Washington Babylon

From the New York Times: Federal authorities on Wednesday identified Democratic Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. of Illinois as the potential United States Senate candidate who was portrayed in court papers…

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Number of men elected as Illinois governor since 1960: 7 Number who have been charged with criminal conduct: 4 Number who have served time in prison: 3 Number of years…

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The New York Times: A little while back my daughter told me the following depressing joke: Woman: What do you do? Man: Me? Oh, I write books. Woman: How interesting!…

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From the Pioneer Press: Federal investigators are looking into allegations that a longtime friend and benefactor tried to steer money to U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman, the Pioneer Press has learned.…

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From the Chicago Tribune, March 8, 2005: On pace to be the most prolific political fundraiser in Illinois history, Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Monday pledged to rein in the excesses…

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From the Smoking Gun: In a November 11 conversation, Blagojevich remarked that he knew Obama wanted Valerie Jarrett, a longtime confidante, to succeed him, “but they’re not willing to give…

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A tip for finding the juiciest parts of the feds’ Blagojevic complaint: seach for the word “fuck.” A few examples: On November 11, 2008, ROD BLAGOJEVICH talked with JOHN HARRIS…

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From the Chicago Tribune: Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his chief of staff John Harris were arrested today by FBI agents on federal corruption charges. Blagojevich and Harris were accused of…

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Back in mid-September I noted here that a number of members of congress had accepted hefty campaign contributions from the American subsidiary of Swiss giant UBS. That seemed odd since…

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David Sirota apparently won’t be supporting Chris Matthews if the latter decides to run for the senate in Pennsylvania: Having grown up outside of Philadelphia, I just want to say…

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The latest news on Congressman Charles Rangel’s murky finances, from Politico: Between 2004 and 2007, Rep. Charles Rangel steered nearly $80,000 in campaign cash to an Internet company run by…

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Just a reminder that the incomparable Scott Horton will be joined by a team of legal experts tomorrow at New York University, for a panel called “After Torture: A Harper’s…

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That was fast. “I’ll make oil companies like Exxon pay a tax on their windfall profits, and we’ll use the money to help families pay for their skyrocketing energy costs…

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The recent New York Times‘s story on the tangled business interests of General Barry McCaffrey has resulted in heavy criticism of NBC News, where McCaffrey serves as a military analyst…

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I posted an item earlier today speculating on the names of the five members of congress that Duke Cunningham briber Mitch Wade has discussed with federal investigators. Seth Hettena, who…

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From Barry Lynn, a regular Harper’s contributor, at the Detroit Free Press: Viewed over the long haul, the all but complete bankrupting of the Big Three is a stunning event.…

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A post-election story last month from Bloomberg identified health insurer UnitedHealth Group as a likely winner under the Obama administration. The company would “get more customers, including some they now…

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Face it: if you’re a self-described Democratic Party progressive, Barack Obama’s picks for top spots in his administration look pretty grim thus far. Lawrence Summers and Timothy Geithner are disciples…

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As I noted here the other day, Seth Hettena has reported that Mitchell Wade, the man who bribed Randy “Duke” Cunningham and “then did much to speed the congressman’s spectacular…

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There: India’s highest-ranking security official resigned on Sunday, as the government began to reckon with the fallout from a three-day standoff with militants that raised troubling questions about India’s vulnerability…

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From the New York Times: Through seven years of war an exclusive club has quietly flourished at the intersection of network news and wartime commerce. Its members, mostly retired generals,…

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After being named as Barack Obama’s top White House economics adviser, Lawrence Summers resigned from his post as a managing director of D.E. Shaw & Co, a leading hedge fund.…

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A scoop from Seth Hettena: Mitchell Wade, the man who bribed Randy “Duke” Cunningham and then did much to speed the congressman’s spectacular fall, is asking a judge to sentence…

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Some astonishing figures in an item by Barry Ritholz (via Andrew Sullivan): The cost to the United States of helping defeat Adolf Hitler, liberate Europe from fascist rule and halt…

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It’s now generally deemed that the 1998 merger between Citicorp and Travelers Group was a pivotal moment in the current implosion of the nation’s economy. “The combination of Citibank with…

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From Politico: Dick Morris was a fixture on Fox News during the campaign and a small, but significant amount of his time in the waning days was spent singing the…

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I noted here recently that Democrats were in hot demand at Washington lobbying firms, including a former “intern” of Joe Biden’s who signed up to represent a big financial firm.…

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Congressman Charles Rangel has improperly received a tax break on a house he owns in Washington, didn’t disclose or pay taxes on rental income from a beachfront property he owns…

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