefs -- which their employees may not share. ***   At the top of today's press briefing, Press Secretary Josh Earnest delivered a statement about where the President stands on this ruling, noting: "President Obama believes that women should make personal health care decisions for themselves, rather than their bosses deciding for them." [Obama quote in large-type bold italics]  ***  He went on to state that "today's decision jeopardizes the health of women who are employed by these companies." (See “The Supreme Court's Hobby Lobby Decision”, by The White House Press Office, 6/30/14, The White House Blog
[http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/06/30/supreme-courts-hobby-lobby-decision]).

The line, “This decision would allow some bosses to withhold contraceptive care from their employees' health coverage ...” is patently false. The most commonly used methods of birth control were not covered by the decision and specifically remain covered.

The President’s quote, “President Obama believes that women should make personal health care decisions for themselves, rather than their bosses deciding for them...” does not address any holding of the Hobby Lobby decision. Nothing in the Hobby Lobby case was about “bosses” “making personal health care decisions” for “women.”

The full press conference by White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest, from which the statement above was derived, contained a series of questions and answers that were even more convoluted and problematic that what was quoted above (See “Press Briefing by Press Secretary Josh Earnest, 6/30/2014 ” by Josh Earnest, 6/30/14, The White House - Office of the Press Secretary [http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/06/30/press-briefing-press-secretary-josh-earnest-6302014]).

Democrats from Hillary Clinton on down all howled like herds of cats in heat. The former secretary of state and possible Democratic front-runner misrepresented the decision just like her former boss Barack Obama did, mere hours after the Supreme Court ruling. According to Hillary, for-profit employers don’t have to provide contraception coverage, mandated under Obamacare, if they have religious objections ( See “Hillary Clinton blasts Hobby Lobby ruling”  by Katie Glueck [with Maggie Haberman contributing], 6/30/14 [updated 7/2/14], Politico
[http://www.politico.com/story/2014/06/hobby-lobby-supreme-court-ruling-hillary-clinton-108460.html]).

Here’s what Hillary had to say, as reported by Politico:  “It’s the first time that our court has said that a closely held corporation has the rights of a person when it comes to religious freedom, which means the corporation’s … [‘closely held’] employers can impose their religious beliefs on their employees, and, of course, denying women the right to contraceptives as part of a health care plan is exactly that.... I find it deeply disturbing that we are going in that direction....  “It’s very troubling that a sales clerk at Hobby Lobby who need contraception, which is pretty expensive, is not going to get that service through her employer’s health care plan because her employer doesn’t think she should be using contraception,”

Everything after “which means...” is so completely wrong that it is fair to call it a lie; and to say that Hillary Clinton is as big a liar about the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby Decision as Barack Obama..  Politico quoted another leading Democrat, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, essentially spouting the same kinds of lies.

Saturday, July 5, 2014

Hillary Clinton avoids major gaff by being evasive on very tough question by British interviewer

HILLARY EVADES BRITISH REPORTER’S QUESTION ABOUT AMERICA'S APPROVAL RATINGS PLUMMETING  DURING HER TENURE AS SECRETARY OF STATE  —   GLIBLY STATES IT’S NOT A POPULARITY CONTEST

Former Secretary of State complained that there is an "inherent contradiction ... when America acts in furtherance of our values, our interests, and our security that is not going to be universally popular..." and she also said that sometimes U.S. popularity drops when it refuses to act  –  Concluding that  “... it isn’t a  popularity contest...”;  she asserted her support of the Obama administration’s abandonment of  "Bush's unilateralism" 



While Hillary Clinton was spending this American  holiday weekend on a two-day book tour in the United Kingdom promoting her new book "Hard Choices," she stopped by the Guardian for what turned out to be a surprisingly tough interview.  Friday during a session with the Guardian's Phoebe Greenwood, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was asked about some of the misguided foreign policy initiatives of the Obama administration (See “BRITISH REPORTER CALLS OUT HILLARY: DURING YOUR TENURE, AMERICA'S APPROVAL RATINGS PLUMMETED” by Pam Key, 7/4/14, Breitbart/ TV [http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-TV/2014/07/04/British-Reporter-Calls-Out-Clinton-During-Your-Tenure-Americas-Approval-Ratings-Plummeted]).

The Guardian’s interviewer confronted former Secretary Clinton with this: "You thought that it was absolutely necessary to restore America's standing, its reputation in the world, damaged in the Bush administration and yet according to a Pew Research figures, um, actually during your period, your tenure as Secretary of State some of the approval ratings in countries that were focuses of your foreign policy such as Pakistan, Egypt, China even the UK, approval ratings to the U.S. actually fell."

