John StGeorge's List: Political Corruption

In its memo, the ethics office said that while there are different kinds of ethics waivers depending on the situation, all have one thing in common: "The waiver must be granted prior to the employee engaging in otherwise prohibited conduct."

The FDIC told the inspector general that Ms. Bair wasn't given a retroactive waiver but instead received a "determination letter" stating that there was no conflict of interest with her mortgages and involvement in the Bank of America rescue.

A spokeswoman for FERC said the waiver was granted before, not after, Mr. Moeller's vote in December involving settlements in the California energy crisis.

The states denied exemptions to the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act were Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii and Wisconsin, as well as the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands. Waivers were granted to Delaware, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, Washington.

<td width="25" bgcolor="#ffffff" align="center" valign="top"></td><br/><br/> <td valign="top"><br/><br/><br/>&lt;!---- CENTER -----><br/> <div class="bod"><br/> <br><br/> <div align="center"><br/><table cellpadding="0" border="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td>&lt;script type="text/javascript"><br/> GA_googleFillSlot("WND_NWS_C0100");<br/>&lt;/script>&lt;script src="http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?correlator=1283143275583&amp;output=json_html&amp;callback=GA_googleSetAdContentsBySlotForSync&amp;impl=s&amp;a2ids=%2CBWYYA%2CBoCTA%2CBX01g%2CB18zg&amp;cids=%2CVKImqY%2CQTis64%2COpYb8Q%2CTR86xY&amp;pstok=DeaNMHGZ22cKAAoOCgoI4LBWEKa1opQVEAAKDgoKCMyEaBCu54qnEBAACg4KCgjW6VcQxN_h0g4QAAoOCgoIzvl1EJbW86MTEAA&amp;client=ca-pub-9952085791529017&amp;slotname=WND_NWS_C0100&amp;page_slots=WND_NWS__FLOAT%2CWND_NWS__SKY_%2CWND_NWS_L0100%2CWND_NWS_L0201%2CWND_NWS_L0300%2CWND_NWS_C0100&amp;cookie=ID%3D7222492fa292c92e%3AT%3D1247409897%3AS%3DALNI_MYCqACMlI7aLdRIXwBD7lJZluj_Lg&amp;ga_vid=1824356220.1247409900&amp;ga_sid=1283143183&amp;ga_hid=656619549&amp;ga_fc=true&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wnd.com%2Findex.php%3Ffa%3DPAGE.view%26pageId%3D196313&amp;ref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wnd.com%2F&amp;lmt=1283132059&amp;dt=1283143279998&amp;cc=16&amp;biw=783&amp;bih=376&amp;ifi=6&amp;adk=3490776508&amp;u_tz=-420&amp;u_his=4&amp;u_h=600&amp;u_w=800&amp;u_ah=566&amp;u_aw=800&amp;u_cd=24&amp;u_nplug=23&amp;u_nmime=45&amp;flash=10.1.82">&lt;/script><div id="google_ads_div_WND_NWS_C0100"><br/><ins style="width: 468px; height: 60px; border: 0pt none; display: inline-table; position: relative;"><ins style="width: 468px; height: 60px; border: 0pt none; display: block; position: relative;"><iframe style="border: 0pt none; position: absolute; top: 0pt; left: 0pt;" id="google_ads_iframe_WND_NWS_C0100" frameborder="0" width="468" marginwidth="0" height="60" marginheight="0" name="google_ads_iframe_WND_NWS_C0100" scrolling="no"></iframe></ins></ins></div><br/>&lt;script>GA_googleCreateDomIframe('google_ads_div_WND_NWS_C0100' ,'WND_NWS_C0100');&lt;/script></td></tr></tbody></table><br><br/> </div><br/><br/>&lt;!-- writer and photo option --><br/><hr size="1" noshade="noshade"><br/><br/>&lt;!-- leadin graphic --><img alt="WND Exclusive" src="/images/header_exclusive.gif" width="181" height="20" border="0"><br/><hr size="1" noshade="noshade"><br/><br/>&lt;!-- standing head --><br/><font size="-1" color="#440000" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>THE IMPERIAL PRESIDENCY</b></font><br><br/><br/>&lt;!-- head --><br/><font color="#000000" face="Palatino, Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif"><h1>Don't agree with Obama? Get ready for IRS probe</h1></font><br/><br/>&lt;!-- deck --><br/><font color="#000000" face="Palatino, Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif"><h2>Private group told review under way since work may 'contradict' president </h2></font><br/><hr size="1"><br/><font size="-1">Posted: August 29, 2010<br>7:22 pm Eastern<br><br></font><br/><p><font face="Palatino, Times New Roman, Georgia, Times, serif">By Bob Unruh</font><br><br/><br/>&lt;!-- copyright --><br/><font size="-1"><br/>©&nbsp;2010&nbsp;WorldNetDaily<br/></font><br/><br/></p><p><br/></p><div class="KonaBody"><br/><br/>&lt;!-- bodytext --><br/>&lt;!