Just as King is making the rounds talking about how Governor Paterson's choice of Kristen Gillibrand for Senate was somehow underhanded or breaking the law "There was a whole strange series of events," King told TheAssociated Press. "There is a crisis of confidence in the state. There is a cloud over Kirsten Gillibrand's appointment. To me, it's essential that the governor give a full explanation as quickly as possible."
Newsday reported that King "variously called her selection by Gov. David A. Paterson a "fraud," "payoff" and a "backroom" deal."
Strong words from King.
The NY Daily News is reporting that King may have been getting campaign contributions for steering $3million in taxpayer money to local companies. "U.S. Rep. Pete King funneled $3 million in taxpayer money to a campaign donor for custom manhole covers that Con Ed said could be dangerous, a Daily News probe found.
"The Long Island Republican sponsored federal dollars to pay for about 5,000 locking manhole covers designed to thwart terrorists. They would cover only about 2% of Con Ed's manholes in the city...
"Con Ed was approached to cover its 250,000 manholes with the devices, but the utility decided they would pose an obstacle not just to terrorists - but also to firefighters in an emergency.
"We said 'no,' it's impractical," said a Con Ed official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "What are you going to do? Have 250,000 keys for these things?
"Manhole Barrier did better with Congress than with Con Ed, with the help of a few timely campaign contributions.
The company CEO, his wife, some relatives and lobbyists contributed $16,700 to King as he was trying to earmark funds for the firm, records show.
CEO Michael Manoussos first gave $4,000 to King beginning in August 2006. In March 2007, King requested money for the covers. That year, the effort failed.
Manhole Barrier tried again last year. This time, Manoussos got relatives and lobbyists to kick in as well, records show.
He and his wife, Dawn, each gave the maximum allowed, $4,600, on Feb. 7. Two company lobbyists donated on the same day, and two other Manoussos relatives gave another $1,500 shortly after."
And that's not the only instance.... "Still, campaign donations were also present when King got taxpayer funding this year for another Long Island company, American Defense Systems Inc.
Last spring, King sent a letter to the House Appropriations Committee requesting $1.2 million for development of a new ballistic helmet to protect soldiers. ADSI was the beneficiary.
Before December 2007, ADSI employees never donated to King. That month, they began writing a total of $16,800 in checks for his 2008 re-election campaign.
"I never asked them for anything," King said, adding that he didn't know why ADSI decided to start contributing.
ADSI turned out to be King's top donor this election cycle, the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics says.
In a March 17 letter, King submitted his funding request for the company. Most of the donations from ADSI executives came May 9, less than two months later.
ADSI's chief operating officer, Fergal Foley, gave four separate donations totaling $5,300 - $700 more than legally allowed. King's campaign sent a refund check after The News asked about the donation.
Executives of ADSI thought so much of King that they gave him an award for outstanding public service, The Golden Eagle of Freedom, at a Jan. 9 dinner."
King of course will deny this and attack the Daily News for being a "liberal newspaper."
There needs to be an invesigation into the process and the contributors, especially the employees, questioned under oath.
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2 comments:
Wow Peter King calls Michael Jackson "a low life, a pervert, a child molester, and a pedophile." "there's nothing good about him, Would you let you child or grandchild be in the same room as Michael Jackson."
Have some respect
Michael Jackson is a true humanitarian, an example to us all. He has devoted much time and money to a wide range of charities. He loves children and takes time out when touring secretly visiting sick children. He also has special rooms at his home Neverland for sick and terminally ill children to stay over. He was listed in the 2000 edition of the Guiness Book Of World Records for breaking the world record for the "Most Charities Supported By a Pop Star". It states that Michael Jackson has supported 39 charity organizations either with monetary donations through sponsorships of their projects or by participating in their silent auction.
We have made an alphabetical list of known charities that Michael Jackson has individually supported publicly throughout his career. Michael Jackson also helped set up Heal The World Foundation, the charities this has supported have not been listed. Read our Heal The World/kids page for details of this foundation.
