Corruptocrat Chris Dodd caught lying again
Chris Dodd’s cottage in Ireland, a joint purchase facilitated by crony contributor and convicted insider trader Edward Downe, is magical.
Watch it magically appreciate:
A new appraisal more than doubles the value of U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd’s Irish cottage, a vacation home that is the subject of an ethics complaint by a conservative group that questions if it was really a gift.
The property is valued at 470,000 euros, or about $660,000, on a financial disclosure report provided to The Associated Press on Friday by Dodd’s office. The previous year’s report valued the seaside home, located in County Galway, at between $100,001 and $250,000.
Dodd spokesman Bryan DeAngelis said the Connecticut senator and his wife decided to have the property appraised because they felt it was time to update the information for Dodd’s financial disclosure report to the Senate.
“The value of the cottage — or of Irish real estate, generally — isn’t something that the Dodds have thought much about,” DeAngelis said in a statement. “However, questions have been raised and they recognize that it’s important to make a good faith effort at valuation for the Senate financial disclosures.”
The questions about the sweetheart deal were raised by conservative watchdog Judicial Watch back in April:
Judicial Watch’s complaint alleges that Senator Dodd appeared at a hearing on behalf of Edward Downe, Jr. in 1993 to help Downe obtain a reduced sentence for violations involving tax and securities laws. In 2001, Dodd ultimately helped Downe secure a full presidential pardon for his crimes on President Clinton’s last day in office bypassing the normal pardon vetting process. In 2002, Dodd allegedly received a significantly reduced, below-market sales price, for a two-thirds interest in a property located in County Galway, Ireland, from Downe’s associate, William Kessinger. (Dodd already owned a one-third interest in the property.) Downe’s signature appears on the property transfer documents. He is listed as a witness.
(Judicial Watch has sought additional documents about this property from government authorities in Ireland.)
According to the complaint, Senator Dodd, Chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, allegedly failed to report the gift in 2002 and may have filed inaccurate Senate Financial Disclosure forms related to the property ever since, in violation of the 1978 Ethics in Government Act. The penalty for filing false financial disclosure forms is $50,000 and up to one year in prison.
“This seems a straight-up quid pro quo. Dodd helped his apparently crooked friend and seems to have received a cut-rate real estate deal on a property in Ireland in exchange. Moreover, it appears Dodd attempted to cover up the gift by failing to disclose it on his financial disclosure forms. To put it mildly, this type of behavior clearly does not reflect well on the United States Senate. We hope the Senate Ethics Committee does a thorough and speedy investigation. Federal prosecutors also need to take a look at this, as knowingly filing false financial forms is a crime,” stated Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.
In 2008, Senator Dodd came under fire for receiving preferential loan terms from Countrywide Financial as a member of the company’s “VIP Program.”
This is the man Barack “Hope and Change” Obama embraces and endorses.
Tells you all you need to know, doesn’t it?
***
Glenn Reynolds: “I wish I were a senator, so I could get this kind of housing-market appreciation.”
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Categories: Chris Dodd, Corruption
I’m not sure which has the most rancid stench, crooked politicians or the fools that elect them.
Dodd is just another in “the most ethical congress evah.” He is from the east coast branch of Mobsters, Inc., headquartered in Chicago and led by the head thug, Brobama and his moll the divine Ms. M.
Piehole open? Lies, lies, and more lies.
From “waitress sandwiches” with low-life Ted Kennedy to sweetheart real estate deals similar to those of his “Dear Leader” Dodd has established himself as a national embarrassment.
Every dog has his day, and I think Chris “Countrywide” Dodd’s day is coming soon.
Another day, another scandal that will be ignored by the MSM.
Fo’ shizzle my thizzle quadzizzled, yo.
The Founding Fathers tried to keep the experiment in democracy pure and untainted. No kings, queens, dukes, or duchesses. No lords and no ladies, no Court of St. James and no royal palace. It has been a total failure. The names just got changed to protect the guilty. Now they are presidents, senators, representatives, ambassadors, secretaries, aids, and advisers. There is the ruling class and the underclass. Once making it into the club, nothing bad ever happens to them again. Both parties are the same, no rules and no consequences. Their lifestyle is assured and their children’s children will always remain in that warm secure bubble of privilege and unaccountability. “Oh piss boy, bring that bucket here”.
