by Tina Grazier
The organization CREW is part of a shadowy left wing group. It isnt just who they target…its who they leave alone that tells the tale.
“Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington” (CREW) is a watchdog group that claims to be nonpartisan desiring only to root out all corrupt politicians. It has made a few token investigations and criticisms of democrats but the organization has dedicated the bulk of its efforts and power to harassing and litigating against republicans. The powers that be have in fact said they were organized to counter Judicial Watch. The question isnt whether they have a right to boldly go where ever they find corruption; the question is whether their own practices, motivations and intentions are as nonpartisan, ethical and truthful as they claim.
The evidence suggests they are but one tentacle of a larger Soros-backed left wing animal; a squid intent on destroying the Republican Party and wresting control over the Democrat Party. A movement determined to displace the two party system. David Horowitz has dubbed this group The Shadow Party. Find the book:
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID={5A30173A-2F13-4FAE-9437-2C67243B964A}
So who is CREW:
CREWs executive director, Melanie Sloan, previously worked for Democrat Rep. John Conyers (D.-Mich.) and Senators Chuck Schumer (D.-N.Y.) and Joe Biden (D.-Del.). *** CREWs board members include Mark Penn, President Bill Clintons former pollster; Daniel Berger, a wealthy Philadelphia trial lawyer and Clinton fundraiser; and Louis Mayberg, president of a mutual fund company. (1)
CREW was started by Sloan in 2003 to undertake a job few seemed to be doing in Washington: using the legal system and media to expose, deter and litigate legal and ethical wrongdoing by members of Congress. In the past three years the nonprofit group has pursued legal actions against 26 members of Congressincluding a couple of Democratsresulting in four resignations (all Republicans). Eleven of those members who have been pursued by CREW are now under federal investigation and eight whom CREW investigated lost their seats in the midterm elections. *** While it’s true that she doesn’t control the FBI, Sloan’s ability to influence the mood, and even the membership, of Congress is beyond dispute. (2)
In 2004, the Shadow Party raised more than $300 million for Democrat candidates. This gave Soros unprecedented power to bend the Democratic Party to his will. After the election, Soros operative and MoveOn PAC director Eli Pariser declared, Now its our party: we bought it, we own it AP, Dec. 2004 *** Shadow Party operative Robert Borosage expressed a similar view at the time. A hard-left militant during the 60s, Borosage now serves as co-director of the Campaign for Americas Future, a leftwing activist group which has received more than $300,000 from Soros Open Society Institute. In a November 29, 2004 article in the Marxist journal The Nation, Borosage and Nation editor Katrina Vanden Heuvel wrote: [P]rogressives drive this party now – we provide the energy, the organizers, the ground forces, the ideas, and much of the money. We should organize the opposition [against Republicans]. Progressives should mount a powerful assault on Republican boss Tom DeLay. *** It is probably no coincidence that CREW executive director Melanie Sloan was thinking along the same lines. “Since I started [with CREW], the main thing I wanted to do was to go after Tom DeLay, Sloan told the Wall Street Journal in May 2005. DeLay is my top target. (3)
A snapshot of CREWs record regarding democrats:
So CREW gulped hard and reluctantly included brave choices like Democratic Congressman William Jefferson, he of the freezer stuffed with lobbyist bribe money; Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters, who has blatantly used her position to employ and enrich her family for years; and Democratic Representative Alan Mollohan of West Virginia, whose multiple conflicts of interest are too outrageous for even CREW to ignore. *** But CREW apparently didn’t see any ethical problems with venerable Rep. John Conyers’ well documented misuse of publicly paid staff for his personal activities, or Rep. John Moran’s acceptance of personal loans and other favors from lobbyists, or Senate minority leader Harry Reid’s acceptance of gifts from parties with business before the Senate, or the embarrassingly corrupt Senator Robert Menendez, just to name a few prominent missing names. (4)
