HEART OF DIXIE CORRUPTION CASE DRAWS PALMETTO PARALLELS
By FITSNEWS || The Alabama “Republican” who led his party to control of the state legislature for the first time in 136 years was arrested this week and charged with twenty-three counts of public corruption.
Mike Hubbard – a former three-term House minority leader and chairman of the Alabama Republican Party – is accused of illegal lobbying, using his office for personal gain and soliciting gifts from lobbyists. The charges stem from an ongoing public corruption probe that has resulted in a pair of other state lawmakers being arrested.
If convicted, the 52-year-old politician could face jail time of anywhere from 2 to 20 years and fines of up to $300,000 – on each count.
Hubbard – who is up for reelection in November – dismissed the allegations as “a political witch hunt.”
“This has been going on for two years, dragging on and on, and here they come two weeks before an election and make these allegations,” Hubbard said in a video posted to his Facebook page. “The fact is that we’ve done some great things in this state and some powerful people don’t like it.”
There are interesting parallels between Hubbard’s case and a pair of high-profile investigations in another southern state. In South Carolina, powerful House Speaker Bobby Harrell was indicted by a grand jury in Richland County last month on nine counts of public corruption.
Those charges included improper reimbursements and malfeasance in office.
Harrell suspended himself from office pending the outcome of the charges against him.
Yet while Harrell is facing the music – and is likely to lose his Speaker’s seat as a result of the charges against him – S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley got a hall pass from her colleagues on public corruption charges leveled at her in 2012.
Among those charges? Illegal lobbying – (HERE and HERE) – one of the same allegations that’s led to Hubbard’s indictment. Haley was also accused of voting on an issue where she had a clear conflict of interest – which is another of the allegations for which Hubbard was indicted.
So …
Why is Harrell being prosecuted in the state’s court system while Haley was “exonerated” by a shady cover-up committee? Isn’t there an issue of selective prosecution at work here?
22 comments
A politician is just a prostitute with nicer clothes.
Actually – 1 – the cloths aren’t always nicer 2 – the difference is we want them to keep the cloths on.
Meh, not so much did you see French in his summer suit or Morgan Reeves in whatever the hell that was he was wearing during the debates?
Reeves would’ve earned my respect if he wore a suit made of hemp.
Thanks – water through the nose and onto the keyboard
I hope Harrell got the runs reading about this during his morning constitutional.
Better yet, while in the kitchen, through the living room, and before he made it to the porcelain throne.
LMAO!!! Fits has moved from DSS to the Confederate Flag to trying to attach Haley to an alleged child molester to apparently demanding Haley be criminally charged with public corruption.
What will be be the next bizzaro allegation by these folks and new BFF Buz “burlesque” Martin that raises Haley’s poll numbers and margin of victory…..? Haley brought Ebola to America?
Turn-out the lights, the party is over! :-)
Assuming you will have coverage in the SCPD?
When will Pinson get sentenced? Just wondering, and wondering, and wondering.
South Carolina- we have the best legislature and governor that money can buy!
Am I the only one who finds it annoying that you insist on putting “Republican” in quotation marks as though you are the final arbiter as to who has “earned” that designation? It seems to me that one who has run on the Republican ballot is a Republican whether or not you approve his/her fiscal bona fides. Perhaps you could keep a running tally of all Federal and state Republicans and let us all know which meet FITs criteria.
This guy sounds like a typical Republican to me. Not sure why the quotation marks. I have never met a Republican politician that I did not think was totally corrupt, in it for himself, and the government check, healthcare and retirement. Its just what Republicans these days do.
The only difference between republicans and democrats is that republicans stay bought.
Its hard to get buyers when you are advocating for middle class and poor people. That is why Republicans love “Citizens United.” Big business can pay a politician as much as they want.
Excellent article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/19/magazine/how-billionaire-oligarchs-are-becoming-their-own-political-parties.html
Tom Guest: That citizen’s united case was and is settled in favor of the po’ people and the g’ment unions. Note that g’ment unions (combined) gave and give more than twenty times as much to SuperPAC type activities than all republicrat businesses and 1%ers (combined). And those same g’ment unions gave more than three times as much directly to democrats’ campaigns than repeeublicans and tea parties (combined).
“Perhaps you could keep a running tally of all Federal and state Republicans [and Democrats and Independents] and let us all know which meet the “corruption” criteria.”
This list is growing every day, despite Holder and the “progressive” Fascists in charge … it seems that the FBI and many local AGs are keeping the faith, doing a good job under difficult circumstances.
“… government is not the solution, government is the problem …” – Ronald Reagan in His First Inaugural Address.
The problem with one-party politics is no competition leads to corruption. This is the fault of the voters.
It was pins and needles there for awhile. Seems they opted on keeping Haley over Ard or McConnell as Governor? Indicting the first female Governor is not Cricket? Or she simply threatened to rat them all out? My rub is how she has administrated since her election. I can not with a clear conscience vote for her where a second term could translate into her “skills” going to D.C. as a VP or Cabinet Secretary in 2016. I have concluded that if Romney is reawakening as a 2016 contender, it can only mean that the Establishment wants Benghazi Hillary as President. Trumpeting Romney to run as a shill to crush any non-establishment conservative from getting the GOP nomination is a strategy the Establishment could only devise. Hillary would slam a Romney nomination. So, back in SC, I could not endure four more years of Haley. Therefore, while I am angry at all the Republicans in the General Assembly, my SC-2 US Rep Wilson, and Sen Graham, I will protest by voting against all tax hikes and for all Democrats. Sen Scott is the lone exception. And if Sen Scott does not sharpen those pencils, he can expect a brutal 2016 primary from the likes of the SC Establishment.
The Feds are coming to SC! The Feds are coming to SC! Will they be paying a visit to 800 Richland St, Columbia, SC 29201?
The clock is ticking and time is on their side (The Feds). Hopefully, the indictments will be before the election. If not maybe Governor McMaster will keep us in line.
It does give one some hope anyway.
It’s better if it happens after Haley’s been re-elected.
That will make it clear to a few more SCGOP voters that they are the sorriest judges of the character…outside of Alabama at least.