Just business as usual for them.
Michelle, from what little I know, Irish real estate has, like American real estate, significantly depreciated in response to their housing bubble bursting.
This would mean that the change in reported value would be even more huge a whopper, on the order of ten times or more.
I don’t know if investigating authorities can do so, but it would interesting to know whether this Kessinger filed a federal gift tax return reporting the gift he made to Dodd. The gift would be equal to the value of the two-thirds interest at that time less the consideration that Dodd paid for it.
Dodd the Fraud is mounting a huge television rehabilitation campaign, with soundbites from Obambi etc.
You know he is worried if he is spending money this early. Sadly, in true blue Connecticut, land of the short attention span, it will probably help.
In the normal sphere of events, it is natural for human beings to judge human beings. That leaves me to wonder who, is going to judge this congress and present administration?
Well, looks like it’s time for Dodd to go to China for a while until this blows over.
I suppose he’ll call it the luck of the Irish or that he caught a leprechaun and was granted a wish. Or, he rubbed Ted Kennedy’s Buddha-sized stomach and the Irish home magically appeared.
This is Pelosi’s Culture of Corruption Congress and was so when she was pointing fingers at the Republicans. When a liberal Democrat opens their mouth, grab your wallet because theirs is going to fill up.
While I agree with that logic Rags, I don’t believe it to be true. See, governments still need money and they are not going to reduce the valuation of the property especially in a state with property taxes. I just received my valuation for the next year and it increased about 9 percent while if I tried to sell my house at this time I would be lucky to get 75 percent of what I paid.
Dodd however, is a lying corupt scumbag that the voters may just be finally seeing. Hopefully he is on his way out.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/13/business/economy/13fed.html?_r=2&hp
The Federal Reserve as lender.
This is another very serious perversion of our system. It will lead…likely is leading…to enormous graft, not to mention the distortion of the market.
But, hunter, you are assuming this is a tax appraisal. I didn’t see that. It could easily have been a private appraisal, like those made when one seeks a loan.
This is a smoking gun. We have a thugocracy.
I’ll take it off their hands for a couple hundred grand.
Every company I have ever worked with would consider a gift of this value a serious breach of ethics.
You’re right Rags, I was assuming a tax appraisal (still a little irritated about my increase I guess). If it was a private appraisal, it stinks even worse.
Don’t worry folks, he’ll be re-elected. The NYT’s today has a wonderful fluff piece on how “great” Dodd has been, and how he has sponsored (and most have passed this year) 4 bills.
Gail Collins’ piece here:
Democrats can do no wrong. She barely scrapes the surface of all the other things Dodd has been responsible for.
Financial boondoggle anyone?
Dog bites man is not a news story. Man bites dog is great story.
Chris Dodd lying again is not news worthy. Chris Dodd caught telling truth? Now THAT would be news!
Just another pig violating the public trust. Term limits for these POS, or this stuff will never go away. This along with the 3 appointments to ambassadorships that Obama just made to three major Dim fundraisers and contributors. The rest of us look pretty stupid I guess just following the rules. Moral bankruptcy is now the ultimate character attribute of politicians in both parties.
Welcome to the California government/business model, however you all already knew it was coming.
sbw:
Speaking of ambassadors, we may need a new one to the Court of St. James…
Soon, we will be alone in the world, if THE ONE keeps uniting us like this.
Makes ya wonder if ANY politicians are upside down on their mortgages ? I’m betting they are not. Sweetheart deals for the Ruling class and, yes those darned peasants ARE revolting.
Where do I sign up for that ?
Did Dick Durban use congressional breifing to dump his stock market holdings before crash ?
Corrupt politicians…But, I repeat myself.
“Richardson bought the house in early 2007 for $535,000. She already owned two other houses that she had defaulted on six times.
The house went into foreclosure last year and was sold to real estate investor James York for $388,000 in May. Washington Mutual took back the house and returned it to Richardson. York sued. The case was settled privately.” http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090612/A_NEWS/90612007/-1/RSS02
Amazin’, ain’t it…?
