A Culture of Corruption is marked by a Culture of Lying

by eriposte

Michael Isikoff's Newsweek article on the Safavian arrest has this important segment on GOP Rep. Robert Ney (R-Corruption):

On a House disclosure form, Ney reported that the Scotland trip was sponsored by a conservative think tank, and that its "official" purpose included giving a "speech to Scottish Parliamentarians" and visiting the British Parliament during a London stopover.

But the Feds' complaint against Safavian says it was Abramoff, not the think tank, that arranged the outing, which is referred to only as a "golf trip." And other records reviewed by NEWSWEEK raise further questions about Ney's account. An "external liaison" registry of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh shows that other members of the U.S. Congress visited that month. But there is no record of Ney's doing so. In fact, the Parliament was in recess when Ney was in Scotland, so "there is no way" he could have addressed the body, said Sally Coyne, a Parliament spokeswoman. A press officer for the House of Commons in London said the British Parliament was also in recess.

Ney's spokesman, Brian Walsh, said that the congressman "wasn't giving a formal speech." Ney "met with a number of folks over there. I don't have any names."

I see. So it wasn't a "formal speech". It was just a bunch of words said for no particular reason, which would have transmitted automatically through the fine Scottish air and landed in the ears of "a number of folks", while in the middle of a $100,000 golf trip.

Even more creative lying came from GOP Sen. Bill Frist (R-Absolute Corruption). Here's the WaPo (bold text/italics is my emphasis):

The senator's spokesmen say he sold the HCA stock to avoid possible conflicts of interest as Congress deals with health care legislation. For years, however, Frist had rejected arguments that his stock holdings could cause a possible conflict.

Frist, asked in a January 2003 TV interview whether he should sell his HCA stock, replied that his assets were in a blind trust and, "as far as I know, I own no HCA stock." Referring to his trust and those of his family, he added: "It is illegal right now for me to know what the composition of those trusts are. So I have no idea."

Financial disclosure documents filed with the Secretary of the Senate by the trustees, and reviewed Friday by the Associated Press, show that two weeks before the interview, a trustee notified Frist that HCA stock had been contributed to his trust. Spokesman Bob Stevenson said yesterday that Frist was truthful in the TV interview because the trustee can sell assets at any time without notifying the senator, and, therefore, on any given day the trust's contents are unknown to him. Stevenson said Frist declined to be interviewed for this article.

Well, well. "On any given day" huh? But Frist said, "as far as I know, I own no HCA stock." He wilfully and intentionally gave the false impression to Americans that he did not own any HCA stock. If he really did not know what was in the DEFINITELY-NOT-BLIND trust, he would have said "I may have HCA stock in the trust or I may not" - not, "I own no HCA stock". For a fake, quack of a doctor who should have long ago been disbarred for his depraved lying and fraud about Terri Schiavo's medical condition (not to mention sued for a huge sum since his actions impugned an innocent citizen - Schiavo's husband), this is par for the course.

P.S. Links thanks to Buzzflash.