Tuesday, October 29, 2013

'Extortion': Holder Abuses Law to Enrich Former Employer, Target Republicans



'Extortion': Holder Abuses Law to Enrich Former Employer, Target Republicans
by Wynton Hall 28 Oct 2013, 11:00 AM PDT
We are going to punish our enemies and we’re gonna reward our friends who stand with us on issues that are important to us. –President Barack Obama, October 2010

The Obama Justice Department has increased Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) enforcement actions over 65% compared to the prior administration, a dramatic shift that stands to benefit Attorney General Eric Holder’s former law firm Covington & Burling—the firm that helped write the law and describes itself as “a leading voice” on FCPA enforcement and compliance. Several FCPA investigations by the Obama Justice Department have included companies headed by top Republican donors including Koch Industries, Las Vegas Sands, Inc., Walmart, News Corporation, and Hewlett-Packard.

Government Accountability Institute (GAI) President and Breitbart News Senior Editor-At-Large Peter Schweizer makes the stunning charges and lays out the evidence in his new book, Extortion: How Politicians Extract Your Money, Buy Votes, and Line Their Own Pockets. Schweizer appeared last week on 60 Minutes and Hannity after the New York Times published two articles on the book’s investigative findings.

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act was created in 1977 to ban American companies doing business overseas from bribing foreign officials. Executives found guilty of violating the law can face up to 20 years in prison. The law was written with the help of lawyers at Covington & Burling, the former law firm of Attorney General Eric Holder and former DOJ Criminal Division head Lanny Breuer.

On its website, the firm boasts, “Covington lawyers have a unique command of anti-corruption laws, in part due to our role in helping draft the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in 1977.” The firm describes itself as “a leading voice in the private bar on US legislation and policy guidance relating to FCPA enforcement and compliance.” Breuer has since left DOJ and gone back through the revolving door to Covington where he makes nearly $4 million as vice chair of the firm. His duties, of course, include helping clients navigate “anti-corruption matters.”

“For the first 30 years of the FCPA, the Department of Justice brought just two to three cases a year against companies,” said Schweizer in an interview with Breitbart News. “In 2009, the Obama Justice Department sent the number of investigations soaring to at least 120."

"DOJ tells companies they must hire a law firm to ‘monitor’ their FCPA compliance, which can cost up to $10 million a year," he explained. "This creates a huge business opportunity for Covington & Burling, especially since Breuer is on the outside at Covington and Holder is on the inside at DOJ.”

That arrangement, says Schweizer, makes the FCPA the perfect weapon for political extortion and wealth extraction.

Legal scholars say the Obama Justice Department has radically expanded the FCPA’s parameters to even include actions taken by a company’s vendors without a chief executive’s knowledge. One pharmaceutical company that donated to a legitimate Polish charity was hit with a charge for failing to accurately reflect the contribution on its financial statements. Royal Dutch Shell was charged because the mail delivery service it used allegedly paid money to Nigerian customs officials for expedited delivery—something the company had nothing to do with.

Schweizer says the law’s wide scope and hazy rules give DOJ wide latitude to inflict fear and force companies to pay hefty legal fees to law firms like Covington & Burling that specialize in FCPA compliance.

In 2010, Lanny Breuer bragged that FCPA “enforcement is stronger than it’s ever been—and getting stronger.” He also said, “One cornerstone of our FCPA enforcement policy: the aggressive prosecution of individuals.”

In Extortion, Schweizer says Obama’s Justice Department has chosen “to pursue investigations and possible criminal indictments against a group of individuals who were heavily involved in supporting Mitt Romney in the general election,” including: Koch Industries, owned by libertarians Charles and David Koch; Las Vegas Sands, Inc., owned by GOP donor Sheldon Adelson; News Corporation, owned by Rupert Murdoch; Walmart, as children of Walmart’s founder are large GOP contributors; and Hewlett-Packard, whose CEO, Meg Whitman, donated $200,000 to a Romney Super PAC.

“What motivated the Justice Department to pursue these particular investigations?” asks Schweizer in Extortion. “We can’t ultimately know. But given the history of the Justice Department and the SEC doing a president’s bidding, using criminal investigations as a tool of leverage and intimidation cannot be dismissed.”

Executives like former Shell Oil President John Hofmeister say if the FCPA applies abroad, perhaps it should also apply in Washington.

“The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act basically says you can’t give gifts to foreign government officials—which includes campaign contributions and donations to certain charities,” Hofmeister told Schweizer. “Of course, that’s what we get asked to do all the time from Washington [through leadership PACs]. Why doesn’t the FCPA cover Washington?”

Schweizer agrees.

“The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act bans companies from doing things in Bangladesh that go on everyday inside the Beltway,” says Schweizer. “I agree with Hofmeister; what we need is aWashington Corrupt Practices Act.”

Covington & Burling
Stuart E. Eizenstat is a partner at Covington & Burling LLP, and a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development.

