Judicial Watch Announces List of Washington’s “Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians” for 2007

Washington, DC –Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, today released its 2007 list of Washington’s “Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians.” The list, in alphabetical order, includes:

1. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY): In addition to her long and sordid ethics record, Senator Hillary Clinton took a lot of heat in 2007 – and rightly so – for blocking the release her official White House records. Many suspect these records contain a treasure trove of information related to her role in a number of serious Clinton-era scandals. Moreover, in March 2007, Judicial Watch filed an ethics complaint against Senator Clinton for filing false financial disclosure forms with the U.S. Senate (again). And Hillary’s top campaign contributor, Norman Hsu, was exposed as a felon and a fugitive from justice in 2007. Hsu pleaded guilt to one count of grand theft for defrauding investors as part of a multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme.

2. Rep. John Conyers (D-MI): Conyers reportedly repeatedly violated the law and House ethics rules, forcing his staff to serve as his personal servants, babysitters, valets and campaign workers while on the government payroll. While the House Ethics Committee investigated these allegations in 2006, and substantiated a number of the accusations against Conyers, the committee blamed the staff and required additional administrative record-keeping and employee training. Judicial Watch obtained documentation in 2007 from a former Conyers staffer that sheds new light on the activities and conduct on the part of the Michigan congressman, which appear to be at a minimum inappropriate and likely unlawful. Judicial Watch called on the Attorney General in 2007 to investigate the matter.

3. Senator Larry Craig (R-ID): In one of the most shocking scandals of 2007, Senator Craig was caught by police attempting to solicit sex in a Minneapolis International Airport men’s bathroom during the summer. Senator Craig reportedly “sent signals” to a police officer in an adjacent stall that he wanted to engage in sexual activity. When the police officer showed Craig his police identification under the bathroom stall divider and pointed toward the exit, the senator reportedly exclaimed 'No!'” When asked to produce identification, Craig presented police his U.S. Senate business card and said, “What do you think of that?” The power play didn’t work. Craig was arrested, charged and entered a guilty plea. Despite enormous pressure from his Republican colleagues to resign from the Senate, Craig refused.

4. Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA): As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee's subcommittee on military construction, Feinstein reviewed military construction government contracts, some of which were ultimately awarded to URS Corporation and Perini, companies then owned by Feinstein's husband, Richard Blum. While the Pentagon ultimately awards military contracts, there is a reason for the review process. The Senate's subcommittee on Military Construction's approval carries weight. Sen. Feinstein, therefore, likely had influence over the decision making process. Senator Feinstein also attempted to undermine ethics reform in 2007, arguing in favor of a perk that allows members of Congress to book multiple airline flights and then cancel them without financial penalty. Judicial Watch’s investigation into this matter is ongoing.

5. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R-NY): Giuliani came under fire in late 2007 after it was discovered the former New York mayor’s office “billed obscure city agencies for tens of thousands of dollars in security expenses amassed during the time when he was beginning an extramarital relationship with future wife Judith Nathan in the Hamptons…” ABC News also reported that Giuliani provided Nathan with a police vehicle and a city driver at taxpayer expense. All of this news came on the heels of the federal indictment on corruption charges of Giuliani’s former Police Chief and business partner Bernard Kerik, who pleaded guilty in 2006 to accepting a $165,000 bribe in the form of renovations to his Bronx apartment from a construction company attempting to land city contracts.

6. Governor Mike Huckabee (R-AR): Governor Huckabee enjoyed a meteoric rise in the polls in December 2007, which prompted a more thorough review of his ethics record. According to The Associated Press: “[Huckabee’s] career has also been colored by 14 ethics complaints and a volley of questions about his integrity, ranging from his management of campaign cash to his use of a nonprofit organization to subsidize his income to his destruction of state computer files on his way out of the governor’s office.” And what was Governor Huckabee’s response to these ethics allegations? Rather than cooperating with investigators, Huckabee sued the state ethics commission twice and attempted to shut the ethics process down.

