Thursday, August 23, 2012

GOP Rep finances phoney Democrat in Florida Primary

These scumbags just can't do anything honestly. Lies, fraud, deception and secret money are the tools of their trade. To wit (from Maddowblog):

Rep. David Rivera's (R-Fla.) career has become almost comical. The conservative freshman has been investigated by the FBI, IRS, Miami-Dade Police Department's public corruption unit, the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office, and Florida Department of Law Enforcement over allegations that he abused his office in the state legislature and repeatedly lied on financial disclosure forms.
And now, things have managed to get worse.
The FBI and Miami-Dade police have opened separate criminal investigations into the campaign of a Democratic congressional candidate who, vendors say, was aided by GOP Rep. David Rivera.
Federal agents gathered campaign records, invoices and began interviewing employees at two mail and data companies used by Democrat Justin Lamar Sternad's primary campaign. Sternad spent about $43,000 in unreported cash and checks on mail services, a witness told The Herald and authorities. Some of the money was stuffed in envelopes bulging with $100 bills.
Federal law required Sternad to quickly report any contributions -- including loans -- just before the Aug. 14 primary, which he lost to Democrat Joe Garcia, a longtime Rivera rival who Sternad bashed in one of his 11 mailers.
Rivera, investigators suspect, was behind the sophisticated mail campaign run by Sternad, who was an unknown political newcomer and hotel night auditor.
It appears to have been a rather clumsy scheme. Congressman Rivera, fearful that Joe Garcia may defeat him in November, allegedly arranged for Sternad to run in the Democratic primary.
As part of Sternad's "campaign" (I use the word loosely), he quietly spent tens of thousands of dollars, in cash, on anti-Garcia mailings -- through the same local printer Rivera has used. Where'd all this unreported cash come from? Law enforcement officials would like to find out.
What's more, Sternad's family income is about $30,000. How he was able to spend $43,000 in unreported cash on direct mail is also unclear. The money didn't come from legal donors -- his total cash on hand as of late July was $120.97.

Minnesota State Rep "in Dutch" over rest-stop tryst with 17 year-old youth

Way to keep the anti-gay types off our backs douchbag! Once again, from Towleroad:

Rep. K. Gauthier, Douchebag
Congressman Kerry Gauthier, a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2001, has ended his reelection campaign after being caught having consensual and legal encounter with a 17-year old at a highway truck stop, largely due to pressure from his fellow Democrats.

Having admitted the encounter, and facing no criminal charges at the moment, Gauthier said his self-denial led to his "mistake."
"I am sorry for the hurt this has caused my family, friends and my constituents. I know I made a mistake and am determined to make amends as best I can," he said.
Gauthier [said] his unwillingness to accept he is gay led him to the act. He said he is getting counseling. He also said he feels badly for the teen and wouldn’t talk specifically about the incident to protect the boy.
"I can change my behavior, but I cannot change the fact that I am a gay man, and have known this since my college days. I simply must act like a mature gay man would act, and not as the incident portrays me."
Governor Mark Dayton said pressure on Gauthier to step aside wasn't about the same-sex aspect of his tryst, procured with a Craigslist ad, but was about "morals".
"I think it’s just something that goes beyond the morals of Minnesotans - to solicit on Craigslist sex with a minor and do it in a public area, publicly owned area, as a state legislator, and come back to the parking lot with his clothes disheveled," he said, according to EDGE. "It’s not about whether it’s a same-sex or a heterosexual act. It would be the same if it were the same circumstances involving a heterosexual individual."

Anti-Gay Pastor Convicted of Masturbating in a Public Park

Stop me if you've heard this one before. From Towleroad:

Grant Storms, Hypocrite
Want some piping hot Schadenfreude for breakfast? Well here it is...Anti-gay activist and self-confessed hypocrite Grant Storms, made famous for his homophobic crusades during New Orleans' annual Southern Decadence event, has been convicted of obscenity after being caught masturbating in a public park

From NOLA.com:
[Judge Ross LaDart] promptly found Storms guilty of the single count of obscenity. He sentenced Storms to three years of probation, citing no evidence of a criminal history.
LaDart also ordered Storms to be evaluated, apparently psychologically. The judge noted that in Storms' confession, he admitted that Feb. 25, 2011, the day he was arrested, was the third time that week that he masturbated in Lafreniere Park.
"Lafreniere Park is a public place," LaDart said in announcing the verdict. "Lafreniere Park is a place that was chosen by this defendant to engage in a history of masturbation."
Storms declined to testify. His attorneys, Brett Emmanuel and Donald Cashio, did not overtly deny their client masturbated in the park but argued he never exposed his penis. The exposure was a necessary element of the obscenity charge.
In his confession, Storms told Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Sgt. Kevin Balser he had taken a break from his grass cutting business to sip a beer in the park, where he said he became "horny." He said he put his hands into his underwear, but he never exposed himself.
Storms said previously he was looking for a "thrill' by taking care of his business in public. 

I'll just bet he's thrilled now! Filthy hypocrite!