Well, well, well.

The Congressional Black Caucus is trying to shake down the White House — and taxpayers — by holding a Democrat financial regulation “reform” bill hostage until Team Obama stuffs it with taxpayer goodies for a minority-owned radio station and other minority-owned businesses.

The story is here and here. In brief:

A clash between the Obama administration and the Congressional Black Caucus intensified Wednesday, illustrating how lawmakers’ unease about the economy has the potential to derail White House priorities. Ten black lawmakers refused to appear at a House committee vote on financial regulations Wednesday, a move that nearly allowed Republicans to kill a major Democratic bill. The move was the culmination of weeks of tension, including a testy meeting two weeks ago that included Rep. Maxine Waters (D., Calif.), Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. In the meeting, Ms. Waters berated the administration for not doing enough to help minority-owned businesses, mentioning specifically a New York broadcaster that couldn’t get a loan reworked.

Less than two weeks after the meeting, the company, Inner City Broadcasting Corp., said Goldman Sachs Group Inc. agreed to restructure the loan. The exchange about the company, which to some administration officials sounded like a bid to have the government intervene in a corporate matter, heightened distrust on both sides, people familiar with the matter say. Caucus members at the meeting stressed they weren’t asking White House officials to do anything improper, people familiar with the matter said. It is unclear whether any government official played a role in having the loan reworked.

Of course, Goldman Sachs! Earning its “Government Sachs” nickname once again. Victor Davis Hanson notes: “Rarely has a single scandal summed up nearly all the current pathologies of the corrupt Washington scene, combining insider bailouts, revolving-door influence peddling, racial-identity politics, subsidies for failing institutions that have a proven record of partisan Democratic politics, and Democratic efforts to reward wealthy friends under the guise of social justice.” See also: Culture of Corruption.

Now, I have some back story that you may remember about the crony of color behind the CBC shakedown. Percy Sutton is head of Inner City Broadcasting Corp. The ailing radio station was in the middle of the Air America disaster several years back. Radio Equalizer blogger Brian Maloney and I collaborated on an extensive investigative series into the left-wing empire’s finances — and Sutton’s ICBC was entangled in the dealings as the minority front business/flagship station for the sinking ship. The company shunted aside its black-themed talk format at WLIB to accommodate Air America. In return, Air America made room for a few minority radio hosts and also entered into lucrative lease management agreements with Inner City Broadcasting, which owns and operates 17 radio stations in five markets.

Air America, of course, collapsed. And ICBC has apparently never recovered either.

Sutton and his son, Pierre (who now runs the business), are leaning on all their race-hustling friends to put you and me on the hook for rescuing the business. It’s not corporate welfare, you see, it’s “media justice!”

Things you should know about Sutton, as I reported in 2005:

The co-founder of Inner City Broadcasting is New York media mogul Percy Sutton, best known as Malcolm X’s lawyer and former Manhattan borough council president. Sutton helped bail Sharpton out after Sharpton was ordered to pay former Dutchess County prosecutor Steven Pagones over the Tawana Brawley race hoax. Sutton also raised and donated money for Sharpton’s 2004 presidential bid. Sharpton still broadcasts a Sunday radio show on WLIB. Sutton and Jackson are longtime friends and partners. Sutton served as Jackson’s 1988 presidential campaign finance chairman. Jackson has lobbied on Sutton’s behalf. Sutton sits on Jackson’s Citizenship Education Fund. As original investors, Jackson and his wife reportedly hold more than 23,000 shares in Inner City Broadcasting.

The Orwellian Fairness Doctrine comes in many forms.

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More fun facts: Ben Smith recalls Percy Sutton’s claim that Saudi royalty supported Obama through proxy ex-Black Panther/Muslim confidante of the Sauds Khalid al-Mansour.

Montel Williams is now a moonbat talk show host for Air America.

The formerly civil TV personality is now a foaming-at-the-mouth nutroots-panderer who wishes GOP Rep. Michele Bachmann dead.

Radio Equalizer Brian Maloney reports:

WILLIAMS (1:30:32): Michelle, slit your wrist.

Start right at the collarbone.

Where are the civility police when you need them, huh?