Several Democrats have participated in trips paid for and/or accompanied by Abramoff, including Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC), Rep. Michael McNulty (D-NY), and Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY). *** Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA), Max Baucus (D-MO) and Byron Dorgan (D-ND) each held fundraisers in Jack Abramoffs skybox at Washingtons MCI Center, and have also received thousands of dollars from Abramoffs tribal clients. *** Charlie Rangel (D-NY) also must know Jack Abramoff. He received more Abramoff-connected cash than former Rep. Tom DeLay (D-TX) or George W. Bush. *** But, our new Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid (D-NV), must know Jack Abramoff better than all of them. A former top aide to Senator Reid, Edward Eddie Ayoob, also worked for Abramoff and was allegedly a part of Abramoffs influence-buying scheme with the American Indian tribes he lobbied for. In fact, Reid only started receiving thousands of dollars in donations from various American Indian tribes after Jack Abramoff started representing them. Reid also wrote a total of four letters helpful to Abramoffs tribal clients over a period of three years, and received $68,000 in donations from Abramoffs firm, partners, and clients in return. *** Despite these examples of relationships between Jack Abramoff and a few select Democrats, the MSM (and CREW) continues to play the Abramoff story as entirely one of Republican corruption. Americans should want the book thrown at anyone who attempts to corrupt our political process; the plain fact of the matter is that only one side the Republican side ever faces any serious scrutiny over the matter of political corruption. (6)
I would add that Nancy Pelosi and Diane Feinstein have managed to direct millions in contracts or favors toward their husbands businesses and CREW has not taken notice even though the charges of nepotism, lobbying and pork barreling have been at the forefront of allegations directed toward many other congressmen, particularly republicans. Some of these charges are not, apparently, a current violation of ethics rules given the fact that the following was added to recent ethics legislation:
Another provision would require Internet disclosure, 48 hours before a vote, of “earmarks” lawmaker-requested spending provisions for special projects, usually in the lawmakers’ state or district. >Lawmakers also would have to declare their families would not directly benefit financially from the earmarks which have been at the heart of several recent scandals, including the bribery conviction of former California representative Randy “Duke” Cunningham.(7)
Melanie Sloan had this to say about politicians, Corrupt politicians dont have a place in Congress, she says. If they want to get rich, they need to find another job. The pay is public. People know what theyre going to make when they get in that job, and if they dont like it they shouldnt take it. Its not a place to go to get rich or to live like youre rich and I think members of Congress have forgotten that.
Quick…someone inform this woman about the trunks of Public Money and Money Schemes that have made the Clintons THE RICH…before she makes a complete fool of herself.
She also had this to say, Its very hard for people to understand the difference between whats legal and whats illegal.
I guess this is how she manages to get away with such selective targeting as a self-described“nonpartisan” ethics sleuth.
Those who love America and the Constitution, whether loyal democrat or loyal republican, would be wise to become more aware of the players and motivations behind the many investigations and allegations waged against politicians. Some have been accused of breaking laws that have not yet been enacted. They have been hounded out of office by a relentlessly tabloid style in the press. Others have been found guilty, a few having received jail termsand rightly so. Still others have committed similarly egregious offenses but remain untouched. How, I wonder, would the sincerely dedicated Ms. Sloan explain these incongruities?
(2) Ms. Magazine: The Most Feared Woman on Capitol Hill? by Linda Burstyn
http://www.msmagazine.com/winter2007/mostfearedwoman.asp
(3) FrontPageMagazine.com Soros, Foley and the FBI by Richard Poe
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID={D8843C2D-EC2A-4CC4-917A-C667A99E3755}
(4) The Center for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington-(October 2006)- To be blunt, The Center for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington gives ethics a bad name.”
http://www.ethicsscoreboard.com/liars/0610_crew.html
(5) USA Today 2007 House Votes for Stricter Standards by Ken Dilanian
http://www.campaignlegalcenter.org/press-2813.html
(6) Townhall.com You Don’t Know Jack Abramoff. Or Do You? by Matt Margolis & Mark Noonan
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/mattmargolismarknoonan/2007/01/19/you_dont_know_jack_abramoff_or_do_you
(7) USA Today article-August 1, 2007 House Votes for Stricter Standards by Ken Dilanian
http://www.campaignlegalcenter.org/press-2813.html