You’re spot on.
NY TImes. Economist Worry that Obama FED could be used for political purposes
Ya think ?
Just wait until all the poor, oppressed blacks who voted for these weasels (and especially Obama because he is black!) find out what they are actually getting…people in power who don’t give a cra* about any of them, but only to make their own lying, cheating lives secure. Just look at the way Obama is kicking out the poor kids from his elite school. Multiply that by millions. That is what he is giving “his” people. If the msm has its way, those same poor folks will not know what hit them until it is too late.
I feel so dumb for having paid all my taxes. Where’s my sweet mortgage deal? If the CT residents reelect this fool, can we sell them to Canada?
Ragspierre,
Do not, I repeat, DO NOT click on this link! Your blood pressure cannot take it!
Tell us about it. I hope the people in Dodd’s district are still paying attention; I haven’t seen his poll numbers lately but the last I did, Dodd’s opponent was pulling ahead.
Sounds fishy. But Irish housing prices did have an enormous bubble, bigger than the biggest in the US. I wonder what it’s worth today.
I appreciate that MM also went after Senator Stevens for more or less the same thing. Even handedness gives credibility.
Maybe this is how they will close GITMO…just release everybody.
American peril grows every hour this administration and Congress are in power.
hey rambler please don’t send me to Canada I never voted for the scumbag!!
honest
The progressive would say:
It’s only perverted if you are not part of it.
Lies are only lies if you are caught and held to task.
Theft is only theft if you get caught.
A crime is not a crime unless there is criminal intent.
After years of public education and progressive indoctrination in college, the truth becomes more evident to the recently graduated…one can become richer faster, and with less effort, by choosing to work in Washington, D.C., rather than on Wall Street.
An additional benefit is the likelihood of being convicted of wrongdoing is greatly reduced, because others of like mind have your back.
There are no checks and balances in operation when it comes to the public “feeding trough.”
Liberals will say, “if you don’t like what your representative is doing, then vote him out.”
Here’s the problem; the average voter (uninvolved liberal receiver of entitlements) is less informed than conservative voters who cherish their freedoms. Being less involved, these undereducated mainstays of the Democrat Party, are easily swayed by propaganda spewing, progressive snake oil salesmen. This voting block will always vote for these embedded swindlers, which results in no oversight…business as usual.
It doesn’t matter what kind of moral shortcomings the liberals carry on their shoulders, it is explained away as, 1) a lapse in judgment, 2) an unfortunate mistake, 3) a misstatement, or 4) the ever popular “George W. Bush caused it.”
Caught with a page…“Nothing happened. How dare you make that insinuation!”
Drunk driving with a accident; “The ONE cocktail reacted negatively with the prescription pain medicine.” “He will be entering a substance abuse clinic on Monday to deal with this unfortunate addiction.”
Caught lying to federal investigators about an extramarital tryst; “First of all, there is no relationship. Secondly, this investigation is an invasion of privacy. Thirdly, it didn’t affect my decision-making ability. And, besides, Republican Senator ______ and Republican House Member _______ did it too, and you didn’t take them to task for it.”
Etc., etc., etc…..
Complaining does nothing. Illustrating a double standard does nothing. Pointing out hypocrisy does nothing. The only soul-ution is TERM LIMITS.
If there’s any truth to today’s news about his and his wife’s health care companies involvement, they will have a bright future in that industry should he not be re-elected, and not prosecuted for criminal violations.
Well said…if I may add “and keep re-electing them.” that is the really smelly part.
I wish that this would really happen, but I have serious doubts. I live right on the outskirts of Memphis (that wasn’t Memphis when I bought the house) and the mayor here is on his 5th term. He’s a black democrat and he’s an expert at skating just on the right side of what’s legal, at least as far as has been determined at this time. He’s almost constantly under investigation by the FBI for something or other. Even with all of this, the sheeple in this town keep voting him into office. They are steeped in ignorance and vote for him time after time simply because of his race.
I expect the same view and treatment of Obama from the black population in this country. I’ve lived the experience too many times to doubt it.