***

Maybe Montel Williams is auditioning for Democrat Rep. Pete Stark Raving Mad’s seat when he retires.

Civility!

Minnesota-based Power Line has been keeping tabs. And so has Ed Morrissey.

Keep your fingers crossed.

Gah:

Fortunately, Norm Coleman’s Senate campaign in Minnesota remembered, too.

Franken’s Air America debacle is the subject of a new campaign ad. Schadenfreude-licious:

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Press release:

COLEMAN CAMPAIGN RELEASES WEB VIDEO “NO ACCOUNTABILITY AL”

While Air America Withheld Stolen Money From Boys And Girls Club, Al Franken Demanded His Million Dollar Salary

ST. PAUL – The Coleman for Senate campaign released a web video to highlight Al Franken’s lack of responsibility and accountability in the Air America-Boys and Girls Club scandal where Al Franken’s radio station refused to repay $900,000 that they borrowed from a Bronx Boys and Girls Club. Franken, despite signing a document acknowledging the loan, refused to act or demand an investigation, opting to instead ask for a raise.

“We’ve heard a lot about accountability this campaign season from Al Franken, but he refuses to be held accountable, or even accept responsibility, for his own actions,” said Cullen Sheehan, campaign manager. “While poor kids and seniors and others suffered from the loss of money taken from the Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club, key executives with Air America and Gloria Wise were living it up. And, when Al Franken found out about it – he did absolutely nothing. So far we’ve seen him refuse to be held accountable for not paying his workers comp premiums, providing his employees with disability benefits and paying his income taxes – instead blaming the government and his accountant for his law breaking. It’s now time that Al Franken be held accountable for looking out for his own financial interests rather than demanding his company pay back the Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club for money they stole from them.”

“No Accountability Al” Script:

“Almost 900,000 tax dollars taken from a Boys and Girls Club by a corporation. Falsified documents. Widespread fraud. Air America, the home of radio shock jock Al Franken took the money and ripped off thousands of kids. Blamed a crook. Said he didn’t know about it. When he finally admitted he knew, Al Franken still did nothing about it. Except Franken made sure he got paid – millions – but did nothing to make sure that the Boys and Girls Club got their stolen money back. Al Franken. Talks accountability, just doesn’t want to be accountable.”

“No Accountability Al” Backup:

“Almost 900,000 tax dollars taken from a Boys and Girls Club by a corporation.” “The former chairman of Air America Radio, Evan Montvel Cohen – who former colleagues said engineered transfers of more than $800,000 to the liberal radio network from a boys and girls club in the Bronx – is missing, according to a lawyer who is trying to have him served with legal papers. At least two people have said Mr. Cohen is in Hawaii. He has not responded to a series of e-mail messages in recent weeks from The New York Sun asking him about his role. Mr. Cohen, 39, helped lead the launch of Air America in March 2004. Less than two months later, Piquant LLC acquired the radio network from Mr. Cohen’s Progress Media. Piquant LLC has agreed to pay $875,000 to Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club, without interest, in installments over the next two years.” (DAVID LOMBINO, “Network’s Former Chairman Is Missing” New York Sun, August 26, 2005)

“Falsified documents.” “Did Al Franken’s liberal radio network Air America divert city money for the elderly and inner-city children to itself? That’s the question people should be asking this week after the revelation that the New York Department of Investigation is looking into whether hundreds of thousands of dollars were illegally transferred from a Bronx community center to Air America. Only a community paper and a few Internet bloggers seem interested in what could be an egregious case of illegal funneling of tax dollars to a private, partisan organization. In late June, city officials designated the Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club, a nonprofit organization that runs mentoring programs for children and day care for Alzheimer’s patients, a ‘non-responsible city contractor.’ Investigators found ‘significant inappropriate transactions and falsified documents that were submitted to various City agencies.’ The city subsequently suspended the club’s contracts, which run well into the millions.” (Editorial, “Robin Hood and Air America,” Washington Times, July 29, 2005)

