I keep waiting for Virginia's resident loon, Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, a/ka/ Kookinelli, to do something to result in his being forced from office. I mean, one can always hope, right? In addition to so far unsubstantiated rumors that Cuccinelli has possible played for our team in his past, now Kookinelli's second largest campaign contributor is under investigation for possible fundraising fraud for a "charity" that may or may not even exist.*
Talking Points Memo has a lengthy article that looks at the probes now ongoing in several states involving Cooch's campaign contributor crony, Bobby Thompson, and his alleged charity, the U.S. Navy Veterans Association (USNVA), which says it offers assistance to navy veterans. The only problem is that most of the facts put out about the alleged charity are not true. Obviously, with Hampton Roads' huge military veteran population, should it turn out that Thompson was bilking unwitting donors and passing the cash onto Kookinelli, it will not help Kookinelli's delusions of grandeur. Obviously, to see Kookinelli get dragged into the possible shady deal would be ever so sweet. Here are highlights from TPM (the St. Petersburg Times has much more here):
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[T]he full story of what happened in Virginia suggests how easily one state government may have been taken in by a noble-sounding cause and a some well-timed campaign contributions. In 2009, Thompson gave $55,000 to Cuccinelli, making him the second largest individual contributor to the future AG, according to the St. Petersburg Times*. A $50,000 contribution came after Cuccinelli directly solicited him by phone last August.
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So just what did the St. Petersburg Times discover? It's worth reading the full series yourself to get the complete picture, but here are some details:
• USNVA says in IRS filings that it consists of 85 volunteer officers, over 66,000 members, and 41 state chapters. But the paper searched long and hard for all 85 officers, and could find no record whatsoever for 84 of them. Among that group was the man listed on USNVA's rudimentary-looking website as its CEO, Jack L. Nimitz, whose bio says he's a lifelong Texas resident, retired naval reservist and now private investment banker.
• USNVA also says a five-member executive board and 12 key officers work out of the group's national headquarters on M Street in Washington, D.C. But that address turns out to be a mailbox at a UPS shipping store.
• The paper reports: "In the end, the searches for people and documents all came back to one man, the association's director of development, Bobby Thompson, and one place, his $1,200-a-month rented duplex across from the Cuesta-Rey cigar factory in Ybor City ... After the Times started asking questions ... Thompson, who had lived in the duplex for a decade, cleared out. His landlord said he left no forwarding address."
[T]he full story of what happened in Virginia suggests how easily one state government may have been taken in by a noble-sounding cause and a some well-timed campaign contributions. In 2009, Thompson gave $55,000 to Cuccinelli, making him the second largest individual contributor to the future AG, according to the St. Petersburg Times*. A $50,000 contribution came after Cuccinelli directly solicited him by phone last August.
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So just what did the St. Petersburg Times discover? It's worth reading the full series yourself to get the complete picture, but here are some details:
• USNVA says in IRS filings that it consists of 85 volunteer officers, over 66,000 members, and 41 state chapters. But the paper searched long and hard for all 85 officers, and could find no record whatsoever for 84 of them. Among that group was the man listed on USNVA's rudimentary-looking website as its CEO, Jack L. Nimitz, whose bio says he's a lifelong Texas resident, retired naval reservist and now private investment banker.
• USNVA also says a five-member executive board and 12 key officers work out of the group's national headquarters on M Street in Washington, D.C. But that address turns out to be a mailbox at a UPS shipping store.
• The paper reports: "In the end, the searches for people and documents all came back to one man, the association's director of development, Bobby Thompson, and one place, his $1,200-a-month rented duplex across from the Cuesta-Rey cigar factory in Ybor City ... After the Times started asking questions ... Thompson, who had lived in the duplex for a decade, cleared out. His landlord said he left no forwarding address."
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Nor could the paper find any evidence for the existence of either of the two auditors who USVNA says have conducted audits of its finances.
• The paper adds: "The group reported $4.58 million in income from its Florida chapter in 2008 and $17.82 million from its other chapters. It said it donated about 1 percent to needy beneficiaries and said the other 99 percent went for administrative costs, educational materials and "direct assistance'' to veterans and their families." USNVA told the Times it had "tens of thousands" of records detailing its expenditures, but declined to make them available. It has accused the paper of conducting "McCarthy-like witch hunts" against it.
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You get the picture. The paper has reported that authorities in New Mexico, Florida, and Missouri are now investigating USNVA, and New Mexico has suspended fundraising by the group.
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[C]ome July, when USNVA may begin soliciting Virginians for contributions, it seems to us that there would be ample evidence for the AG to use his own office to start looking into the man who provided almost 3 percent of his total campaign haul last year. Cuccinelli could even free up some resources by easing off on the investigation of climate science he's currently focused on. So, Mr. Attorney General, how about it?
• The paper adds: "The group reported $4.58 million in income from its Florida chapter in 2008 and $17.82 million from its other chapters. It said it donated about 1 percent to needy beneficiaries and said the other 99 percent went for administrative costs, educational materials and "direct assistance'' to veterans and their families." USNVA told the Times it had "tens of thousands" of records detailing its expenditures, but declined to make them available. It has accused the paper of conducting "McCarthy-like witch hunts" against it.
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You get the picture. The paper has reported that authorities in New Mexico, Florida, and Missouri are now investigating USNVA, and New Mexico has suspended fundraising by the group.
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[C]ome July, when USNVA may begin soliciting Virginians for contributions, it seems to us that there would be ample evidence for the AG to use his own office to start looking into the man who provided almost 3 percent of his total campaign haul last year. Cuccinelli could even free up some resources by easing off on the investigation of climate science he's currently focused on. So, Mr. Attorney General, how about it?
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Alas, it seems it is always the self-declared "family value" conservatives who are in fact the crooks and use religion and patriotism to fleece the sheeple. It's most appropriate that Kookinelli is involved with such a possible crook. Oh, and Bob McDonnell recieved $5,000 from Thompson.
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