Corpsman, medic, stat here man down, going through delusional fits.
This should definitely qualify as either the most ironic or funny post of the day. Freakin’ hilarious.
Lgm, you wouldn’t know “even-handedness” if it bit you in the a$$. This post doesn’t make up for the multitude of times you’ve shilled for Obummer or gone after conservatives and what they believe in.
It’s like the occasional back-handed compliment by a person who’s never been known as “sincere.” Or that “non-apology” of Letterman’s to Sarah Palin.
You libs (or whatever you’re calling yourselves) only impress yourself with your “kindness.”
Freddy;
I survived your link, partly because I am not a financial wonk. I frankly did not get all the implications.
I did read a piece by Laffer last week predicting, in his very understated way, that inflation was very likely, and that the components for a level of inflation that would dwarf that of the 70s were in place.
I think it is impossible to expect a recovery in our economy, though, again, I am no wonk. I see and hear people predicting one is just around the corner, and from my understanding of economics, find that incredible.
I think we have just begun to see unemployment in this nation. We are, according to a lot of what I see, experiencing the first signs of an inflationary period…maybe an inflationary rocket.
The policies of BIG BRO are driving capital off-shore, and that means wealth generation is crippled. No CEO with an once of fiduciary responsibility to his shareholders will stay in the US under these circumstances, and foreign investors will find more stable nations in which to put their hard-earned funds.
Economically, given that nothing more is done to damage our basic structures, we are screwed.
Of course, we now face ObamaCare and the specter of CardCheck and Crap ‘n Trade…any one of which would be an economy killer in good times.
And I’m an optimist…
mikeg,
You’re exempt!
Didn’t BHO need help buying a home and got help from a scumbag? What about the Clintons? Someone bought a house for them when they didn’t have the money.What is with these people? The rest of us have to buy what we can afford. No wonder those in congress wanted the subprime, no income loans for the public. They don’t pay taxes like us. They don’t buy houses like us. They don’t have to live on a budget like us. And They don’t Represent us!
Now I know that I’ve entered an alternate reality.
I just love how our favorite gal pal San Fran Nan has does such an exemplerary (sp?) job at cleaning up this cesspool of corruption. Wow, I am just so impressed with how all of this cronyism is gone, everyone in her party is just SO ethical!! Please tell me that Dodd’s opponent is leading in the polls. (Yeah, I know, Nan is in charge of the House, and this crook Dodd is in Harry Reid’s camp).
dodd is another one of those crooks who is beyond reproach, he is corrupt, unethical, a thief and over all low life scum of the earth, but more importantly he is a liberal.
Wow, what a guy you are! So magmanimous of you to point out!!! Well, that’s called integrity and class; two attributes wholly lacking from your cronies at Daily Kos, Huffington et al. Just look at the continuing demagoguing from the left about Tiller’s murder, and how right wing commentators contributed to it. Compare to the silence by the right about Private Long’s murder being the consequence of leftwing propoganda, or the silence, PERIOD, about Private Long’s murder, or that it was committed by a muslim convert rom the leftwing media. Read terminally hysterical Paul Krugman’s latest whine-a-thon on that topic. Liberals basically are morally bankrupt, or, if I were to give the benefit of the doubt (which I really don’t) just blinded by ideology. What the he**ll would you people do without your lapdogs in the media spreading your propaganda and lies??? Libs love a fixed game. How honorable of all of you.
You came this close…
||…
to being redundant….
Remember these folks have a definition of ethical that is different than you or I. Unethical for them means they lie so poorly they get caught. Its the getting caught that makes the lie unethical, not the lie itself.
“went after Senator Stevens”
Let’s not forget Sen. Stevens case was found to be troubling enough that a Democrat dismissed it. The guy has a high weasel factor to be sure. But the case against him stunk for some reason.
Pardon me for the following:
Just how the hell late does it have to GET? Look what the Dems have done over the last 40 years to return to having at least two classes of people in the US? Masters and Slaves. Keeping alive the welfare state and continuing generational welfare along with any hundred other things that I could come up with, has done more to foster racism, ‘keep the black man down’ and cause inner city ghetto crime , than all of the negative crap thrown at repubs as supposed ‘proof’ of the innate (though totally BS) racism of our conservative movement.
