BRIAN ROSS REPORTS
- Like Jay-Z + the Beatles, But Worse
- Update: Help for Homeless Children
- Bush Era, Revised -- and with More Barbeque
- The Tax Woman Cometh
- Paging Mr. Stanford: Antigua Called
- Who Are You Calling Partisan?
- Update: IRS Won't Use Private Debt Collectors
- But Is It Art?
- PMA Scandal a Sore Point for Dems in 2010?
- Down in Flames
- A New Mystery for RNC Chief
- PMA Clients Were Big Givers
- Raided Lobby Firm Still a Force on Capitol Hill
- Stanford Update: Another $143 Mil Found
- Cheney, Hooked on Controversy
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Bush Official Broke the Law, Investigators Say
May 23, 2007 12:42 PM
A government investigation has found a top Bush administration official broke the law by encouraging subordinates to use their power to support Republican candidates for office, sources tell ABC News.
In a draft report, the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) determined Lurita Doan, head of the $56 billion General Services Administration, violated the Hatch Act, which bars certain partisan political activity by government officials and employees, according to sources familiar with the document.
OSC confirmed Doan asked other GSA employees to think how their agency could help "our candidates," following a 2006 PowerPoint presentation by the White House political office on Republicans in tight congressional races, sources told ABC News.
The agency contracts for services, supplies and real estate on behalf of the entire federal government.
Special Counsel Scott Bloch sent a copy of the draft report to Doan's office for comment last week, confirmed OSC spokesman Jim Mitchell, who declined to discuss the report's findings. She has two weeks to respond, after which Bloch will forward the final report to President Bush along with his recommendations for action. Bloch could advise the president to suspend or fire Doan for the infraction.
The report may place the White House in the awkward position of disciplining a senior official for taking political action in response to a White House political presentation. Despite Bloch's advice, experts say President Bush is not likely to fire Doan.
"You've had presidential appointees do worse and not generate presidential action," said Paul Light, an expert on the executive branch and professor at New York University. "I think he'll accept her protestation that she did nothing wrong, and he'll let her stand. That's just been his habit."
Neither GSA nor the White House responded to requests for comment.
Doan is currently facing a separate investigation by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee into charges she improperly intervened in contracting issues. The panel, which first revealed allegations of Doan's comments at the White House political office briefing, is also probing whether other agencies hosted White House presentations similar to the one at which the OSC reportedly concluded Doan broke the law.
Do you have a tip for Brian Ross & the Investigative Team?
May 23, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (38)
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Wow I am suprised a GWB offical broke the law. Big Suprise there yeah right.
They have been breaking laws for the last eight years.
Posted by: Emily | May 23, 2007 4:02:54 PM
Gore was making campaign calls from his Federal office ("no controlling Legal authority")and the Clinton/Gore campaign was taking cash from foreign nationals and officers of the Chinese Communist Army but that was OK...
Posted by: kevin | May 23, 2007 4:18:34 PM
From top to bottom, this has been the most lawless administration in over a century. How Bush manages to escape impeachment is a mystery - he must have pictures.
Posted by: Butch Dillon | May 23, 2007 4:56:34 PM
Hey ABC, report on the numerous discrepancies by DEMOCRATS for a change. Feinstein, Reid, H. Clinton all should be investigated by Congress and at least reported on by the media. REPORT ON DEMOCRAT CORRUPTION NOW!! STOP PLAYING PRETEND PRESS AND DO YOUR JOB!! Republicans are constantly, unfairly targeted in discriminatory fashion in order to prop up these Democrats who themselves are the epitomy of career, special interest, politicians. Every other article on here attempts to paint the Bush administration as corrupt. This is laughable.
Posted by: ratchet | May 23, 2007 4:58:19 PM
out of 20 of the most
corrupt senators 3 are dems. That fraction is symbolic of the repub party, and the dems.
Posted by: rexy | May 23, 2007 5:38:06 PM
When all else fails, blame Clinton? Cute. Yeah, right. Don't look here. Don't look at what the Republicans did. Look over there. Hey, take personal responsiblity for the party you chose! They have so many, many more juicy scandals than the Democrats. Hubris. Arrogance. Pedophiles. Katrina. Multiple divorces. And the list continues to grow every day....