* AIDS Project L.A.
* American Cancer Society
* Angel Food
* Big Brothers of Greater Los Angeles
* BMI Foundation, Inc.
* Brotherhood Crusade
* Brothman Burn Center
* Camp Ronald McDonald
* Childhelp U.S.A.
* Children's Institute International
* Cities and Schools Scholarship Fund
* Community Youth Sports & Arts Foundation
* Congressional Black Caucus (CBC)
* Dakar Foundation
* Dreamstreet Kids
* Dreams Come True Charity
* Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation
* Juvenile Diabetes Foundation
* Love Match
* Make-A-Wish Foundation
* Minority Aids Project
* Motown Museum
* NAACP
* National Rainbow Coalition
* Rotary Club of Australia
* Society of Singers
* Starlight Foundation
* The Carter Center's Atlanta Project
* The Sickle Cell Research Foundation
* Transafrica
* United Negro College Fund (UNCF)
* United Negro College Fund Ladder's of Hope
* Volunteers of America
* Watts Summer Festival
* Wish Granting
* YMCA - 28th Street/Crenshaw
For having a law degree, King certainly should know the definition of the word "Acquitted", yet he speaks as if Michael Jackson had been found guilty.
“ Let’s knock out the psychobabble. He was a pervert, a child molester, he was a pedophile. And to be giving this much coverage to him, day in and day out, what does it say about us as a country? I just think we’re too politically correct. No one wants to stand up and say we don’t need Michael Jackson. He died, he had some talent, fine. There’s men and women dying every day in Afghanistan. Let’s give them the credit they deserve.[39][40]
”
Jackson was ACQUITTED of child molestation charges in a 2005 trial.[41]
It amazes me that King has made it this far with the scandals he's been named in. It baffles the mind that a man who supported and had close ties to the IRA/Irish Republican Army (considered terrorists by governments globally), can think that he's US Senate material.
In the 1980s, King frequently traveled to Northern Ireland to meet with IRA members.[3] In 1982, speaking at a pro-IRA rally in Nassau County, New York, King said: “We must pledge ourselves to support those brave men and women who this very moment are carrying forth the struggle against British imperialism in the streets of Belfast and Derry.” [4] [5] He was branded by a judge in a Northern Ireland court “an obvious collaborator with the IRA”.[6] He became involved with NORAID, an organization that the British, Irish and US governments accuse of both financing the IRA and providing them with weapons.[7][8][9][10] In 2000, he called then-presidential candidate George W. Bush a tool of "anti-Catholic bigoted forces."[11]
He stopped supporting the IRA after becoming offended by “resentment towards the Americans” by some IRA members following the invasion of Iraq.[12] In 2008, King spoke in defense of bail for a fugitive IRA member who had escaped from a British prison and been detained in Texas 15 years later. The IRA member, who had broken out of prison during the Maze Prison escape and entered America illegally,[13] was being held without bail after his work permit expired; King said: "My experience dealing with (Irish) republicans is that they don't jump bail in this country. They honor their commitments."[14
And as a Irish Catholic American, I condemn his past support and involvement with the IRA. They were the terrorists of that decade and now he presents himself as New York's wonderful anti-terrorist Congressman. Please. Who knows, if Al Qaeda were Catholic, he might be singing a different tune.
And with regard to Michael Jackson and the numerous charitable ventures he championed in his lifetime, I ask what charitable contributions has King has made, other than the lining of his own political campaign pockets? An envelope in the basket on Sunday doesn't count.
He's an embarrassment. He doesn't have to like Michael Jackson, but for someone supposedly educated in the law and a member of Congress, his crude, inflammatory and legally incorrect statements are uncalled for and frankly inexcusable.
I was not a big MJ fan, but I do recognize the contributions to music and humanitarian causes that Jackson supported throughout his life. He made a hell of a lot more positive difference in this world that King could ever hope to.
I think he just might find out come 2010, that there are a lot more Michael Jackson fans out there that vote, than he or his buddy Bill O'Reilly want to admit.
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