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Guinta Claims "Clean Bill of Health" on Mystery Money

by: Dean Barker

Fri May 20, 2011 at 05:36:26 AM EDT


In light of multiple bi-partisan complaints filed with the FEC, Frank Guinta was asked at his town hall last night to produce a simple copy of a bank statement to back up claims that $355,000 that went to his campaign was his (despite logic and common sense saying otherwise).

Guinta responded (partial transcription my own):

"The ethics committee cleared it up. They said they reviewed my FEC reports. They gave it a clean bill of health.  This was back in December."
This is as dishonest as the day is long.

Yes, it was back in December when Guinta began parading around a form letter everyone gets from the FEC a House committee as phony "proof" that he is in the clear. Even DiStaso wouldn't carry that water:

The e-mail received by the Guinta camp this week is not specifically in response to the complaint the Democrats filed with the House, but is instead the result of a standard review the ethics committees does of all House members.
Frank Guinta's dishonesty here goes even deeper, as it was also in December that this happened:
The Federal Elections Commission has taken a preliminary step toward investigating U.S. Rep.-elect Frank Guinta's personal finances.

The commission this week told state Democratic Party director Mike Brunelle that it has assigned a case number to his complaint and that Guinta will have 15 days to respond once he is notified.

In no way has anyone "cleared it up" in regard to Frank Guinta's mystery money.  Indeed, he has spent the past five months with the possibility of an FEC investigation - with subpoena power - hanging over his head.

(Not to mention the complaint filed with the Clerk of Congress and a request by the NHDP to a US Attorney General to investigate.)

(find me > 140 on birch paper; on Twitter < 140)

Dean Barker :: Guinta Claims "Clean Bill of Health" on Mystery Money
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For those new on this, NHPR has a great report (4.00 / 1)
on it, linked above at top, plus this extra info:



birch paper; on Twitter @deanbarker


Why are Guinta's money management skills important? (0.00 / 0)
Because he's been hired to participate in an organization that's tasked with managing the country's resources and assets.  If he's not a trustworthy steward, then he's got no business holding that position.  
Sometimes a partial truth is worse than a lie because a falsehood may be based on a mistake while a partial truth is false by design.

I'd like to see (4.00 / 1)
the long form of that letter, please.  

I've requested it from FG's office. (0.00 / 0)


[ Parent ]
The FEC investigation is still open (4.00 / 2)

While taking it's sweet time, the FEC investigation is very much open.

Like any legal investigation the FEC will only disclose whether it is open or closed.

It's open.

I think you made one typo Dean--the form letter was from the ethics committee. But you are correct. This is just part of a process for incoming house members. It's superficial--and the committee is packed now with Republicans. Totally meaningless in other words.

This is not a dead issue--it's a matter of trust and transparency now that Mr. Guinta represents the people of the first district.


No confidence in FEC (4.00 / 1)
The FEC did not pursue former Senator Ensign based on an affidavit he signed.  The Senate actually investigated, Ensign resigned, and now  may face criminal charges. The FEC commissioners don't like to act on complaints, no matter how hard the FEC staff pushes.  

The Justice Department should ask Guinta for his bank records. That would either clean everything up very quickly, or show there is more to be investigated.



"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    


[ Parent ]
Where IS the AUSA on this?!! (0.00 / 0)


[ Parent ]
Tax records too (0.00 / 0)
Kathy, another easy solution would be to investigate his tax records. If he had all that money he would have to pay taxes on the interest.

Even the FEC might be able to handle this in two days


[ Parent ]
Well..... (0.00 / 0)
Not necessarily. The tax records don't disclose how much was in the accounts, and with low interest rates hard to figure how mich was in the accounts.  The bank records will tell the tale if a tale is to be told.



"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    


[ Parent ]
Kathy I agree (0.00 / 0)
But either way it wouldn't take Sherlock Holmes to figure this out.

How confidential are income tax records???

cz


[ Parent ]
if there's bomb why rush it? n/t (0.00 / 0)


note to close readers: this might be sarcastic so think twice before reading to candidates for use in their attacks on each other

[ Parent ]
Thank you - right you are - fixed. n/t. (0.00 / 0)


birch paper; on Twitter @deanbarker

[ Parent ]
I hate it when that happens! (4.00 / 2)
I'm thoroughly discouraged after reading the reports of the Senate Ensign investigation.  While the Senate ethics committee did a good job, the final report was in stark contrast to the poor job that both the FEC and the Justice Dept. did on their investigations.

While the past ten years have insulated me from being shocked at the incompetence at the highest levels of our government agencies, I admit to being a bit taken aback by this recent report (emphasis mine):

 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05...

The Senate also took a far tougher stance than the Federal Election Commission.

Against the recommendation of its lawyer, the election commission also declined to take action against the senator after it said it could not disprove sworn statements from Mr. Ensign and his parents about a $96,000 payment to the Hamptons that they said was a gift. The Ethics Committee said the money in fact appeared to be an "unlawful" severance payment and that Mr. Ensign made "false and misleading" statements about it to investigators. It also said the former senator appeared to have destroyed e-mails relevant to the investigation.

An election commission official, who asked not to be identified while the case was pending, acknowledged that the commission took the senator at his word, whereas the Senate dug deeper. This official expressed anger to learn the true circumstances behind the $96,000 payment.

"I hate it when people lie to us," the official said, adding: "If somebody submits a sworn affidavit, we usually do not go back and question it, unless we have something else to go on. Maybe we should not be so trusting."

Woe is me.

In the immediate aftermath of Since the start of the financial crisis, the Fed/Treasury lent, spent, or guaranteed $28 $29 trillion to save the banking system.


Republican Lack of Spine (4.00 / 1)
Any Republican in the state who professes to be worried about 'the integrity of the ballot box' could very easily stand up and insist that Guinta clear up the matter by releasing his bank statements and tax forms (if he had that much in the bank, he would have to file taxes on the interest, after all).

But will any of them? Of course not. They're all ideologues and Cohn-artists.

Only the left protects anyone's rights.



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