EXCLUSIVE: HUD Secretary Admitted Professional ‘Bias’ Against Bush Critics, Ignored Warnings From Lawyers
EXCLUSIVE: HUD Secretary Admitted Professional ‘Bias’ Against Bush Critics, Ignored Warnings From Lawyers
An investigation by the Department of Housing and Urban Development Inspector General reportedly revealed that HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson instructed staff to award HUD contracts to President Bush’s political allies and withhold them from his political opponents. The HUD IG, however, has refused to make the full 340-page report public.
ThinkProgress — which has previously published the executive summary — has obtained access to the entire report. Testimony from Jackson, his top deputies, and HUD legal counsel, none of which has previously been reported, show that the agency set aside the rules, assisted its political allies, and made life difficult for its political opponents. Here are some key excerpts:
1. Against the advice of HUD legal counsel, Jackson regularly met with potential HUD contractors. From page 110 of the report:
Regarding JACKSON’s involvement with contracting matters, [former Acting HUD General Counsel Kathleen] Koch advised JACKSON would meet with individuals who were either contractors or who wanted to obtain contracts at HUD. Koch stated, “We warned him against it.” Koch and her staff used to review the daily schedule for the previous HUD Secretary, Mel Martinez, to advise if there were potential problems, but that practice “just petered out” after JACKSON became Secretary. When potential HUD contractors wanted to meet with Martinez, they would be kept away from Martinez…
On page 156 of the report, Jackson himself admits regularly meeting with potential contractors:
JACKSON acknowledged that he does meet with individuals seeking contracts with HUD, stating “I’ve met with a lot of them…They come over to me…I say to them sure, we’d love to do business with you…”
2. Jackson explicitly acknowledged that he would not assist people who are critical of President Bush. From page 153:
[W]ell my position is if you’re going to castigate me, castigate our President, I’m not going to sit here and lie to you, I’m not going out of the way to call Norm Mineta and say see Officer Medici and make sure that he does X-Y-Z. I’m not going to do it. I will not do it, and I’m not going to say that I will…So I’m not going to go out of my way to help somebody who’s castigating the President…Now, if that’s my bias, I have it.
3. Jackson’s deputies attempted to circumvent competition rules to secure a contract for a Republican PR firm. From page 216:
Cathy MacFarlane, Assistant Secretary, Public Affairs, acknowledged requesting a contract for Spaeth Communications. Spaeth had done previous public relations work for MacFarlane, Baylor and JACKSON, as well as various Republican-affiliated organizations, cited in the contract application documentation. The contract was initially to be awarded under the “Unusual and Compelling Urgency Exemption to the Competition in Contracting Act.”
The request for the extraordinary procedures was blocked by Associate Counsel John Opitz. He elaborated on the Spaeth contract on page 218:
There is a “facial” concern in Spaeth’s references to her firm’s prior politically related work. In retrospect, it does raise questions. Was the award based on her ability to do work or her prior connections, including her connection to JACKSON? I do not know the answer to that.
The HUD IG report also documents that Jackson obstructed a contract for Abt Associates because they supported Democrats, according to Jackson’s Chief of Staff. Nevertheless, throughout the report Jackson repeatedly denies that he has ever improperly influenced any HUD contract.
Sen. Frank Lautenberg, Rep. Henry Waxman and Rep. John Olver have all called on Secretary Jackson to resign.
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When you’re a Republican, regardless of race, the only color that matters is green.
September 28th, 2006 at 2:29 pmGreat work Judd!
September 28th, 2006 at 2:31 pmWhat a good little Nazi general.
September 28th, 2006 at 2:32 pmBirds of a feather…
September 28th, 2006 at 2:41 pmwhat he is saying is: ‘Bush likes me…so screw laws’. aaaaa…when does his trial start?…..
September 28th, 2006 at 2:41 pmI’m just shocked to see that members of the administration acted criminally…
September 28th, 2006 at 2:48 pmIf there had been even a hint of something like this during the Clinton Adminstration, David Broder and his cronies would be on this like stink on crap. Since it involves a repuke, regardless of his color, its a non story. IOKIYAAR.
September 28th, 2006 at 2:53 pmWaxman should be introducing an Impeachment bill instead of blowing smoke. If the crooked SOB were going to resign he would never have accepted the position in the first place. Another Cheney salute to Congress.
