LITTLE KNOWN CONGRESSIONAL SECRET ACCIDENTLY REVEALED BY REPRESENTATIVE: PROTECTS HILLARY CLINTON FROM PERJURY CHARGES …
There is little or no doubt in my mind that Members of Congress, both Representatives and Senators, Republicans and Democrats, feel that they are above the law when it comes to matters of self-dealing and protection from prosecution. How else can you explain the sudden fortunes of those elected officials who have the outstanding foresight to pick extremely profitable deals for themselves while saddling America with losers such as Solyndra, A123, General Motors, and Fisker? Shielding themselves against charges of trading on the type of insider information that would send any ordinary corporate officer or citizen to jail?
Here we have a story about Representative Trey Gowdy (R-SC) who is blasting Hillary Clinton, revealing a secret in the process …
SC Rep Blasts Hillary On Benghazi: “You Can’t Lie To Congress Whether You’re Sworn In Or Not”
Representative Trey Gowdy (R-SC), who serves on several House committees including the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, discussed the Benghazi scandal in an interview with the Daily Caller’s Ginni Thomas. Particularly, he dealt with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s role in the scandal and he questioned the method by which the administration has revealed to the American people what happened on September 11, 2012 in Benghazi.
Thomas said that some think that because Clinton was not sworn in by the Senate or the House makes the case for the need for a select committee that doesn’t make any mistakes on the seriousness of investigating the attack in Benghazi.
“You can’t lie to Congress whether you’re sworn in or not,” Gowdy said bluntly. “I know that some committees do swear in witnesses and some do not, but the reality is that you can’t lie to Congress whether you’re sworn in or not.”
Gowdy went on to say that some committees don’t like the custom of swearing in former members. Hillary Clinton would fall under that custom as a former member of the United States Senate.
However, “It doesn’t impact your ability, not with respect to her, but with respect to anyone, to say you did not… you were not honest with the committee of Congress,” the South Carolina representative stated. Source: SC Rep Blasts Hillary On Benghazi: “You Can’t Lie To Congress Whether You’re Sworn In Or Not” : Freedom Outpost
Self-serving and self-dealing …
STOCK Act Passes: House Votes For Weakened Insider Trading Bill
A weakened version of the STOCK Act banning insider trading by members of Congress and the administration passed the House Thursday without curbs on "political intelligence" or new clean-government rules.
The legislation would make it clear that lawmakers and key staffers are bound by the insider trading laws that affect everyone. The House bill also adds a provision to bar lawmakers from participating in IPOs. The bill passed 417 to 2.
But the House bill cut a provision that was in the Senate version requiring people who collect and trade so-called political intelligence -- information from government that can move markets and stock prices -- to register just like lobbyists if they want to talk with covered officials in Congress and the executive branch so that the public knows who they are and what they're doing.
It also cut a provision that cracks down on officials guilty of taking actions on the job to benefit themselves. <Source>
It appears that the law cut the provision that is the very essence of political corruption and insider trading .. taking actions on the job to benefit yourself. And that would be a House controlled by Republicans!
Did Obama just weaken public disclosure laws?
President Barack Obama signed legislation today that will make it harder for the public to track financial disclosure reports for members of Congress to assure they are not profiting from insider trading.
Government watchdog groups are blasting the move saying it reverses a key part of the so-called STOCK Act passed last year that was aimed at making sure members of Congress disclose major financial transactions within 45 days.
But White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters in Washington that there were national security and law enforcement issues raised by the online disclosures required by the STOCK Act.
But in a quiet maneuver last week the Senate and House passed a bill that exempts federal employees and congressional staffers from a STOCK Act provision that would have required them to publish their financial holdings online. But according to government watchdog groups, the new law also eliminates a requirement that members of Congress put their reports in searchable and sortable formats. In addition, the new law reverses a requirement for Congress and the White House to file their transaction reports electronically.
“Without the provisions, the STOCK act is made toothless. Insider trading by members of Congress and federal employees is still prohibited, but the ability of watchdog groups to verify that Congress is following its own rules is severely limited because these records could still be filed on paper -- an unacceptably outdated practice that limits the public's access,” wrote Dan Auble of the Center for Responsive Politics. <Source>
Imagine that, a President who claims he is the representative of the people and who rails against wealthy fat cats, just signed a law to permit the rich to get richer – by violating laws
Very interesting, the Liar-in-Chief’s main spokeshole, Jay Carney, claims there were “national security and law enforcement issues” raised by online disclosures. You mean like selling off stocks in an area that is about to be targeted by Congress or the Administration’s regulatory agencies? You mean like purchasing stocks just before a major subsidy or contract is announced? Yes, those would be troubling – mostly because they indicate prima facie corruption within the government.
Bottom line …
You cannot be charged with perjury if you never took an oath to testify honestly. And, as we have seen in the past, the oxymoronic “ethics committees” are ineffective in curbing real ethical violations, preferring a bi-partisan whitewash lest the opposition target one of their members in retaliation.
The only way to cure a corrupt congress is to eliminate corrupt politicians before they are elected to high office. Something to think about in the 2014 congressional election cycle and 2016 presidential election cycle.
-- steve
“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words
“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw
“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”
“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS "The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius “A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell “Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar “Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS