Brown-Out in DC

By Del Quentin Wilber and Keith L. Alexander, Published: June 8, Washington Post

Former D.C. Council chairman Kwame R. Brown pleaded guilty Friday to lying on bank-loan applications and violating a city campaign law, branding a once-promising star in local politics as a convicted felon.

In the first of two court appearances just hours apart, a subdued Brown admitted that he committed a federal felony when he forged a name on one loan document and then switched a “3” to an “8” on another to inflate his salary. The charge of bank fraud carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, but under federal guidelines spelled out in his plea deal, he faces far less punishment — up to six months in jail — when he is sentenced Sept. 20. The guidelines are not binding on U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon, who can sentence Brown to more time behind bars.

“The government has not charged me with misspending, stealing or improperly using campaign funds,” he added. “I have not stolen or improperly used any campaign funds from either my 2004, 2008 or 2010 campaigns. I have not stolen or improperly used any public money.”

Avoiding ‘drama’

Brown then made the short trip across the street to the D.C. Superior Court building, where he was permitted the unusual courtesy of slipping in through a nonpublic entrance. Court officials said they worried that Brown and a swarm of reporters might disrupt courthouse business if they used the doors for the public.

In his second court appearance of the day, Brown was again restrained. After he signed a document waiving his right to a trial, he bowed his head, closed his eyes and handed the paper back to his attorney, Frederick D. Cooke Jr. Later, Cooke said Brown pleaded guilty to the federal and D.C. charges because “he did not want to put this city and his family through the drama of a trial.”

Ronald C. Machen Jr., the District’s U.S. attorney and its top prosecutor, called Friday “a dark and unfortunate day in the city’s history.”

“One of the city’s elected leaders has once again gone astray,” he said, adding that Brown had “traded away his principles for personal gain.”

“Those who fail to abide by the rules will pay a steep price,” Machen added. “Mr. Brown failed from his own doing. His actions were manipulative and illegal — a grown man forging bank documents for his own enrichment.”

Analysis and opinion

I agree with the above WaPost article by Mr. Wilber. I doubt that Mr. Brown is the only councilmember that involved in nefarious activities. We saw what happened to Harry Thomas Jr.

Is Mayor Vincent Gray next?

Stay tuned.

Burris to swear in this week as Senator-elect

Yes, it’s official. Rodney Burris will be sworn in as the junior senator from Illinois by Senate Democrats this week as President-elect Barack Obama’s Senate successor.

“He is now the senator-designate from Illinois and, as such, will be accorded all the rights and privileges of a senator-elect,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois said in a joint statement after Senate lawyers determined that Burris’ paperwork met Senate requirements to be seated.

The two senators said they expect Burris, a former Illinois attorney general, to be sworn in and seated this week, barring objections from Republicans.

Does this mean that Gov. Rod Blagojevich, has won? Or is it the U.S. Constitution reigns supreme?

Who knows? Stay tuned.

Roland Burris Barred From the Senate

The successor to President-elect Barack Obama, Roland Burris, was turned away from the Senate by Capitol Police earlier today as he tried to take his place as the junior senator from Illinois.

He was “greeted like a celebrity”, even though he remains a private citizen, at least for the moment.

Capitol police officers tried to clear a path for Mr. Burris. “You can’t keep a regular citizen from walking into the Capitol,” one officer shouted.

Somehow, Citizen Burris made his way to the office of Nancy Erickson, the secretary of the Senate, to whom he presented his credentials, only to have her reject them. Afterward, the aspiring legislator stood in the rain outside and declared, “Members of the media, my name is Roland Burris, the junior senator from the State of Illinois.”

He continued: “I presented my credentials to the secretary of the Senate, and, advised that my credentials were not in order and I would not be accepted and I would not be seated and I will not be permitted on the floor. And therefore, I am not seeking to have any type of confrontation. I will now consult with my attorneys, and we will determine what our next step will be.”

The problem for Mr. Burris, is that he was named to the seat by the crooked Illinois governor, Rod R. Blagojevich. Ms. Erickson had already concluded the Burris did not have the credentials for being in the Senate.

The Illinois secretary of state, Jesse White, has refused to sign, saying the appointment is invalid because of a federal corruption investigation surrounding the governor and what prosecutors describe as his efforts to sell the Senate seat, vacated by Mr. Obama.

Mr. Burris and his lawyers held a brief news conference. One lawyer, Timothy W. Wright III, complained that it was “against the law of the land” to block Mr. Burris from taking his seat.

Mr. Wright vowed to do whatever necessary to “resolve this impasse and move forward on behalf of the people.” The lawyer said Mr. Burris would continue to confer with the Senate leadership and might go to court if the talks are unsuccessful.

As Mr. Wright continued talking, his client walked away, again surrounded by a throng of cameras and microphones. With the collar of his overcoat half upturned, he stopped to speak briefly at the intersection on Constitution Avenue across the street from the Capitol Building, but then was whisked away in an SUV with Massachusetts plates.

What right does the U.S. Senate leadership have to deny someone chosen by a governor to a seat in the U.S. Senate?

The Constitution gives each chamber of Congress the power to judge the qualifications of its members. On the other hand, the Supreme Court has ruled that the lawmakers cannot arbitrarily add membership requirements that are not spelled out in the Constitution.

And if the appointment of Mr. Burris is tainted by Mr. Blagojevich’s situation, as some have argued, it must be noted that the governor has only been accused of crimes, but neither indicted nor convicted.

(After Mr. Burris was turned away, Mr. Blagojevich issued a statement in Chicago in which he called Mr. Burris “a good and decent man with a long history of public service” and declaring that “any allegations against me should not be held against him and especially not the people of Illinois.”)

And, what about this mysterious SUV with Massachusetts license plates that wisked him away?

It sounds like Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is a racist and that something fishy is going on here.

This is a sad day in the history of this country when those who are appointed to defend the Constitution of the United States act like they don’t have to abide by it.

We have a Black President, but no Black Senators. A sad day indeed.