Clinton was able to evade the question about the drop in U.S. popularity under the Obama Administration. She did this by way of  an assertion that there was an "inherent contradiction"  —   "of course when America acts in furtherance of our values, our interests, and our security that is not going to be universally popular." Whereupon the former Secretary of State defiantly defended Obama’s reversal the Bush Administration's unilateralism. Her most interesting remark might have been the glib – “...It’s not a popularity contest...” (See “Edward Snowden should have right to legal defence in US, says Hillary Clinton” by Phoebe Greenwood, 7/4/14, The Guardian
[http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/04/edward-snowden-legal-defence-hillary-clinton-interview] the question by Phoebe Greenwood leading to HC’s protracted but defensive answer appears at the 10:40 min:second mark in the video link contained on this site. Although the rambling answer did call for a follow-up, none was forthcoming from Ms. Greenwood.). Phoebe Greenwood’s print report at the cite above did not mention the part of the interview in which she asked Ms. Clinton about the drop in U.S. popularity in various places around the globe during her tenure as Secretary of State.

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

“ THE SKY IS FALLING ! – THE SKY IS FALLING ! ” – Well, something is falling on Republicans in the NY State Senate – The Tom Libous indictment is just more bad news for Marty Golden

State Senator Thomas Libous and his son indicted on charges of lying to F.B.I. –  Federal Prosecutor says Libous schemed to channel money to son’s business

His Bay Ridge comrade in arms Charles “Joe” Hynes is under intense investigation by the Feds [and many others]  –  His GOP running-mate, Congressman Michael Grimm, is circling the drain for Federal offenses  –  AND NOW, even his NY State Senate Deputy Leader and colleague Tom Libous has been indicted by the Feds  

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara says, “...This Office will continue to pursue elected officials who attempt to take corrupt advantage of their positions....”



The NY Times reports that  State Senator Thomas W. Libous, the Senate’s second highest ranking Republican, known to be a close ally of Governor Cuomo, was indicted on today along with his son, Matthew, on charges that the state senator had lied to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and that his son had obstructed a tax investigation and had filed false tax returns....”  (See “State Senator Libous Indicted on Charges of Lying to F.B.I.” by William K. Rashbaum, Suzanne Craig, & Thomas Kaplan, 7/1/14, NY Times/ nytimes.com [http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/02/nyregion/state-senator-thomas-libous-indicted-on-charges-of-lying-to-fbi.html?_r=0]).

According to the Times, “The senator and his son were charged in separate indictments, and the outcome of Senator Libous’s case, in which he faces up to five years in prison, could affect the balance of power in the Senate.... The indictment of Senator Libous effectively could deprive the governor of his most powerful and sympathetic ally within the Senate Republican caucus, which has shared control of the chamber with an independent faction of Democrats. But it comes just weeks after Mr. Cuomo made a break of his own, agreeing for the first time to help Democrats in an aggressive effort to capture control of the chamber.”

This part of the Times report is likely to be even more distressing to Brooklyn’s State Senator Golden, “The charges were brought by the office of the United States attorney for the Southern District of New York, Preet Bharara. *** ‘Public servants should serve the public first, not themselves and their families,’ Mr. Bharara said in a statement. ***   Mr. Bharara’s prosecutors are conducting unrelated investigations focused on more than half a dozen other state legislators based on inquiries that had been conducted by the Moreland Commission, an anti-corruption panel that Mr. Cuomo created last July and shut down at the end of March.”

The Daily News and Wall Street Journal have both posted news articles on the Libous indictments (See “Thomas Libous, NY Senate's No. 2 Republican, charged with lying to FBI: UPDATED” by Glenn Blain, 7/1/14, NY Daily News/ Daily Politics Blog [http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/binghamton-sen-thomas-libous-second-most-powerful-republican-senate-indicted-making-false-statements-fbi-blog-entry-1.1850542]; see also “New York State Senator Indicted – Thomas Libous Charged With Lying to the FBI” by Erica Orden & Sean Gardiner, 7/1/14, Wall Street Journal/ WSJ online [http://online.wsj.com/articles/new-york-state-senator-thomas-libous-indicted-in-federal-court-along-with-his-son-matthew-1404230679]).

The Daily News feature by Glenn Blain contained theses details as updates: “UPDATE 1: ... The indictment comes as Republicans were already reeling from the collapse of their power-sharing agreement with the Independent Democratic Conference and vows by Gov. Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio to return the Senate to Democratic control after the November election....
UPDATE 2 : Bharara, in a statement, said: ‘As alleged, Thomas Libous took advantage of his position as Senator and Chairman of the Transportation Committee by corruptly causing lobbyists, who wanted Libous's influence to benefit their clients, to funnel money through a law firm to his son where Libous has gotten his son a position. He then tried to cover up his corrupt conduct by lying to FBI Agents about his knowledge of his son's arrangement with the firm, as the Indictment describes. Public servants should serve the public first, not themselves and their families. This Office will continue to pursue elected officials who attempt to take corrupt advantage of their positions.’ ”