Crabgate, Part Deux

The Audacity of Dopes (4.00 / 3)

This jumped out at me:

On Valentine's Day 2003, Staffer F asked to "score some hockey tickets." Boulanger told a colleague it was a "priority" and sought "Ice seats if possible." Boulanger told Staffer F: "This is without a doubt the most in demand game of the season. . . . You, my friend, are in debt to me for a while!"

Staffer F: "You the man. I got something for you too."

Abramoff's "Quid" meet Gregg's "Pro Quo" ... ignorance is no defense Mister Secretary-Designate.

President, NH Young Democrats

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by: Garth Corriveau @ Thu Feb 05, 2009 at 14:39:08 PM CST

The Gregg defense (0.00 / 0)

Obviously: "I was AWOL..."

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by: elwood @ Thu Feb 05, 2009 at 15:39:55 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Crabcakegate (0.00 / 0)

I have a theory on the "smart" thing that I am planning to diary on later. I don't want to hijack this diary.

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by: JimC @ Thu Feb 05, 2009 at 14:54:28 PM CST

Curiouso (0.00 / 0)

According to the Post, Mr. Koonce worked at Cassidy & Associates, althouigh Cassidy says it has no record of his employment. This is interesting, because Mr. Boulanger was working at Cassidy in 2005.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/...

If FEC records are correct, Mr. Koonce listed Cassidy as his employer when he made contributions in September and December, 2005.

Did Mr. Boulanger make sure that Koonce got a job as a result of the excellent work he did in exchange for crabcakes and Red Sox tickets?  Did anyone in Senator Gregg's office know Koonce was at Cassidy in 2005 (if indeed he was working there) - when the Abramoff story was all over the Washington Post, including stories about "Team Abramoff" which included Todd Boulanger?  

All this might have made me curious, had I been a former co-worker or perhaps former employer of Mr. Koonce. Mr. Koonce gave $500 to the White Mountain PAC (Judd Gregg's leadership PAC) in September 2005, but for that donation listed his emplyment as the American International Auto Dealers Association.  

Curiouso.  

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

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by: Kathy Sullivan 2 @ Thu Feb 05, 2009 at 15:16:44 PM CST

What Kevin Koonce and his friend Mark Haney were up to in 2007. (0.00 / 0)

The Affordable Footwear Initiative

This is revealing on a number of levels.  Mark Haney is actually an associate at Sandler, Tavis and Rosenberg where Koonce claimed to be working in 2007, but it's not clear whether the AFI is an STR initiative.

But the particulars are intriguing:

Did you know, for example, that retailers double the cost of the duty in their sale price?

Because duties are subject to the same distribution mark-ups as any cost, the $1.9 billion in import duties translates into a $4-
5 billion tax each year on hard working U.S. families.

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by: hannah @ Thu Feb 05, 2009 at 17:54:41 PM CST

Shoes for Industry! (4.00 / 2)

There's one Firesign Theater album where Nick Danger takes a phone call, but it's a wrong number from another Firesign Theater album.

I'm not sure just when we all entered Vespucciland. But it was sometime in the Bush Administration.

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by: elwood @ Thu Feb 05, 2009 at 18:08:31 PM CST

[ Parent ]

You got me again, Rocky Rococo! n/t (4.00 / 2)

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by: GreyMike @ Thu Feb 05, 2009 at 19:46:34 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Nick Danger at your cervix ! n/t (4.00 / 1)

www.KusterforCongress.com

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by: JonnyBBad @ Thu Feb 05, 2009 at 20:07:51 PM CST

[ Parent ]

BTW, just noticed that use of the passive voice-- (0.00 / 0)

"duties are subject"

Must have given someone pleasure to write that phrase.  No human agency involved anywhere. LOL

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by: hannah @ Fri Feb 06, 2009 at 05:11:38 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Do Any Of Us Really Want Gregg As Commerce Secretary? (4.00 / 2)

Do any of us really want Gregg as Commerce Secretary, where he can do even more mischief?  

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by: Rep. Jim Splaine @ Thu Feb 05, 2009 at 18:14:32 PM CST

No (4.00 / 3)

I have to say, ever since this story broke, it has been bizarre to me on so many levels:

* Why would Gregg pursue this, when he could have secured a much more important cabinet post under Bush?

* Why would Obama offer a post on his financial team to a man who disagrees with him on almost every major economics issue?  This isn't like FDR offering the Secretary of War post to Stimson before WWII, or Clinton giving DoD to Bill Cohen -- those guys agreed with their Presidents on foreign policy and defense issues. . . . I can't imagine Gregg going on Meet the Press and defending the Administration.  Can you?

* What does Gregg bring to the table?  Does anyone actually expect him to sway GOP votes for the stimulus bill -- or other Obama economic priorities?

I was convinced that this appointment would fall through. I was wrong, but the whole episode is still so bizarre to me.

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by: Dartmouth Dem @ Thu Feb 05, 2009 at 19:57:52 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Detailed diary on dKos (0.00 / 0)

About Gregg, Staffer F, and Abramoff.

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by: elwood @ Fri Feb 06, 2009 at 06:36:40 AM CST

Ah, you beat me to it. :) n/t (4.00 / 1)

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by: hannah @ Fri Feb 06, 2009 at 07:57:08 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Koonce = Superman (4.00 / 2)

From the announcement of his appointment as VP by the American International Automobile Dealers in 2005.

Koonce most recently served as Legislative Director and Counsel to New Hampshire Senator Judd Gregg, where he worked closely with the Commerce, State and Justice Subcommittee on Appropriations as well as with vested industry groups. Koonce had previously served as Special Textile Negotiator for United States Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Zoellick, during which time he played a critical role in the launching the Doha Round of trade negotiations.

His tenure under Zoellick lasted one week.

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by: hannah @ Fri Feb 06, 2009 at 09:06:20 AM CST

Koonce was a long time ago. (4.00 / 1)

Wayne L. Berman and his wife Lea contributed to the White Mountain PAC in 2008.

Lea, who is either unidentified or listed as a homemaker, was, until recently, the White House Social Secretary.  Before that she was chief of staff to Lynne Cheney.

Wayne is a more important player, of course, but also wasn't identified on the PAC donor list on campaignmoney.com.

According to McCain's Lobbyists--

Wayne Berman, managing director of lobbying firm Ogilvy Government Relations, was a Pioneer for Bush in 2000 and a Ranger in 2004. A former assistant secretary in the Commerce Department during the Reagan administration, Berman managed Jack Kemp's vice presidential campaign in 1996.[1] Since then he has established himself as one of Washington's most powerful and best-paid lobbyists. In 2007, the Washington Post reported that the $3.74 million in earnings Berman's firm received from a Chinese company hoping for federal approval to buy part of private equity firm Blackstone Group was the largest six-month lobbyist payday ever reported.

And, what I find interesting--

Among Berman's current clients are the American Petroleum Institute, AT&T, Chevron, Hess, Verizon and the European Aeronautic Defense & Space Company (EADS).[4] His work for EADS came under scrutiny recently after it was revealed that Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) had written letters to the Defense Department asking it to reconsider a contracting requirement seen as disadvantageous to EADS. Shortly thereafter, the Defense Department made the requested change, and EADS eventually won the $35 billion contract to manufacture the next generation of in-flight refueling tanker planes.[5] The Government Accountability Office later upheld Boeing's appeal and the project will be rebid.

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by: hannah @ Sat Feb 07, 2009 at 08:46:12 AM CST