Tag: corruption

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Misses Financial Disclosure Deadline After Extension, Omits Fiancé’s Finances

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) must be too busy flying first class to worry about following financial transparency rules.

AOC skipped filing her mandatory 2024 financial disclosure documents and instead requested a 90-day extension past the May due date.

Despite being given extra time, the far-left Congresswoman missed the second date as well and, according to an exclusive from The New York Post, finally filed the documents a week late.

Absent from her disclosure, however, was any sign of her partner of more than a decade, fiancé Riley Roberts.

Although AOC calls Roberts her “spouse” for perks, she has excluded him from disclosures.

Per The Post:

Ocasio-Cortez, 35, came under fire from the House Ethics Committee last month for calling Roberts, 37, her “spouse” on some ethics forms to receive perks such as travel and gala access, but leaving him off financial disclosures so she doesn’t have to disclose his assets.

“There is a reason Congress requires financial disclosures to include the spouses of members of Congress,” Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette, interim vp of policy and government affairs at the Project On Government Oversight, told The Post.

“If spousal disclosures were not required, it would be all-too easy to exploit that loophole and simply transfer any conflicted or problematic assets or financial activity into the spouse’s name.

“If her fiancée is going to avail himself of some of the perks and privileges of being the spouse of a member of Congress, he should surely have to likewise comply with the less convenient parts,” he said.

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Former Secret Service Chief Paid Himself a Bonus

Former acting Secret Service Director Ron Rowe gave himself a senior leadership “performance” bonus around the holidays in December after previously serving as the second in command of the agency, leading up to the two assassination attempts against President Trump last year, according to multiple knowledgeable sources.

The agency pays nearly everyone in senior executive leadership positions bonuses – many worth thousands of dollars – at the end of the year, and that includes Rowe, the sources said.

Because Rowe was the acting director at the time, he moved forward with giving himself a bonus and then continued to remain on the payroll listed as a “senior advisor” for nearly half of this year – months after Trump tapped Sean Curran as the new director. Rowe could do so by using up all accumulated sick and leave time, sources tell RCP. Rowe has since announced that he had joined the Chertoff Group, the national security consulting firm run by former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.

Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who resigned in disgrace after Trump was nearly killed at the Butler rally and rallygoer Corey Comperatore was murdered, did not receive a bonus last year because she was no longer employed by the agency at the end of the year, these sources confirmed.

Meanwhile, the first quarterly installment of promised retention bonuses for agents who agreed not to jump ship to another government law enforcement job or retire in the aftermath of the morale-sinking assassination attempts has been delayed for weeks. On Wednesday, USSS leaders once again reassured agents in an email that their promised retention bonuses are coming and would be paid by the end of August.

The information is helping ease some anxiety for agents miffed by multiple retention check delays – an important morale booster as the Secret Service prepares for President Trump’s ride-along tonight with D.C. law enforcement and National Guard troops. Trump wants to see for himself their efforts to crack down on crime in the nation’s capital, but such a hands-on D.C. night tour will pose a complex challenge for the Secret Service, which is charged with the unusual task of protecting a president while accompanying law enforcement officers on patrol.

USSS leadership sent an email to all agents Wednesday after RealClearPolitics once again inquired about the ongoing delays with the first quarterly installment of their retention bonuses. When the funds are fully disbursed over the next year, the retention incentives will amount to tens of thousands of dollars per employee who agreed to stay on the job and not to leave the agency.

The new email updated the agents to let them know that all Uniformed Division officers who deserved the retention bonuses had received them, while the agency was paying other agents in alphabetical order – and had disbursed the funds to agents with last names starting with the letter “A” through “F” so far, a source familiar with the matter told RCP.

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Corrupt Democrats Smear Michigan City With Election Fraud Scandals Including Individual Charged with Forging Nursing Home Ballots

The city of Hamtramck, Michigan, has a long and disturbing history of election corruption—one that Democrats have consistently ignored.

Just three days before Michigan’s August primary, surveillance footage obtained by 7 News Detroit showed a man placing three thick stacks of absentee ballots into a drop box while Hamtramck City Councilman Abu Musa sat in the passenger seat of the car. 

Michigan State Police later confirmed they are finalizing an investigation, and prosecutors are expected to announce whether charges will be filed. Musa, who is up for re-election, has refused to comment.

If the ballots did not belong to Musa’s immediate family or members of his household, then Michigan election law was almost certainly violated. State law allows a person to submit absentee ballots only for themselves, their immediate family, or those residing in the same household—not for unrelated voters, and not by the stack.

But for anyone familiar with Hamtramck, this isn’t an isolated incident, but rather part of a systemic pattern.

In 2023, Trenae Myesha Rainey, a 28-year-old employee at the Father Murray Nursing Home in Center Line, Michigan, was charged with six felonies for forging absentee ballot applications—three counts of election law forgery and three counts of forging signatures, each carrying up to five years in prison. 

Her case stemmed from the 2020 election, when local election clerks flagged approximately two dozen absentee ballot requests with mismatched signatures. A state investigation later found that Rainey had forged applications on behalf of elderly nursing home residents, many of whom were unaware of the forms submitted in their names.

Rainey used her position at the nursing home to access residents’ personal information and submit forged applications without their consent. 

Though no fraudulent ballots were cast, her actions undermined the security of Michigan’s absentee ballot system. 

Ultimately, Rainey accepted a plea deal and pled guilty to three misdemeanors for making false statements on absentee ballot applications. In April 2023, she was sentenced to 45 days in Macomb County Jail and two years’ probation.

And she is not the only one.

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Obama Judge Shields Sanctuary Cities From Donald Trump’s Immigration Crackdown Efforts

A federal judge ruled on Friday that the Trump administration cannot cut funding to 34 cities and counties in response to sanctuary policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

U.S. District Judge William Orrick, who previously issued an order protecting more than a dozen other jurisdictions, extended a preliminary injunction blocking the administration from pulling federal money or attaching immigration-related conditions to its use.

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Former Adams Aide Winnie Greco Bizarrely Claims Cash-Stuffed Potato Chip Bag Handed to NYC Reporter Was ‘Birthday Gift’ – But Her Birthday’s Months Away

In a bizarre twist to an ongoing scandal surrounding New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ administration, former adviser Winnie Greco has claimed that a potato chip bag filled with $300 in cash, which she handed to a local reporter, was merely a “birthday gift” rooted in Chinese cultural traditions.

The problem, aside from it being in a shady sour cream and onion potato chip bag, is that the reporter’s birthday is not until November.

The incident unfolded after a reelection event for Mayor Adams, where Greco allegedly gave The City reporter Katie Honan a bag containing an envelope stuffed with cash.

Many obviously interpreted the gesture as a potential bribe or payoff attempt, but Greco insists it was innocent.

When confronted about the secret envelope full of cash by The New York Post, Greco said, “I don’t have purpose, and I treat people everyone is the same. It’s angel, OK, but if somebody want to hurt me because I have love to my community, and I have love to the world, to my family, my people, and somebody try to hurt me, I cannot say nothing.”

“Before I didn’t know how much in my envelope because it’s my birthday gift that’s Chinese culture. Somebody give me my birthday gift, I made big mistake I’m so sorry. Talk to my lawyer.”

When asked to clarify if she believes the reporter was trying to “hurt” her, Greco said, “Yes. Talk to my lawyer.”

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Awkward: “Brazen Election Cheating” Allegations Rock Minneapolis Mayoral Endorsement

Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party stripped the party’s endorsement of radical leftist Minnesota state Sen. Omar Fateh in the Minneapolis mayoral race over “brazen cheating.” The emerging election cheating scandal hilariously occurred amongst Democrats. Awkwardly, this comes from the same party of woke leftists that insists U.S. elections are the “safest in the world” and free from manipulation. Clearly, this corrupt party that serves progressive elites – not the working class – wants a do-over in this local election. 

On Thursday, Minnesota DFL chair Richard Carlbom wrote in a statement, “After a thoughtful and transparent review of the challenges, the Constitution, Bylaws & Rules Committee found substantial failures in the Minneapolis Convention’s voting process on July 19, including an acknowledgement that a mayoral candidate was errantly eliminated from contention.”

Carlbom added, “Now it’s time to turn our focus to unity and our common goal: electing DFL leaders focused on making life more affordable for Minnesotans and holding Republicans accountable for the chaos and confusion they’ve unleashed on Minnesotans.”

A series of challenges were submitted to the Minnesota DFL after last month’s convention, citing serious issues with the electronic voting system and raising questions about election integrity in Fateh’s endorsement over incumbent Jacob Frey. The Minneapolis DFL also recognized it had erroneously eliminated DeWayne Davis after the first round of voting due to 176 undercounted votes.

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Another Mexican Politician Facing U.S. Federal Fraud Charges

A Mexican politician is out on bond as he faces federal fraud charges in Texas for allegations that he used COVID-era loans to buy cryptocurrency. The politician, his wife, and various other South Texas business owners are accused of obtaining fraudulent loans during the COVID-19 pandemic, which were intended to support failing businesses, but were instead used for personal gain.

Court records revealed that 46-year-old Bernando Gomez Jr. and his wife, 42-year-old Lesley Chavez, allegedly took out nearly $200,000 in Paycheck Protection Program loans during the COVID-19 pandemic and then used them for personal expenses, including buying cryptocurrency. Gomez, who lives in Edinburg, Texas, is a sitting city councilman in the Mexican City of Rio Bravo, Tamaulipas, where he serves as a close advisor to local Mayor Miguel Angel Almaraz.

Court documents indicate that Gomez and Chavez own several entertainment and service businesses, including a wedding planning service, a rental company, and a print shop.

Federal prosecutors allege that in June 2020 and May 2020, they obtained a series of government loans through the Small Business Administration aimed at helping businesses survive the COVID-19 Pandemic. The government then forgave those loans after the business owners allegedly filed documents claiming that the money had been used for legitimate purposes such as paying employees and other similar expenses. After receiving those three loans, totaling $150,000, $40,800, and $20,800, they transferred the funds to different accounts, which they then used for personal expenses and, in the case of Gomez, to purchase cryptocurrency.

After their arrests, both Gomez and Chavez went before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Scott Hacker, who set their bonds at $100,000. Both have been released as they await trial.

Gomez is currently a member of Mexico’s National Action Party (PAN), one of the major opposition parties in Mexico that has been at odds with the current ruling party, MORENA.

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FBI Raids Former National Security Adviser John Bolton’s Maryland Home

The FBI has raided the Maryland home of Trump’s former National Security Adviser, John Bolton.

On Friday morning, at 7 a.m., FBI agents raided Bolton’s Bethesda, Maryland, home in an investigation that FBI Director Kash Patel is leading.

The investigation is reportedly linked to a classified documents probe years ago, but was later shut down under the Biden administration.

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Systemic Corruption Doesn’t Give a Chance for Peace in Ukraine

Another huge scandal linked to embezzlement of budget funds in government procurement has broken out in Ukraine recently. On August 2, Ukrainian anti-corruption agencies the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) exposed an organized criminal group created by “Servant of the People” party’s deputy Oleksii Kuznietsov and head of the State Administration of the Mukachevo District Serhiy Haidai. The group have been organizing purchases of overpriced FPV drones and electronic warfare systems for the National Guard of Ukraine. According to investigation data, beside Kuznietsov and Haidai, a head of one of the Military-Civil Administrations, a unit commander of the National Guard, and representatives of company manufacturing drones were also involved in the huge corruption scheme. During 2024-2025, the criminals embezzled about $80 000 of money allocated for purchasing of defense goods. 30% from every government contract settled in their pockets. Now, all key persons of interest are taken into custody with the possibility of being out on bail. The head of the state Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on the situation eloquently calling the fraud “absolutely immoral” and promised a “full and fair accountability” for the criminals.

However, neither high-profile exposure of corrupt officials, nor passionate speeches of the president of the country haven’t been able to dispel the tension, that has accumulated over last several weeks, and exonerate the Kyiv authorities for Ukrainians and international public. The reason for this is recent attempts of authorities to discredit the Ukrainian anti-corruption agencies and restrict their independence which really destroyed civilians’ faith in Zelenskyy’s and his team’s commitment to the rule of law and authorities’ interest in fighting corruption in general. I’m talking about a set of planned and well-coordinated attacks of current authorities on SAPO and NABU which preceded the exposure of the Kuznietsov-Haidai group.  On June 21, the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine (one month before the events the office of Prosecutor General was taken by Ruslan Kravchenko who is known for his loyalty to the Office of the President of Ukraine) and SBU conducted unauthorized searches in both agencies. As the result of the searches, several NABU detectives were taken into custody on suspicion of collaboration with Russia. This joint operation of the secret services and the Prosecutor General’s Office (cynically called by the implementers “special operation”) literally paralyzed the work of NABU and SAPO and created a formal reason for tightening the control over anti-corruption agencies. The reason the Kyiv authorities have been looking for a very long time. And not finding one, they created it themselves. Already on July 22, the Verkhovnaya Rada of Ukraine passed a new law which practically liquidated the independence of anti-corruption agencies and established full control over their work by the Prosecutor General’s Office. Later that night, the new law was quickly signed by the President Zelenskyy despite the will of Ukrainians.

Such an undisguised attempt to liquidate the anti-corruption agencies caused an immediate reaction from Ukrainians. Ukrainians openly stood against the culpable law: hundreds of people went to protests on the streets, and free Ukrainian media was full of critics and disapproval of Kyiv’s authorities. However, I hate to admit it, but Ukrainians wouldn’t stop the authorities’ arbitrariness by themselves without the help of Ukrainian allies. Only due to the fast interference and strong stand of European and American authorities which have made everything they could to stop Kyiv’s authorities’ treacherous actions. The process of liquidation of SAPO and NABU was reversed. As a result, on July 31, under pressure of Ukrainian and international public a new law was passed. It restored the independence of the anti-corruption agencies. Nevertheless, we shouldn’t hope that Kyiv’s authorities stop trying to destroy anti-corruption agencies.

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After Decades of Scandals, Hillary Finally Faces a Ticket She Can’t Dodge

The Long Drive Without a Ticket

Some drivers tempt fate for years, rolling through stop signs, cruising above the speed limit, and coasting through red lights, yet still never see flashing lights in their rearview mirrors. 

That describes Hillary Clinton’s story. 

From the Rose Law Firm in Arkansas to the corridors of Washington, she has been navigating the political arena, driving in the wrong direction on one-way streets, avoiding being pulled over, yet never receiving a ticket.

She’s muddied the waters by generating swirls of “stuff,” sometimes not so thick, other times so thick that a fork could remain vertical in the water.

Suddenly, an ethics complaint in Arkansas over her law license might lead to her finally getting pulled over after decades of FA; she might finally receive a dose, no matter how light, of FO.

1970s-1980s: Early Deals, Early Questions

At the Rose Law Firm in Arkansas, Hillary Rodham Clinton’s career began with promise and power, establishing a reputation as a capable lawyer and a future first lady of the state. Yet the seeds of controversy began sprouting in soil well fertilized by bulls.

Want to make an easy $100,000 from a $1,000? Follow the example of Hillary, who turned that $1,000 into $100,000 with an investment in cattle futures within a year. How? Who knows, economists and traders were stumped, calling it statistically implausible for a rookie to achieve such a feat.

Clinton’s friends in the commodities market were suspected of smoothing the path for success, yet regulators turned a blind eye, while Hillary referred to it as a shrewd investment and moved on.

Meanwhile, both Clintons embarked on the Whitewater Development Corporation, where allegations of cronyism and political manipulation marred a land deal. The project had collapsed by the time investigators began reviewing records in the 1990s.

Hillary’s billing records, “missing” for two years, magically appeared in the White House residence after a subpoena. No charges, license suspensions, legal rebukes, simply another warning instead of receiving a moving violation.

Hillary walked into the 1990s with the same unblemished professional record and license, and critics called it a case of déjà vu. 

The cop, parked behind the billboard, clocked her speed and sat there, finishing his donut.

1990s: Whitewater, Travelgate, and the “Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy”

Bill Clinton moved into the White House with Hillary’s controversies following close behind. Whitewater escalated from a state-level issue into a national one, with hearings in Congress followed by extensive media coverage. Hillary’s role at the Rose Law Firm came under further scrutiny, as her professional work overlapped with her land ventures. Despite all the suspicions, nothing could be proved, neither intent nor personal gain.

The court of public opinion bruised her reputation, which remained intact.

Then came Travelgate, the abrupt firing of seven White House Travel Office employees in 1993, which raised alarms about cronyism. Critics determined that Hillary directed the purge to install loyalists. Investigations suggested that her fingerprints were present, but that was where it ended, with her denying wrongdoing, and the matter faded again.

When several women stepped forward, accusing President Clinton of misconduct, Hillary uttered the words that went down in history, dismissing the women as pawns in a political ambush, labeling it as part of a “vast right-wing conspiracy.” 

The phrase crystallized her strategy: Turn accusations into offenses, smear the accusers, and claim political martyrdom.

Once again, she sped through a red light, passing a squad car, without consequence.

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