Tell me, please, what do I need to do, who do I need to talk to, what words do I use or how big a stick do I have to swat them with to get the slightest glimmer of understanding from the blind and deaf idiots that continue to support the thugs of Detroit, Chicago and DC local goverments, the state welfare bureaucracies all over the US, “the most ethical Congress ever” not to mention the Socialist-In-Chief we now suffer from?
WAKE UP PEOPLE! It isn’t too late to change things for yourself, for the better.
Now go tell the liberal mainstream media about that (start with the NYTimes).
This is news?
Chris Dodd should have a barcode on his lapel so you can do a price check on him.
Barcode all of them, BroBama & Mamabama too. I understand there are some sweet real estate deals to be had in Chicago. So the people in Connecticut are as corrupt and stupid as some other states; nothing new here.
It wouldn’t work…
Dodd and his kind are ARMs.
Adjustable Rate Miscreants. They charge what they can get. Caveat emptor…
According to my architect and engineer co-workers, Ireland experienced a bigger real estate/construction bust than we have in the US…the resulting unemployment in that sector was off the charts in Ireland.
lgm said:
The report says it was a “new” appraisal, which means it probably is close to today’s value. The house was worth a lot more before the housing bubble burst. That’s probably why Dodd decided to get the appraisal now while the market is near the bottom. It doesn’t look quite as bad, and it allows him to come clean before it becomes an issue in the next election cycle.
There’s blood in the water in Connecticut. Dodd’s approval ratings are upside down.
Former Rep. Rob Simmons has already thrown his hat into the ring, and he’s polling well; but I’m hoping Peter Schiff enters the race. He would absolutely eviscerate Dodd in a debate.
If there’s going to be a republican revolution in 2010, the airing of ideas like those espoused by Schiff will form the basis.
Ah, Papa Louie beat me to it…
BTW, so much money is out there to prevent deflation that serious inflation is on the way. China doesn’t want our money anymore, and we buy everything from them so that’s a problem. Obama could turn us into a 3rd world economy before he’s done. No, seriously.
Papa Louie said (#62):
I’m sure the appraisal was new when it was made. Without dates it’s hard to know when that was. The oldest city in Russia is Novgorod, which means “new city”.
Papa Louie said (#62):
I’m sure the appraisal was new when it was made. Without dates it’s hard to know when that was. The oldest city in Russia is Novgorod, which means “new city”.
Well, since it is a “new” article, reporting on the “new” appraisal, done by a private appraiser (apparently), we can deduce it is a “current” (or at least within the last year, thereby accommodating the burst bubble) appraisal.
As I think I noted in one of the first posts to this thread.
It would mean that previously reported value by Dodd was off by perhaps a factor of ten, if not more, when he made it.
That is called “fraud”. I am a member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, so I kinda know whereof I speak.
You are so right, it has always amazed me that people could not figure out the Congressman and Senators that came to DC broke after about 6-10 years are multi millionaires.
Two blatant examples are Diane Feinstein and Dennis Hastert.
Diane Feinstein has parlayed her income from basically nothing to a net worth of 2 billion by using her committee chairmanships to bolster military contracts for her husband Blum including importation of AK47 fully automatic rifles to sell to the gang bangers in California. After the Assault weapons ban, her husbands AK47’s basically increased in value 10 fold as one example.
Hastert was making $17,000 year as a wrestling coach when he was elected and almost had to borrow the money to come to DC after the election.
His most recent disclosure shows he is now a multi-millionaire using inside information to make investments and buying real estate before highways were built.There is no way you can save several million dollars on a congressman’s salary after taxes.
They both are crooks yet the DOJ looks the other way!
how many ranking democrats have to get caught in sweetheart real estate deals before the ethics department gets off it’s collective dead butt and starts looking at this scam. they were johnny on the spot with the republican from california who’s buddies gave him a boat to live aboard, but they can’t find dick gephardt, chris dodd, or rangell’s real estate scams. our congress is nothing but a 535 member gang of crooks and creeps.