And she's teaming up with Grover Norquist to do it.
We believe there is an abundant public record which establishes that the actions of the White House have blocked any investigation into his activities while on the board of Freddie Mac from 2000-2001, and facilitated the cover up of potentially malfeasance until the 10-year statute of limitations has run out. ...
We both come from differing political ideologies. One of us is the conservative head of a transparency foundation, and the other is the publisher of a liberal political blog. But we make common cause today out of grave concern for the future of our country in the wake of corruption-riddled bailouts. These bailouts continue to rob Main Street to benefit Wall Street, and, because of that, we together demand the resignation of Mr. Emanuel, a man who has steadfastly worked to obstruct both oversight and inquiry into the matter. Rahm Emanuel’s conflicts of interest render him far too compromised to serve as gatekeeper to the President of the United States.
http://firedoglake.com/...
This is far more serious than Emanuel beating up the wimps in the Progressive caucus and stealing their lunch money. This is - dare I say it? - Bush type malfeasance.
The New York Times reports that the administration is negotiating to double the commitments to Fannie and Freddie for a total of $800 billion by December 31, in order to avoid the congressional approval that would be needed after that date. But there currently is no Inspector General exercising independent oversight of these entities. Acting Inspector General Ed Kelly was stripped of his authority earlier this year by the Justice Department, relying on a loophole in a bill Mr. Emanuel cosponsored and pushed through Congress shortly before he left for the White House. This effectively ended Mr. Kelly’s investigation into what happened at Fannie and Freddie. ...
A 2003 report by Freddie Mac’s regulator indicated that Freddie Mac executives had informed the board of their intention to misstate the earnings to insure their own bonuses during the time Mr. Emanuel was a director. But the White House refused to comply with a Freedom of Information Act request from the Chicago Tribune for those board minutes on the grounds that Freddie Mac was a "commercial" entity, even though it was wholly owned by the government at the time the request was made. ...
If the Treasury approves the $800 billion commitment to Fannie and Freddie by the end of the year, it will mean that under the influence of Rahm Emanuel, the White House is moving a trillion-dollar slush fund into corruption-riddled companies with no oversight in place. This will allow Fannie and Freddie to continue to purchase more toxic assets from banks, acting as a back-door increase of the TARP without congressional approval.
Sounds like business as usual in Washington to me. That is to say, as Stringer Bell would put it: a criminal fucking conspiracy. But I admit that I'm not familiar with the background of this. So if anyone can prove Jane is full of shit by posting some links, I welcome them.
On the other hand, if all you can do is sputter and fulminate at the woman's audacity at targeting Obama's preferred henchman - and partnering with a right-winger to do it - I welcome that too. It will be amusing.
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UPDATE: Apparently some of the rec's that got me on the list were meant as something other than an endorsement. But I appreciate them all the same.
I expected ad feminem attacks against Hamsher - who seems to be rapidly replacing Nader as the Democrats' bogeyperson of choice. But, not having known about the "blackface" episode, I didn't expect anyone to insinuate that she's a racist. For the record, I consider that an offensively insensitive appropriation of an historical tragedy for which she well owed her apology.
As for Norquist, while I'm sure his agenda here is crippling Obama rather than transparency in government, I frankly don't care. Unlike Republicans, what matters to me is the rule of law - not whose political fortunes are advanced or hindered.