Well, well, well Republican Tea Party (GOTP) puppet Eric Cantor has an opportunity to prove that he’s a real boy, and that he means what he says; when the GOTP took over the House in 2010 Cantor pledged a “zero tolerance policy” on ethics issues, “I think that as Republicans emerge as a new governing majority, it is incumbent upon us to institute a zero-tolerance policy — that we understand there are reasons for our being fired in ’06 and ’08 […] We cannot tolerate any ethics violations or behavior in terms of compromising the ethics that the people expect us to have as their representatives.” [YouTube, uploaded 8/10/10]
Cantor is now faced with the news that the National Republican Tea Party Congressional Committee Finance Chairman, Congressman Vern Buchanan (FL-13), is under federal investigation by the Department of Justice for an “extensive and ongoing” campaign finance scheme to reimburse employees who contributed to his campaign. “Will House Republican leaders including Leader Cantor and Chairman Sessions stand idly by while Congressman Vern Buchanan – the chief fundraiser to preserve their majority – is under investigation by the Department of Justice for campaign finance schemes?” asked Jesse Ferguson of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “This is just the latest test of Republican’s ‘zero tolerance’ policy – will they live by their own rules?”
Will they indeed, or is Cantor just another empty suit dancing to the fiddle of the uber-conservative Tea Party? And here’s the kicker, NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions appointed Buchanan as his NRCC Finance Vice Chair. The GOTP NRCC Chairman has appointed this scalawag as the vice chair of finance! It can’t get much better than that.
“Rep. Vern Buchanan is under investigation by the Justice Department for allegations that he asked a former business associate to reimburse employees who made donations to his campaign account, a local paper reported. The Bradenton Herald, which is based in the Republican’s western Florida district, first reported that the DOJ was investigating whether Buchanan, a former car dealership owner, asked his associate, Sam Kazran, to encourage employees to make straw donations to the lawmaker.” [POLITICO, 10/18/11]
It appears that while he was a car salesman – no really, he sold cars before he became a crooked Congressman? – he misused campaign funds (wow, a member of the GOTP misusing campaign funds. Isn’t that just the standard operating procedure in the House?) and his former business is under the axe, “A federal court is imposing a $67,900 fine on a car dealership once owned by Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Sarasota, for what the Federal Election Commission calls an ‘extensive and ongoing scheme’ to funnel ‘secret, illegal contributions’ to Buchanan’s 2006 and 2008 campaigns.” [Florida Independent, 6/1/11]
$67,900 bucks! That ain’t chump change; we’re talking a major violation, which needs to be addressed. C’mon Cantor, you ran your mouth off all the time you were in the minority, now here’s your chance to prove you have some; or maybe you don’t. Buchanan is another corrupt GOTP Congressman, he should step down – after all, misusing tens of thousands of dollars is far worse than sending pics of yourself to people.
The Liberty Tree 