This is only going to get worse. The media is going to dribble these stories out over the next several months.
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{ 112 comments }
That’s an ugly one.
Ouch!
Could not even believe this story when I saw it on the news tonight. Who knew that he was into such fancy living – Oscars, high dollar restaurants, etc… and taking over $100K in contributions and then using his office to go after the insurance company… I mean, is any of that legal?
Is the Republican Party in cahoots to get Roy Barnes elected?
Is there something I’m missing here? Are they literally doing everything they can to make sure we have no choice but to elect Roy Barnes to clean up this mess in Atlanta?
Please tell me that these people out there supporting Oxendine will begin to see the light and come to their senses.
Again, even if both halves of the Big Government Party immolate themselves with their selection of candidate, there is still at least one other option: John Monds.
You will NOT have to choose among the “lesser of two evils” next year. There IS a man who wants nothing more than to get the government OUT of both your bedroom AND your boardroom.
Given the problems lately with businesses doing things like knowingly shipping out tainted peanuts, I’d be satisfied with just a shift of priorities from regulating sex to regulating business.
Insert your snark about Republicans and sex.
As I recall it was a Democrat Ag Commish whose department failed to do their job in inspecting the peanut plant.
But that has nothing to do with how the Republican legislators have underfunded these types of government activities, right?
Rather than implying something, please provide solid evidence of the budget Tommy Irvin said he needed for 2008, and tell me the budget he actually got.
In 2006, the Republican legislators budgeted 42 million for the DoA; last year it was 24 million. You really think a head of department asks for a 40% decrease in their budget?? Seriously?
Which, of course, is an indictment against every Democrat living or not, right? right?
The government is having sex in the boardroom?
No it’s airport bathrooms
Not sure why you’re being voted down, other than I guess the normal reason of too many partisan people pulling for various candidates based on the letter beside their name instead of what their candidates actually stand for…
Nah, they just don’t like Jeff.
Looking more and more like a two man race…. Johnson vs Handel
Pretty sure that Johnson v. Handel is a one-man race. Two candidates, one man.
LOL.
Double LOL
Johnson is (deservingly so) up to his eyeballs in the Richardson scandal. If he wins, it’s nothing but the same ole same ole.
I have heard this, but I am tired of innuendo.
Instead of un-attributed theories, I want someone to put their name on the story and level direct accusations about what Johnson did wrong.
From my understanding, it comes down to two things, some kind of involvement with why Cagle stepped down from running for governor (a curious case of untied shoes according to rumor) and for allegedly providing cover for Glenn Richardson during an ethics probe into improper contact with a lobbyist in 2007.
Just because a complaint is dismissed and behavior is then confirmed does not mean the panel acted improperly. He should probably explain why it seemed appropriate to dismiss the complaint at the time and his explanation should be parsed and examined, but taken by itself, mere cicumstance does not mean guilt.
Correct!
It’s called Monday-morning quarterbacking.
Am I the only one who read the Bobby Kahn complaint?
It takes less than two minutes to read and has no specifics. The phrase “common knowledge” is used. Bobby Kahn did NO homework, NO research and produced NO evidence.
I’m NO fan of Glenn Richardson, but there was just nothing in the complaint to act upon. The culprit here is not Eric Johnson but the lazy Bobby Kahn.
Perhaps it is past time to take another look at Austin Scott’s suggestion of a statewide grand jury to look at ethics complaints among those in state government.
I’ll probably get slammed for the above post, but I thought someone needed to put it out there.
Disclosure: I am a “capital R Republican” but I have not yet selected whom I will support for governor – that is if anyone is left standing at all.
Thank you for posting that. Kahn probably did it hoping that it would keep the story that was in the papers a bit longer. He definitely should have known that the ethics committee wouldn’t make more than a cursory effort without more details than what as in the paper.
On the other hand, as stated by a few here, even with evidence, the committee has been reluctant to pursue anyone.
Does one not have to swear an oath as to the “accuracy” of a complaint?
If Kahn did it merely to “keep the story in the news” that doesn’t appear to be in line with the oath he swore-to when he was admitted to the bar.
Since he is still a lawyer, perhaps a complaint needs to be filed against him with the state bar?
Perhaps the complaint was accurate as far as it went. Perhaps you should read what Ken did to claim it wasn’t.
I think it was reported that the committee didn’t even follow up and question the complaintant. That’s just pure lazy.
Plus – unless you were literally living under the Gold Dome, everyone knew about the affair and legislation trade-off.
It deserved closer inspection.
Plus – unless you were literally living under the Gold Dome, everyone knew about the affair and legislation trade-off.
If so, who was screwing around with Jeff Lewis, Jerry Keen and Mark Burkhlater to get their votes for the AGL bill? Richardson wasn’t alone on pushing that legislation through.
