“Corruption” on The Daily Caller

The Clean Up Government Act, a bipartisan attempt to toughen anti-corruption laws that the Supreme Court has deemed insufficiently vague, is both unnecessary and possibly harmful, critics contend. (more)

Former lobbyist Jack Abramoff’s book goes on sale today. His memoir will hopefully be a catalyst for Washington to have an honest conversation about money and accountability in politics. Unfortunately, I’m not sure that conversation has gotten off to the best start. (more)

In light of the Solyndra bankruptcy, terms like “economic stimulus package” and “green jobs” now appear to be Team Obama code words for “kickbacks to political supporters so huge they would make a third-world despot green with envy.” (more)

MSNBC host Dylan Ratigan is mad as hell and he doesn’t care who knows it. Actually, he does care and he hopes that everyone knows it; Ratigan’s on-air meltdown this week on America’s financial mess has gone viral, and he has heartily embraced the enthusiastic response he has received for “telling it like it is.” Ratigan’s “mad as hell” moment, which he now modestly refers to as “America’s mad as hell moment,” has earned the business reporter newfound fame. (more)

At first blush, the decision to indict former Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) for conspiracy to accept illegal campaign contributions, given the facts and circumstances, seems like a stretch, to say the least. (more)

This has been a bad couple of weeks for Democrats. The economy is sagging, support for President Barack Obama is declining, and Anthony Weiner and John Edwards are doing their best to draw attention to one of the Democratic Party’s main weaknesses — its corruption problem. (more)

For years, America’s left-leaning mainstream media outlets have belittled and rebuked members of the new media — questioning their credibility, impugning their integrity and assigning all manner of self-serving motivations to their contributions to the marketplace of ideas. (more)

The recent conviction of former lobbyist Kevin Ring under the “honest services” fraud statute marks the continuing mission creep of federal criminal law. Ring’s case is a cautionary tale of the terrible legal outcomes that can come about when a thoroughly dislikable — although statutorily innocent — defendant is in the dock. (more)

CHICAGO (AP) — Ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich asked a judge Wednesday to cancel his upcoming retrial on political corruption charges and promptly sentence him on the sole conviction from the first trial, saying money woes prevent him from mounting an ample defense. (more)

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) released a statement on Thursday praising Speaker of the House John Boehner for forcing out Republican congressmen exposed for unethical behavior. (more)

In an effort to bring attention to the problem of investment fraud, federal authorities on Monday highlighted hundreds of cases where defendants accused of financial wrongdoing had been arrested, charged criminally or sentenced to lengthy prison terms. (more)

After two months bankers would like to forget, Wall Street may need a September to remember to avoid closing the books on the worst quarter for investment banking and trading revenue since the peak of the financial crisis. (more)

In his song “Brownsville Girl,” Bob Dylan observes that “even the swap meets around here are getting pretty corrupt.” That line came to mind for me when I saw the Daily Caller article entitled “True stories of bloggers who secretly feed on partisan cash.” How discouraging! (more)

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) on Tuesday noted it was Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), not him, who promised to “drain the swamp” of corruption in Washington. (more)

The new financial reform law has what some lawyers call a secret weapon against fraud on Wall Street and in corporate America: the promise of a million-dollar jackpot to insiders who reveal an illegal scheme to the government. (more)

One prospective juror for the corruption trial of Rod Blagojevich said her familiarity with the former governor was limited to TV wisecracks she heard from Jay Leno. (more)

CHICAGO (AP) — A federal judge refused on Friday to approve a subpoena calling for President Barack Obama to testify at the political corruption trial of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. (more)

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo filed a fresh lawsuit against Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr. today, accusing the Democrat and his son of siphoning dough from a not-for-profit they controlled to run a fake job-training program that bilked workers and skipped state taxes. (more)

Former governor Rod Blagojevich’s defense team asked Thursday to issue a trial subpoena to the President of the United States of America. (more)

Avon Products Inc. shares dropped Tuesday as the beauty company confirmed administrative leaves of absence for four employees pending the outcome of an internal ethics investigation regarding its business in China. (more)