Letters to the Editor

The right-wing understanding of Government A former White House aide and current CEO of Freedom's Watch thinks that the President is the "client" of the Attorney General Glenn Greenwald [2008-07-18]

• Update II and the interesting Case of Mr. Blakeman

  I hadn't heard the incredible news that Blakeman had stepped down either. And I was in-country the whole time.

  I've tried to remedy this by scanning their website, and was amazed to see that only one press release was issued by the organization in March, and this said absolutely nothing about Mr. Blakeman's rapid (and apparently very quiet) removal from "Freedom's Watch". Similarly, there was only one press release issued in Februrary, and that was done by Mr. Blakeman itself, so apparently everything was tidy and ship-shape at that time.

  The single March communication from "Freedom's Watch" discusses the hiring of a Mr. Forti, who had enjoyed an impressive but failed career as a minor operative in Mr. Romney's ill-fated campaign for president. Prior to that, Mr. Forti ran expenditures for the Republican National Congressional Committee, it seems.

  http://www.freedomswatch.org/Edit/PressReleases/tabid/45/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/170/Default.aspx

  I seem to have read something about the NRCC about this same time:

  F.B.I. Investigates Missing G.O.P. Money

  By PHILIP SHENON

  Published: March 6, 2008

  WASHINGTON — Hundreds of thousands of dollars are missing and presumed stolen from the chief fund-raising arm of House Republicans, according to party officials who described the findings of emergency internal audits.

  The financial records of the group, the National Republican Congressional Committee, may also have been falsified for several years, Republican officials said. The campaign committees of several Republican lawmakers may also have been victims of a scam that is now under criminal investigation by the F.B.I.

  http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/06/washington/06gop.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

  As can be seen, there is no mention of Mr. Blakeman in any of this, either. But it seems Mr. Forti may have left the NRCC "Expenditures" gig during some very exciting and challenging times there.

  -- casual_observer
  [Read casual_observer's other letters]
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