--INFOLINKS_ON--><br/><br/><br/>&lt;script language="javascript"><br/><br/>function legalChars(input,fieldName){<br/><br/> var tfld = input.value.replace(/^\s+|\s+$/, ''); // value of field with whitespace trimmed off<br/> var illegalChars= /[\(\)\&lt;\>\,\;\:\"\[\]]/ ;<br/> <br/> if (tfld.match(illegalChars)) {<br/> alert('Please enter valid characters in your '+fieldName+'.');<br/> input.focus();<br/> return false;<br/> }<br/><br/> return true;<br/><br/>}<br/><br/>function mandatoryText(input,fieldName){<br/> if(input.value == '' || input == null){<br/> alert('Please enter your '+fieldName+'.');<br/> input.focus();<br/> return false;<br/> } else {<br/> return true;<br/> }<br/>}<br/><br/>function validEmail(field,fieldName) {<br/> with (field) {<br/> apos=value.indexOf("@");<br/> dotpos=value.lastIndexOf(".");<br/> if (apos<1><2>&lt; inputs.length; i++) {<br/> if (inputs[i].getAttribute('type') == 'hidden') {<br/> if (newsletterCheckbox.checked == true) {<br/> if (inputs[i].value == '') {inputs[i].value = 'X';}<br/> } else {<br/> if (inputs[i].value == 'X') {inputs[i].value = '';}<br/> }<br/> if (inputs[i].name == thisNewsletter.name) {inputs[i].value = 'X';}<br/> }<br/> }<br/>}<br/><br/>function validForm(){<br/> <br/> if(!mandatoryText(document.getElementById('FIRSTNAME_FIELD'), 'First Name')) return;<br/> if(!legalChars(document.getElementById('FIRSTNAME_FIELD'), 'First Name')) return;<br/> if(!mandatoryText(document.getElementById('LASTNAME_FIELD'), 'Last Name')) return;<br/> if(!legalChars(document.getElementById('LASTNAME_FIELD'), 'Last Name')) return;<br/> if(!validEmail(document.getElementById('EMAIL_FIELD'), 'Email')) return;<br/> if(!legalChars(document.getElementById('POSTAL_CODE_FIELD'), 'Postal Code')) return;<br/><br/> document.getElementById('emvForm').submit();<br/><br/>}<br/><br/>&lt;/script><br/><div style="float: left; margin-right: 5px;"><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://view.picapp.com/pictures.photo/news/president-obama-and-family/image/9606432?term=obama"><img alt="U.S. President Barack Obama arrives to go to lunch at Nancy's Restaurant while vacationing on Martha's Vineyard with his family August 25, 2010 in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts. The Obama's are heading into their last weekend on the island before returning to Washington on Sunday. UPI/Darren McCollester/Pool Photo via Newscom" title="U.S. President Obama and family vacation On Martha's Vineyard" src="http://view2.picapp.com/pictures.photo/image/9606432/president-obama-and-family/president-obama-and-family.jpg?size=380&amp;imageId=9606432" width="380" height="252" border="0"></a></div><p>&lt;script type="text/javascript" src="http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.js">&lt;/script>&lt;script src="http://edge.quantserve.com/quant.js" language="javascript">&lt;/script></p><br/><br/><p>The <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.irs.gov/">Internal Revenue Service</a> has delayed approval of tax-exempt <span id="IL_AD1" class="IL_AD">status</span> for a private organization and is reviewing its educational work, telling a lawyer for the foundation that it must be examined by <span id="IL_AD5" class="IL_AD">Washington</span> because its activities may "contradict the administration's public policies."<br/><br/></p><p>The allegation is contained in a <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.zstreet.org/index.php?option=com_content&amp;view=article&amp;id=96:z-street-v-irs-commissioner&amp;catid=5:must-read&amp;Itemid=30">federal lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania</a> by Z STREET, a Merion Station, Pa., group that educates on the statehood and status of Israel.<br/><br/></p><p>"Not only is it patently un-American but it is also a clear violation of the First Amendment for a government agency to penalize an organization because of its political position on Israel or anything else," said <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.zstreet.org">Z STREET president Lori Lowenthal Marcus,</a> a former First Amendment lawyer.<br/><br/></p><p><em><a rel="nofollow" href="http://superstore.wnd.com/store/item.asp?DEPARTMENT_ID=6&amp;SUBDEPARTMENT_ID=115&amp;ITEM_ID=3763">Read the outline for putting America back on track, in "The Tea Party Manifesto" and "Taking America Back"</a></em><br/><br/><br/></p><p>"This situation is the same as if the government denied a driver's license to people because they were Republicans or Democrats. It goes against everything for which our country stands."<br/><br/></p><p>Contacted by WND, IRS officials declined to comment on the publicly filed lawsuit or even say whether they would respond.<br/><br/></p><p><em>(Story continues below)</em></p><br/><p><table><tbody><tr><td valign="top"><br/>&lt;script type="text/javascript"><br/> GA_googleFillSlot("WND_NWS_C0200");<br/>&lt;/script>&lt;script 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id="google_ads_div_WND_NWS_C0201"><iframe frameborder="0" src="http://view.atdmt.com/INV/iview/249561002/direct/01?click=" width="300" allowtransparency="true" topmargin="0" marginwidth="0" height="250" marginheight="0" leftmargin="0" scrolling="no"><br/>&lt;script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript"&gt;<br/>document.write('&lt;a href="http://clk.atdmt.com/INV/go/249561002/direct/01/" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;img src="http://view.atdmt.com/INV/view/249561002/direct/01/"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;');<br/>&lt;/script&gt;&lt;noscript&gt;&lt;a href="http://clk.atdmt.com/INV/go/249561002/direct/01/" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;img border="0" src="http://view.atdmt.com/INV/view/249561002/direct/01/" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/noscript&gt;</iframe><br/></div><br/><br/></td><td width="10">&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table></p><br/><p>The complaint states that the organization was working with IRS Agent Diane Gentry, who had delayed a decision on its routine <span id="IL_AD6" class="IL_AD">application</span> for tax-exempt status for the educational organization.<br/><br/></p><p>"Agent Gentry further stated to counsel for Z STREET, 'these cases are being sent to a special unit in the D.C. office to determine whether the organization's activities contradict the administration's public policies,'" the lawsuit reports.<br/><br/></p><p>Tax-exempt status routinely is granted to many types of organizations in addition to churches. Charitable, scientific, literary and education purposes all qualify under the IRS code's Section 501(c)(3) and Marcus pointed out that the Council on American-Islamic Relations – which was an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation terror financing case and lobbies heavily in Congress for its agenda – is granted the status.<br/><br/></p><p>Organizations not allowed to use the IRS code section are harmed because, donors are unable to deduct contributions from their taxable income, Z STREET argues in its complaint. </p><p>"The IRS's refusal to grant tax-exempt status to Z STREET has inhibited the organization's fundraising efforts, and therefore impeded its ability to speak and to educate the public regarding the issues that are the focus and purpose of Z STREET," according to the lawsuit.<br/><br/></p><p>The organization submitted its application Dec. 29, 2009.</p><p>Marcus told WND that Z STREET is working to educate the mainstream media and other outlets and present accurate information about the status of Israel as a nation.<br/><br/></p><p>She said she would like to know about the special policy of reviewing applications of organizations concerning Israel to see whether they align with the Obama policy.<br/><br/></p><p>"We want to know who approved it, what's the substance. Obviously we want to have it disappear," she said. "It's completely un-American."<br/><br/></p><p>She said the organization has met all of the requirements to be granted tax-exempt status. But the approval was delayed because of a "Special Israel Policy that requires greater scrutiny of organizations which have to do with Israel, in part to determine whether they espouse <span id="IL_AD3" class="IL_AD">positions</span> on Israel contrary to those of the current administration."<br/><br/></p><p>The organization affirms it is "a Zionist organization that proudly supports Israel's right to refuse to negotiate with, make concessions to, or appease terrorists."<br/><br/></p><p>"Z STREET's positions on Israel and, in particular, on the Middle East 'peace <span id="IL_AD4" class="IL_AD">process</span>' differ significantly from those espoused by the Obama administration," the organization said in a statement about the case.<br/><br/></p><p>The action names IRS Commissioner Douglas H. Shulman as defendant.<br/><br/></p><p>The group "was informed explicitly by an IRS agent on July 19, 2010, that approval of Z STREET's application for tax-exempt status has been at least delayed, and may be denied because of a special IRS policy in place regarding organizations in any way connected with Israel, and further that the applications of many such Israel-related organizations have been assigned to 'a special unit in the D.C. office to determine whether the organization's activities contradict the Administration's public policies.'"<br/><br/></p></div></div></td>