7. I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby: Libby, former Chief of Staff to Vice President **** Cheney, was sentenced to 30 months in prison and fined $250,000 for lying and obstructing the Valerie Plame CIA leak investigation. Libby was found guilty of four felonies -- two counts of perjury, one count of making false statements to the FBI and one count of obstructing justice – all serious crimes. Unfortunately, Libby was largely let off the hook. In an appalling lack of judgment, President Bush issued “Executive Clemency” to Libby and commuted the sentence.

8. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL): A “Dishonorable Mention” last year, Senator Obama moves onto the “ten most wanted” list in 2007. In 2006, it was discovered that Obama was involved in a suspicious real estate deal with an indicted political fundraiser, Antoin “Tony” Rezko. In 2007, more reports surfaced of deeper and suspicious business and political connections It was reported that just two months after he joined the Senate, Obama purchased $50,000 worth of stock in speculative companies whose major investors were his biggest campaign contributors. One of the companies was a biotech concern that benefited from legislation Obama pushed just two weeks after the senator purchased $5,000 of the company’s shares. Obama was also nabbed conducting campaign business in his Senate office, a violation of federal law.

9. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA): House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who promised a new era of ethics enforcement in the House of Representatives, snuck a $25 million gift to her husband, Paul Pelosi, in a $15 billion Water Resources Development Act recently passed by Congress. The pet project involved renovating ports in Speaker Pelosi's home base of San Francisco. Pelosi just happens to own apartment buildings near the areas targeted for improvement, and will almost certainly experience a significant boost in property value as a result of Pelosi's earmark. Earlier in the year, Pelosi found herself in hot water for demanding access to a luxury Air Force jet to ferry the Speaker and her entourage back and forth from San Francisco non-stop, in unprecedented request which was wisely rejected by the Pentagon. And under Pelosi’s leadership, the House ethics process remains essentially shut down – which protects members in both parties from accountability.

10. Senator Harry Reid (D-NV): Over the last few years, Reid has been embroiled in a series of scandals that cast serious doubt on his credibility as a self-professed champion of government ethics, and 2007 was no different. According to The Los Angeles Times, over the last four years, Reid has used his influence in Washington to help a developer, Havey Whittemore, clear obstacles for a profitable real estate deal. As the project advanced, the Times reported, “Reid received tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from Whittemore.” Whittemore also hired one of Reid’s sons (Leif) as his personal lawyer and then promptly handed the junior Reid the responsibility of negotiating the real estate deal with federal officials. Leif Reid even called his father’s office to talk about how to obtain the proper EPA permits, a clear conflict of interest.

Judicial Watch is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Judicial Watch neither supports nor opposes candidates for public office. For more information, visit www.judicialwatch.org.
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and of course some of the crooks are running for president

go Ron Paul!!!....

Not only are some of these crooks running for president...but two of these crooks are the majority leaders in both houses of congress(Pelosi and Reid)

Vote Biden or Kucinich;^]

no doubt...Reid's last election victory is rumoured to have been
fraudulent thanks to electronic vote machines...

No politician would pass this kind of scrutiny. They targeted a few but all would be on here if they were unbiased.

Anyone operating in opposition to our Constitutional way of a Republic style of govt is committing treason against our govt and treason against the people, very serious crimes. And I think that would include over 50 % of our Congress and also the Just US (justice) system of this country and other members of govt??(advisors etc.) Actually, I believe the number of criminals in our govt is much higher than that , otherwise things could never have got this corrupt!! I wonder if the majority of our so called representatives of the people have bought off by blackmail and bribes of one sort or another??By the way , Did you ever wonder about Henry kissinger, What does he do? Is he in our govt? Is he in Secret govt? How Old is he ?(Really??)How many citizenships does he Have? Where?

We need to get an honest justice system going to put these guys on trial in order to stop the crimes, enforce proper sentences for things like treason ,war crimes, and many other charges.. Back to the Constution!! Definitely Ron Paul for President, and I would be all smiles if Dennis Kuccinich was Vice President!!