September 28th, 2006 at 2:55 pmThe Virtueless Neo-Cons…
September 28th, 2006 at 2:58 pmdid YOU call yet? …is there still time? …worth a try…
We still have a chance to stop one of the most egregious features of the Detainee/Torture bill. Please contact your Senators and tell them to support Patrick Leahy and Arlen Specter’s ammendment to restore habeas corpus rights, allowing suspects at the very least an opportunity to challenge their detainment in court. Senators Collins and Snowe, both moderate Republicans, need a bit of a push on this:
September 28th, 2006 at 2:59 pmcapital switchboard: 866.340.9281 .or. 866.808.0065
…
if they won’t vote against the torture bill, this is the best to hope for…
…
This thug needs to be in jail!
September 28th, 2006 at 3:07 pmsnake
September 28th, 2006 at 3:07 pmWhat does it take to get FIRED from a Government job? Sign me up so I can be totally incompetent and make $$$$$$
September 28th, 2006 at 3:08 pmJackson must be forced to resign his position, plus he is a disgrace to Black Americans > shame on him!
September 28th, 2006 at 3:13 pmAnother legacy of the Reagan administration: take a program or agency that actually does some good – and turn it into a crony-enrichment program. It’s republican judo.
September 28th, 2006 at 3:17 pmJay Randal
No he isn’t a disgrace to black Americans. He is a disgrace to Americans, and honest public servants. That he doesn’t seem to have realised that what he was doing was wrong, means that he is also a disgrace to stupid people.
Lets not be the wing that brings race into this issue.
September 28th, 2006 at 3:25 pmIsn’t this the same as Jackson giving Bush a blow job? I hear impeachment coming! Yippeee!
September 28th, 2006 at 3:26 pmthis is a crime, why hasn’t he been arrested?
September 28th, 2006 at 3:26 pmThe GOP believes in equal opportunity corruption.
September 28th, 2006 at 3:26 pmHow’s that filibuster coming along, ThinkProgress?
September 28th, 2006 at 3:31 pmPS did anybody notice this bit ??????
House Approves Bill on Detainees
It would bar military commissions from considering testimony obtained through interrogation techniques that involve “cruel, unusual or inhumane treatment or punishment,” which is proscribed by the 5th, 8th and 14th amendments to the U.S. Constitution. But the bar would be retroactive only to Dec. 30, 2005, when Congress adopted the Detainee Treatment Act, sponsored by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), to protect CIA operatives from being prosecuted over interrogation tactics used before then.
September 28th, 2006 at 3:56 pmWhy should we believe that this Department is the only one where this kind of thing went on? Is it entirely “unacceptable to think” that Secretary Jackson was not the only cabinet secretary to do this with contracts? I would like assurances from the other Department IGs that this isn’t happening to their departments, too. And no, the president’s word isn’t good enough.
September 28th, 2006 at 3:57 pmand these hypocrits still have the nerve to lecture us on morals cause they don’t believe in evolution and are against abortion!
September 28th, 2006 at 4:14 pm“Gee. I guess since everyone knows, I’d better come clean huh? I did it and I’m really really sorry.”
Ask for resignations. Push for impeachment. Clean the White House.
September 28th, 2006 at 4:17 pmobviously he is a liberal mole planted by the great leftist-enviro-communist-jihading conspiracy to further weaken humble, honest Bush.
September 28th, 2006 at 4:20 pm/off limbothink
Jackson, you’re doing a heck of a job.
September 28th, 2006 at 4:21 pmthis isn’t a story.
September 28th, 2006 at 4:46 pmYou’re right, Paul, it’s fact.
September 28th, 2006 at 5:12 pmQuick, somebody get that guy a medal from Congress or something! He’s doing a heckuva job.
September 28th, 2006 at 5:44 pmAmerica’s Least Wanted
OK, does someone remove him from office or are laws which have been broken meaningless because they are not enforced.
September 28th, 2006 at 8:36 pmHey Jay Randal (#15)
Yeah, when I see a Black Republican I think it’s like looking at a Jewish Nazi… What have the Republicans done to help blacks in the past century?
NOW… please… please… please would one of the Reptilian trolls attempt to dispute this. So I can show that whatever they did to pretend to help Blacks actually helped the white (R)eptiles. Please!
September 28th, 2006 at 9:05 pmOh, Paul, it isn’t a story? Did Rush tell you that?
September 28th, 2006 at 10:12 pmCorruption in HUD contracts? Imagine that!
Doesn’t anyone here watch The Sopranos? They did this episode years ago.
September 29th, 2006 at 1:45 amTHE SLIME KEEPS OOZING OUT OF THE FLOORBOARDS.
September 29th, 2006 at 11:53 pmHey People
September 30th, 2006 at 7:55 amwhy don’t you do your patriotic duty and put the PDF out here where we all can see it. Don’t play the bastards’ game. Let us see and make up our own minds.