Bill Richardson’s own pay-to-play scandal?

By Michelle Malkin  •  December 16, 2008 04:44 PM

Farewell, Hope and Change.

Hello, Pay To Play.

Wonder if Bill Richardson will translate this mess into Spanish for us, too:

A federal grand jury is investigating whether a financial firm improperly won more than $1.4 million in work for the state of New Mexico shortly after making contributions to political action committees of Gov. Bill Richardson (D).

The probe focuses on whether the governor’s office urged a state agency to hire CDR Financial Products. The probe is in a highly active stage at a time when President-elect Barack Obama has chosen Richardson as his nominee for secretary of commerce, according to two sources familiar with the investigation.

The grand jury in Albuquerque is expected to hear testimony today from several key witnesses, including officials at Richard’s political action committees and bankers at J.P. Morgan who worked with CDR on the state’s investments.

The inquiry is part of a long-running nationwide investigation into “pay-to-play” practices in local government bond markets. In other cities, federal investigators are questioning whether financial firms have lavished politicians with money and gifts in exchange for fee-paying work advising municipal and local governments on investments. Authorities indicted the mayor of Birmingham, Ala., this month on charges of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts and loans from a firm that led the city into toxic investments and massive bankruptcy.

Ed’s got more background.

Posted in: Bill Richardson

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Comments


  1. #573105
    On December 16th, 2008 at 4:46 pm, The Raging Republican said:

    Obama’s plan for commerce: Pay 2 Play

  2. #573113
    On December 16th, 2008 at 4:50 pm, sonofdy said:

    Oh crap… here we go again. “this isn’t the bill I knew”. Under the bus you go because the one isn’t going to save you if his track record is anything to go on.

  3. #573115
    On December 16th, 2008 at 4:50 pm, letget said:

    I am wondering if any person bho has nominated isn’t a crook of some kind. We need a much bigger bus!
    L

  4. #573118
    On December 16th, 2008 at 4:52 pm, RedDog said:

    He’s hispanic. Lay off.

  5. #573122
    On December 16th, 2008 at 4:52 pm, ITookTheRedPill said:
  6. #573124
    On December 16th, 2008 at 4:54 pm, RetFireman said:

    Hey America…how’s that “Hope and Change” working out for you?

    Most ethical? Please. This guy has not even been sworn into office yet and he is ALREADy proving everything we have said about him to be correct, and he STILL can;t stop himself from surrounding himself with reprobates, criminals and other assorted scum.

    I look forward to his impending impeachment. After all…didn’t Richardson himself state that Obama was an immigrant? Hmmm…thought those couldn’t be President. But then again, that just makes me a conspiracy nut.

  7. #573125
    On December 16th, 2008 at 4:55 pm, CantCureStupid said:

    I’m sure the trolls will be twitching and foaming at the mouth over this stuff (”Quit picking on THE ONE!!!”), but a lot of people saw stories like this one and Blago coming, as the msm tries to rebuild its credibility after its disgraceful Obamamania.

    If I had future political aspirations, I wouldn’t get within a ten miles of Obama for awhile.

  8. #573126
    On December 16th, 2008 at 4:56 pm, ITookTheRedPill said:

    A quote from the article I linked to in my last comment…

    The lineup invariably begins with A-list members like Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico

  9. #573130
    On December 16th, 2008 at 4:57 pm, CantCureStupid said:

    a ten miles = ten miles… maybe I need a grammar lesson from Arne Duncan. :)

  10. #573144
    On December 16th, 2008 at 5:05 pm, Ahh a Lion! said:

    Hey, our financial overlords at the Fed just decreased interest rates to 0%! Maybe we can talk a little about our government debasing our currency for nothing? Sorta important.

  11. #573151
    On December 16th, 2008 at 5:06 pm, RetFireman said:

    It really does make a guy wonder if the MSM was setting Obama up for a very long and hard fall. But that would mean that they were not shills for the Uber-Left and we all know better than that.

  12. #573152
    On December 16th, 2008 at 5:08 pm, RetFireman said:

    On December 16th, 2008 at 5:05 pm, Ahh a Lion! said:

    Hey, our financial overlords at the Fed just decreased interest rates to 0%! Maybe we can talk a little about our government debasing our currency for nothing? Sorta important.

    You would think so, but the people are more concerned with what shower curtain MichelleO will be wearing at the Christmas parties…sorry…Holiday parties.

  13. #573157
    On December 16th, 2008 at 5:12 pm, sonofdy said:

    Hey, our financial overlords at the Fed just decreased interest rates to 0%! Maybe we can talk a little about our government debasing our currency for nothing? Sorta important.

    Or the printing of 8.5 trillion dollars, or the inflation that WILL cause once that is widely known…

  14. #573172
    On December 16th, 2008 at 5:19 pm, Ahh a Lion! said:

    Or the printing of 8.5 trillion dollars, or the inflation that WILL cause once that is widely known…

    Exactly, and when that new money comes flooding out the gates with the new 0% reserve laws, that 8.5 trillion will multiply into 100 trillion+. This country is going to get Weimarized.

    Time to start commenting on the incompetent and nefarious Federal Reserve Michelle. Come on, just one post.

  15. #573177
    On December 16th, 2008 at 5:22 pm, sonofdy said:

    See the main page, upper right hand side.

  16. #573179
    On December 16th, 2008 at 5:23 pm, Ahh a Lion! said:

    Saw that, now I have a more on topic place to comment – see you there!

  17. #573202
    On December 16th, 2008 at 5:49 pm, vickisoup said:

    On December 16th, 2008 at 4:54 pm, RetFireman said:
    Most ethical? Please. This guy has not even been sworn into office yet and he is ALREADY proving everything we have said about him to be correct, and he STILL can;t stop himself from surrounding himself with reprobates, criminals and other assorted scum.

    I was struck by this exact same thing. The annointed one is already giving press conferences trying to defend himself and his staff.
    I had truly hoped for better, though expected no difference. I wish I would have been wrong.
    We desperately need a good leader.
    :-(

  18. #573211
    On December 16th, 2008 at 5:53 pm, swmntman said:

    …but if Pres-elect Obama would just conduct one of his internal investigations I would be more than satisfied. You know the ones where he says that he has looked into it and is satisfied that nothing illegal or unethical took place? Wouldn’t that be good enough? Geez – starting to make the Clinton Administration look like choir boys.

  19. #573223
    On December 16th, 2008 at 6:08 pm, Chard402003 said:

    I’m sure Richardson will lie about this in both English and Spanish.

  20. #573286
    On December 16th, 2008 at 7:01 pm, zorro said:

    Authorities indicted the mayor of Birmingham, Ala., this month on charges of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts and loans from a firm that led the city into toxic investments and massive bankruptcy.

    Surprise! The mayor is another corrupt democrap. “…The mayor of Alabama’s most populous city is an African American Democrat, but a socially conservative one — a mix that has at times earned him a following among both urban blacks and suburban whites…

    Pay to play baby, the democrap way.

  21. #573330
    On December 16th, 2008 at 7:40 pm, RetFireman said:

    We desperately need a good leader.

    All right, I’ll do it…but the first thing i see about my daughters in the press that isn’t nice and fluffy, I get execution powers immediately on the perpetrators…

    and I want a raise.

  22. #573370
    On December 16th, 2008 at 8:34 pm, Rogue Cheddar said:

    If his friends don’t bring him down, his attitude to the press will at least shorten the honeymoon. Don’t waste your question

  23. #573420
    On December 16th, 2008 at 10:22 pm, Wellsy said:

    These Cabinet picks have been nothing short of awful, save for the national security team. As more info comes out about these people, the weaker this supposed “Dream Team” is going to look.

  24. #573510
    On December 17th, 2008 at 6:53 am, LoneRanger said:

    All Obama has to do is what Clinton did. After he’s sworn in, fire every federal prosecutor in the country, ending all those investigations. Problem solved.

  25. #573695
    On December 17th, 2008 at 12:02 pm, cheapseat said:

    and we wonder why the people are a bit skeptical and cynical. caroline kennedy is due that senate seat, her daddy died to secure her that seat.

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