Ron Paul, the man who wants to hand over half the government to corperations in the name of ridding our government of corperation control. Ron Paul, the man who happily accepts donations from those neo nazi f*cks, thank God he'll never get the nomination. Smo, you're too free with the whole treason thing and I'm not sure you understand the consitution and bill of rights, so how about naming those who commited and what crimes;^]

yup we need xtra got in our face, huh turtle?

With no ATF it'll be more likely a gat in your face, I'll take a got over a gat anyday;^]

with no atf thered be no illegal gun law enforcement either. Do you know that since the 20s, there hasent been ONE INCIDENT with fully automatic weapons, not that you would know it from watching television. Careful with your retort, im a class 3 weapons dealer also. I for one dont think we need govt managing every single aspect of our lives, I have more faith in the people than that.
if someone pulled aGUN ON ME ID PROBABLY TAKE IT FROM THEM AND BEAT THEM WITH IT. ( or pull a bigger gun with more and bigger bullets on them first)
been there twice, took two guns home with me. a MOSSBERG 500 and a ruger super blackhawk. wanna be the next donor? lol

Well that explains your bias, every weapon sold to pissed off school kids is money in your pocket. Get real and come see the real world, maybe you could use a vacation to west baltimore or the richmond southside. Without regulation anybody can legaly buy a weapon and the murder rate goes through the roof. If you want to live without firearm regulation maybe you should move to the middle east;^]

What good does having a bigger gun do when their gun is already at your head & your quickest movement results in a squeeze of the trigger?;^]

better look at the FACTS a little closer. every right to carry state, or any state that has loosened thier oppressive/ unconstitutional Gun laws..... the crime rate has ALWAYS dropped. look it up. In your world would we have a govt guarantee that the good citizens are unarmed? Thats what Gun control equals in case your liberal sources missed it. Common sense dictates that criminals dont follow the law. They will be packin regardless. Ive said for years that i wouldent send my kid to school UNARMED, FOR REASONS THAT AT THIS TIME SHOULD BE GLARINGLY OBVIOUS. Why is there never a school yard shooting when someone like me is around? It only happens because they know there will be no one to oppose them.
mY FAMILY HAS A HISTORY with guns going back to before the civil war, and more people have died in the back seat of ted kennedys car than have been killed by my ancestors. HMMMM

thought i already cleared that one up... ive been there twice and left with thier guns. One time it took four men to pull me off him as i was going to beat him to death with his own gun before i took it. you can either panic of go into action.
when someone pulls a Gun on you, assume your dead. (order flowers)But since your still breathing, you might as well do as much damage as you can as quickly as possible. If you instantly attack, you will ( usually) catch them off guard, as this is the last thing they expect you to do. ( or you could wait for the police or the ATF to arrive in a few hours... I

historically any society that surrenders it's weapons is quickly
slaughtered by dictatorships...the founding fathers knew this..
I dont own a gun...but see that as a fundamental right in our
society...Rambill understands ...

Must be nice to be able to live in your fantasy world where you can be faster than a bullet to have time to even think about pulling yours in defense. Who said anything about abolishing guns altogether? If you have nothing to hide then you should have no problems with the regulations, it might not keep all killers from getting guns but it does help & if there's no regulation they can all get them whenever they want. Sure, let's hand over guns to all the kids, how could that ever turn out bad What facts? All you've presented are opinions, better get off your cushy couch in the suberbs and see the other side if you wanna see reality. But ok, live in your fantasy world, thank god abolishing the ATF will never fly;^]

Sounds like you fought some pansies, careful not to lump the real thugs in with the couple idiots you faced;^]

Again, who said anything about surrendering weapons? Regulation does not imply abolishment;^]

when i was in (public)school, we had skeet shooting, archery, reloading class, and pistol club. AND WE ALL LIVED. I once took an AK47 to school for show and tell. Not everyone with a Gun is going to use it improperly.
when im not on the couch, or working to keep my 28 employees buisy, im at the rifle range as an instructor, or teaching martial arts at the college. (laughs at the ignorance)