Is Katrina Reconstruction Money Being Funneled into GOP Pacs by Karl Rove?

[McCamy Taylor]

Daily Kos makes a good case for Defense Depart money being funneled straight into GOP PACS in this
article:

http://dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/12/10/114820/90

"If you were a totally crooked neo-con former CIA financier Republican who hangs with the corrupt Delay-Abramoff crowd, what would be the most unethical, diabolical way to funnel SO much money to the Republican Party and neo-con schemes that you could take back the government from the Democrats?

"Easy!

"With your corrupt Republican buddies, form a slew of your own brand-new Defense Companies, submit bids on things the Pentagon never even asked for to the Delay/Cunningham network and Bingo!--those contributions to the GOP and K Street will flow in like never before. You can then even give to Presidential candidates like George W. Neo-Con."


Now, we all know that Karl Rove was placed in charge of the Katrina Reconstruction Funds, for reasons that make no sense---UNLESS THE WH WANTED HIM TO BE ABLE TO USE THE MONEY AS ONE GREAT BIG SLUSH FUND FOR THE 2006 ELECTION. (see cartoon at
http://www.grandtheftelectionohio.com/050919.htm ) The man is no expert in Hurricaine relief efforts. He is an expert in stealing elections. The most obvious way to use such a slush fund is to hand out contracts to GOP donors who would kick back some of the money as contributions to needy GOP Congressional Candidates.

BUT...

What if some of the Reconstruction Funds are going straight into GOP PACS, like the money Daily Kos is writing about? Who is auditing Karl Rove, a man is THIS close to being indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice? Why is this man in charge of so much money (and the futures of so many people)?

Karl Rove must not be allowed to touch Katrina Reconstruction Funds!

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

Good Lord.

Evilest. Administration. Ever.

I swear, Nixon had nothing on these unmedicated shithats.

[Helga Scow Stern]

1. Recommended. Thanks for sharing this clear perspective. n/t

[Lerkfish]

2. IIRC, dems didn't want to pass the funding, because it was not overseeable

by congress. IIRC, they had to approve the entire sum and leave it to Karl to decide where it went.

someone correct me if wrong, here.

[xchrom]

3. k & r

[OregonBlue]

4. I submit that this was done even prior to Katrina. I have written

to Lieberman and Collins asking why there has not been any information on who Homeland Security contracted for FEMA. I believe they contracted with a variety of phony companies to provide services and when there was an actual disaster, being that those companies were in fact not set up to deliver aid but to line political pockets, they could not perform.

No one is asking the hard questions.

Where was the Homeland Security money spent?

Who did Homeland Security contract with for all services, especially FEMA?

I think if the American taxpayer could see the actual budget, they would be outraged. Our money was supposed to be spent to put in place an awesome communications system. Nada, nothing, zip was done. Where did the money go? Administration will hide these contracts behind "Homeland Security" wall. Someone needs to dig deep on this one. Why aren't Americans demanding to know where that money went and who got those contracts? Why aren't they demanding to know what companies were contracted to provide disaster services that did not perform?

Why aren't you Representatives and Senators asking those questions? How many of them own stock in those companies?

It all stinks to high heaven.

[McCamy Taylor]

5. Good point. Who audits Homeland Security? Is their budget "hush hush"?

This would be an excellent place to hide "slush" money just like the Pentagon budget, if the actual spending of Homeland Security is considered Top Secret for purposes of national security. And the administration would want to pad that budget with a lot of stuff that does not really belong there, too. Make it a great big budget like the Pentagon so that cost overruns get attributed to the usual government waste.

Damn, if it turned out that the feds were unprepared for a hurricane not just because they were morons but also because they were skimming money off the top---and Brownie was put in charge to give them plausible idiocy---it would be criminal.

Later: did a few searches. Back iat its inception, Homeland Security had everything but oversight. It had a big budget a big staff lots of WH involvement---and its oversight was divided between a gazillion different Congressional subcommittes. It also planned to farm out lots of "soft" jobs in biotect and information research, perfect fronts if you wanted to be able to send money other places. So yeah, I can see how someone might wonder where Homeland Security Money was going.

Here are a few links:

http://www.homelandsec.org/publications.asp?pubid=58

http://www.aaas.org/spp/rd/dhs04p.pdf

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/homesec/RS21270.pdf

Hmm? Is this why Tom Ridge went bye bye? I think I will send an email to Waxman, even though the poor GAO is soooo busy.

[OregonBlue]

6. I've been convinced for a long time that there is a whole lot of

corruption within HSA. Nobody seems to want to even bring it up and of course, they won't release information. Who will actually look into it. Waxman will get a run around and as you say, so many committees involved, who could put it all together. I've been convinced from the beginning, when FEMA was turning away help because they didn't have tasker numbers, something was definately not right. Follow the money, it always leads to the truth.

[Swamp Rat]

7. kick n/t

[OregonBlue]

8. My letter to my Senator Wyden

I keep thinking about all those offers of help that were turned away from New Orleans. I also keep thinking about why those buses did not arrive, why ice was driven around the country for weeks. Something just didn’t feel right about it all. I kept thinking about those tasker numbers.

I also kept asking myself, if you wanted to make a whole lot of money off Homeland Security/FEMA couldn’t you just set up front companies and contract with them to provide services. They wouldn’t actually need to provide services; they would only need to contract to provide services. The beauty of this arrangement would be that since everything that Homeland Security (and therefore FEMA as part of Homeland Security) does is hidden behind a national security wall, you wouldn’t need to reveal who you contracted with or what they provide. The problem would come only if there was a disaster and your front companies were called upon to deliver goods and services.

I have been writing to Senators and Congress people for months now wanting to know: 1)How were the tax dollars that went to FEMA spent? 2)Who got the contracts and what were they contracted to deliver? 3)What did they deliver and how long did it take them? 4)Which Senators and Congress people own stock in companies FEMA contracts with? 5)Who has oversight of the FEMA budgets? 6) What is the appropriate committee to be asking these questions?

I have read that there are so many agencies involved with Homeland Security and so many oversight committees that it would be almost impossible to maintain oversight. Given that complexity, who audits Homeland Security and FEMA budgets and contracts? Do those audits get reported to the Senate or Congress?

We were told that the biggest problem in New York on 9/11 was lack of communication. We were also told that our tax dollars were going to be spent to create a state of the art communications system. If even that most important and basic system was not created, where did our money go?

I realize that there are some aspects of the Homeland Security budget that cannot be revealed to the public but I cannot imagine that there is any aspect that cannot be revealed to those Senators and Representatives that have the highest security clearance. I don’t think it’s unreasonable that the American people or our representatives should know how our money is being spent. I don’t think it’s unreasonable that our representatives should have oversight over the contracting and budgeting process.

Is anyone in the government asking these questions? Does anyone in the government care?

[BamaBecky]

9. Entirely plausible

[formercia]

10. and you don't even need to be an approved contractor.

Normally, before you can get contracts, the DoD or whatever agency has to check you out to make sure you can do the work. What the GOP did was to set up pre-approved front companies that will take you as a client, they will bid on the contract, if that's even needed, then they will subcontract the work back to you. They take their cut of the action and you get the work without even a knock at your door.

[CrispyQ]

11. This makes me sick -- absolutely nauseated.

I am just so ashamed of what these greedy bastards have done to our country & the millions of Americans who are too lazy & complacent to see the theft happening right before their eyes.

[The Wielding Truth]

12. Worth an investigation. Make them open the transfers.It's our money!

[RazzleDazzle]

13. Somebody needs to be looking at the Red Cross $ as well