Note: Philip K. Howard is a partner at Covington & Burling LLP, and a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development.
Eugene A. Ludwig was a partner at Covington & Burling LLP, and is a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development.
Patricia F. Russo is a director at the Hewlett-Packard Co., and a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development.
John P. White is a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development, and was the deputy director for the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.
George P. Shultz is a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development, and was a director at the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.
Donna S. Morea was a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development, and the EVP for the CGI Group Inc.
CGI: HealthCare.gov Not Their First Government Contract
CGI Group Inc. was the contractor that developed Healthcare.gov web site for Obamacare.
Obamacare is Barack Obama’s signature policy initiative.
James A. Johnson was a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development, is an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), a member of the American Friends of Bilderberg (think tank), and a 2008 Bilderberg conference participant (think tank).
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Committee for Economic Development, the Brookings Institution (think tank), and the Aspen Institute (think tank).
George Soros is the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
Joel Z. Hyatt is an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), and was a director at the Hewlett-Packard Co.
Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP was the lobby firm for the Hewlett-Packard Co, and is the lobby firm for the Shell Oil Company.
Royal Dutch Shell plc is a subsidiary of the Shell Oil Company.
Covington & Burling LLP was a lobby firm for the Shell Oil Company.
Jose H. Villarreal is a senior adviser at Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP, and was a director at the Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
Vernon E. Jordan Jr. is a senior counsel for Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP, an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), Valerie B. Jarrett’s great uncle, a director at the American Friends of Bilderberg (think tank), was the president of the National Urban League, and a 2008 Bilderberg conference participant (think tank).
John D. Hofmeister is the chairman for the National Urban League, and was the president of the Shell Oil Company.
Valerie B. Jarrett is Vernon E. Jordan Jr’s great niece, the senior adviser for the Barack Obama administration, and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Commercial Club of Chicago, Members Directory
Please note: This link for the members of the Commercial Club of Chicago can no longer be found.
James S. Crown is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).
Lester Crown is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and was a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).
David H. Koch is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), the EVP for Koch Industries, the chairman for the Americans for Prosperity Foundation, and was a donor for Americans for Prosperity.
Americans for Prosperity Foundation is an affiliated group with Americans for Prosperity.
Sheldon G. Adelson pledged support in 2012 for Americans for Prosperity, and is the chairman & CEO & principal stockholder for the Las Vegas Sands.
Cyrus F. Freidheim Jr. is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), and was the chairman & CEO for Chiquita Brands International, Inc.
Covington & Burling LLP is the lobby firm for Chiquita Brands International, Inc.
Eric H. Holder Jr. was a partner at Covington & Burling LLP, Chiquita Brands International, Inc. was his client, a board member for the American Constitution Society, and is the attorney general at the U.S. Department of Justice for the Barack Obama administration.
Robert Raben was a director at the American Constitution Society, and the assistant attorney general for the U.S. Department of Justice.
Janet Reno is a board of adviser’s member for the American Constitution Society, and was the attorney general for the U.S. Department of Justice.
Open Society Foundations was a funder for the American Constitution Society, the Human Rights Watch, and the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).
George Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations, and was a benefactor for the Human Rights Watch.
John J. Studzinski is a director at the Human Rights Watch, a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), and a papal knighthood knight.
papal knighthood is an honor conferred by pope for the Roman Catholic Church.
Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger) is the pope emeritus for the Roman Catholic Church.
Was Pope Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger) A Nazi? Why Join the Hitler Youth?
By Austin Cline
K. Rupert Murdoch is a papal knighthood knight, the title of his biography is “The Man Who Owns the News” and the chairman & CEO for News Corp.
HITLER'S LEGACY
The power of the press can be used to deliberately lead people astray, and to make them believe whatever propagandists want them to believe. In honor of the first man to use them I call modern propaganda and information-management techniques "Hitler's Legacy".
When Adolph Hitler took power in Germany he also took over the media, and he used it to shape a modern, civilized country to his ends. With full control of the national press his propaganda minister Paul Josef Goebbels developed sophisticated and very effective tools of propaganda to control public opinion in Germany, and even in other countries.
He proved that if you repeat a lie often enough in mass media, most people will accept it as the truth.
Viet D. Dinh is a director at News Corp., and was the assistant attorney general for the U.S. Department of Justice.
Joel I. Klein is a director & EVP for News Corp., and was the assistant attorney general for the U.S. Department of Justice.
Michael B. Mukasey is the advising independent directors on hacking scandals for News Corp., and was the attorney general for the U.S. Department of Justice.
John L. Thornton was a director at News Corp., and is the chair for the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank), and Human Rights First.
George Soros is the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
Harold H. Koh was a director at the Brookings Institution (think tank), a director at Human Rights First, the State Department legal adviser for the Barack Obama administration, and a lawyer at Covington & Burling LLP.
Lanny A. Breuer is a partner at Covington & Burling LLP, and was the assistant attorney general, criminal division for the U.S. Department of Justice.

No comments: