boutons_deux
10-29-2014, 12:49 PM
Lobbyists, Bearing Gifts, Pursue Attorneys General
http://static01.nyt.com/images/2014/10/29/us/politics/sub-AG/sub-AG-master675.jpg
Emails detail interactions between the office of Attorney General Pam Bondi of Florida and a law firm trying to sway her
Attorneys general are now the object of aggressive pursuit by lobbyists and lawyers who use campaign contributions, personal appeals at lavish corporate-sponsored conferences and other means to push them to drop investigations, change policies, negotiate favorable settlements or pressure federal regulators, an investigation by The New York Times has found.
A robust industry of lobbyists and lawyers has blossomed as attorneys general have joined to conduct multistate investigations and pushed into areas as diverse as securities fraud and Internet crimes.
But unlike the lobbying rules covering other elected officials, there are few revolving-door restrictions or disclosure requirements governing state attorneys general, who serve as “the people’s lawyers” by protecting consumers and individual citizens.
A result is that the routine lobbying and deal-making occur largely out of view. But the extent of the cause and effect is laid bare in The Times’s review of more than 6,000 emails obtained through open records laws in more than two dozen states, interviews with dozens of participants in cases and attendance at several conferences where corporate representatives had easy access to attorneys general.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/29/us/lobbyists-bearing-gifts-pursue-attorneys-general.html
America is corrupted by VRWC, BigCorps, 1% at every level. America is fucked and unfuckable, because, in this case, no legislation to stop the corruption will be passed.
Also, Diane Rehm/NPR had a very good show today about "judicial elections".
Really nasty stuff.
eg, WI, a Kock Bros Amusement Park, says its judges don't have to recuse themselves if a party appearing in their court gave the judge campaign money. :lol
eg, NC had public-financed judicial elections, but the Repug lege/gov killed that so private money could buy the judges.
did I mention it? "America (of the 90%) is fucked and unfuckable"
http://static01.nyt.com/images/2014/10/29/us/politics/sub-AG/sub-AG-master675.jpg
Emails detail interactions between the office of Attorney General Pam Bondi of Florida and a law firm trying to sway her
Attorneys general are now the object of aggressive pursuit by lobbyists and lawyers who use campaign contributions, personal appeals at lavish corporate-sponsored conferences and other means to push them to drop investigations, change policies, negotiate favorable settlements or pressure federal regulators, an investigation by The New York Times has found.
A robust industry of lobbyists and lawyers has blossomed as attorneys general have joined to conduct multistate investigations and pushed into areas as diverse as securities fraud and Internet crimes.
But unlike the lobbying rules covering other elected officials, there are few revolving-door restrictions or disclosure requirements governing state attorneys general, who serve as “the people’s lawyers” by protecting consumers and individual citizens.
A result is that the routine lobbying and deal-making occur largely out of view. But the extent of the cause and effect is laid bare in The Times’s review of more than 6,000 emails obtained through open records laws in more than two dozen states, interviews with dozens of participants in cases and attendance at several conferences where corporate representatives had easy access to attorneys general.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/29/us/lobbyists-bearing-gifts-pursue-attorneys-general.html
America is corrupted by VRWC, BigCorps, 1% at every level. America is fucked and unfuckable, because, in this case, no legislation to stop the corruption will be passed.
Also, Diane Rehm/NPR had a very good show today about "judicial elections".
Really nasty stuff.
eg, WI, a Kock Bros Amusement Park, says its judges don't have to recuse themselves if a party appearing in their court gave the judge campaign money. :lol
eg, NC had public-financed judicial elections, but the Repug lege/gov killed that so private money could buy the judges.
did I mention it? "America (of the 90%) is fucked and unfuckable"