“Widespread fraud.” “Top employees of a city-financed Bronx charity diverted hundreds of thousands of dollars for personal expenses like home renovations, furniture and the purchase of a Volvo and a BMW, a city investigation has found. The widespread fraud in recent years at the charity, the Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club, which received $9 million a year in city financing to help children and the elderly, also included off-the-books bank accounts — created under the guise of supporting youth athletic programs — that were used to pay bonuses to the executive director and four other officials, according to the city’s Department of Investigation. Investigators said the breadth of the fraud suggested an ”absence of oversight” within nonprofit contractors. They said it resembled several patterns of fraud and abuse in other cases from recent years, like interest-free loans to executives that are never repaid; use of organizational bank accounts and credit and debit cards for personal expenses; and double pay for salaried employees also listed as consultants.” (SEWELL CHAN, “City Finds Widespread Fraud at a Bronx Charity,” New York Times, October 6, 2006)

“Crook.” “Jaime Horn, a spokeswoman for Air America, said the loans had come to the network through its former chairman, Evan M. Cohen, a venture capitalist, who resigned from Air America in May 2004 under pressure from other company investors. Ms. Horn added that investigators recently told the network that Mr. Cohen had served simultaneously as the development director for Gloria Wise, although the network was not aware of that at the time. Mr. Franken took up the issue on the air on Monday afternoon, telling his listeners that Mr. Cohen was ‘a crook’ who had borrowed money from Gloria Wise.” (ALAN FEUER, “Bronx Boys Club’s Finances Investigated,” New York Times, August 12, 2005)

“Didn’t know.” “Moments after Air America’s widely publicized, early-spring launch last year, checks bounced and the fledgling lefty net was yanked off stations in Los Angeles and Chicago. ‘I think [Cohen] was robbing Peter to pay Paul,’ Franken said, adding that the network’s current owners, Piquant LLC, did some ‘forensic accounting’ and learned about the defaulted loan. Franken said Piquant didn’t legally have to pay back the loan, ‘but we morally do, so they started to make arrangements to pay it back.’ ‘I didn’t know anything about this until last week,’ Franken claimed. ‘I really had nothing to do with this.’ The Post has been unable to reach Cohen in either New York or his native Guam.” (JOHN MAINELLI, “I WUZ ROBBED TOO : FRANKEN,” NY Post, August 9, 2005)

“The document shows that Mr. Franken signed off on the settlement.” “In light of documents that surfaced last week, it looks to be the case that as of November 2004, and possibly earlier, Mr. Franken knew the amount of money, the money’s origins and the dates the transfers occurred. This came to light after a settlement agreement between former and current owners of Air America – a document which details the Gloria Wise transfers – was leaked to Michelle Malkin and Brian Maloney, who promptly posted the document on their Web sites. The document shows that Mr. Franken signed off on the settlement, and did so in the presence of a notary public, no less.” (Editorial, “Al Franken, explain this one,” Washington Times, September 11, 2005)

Well now.

Just weeks after claiming she would reshape her faltering radio program to focus on a New York City audience, Whoopi Goldberg has now been cancelled even there.

According to press and trade reports today, Wake Up With Whoopi was yanked from WKTU-FM today without warning, other than a brief note sent to staffers mere hours before the change. Poor ratings were cited by the station.

Recently, after similar results led to terminations in Chicago and Philly, your Radio Equalizer speculated that Whoopi’s radio days appeared numbered. Now, one can easily expect the syndicated program to be shut down, perhaps in the next few days.

Blame Bush!

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Just got an e-mail notice about the first “Air America Radio Cruise.” The boat is going to lean so far left that I fear for the passengers’ safety:

Carbon offset fraud included:

Jon Elliott, by the way, is the hysterical loon who suggested that hysterical loon Randi Rhodes was mugged by the vast right-wing conspiracy.

“In addition to all the wonderful activities aboard ship and in port, this exclusive Air America event includes:”

Private seminars and ad-hoc sessions.
Access to, and dining with, guest speakers.
Private receptions.
Traveling with like-minded individuals.

Talk about a ship of fools.

Bryan Preston: “These same people constantly wail at waterboarding Khalid Sheik Mohammed. That’s just who they are.”

Yes, I spy with my little eye a word that starts with “U.” And ends in “nhinged.”

