personal gain

That's what The Office of Congressional Ethics is looking into:

The Office of Congressional Ethics is investigating eight lawmakers who held fundraisers within 48 hours of a major House vote on a Wall Street reform bill or received substantial donations from business people with a financial stake in the bill, according to congressional sources and letters.

The probe is focused on whether the timing of accepting the campaign checks created an unacceptable appearance of a conflict, according to sources familiar with the investigation and letters sent by the OCE to lobbyists requesting information. The OCE's spokesman declined to comment for this article, citing the ongoing nature of the investigation.

The office is scrutinizing five Republicans and three Democrats, a diverse group that includes a conservative, Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Tex.), and a liberal member of the Congressional Black Caucus, Rep. Melvin Watt (D-N.C.).

The other members under investigation are:

• Rep. Tom Price (R-GA)
• Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D-ND)
• Rep. Joseph Campbell (R-CA)
• Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK)
• Christopher Lee (R-NY)
• Joseph Crowley (D-NY)

Of course if these people are proven to have done wrong their punishment will be a stern wag of the finger. The problem with Congress is a lack of discipline and the fact that the Congress makes their own rules and punishment. It's time that new rules get put in place, like a rule saying if you use your office for personal gain then you face suspension or expulsion.

Two former DOJ officials under Bush have written an op-ed supporting the decision to bring Gitmo detainees to the U.S. to stand trial. The money line:

But some prominent criticisms are exaggerated, and others place undue faith in military commissions as an alternative to civilian trials.

The people exaggerating the trials are the very ones who want to put politics above national security and we can’t count on the media to set the record straight. Why should they? Fear drives ratings, so the media will continually push a meme to scare the shit out of everyone for their own personal gain.

From Lexington, Kentucky:

Five Clay County officials, including the circuit court judge, the county clerk, and election officers were arrested Thursday after they were indicted on federal charges accusing them of using corrupt tactics to obtain political power and personal gain.

The 10-count indictment, unsealed Thursday, accused the defendants of a conspiracy from March 2002 until November 2006 that violated the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). RICO is a federal statute that prosecutors use to combat organized crime. The defendants were also indicted for extortion, mail fraud, obstruction of justice, conspiracy to injure voters' rights and conspiracy to commit voter fraud.

According to the indictment, these alleged criminal actions affected the outcome of federal, local, and state primary and general elections in 2002, 2004, and 2006.

Brad has much more on this.