Posted by: Larry Houston | May 23, 2007 6:53:29 PM
The Bush administration is the 2nd most corrupt administration in the past 13 years. The Clinton corruption was at THE highest level. That's despite the Clinton's ability to keep things low key (with threats and the MSM).
Posted by: Billy | May 23, 2007 6:54:00 PM
I'm not sure that all else has failed by raising Clinton's name. He hasn't exactly left the public arena either. The point is that the MSM covers for Democrats and never for Republicans, in fact, they go out of their way to report "scandals" where none exist mostly on trumped up charges by Democrats who feed the MSM machine with misconceptions and misinterpretations of the law and ethics.
Posted by: ratchet | May 23, 2007 7:35:21 PM
That is a bunch of crap!
Posted by: vlemx | May 23, 2007 8:39:57 PM
The Hatch Act is pretty clear.
NO partisan politics in the workplace.
Enough already... fire anyone who violated it... especially managers who know better.
Posted by: Doc | May 23, 2007 8:43:37 PM
Bush has been in charge for the last 7 years, not Clinton. All the deaths, all the scandals, all the lies, all the Katrina victims are on HIS watch! Republican wrong-doings are MT. EVEREST in HEIGHT AND QUANTITY in comparison to the few Democrat wrong-doings you claim should be covered.
Posted by: Larry Houston | May 23, 2007 9:01:12 PM
ANY NEW COVERT ACTS ABC CAN TELL ME ABOUT?
ARE THERE ANY TOP SECRET PLANS ABC WANTS TO UNLEASH TO THE WORLD?
PLEEEASSE! TELL ME, TELL ME NOW!!!!
Posted by: JelloBiafra | May 23, 2007 9:18:59 PM
Instead of yelling at ABC, why haven't any of you macho armchair warhawks signed up to fight Bush's Occupation??
Posted by: Larry H | May 23, 2007 9:43:46 PM
The headline is innacurate I believe the lady works for the Federal Government and will be charged by the Federal government "Federal Official", not "Bush Official" but then that wouldn't sell. Accuracy in reporting is not a commodity of value any longer at ABC?
Posted by: Jerry Wood | May 23, 2007 11:19:04 PM
Don't sweat the small people.
They are all small people.
Except for a few...like Congressman Ron Paul.
It's not about Right or Left.
It's about Right or Wrong.
The problem is that Democrats are Tweedle Dee.
And Republicans are Tweedle Dum.
Vote American...not partisan.
Vote for Ron Paul 2008
A Man for All American Seasons
Posted by: Wizardofbahs | May 24, 2007 2:29:55 AM
VP Gore made phone calls from his office to demand money from democrat supporters for the DNC and his “war chest” and that was defended by the left. The dinosaur press and other democrats cried out that he had done no wrong. From what this story says all this person did was ask other republicans to THINK about what could be done to help the republicans in their states and districts. It does not even say if the people were in the office when the conversation took place! So now freedom of speech (by Republicans) is to become illegal!!
And the lady is a government employee, NOT a Bush official. She was not appointed to that office.
The socialist on the left will try anything to stomp on freedom!
Posted by: Thomas Austin | May 24, 2007 12:51:30 PM
Yes, she was appointed by Bush. The head of the GSA is a political appointee, not a civil service hire.
Posted by: Lily | May 24, 2007 3:10:38 PM
Repug bank robber to FBI agent:
But other people rob banks too!! This isn't fair!! Booo Hooo Hoo Hoo!! Waaah!! I want the law that I used against other changed now!!!
Posted by: RepugZapper | May 24, 2007 4:29:28 PM
Why is it often said by the liberal elitist Democrats that people who support Bush's War on Terror should all sign up for the military when they themselves, who support the goals of terrorism, don't feel they should have to join Al-Qaeda? Don't they realize that curtailing free speech is what the terrorists want? Placing stipulations on free speech is a kind of tyranny, one the liberals seem to desire for some odd reason.
Posted by: ratchet | May 24, 2007 4:55:57 PM
Wear your colors on your sleeve,(blue or red) because if we are attacked,(ever)again I want to know where I can find Democrates and Republicans, the two parties responsible for the deaths and the desruction of this one time great place call America. Now the NAU International trash can. All thanks to the War Munger GW Bush the great CHICKEN HAWK.
Posted by: JB | May 24, 2007 5:08:49 PM
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