The Austin-American Statesman reports:

Air America, the home for defiantly liberal talk radio, has quit Austin’s air waves, though it can still be heard online or on XM Satellite Radio. Its previous broadcasting home in Austin, KOKE 1600 AM, has started following a Spanish-language format.

Dave Kaufman, Air America’s vice president of affiliate relations, said Monday the shift happened last week as part of an expected change in station ownership. “Definitely disappointed,” Kaufman reacted. “Whenever we lose any affiliate, it’s disappointing. This was an affiliate better than many, not as good as others. And in a state capital, it’s tough” to take the loss.

A dismayed blogger dug up Arbitron ratings suggesting low listener-ship on the Austin outlet: “Can’t even pull 1 percent in Austin, TX? Amazing but true. don’t ask me why. This is a city that is overwhelmingly Democratic, but the right-wing talk radio stations in town consistently get much better ratings.”

Celebrate diversity!

And the logo on the back:

Update 8:30pm Eastern. “It was the brownshirts!”

Lord, what fools these moonbats be.

***
The real story:

Air America radio host Randi Rhodes is temporarily off the air, but claims she was brutally attacked near her Manhattan apartment are bogus, her lawyer and a police source said today.

Fellow host Jon Elliott claimed on the liberal radio network that Rhodes had been mugged while walking her dog, Simon, on Sunday night. Elliot, who said Rhodes lost several teeth in the attack, waxed about a possible conspiracy.

“Is this an attempt by the right-wing, hate machine to silence one of our own?” he asked on the air, according to Talking Radio, a blog. “Are we threatening them? Are they afraid that we’re winning? Are they trying to silence intimidate us?”

A police source said Rhodes never filed a report and never claimed to be the victim of a mugging. Cops from Manhattan’s 17th Precinct called her attorney, who told them Rhodes was not a victim of a crime, the source said.

Rhodes’ lawyer told the Daily News she was injured in a fall while walking her dog. He said she’s not sure what happened, and only knows that she fell down and is in a lot of pain. The lawyer said Rhodes expects to be back on the air Thursday. He stressed there is no indication she was targeted or that she was the victim of a “hate crime.”

The nutroots are sorely disappointed. But the truth isn’t likely to stop them from believing that it’s the Reich-wing’s fault.

Rush Limbaugh tripped her! Ann Coulter silenced her! Karl Rove poisoned her dog!

Newsday: Talk show host apologizes for faulty report of NYC mugging…

Air America released a statement saying that “the reports of a presumed hate crime are unfounded.” Elliott followed that up with a retraction.

“I shouldn’t have speculated based on hearsay that Randi Rhodes had been mugged and that it may have been an attack from a right wing hate machine. I apologize for jumping to conclusions based on an emotional reaction,” he said in a written statement.

***

It was my fault!

Ed Morrissey is amused: “Another Liberal Fantasy Hits Hard Reality.”

Radio Equalizer Brian Maloney takes a step back and traces the anatomy of the non-mugging on the Internet.

***

Here’s a screenshot of the left-wing blog that disseminated the “hate crime” rumors (click for full-size):

A sample of Daily Kos diatribes:

Since Air America Radio’s bankruptcy bailout by wealthy Manhattan real estate mogul Stephen L Green was announced on February 7 (and finalized yesterday), the public has been led to believe the network’s assets had fetched $4.25 million.

But the news media, led by the Associated Press, may have blown the story: in fact, Air America’s true valuation may actually be zero!

Did anyone examine the filings?

That’s the stunning conclusion reached by bankruptcy expert Donald J Quigley, a Denver- based attorney who has been assisting your Radio Equalizer on this matter for several weeks.

Quigley is associated with Denver’s Block Markus Williams LLC and as a matter of disclosure, one of the company’s creditors is a distant relative.

Could this be but the latest chapter in Air America Radio’s ongoing shell game, where insiders always manage to stay one step ahead of investors and creditors?

Out of the reported $4.25 million purchase price, according to our legal expert, “$3.25 million is illusory: that’s money that Rob Glaser had already loaned to the company. Air America already blew through this by continuing to operate during bankruptcy at a loss rate of $1m per month…

Read the whole thing. You, too, MSM.