Ouch is right. More Ethics for the Ga GOP. This hurts. Either the media is giving Barnes and the Dems a free pass, Republicans have in Ga gotten too big for their heads. I’m sure both is true to a certain extent.
Maybe so. It’s going to be interesting to see how this plays out in the following months. It would not take much to connect the dots in this one. Geeezzzzz, enough already!
I don’t think anyone is shocked by this report nor the ones to come. I agree with fundy…Johnson and Handel, but the ethics problems under the Gold Dome have damaged Johnson as well.
Keep in mind that the Joint Ethics Commission only needed “probable cause” to launch an investigation of Richardson. Apparently, everyone in the Capitol knew about the affair when the complaint was made.
As Chairman, Johnson swept it under the rug and now we have the mess we have today going on at the Gold Dome.
Plus, Johnson has his own sweetheart “deals” and other transgressions…
“Plus, Johnson has his own sweetheart “deals” and other transgressions…” ….. Proverbs 10:18 He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool.
burrying your head in the sand doesn’t make it any less true…
Burrying your head up your ass doesn’t make it any more true.
So “probable cause” can be defined as unsubstantiated rumors now?
I truly fear for my freedom if those you support come to power.
Jeff, you make a good point. Except for one thing.
If you had spent any time around the Capitol in those days, you’d have no problem seeing that it was not an “unsubstantianted rumor.” Richardson did not do a good job at hiding his relationship with her (Probably a testament to his arrogance). Too easy to see them at receptions, or even at local restaurants. Even the lowliest intern and secretary knew it. To pretend that Johnson didn’t know it is just plain silly.
“Even the lowliest intern and secretary knew it” …. well that justifies an investigation….
Well apparently Bobby Kahn knew about it.
Even then, until you have someone ready to come forward on the record, you do not have probable cause as far as an official investigation is concerned.
Let’s be real here: We can get away with quite a bit on blogs. But Johnson chaired an official panel with real power – and the requirement to follow real due process.
Without any real evidence – and rumors and scuttlebutt does not qualify as real evidence – there was nothing Johnson could do at the time.
I agree with you Jeff. But as a candidate he did have an opportunity for a campaign message directed at ethics reform in a broader sense which I wish he had spoken on but did not.
Silent…”probable cause” needs a wee bit more proof than “everyone knows about it”. Unless you’d like to change the law so that cops can bust down doors based on “someone said there was drug deals going on here…that’s our probable cause.”
This story is going to spill another tanker of gasoline on the GOP fires.
Off to get more marshmallows!
How long before we can just go ahead and declare the Oxendines a crime family syndicate?
I’d watch the show.
New award ceremony for Republicrat sleeze: The Oxcars™
run with it.
You democrats crack me up. This is scandalous for sure but what is really bad is this is Oscar Night.
A Hollywood event, full of democrats.
OX at a Elton John PARTY? WOW we should have thread on the best joke!
Take away the hair and the two of them look identical.
I heard rumor from a friend who knows a friend that is part of save the OX foundation. From what I heard Ox went to Elton John to make an OX KING movie. Play the below video and think of an OX in place of a lion. From what I hear this is trade deal; Elton gets OX to make sure Elton’s very elective surgery gets covered by his insurance company and the OX KING movie is made in 3D. Once again this is only a rumor.
Elton John – Circle Of Life (High Quality)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8ZnCT14nRc
Note to Ox – funneling money through an Alabama PAC does not work neither does funneling it through a family. How about raising it from regular people? Or are we too far beneath you now?
Note to self – it will take $100k to get help from Ox in dealing with insurance companies. Start saving. I knew the complaints just weren’t enough.
Lib’ral Lies. Oxendine is a big-wig in the GOP, and would never be caught at an event like that with his wife. He’d bring a high priced lobbyist/whore, or a campaign staffer.
a high priced lobbyist/whore, or a campaign staffer.
No need to be redundant. We get the message.
Ox do us all a favor and be the first one to drop out. Deal can be second. We don’t need ethically challenged candidates.
This race will be decided by Memorial Day. Looks like only a couple of candidates will emerge unscathed by these “ethics” issues. Must have something to do with the rejection of absolute truth?
I can think of 3 off the top of my head that appear completely clean.
Dumb as an Ox, crooked as a dog’s hind leg.
Dogs at least are smart enough not to pee on their hind legs. Ox? Not so much.
It’s just Ox’s attempt to pander to the adult diaper industry.
And you have to think there are more stories like that waiting to be told about Ox.
As for Eric Johnson, I think he’s getting a bit of a bad break. Can you imagine the House/Senate war if he really had initiated an investigation of Richardson based on what were then just rumors? The Gold Dome would have become more radioactive than Chernobyl. Yes, it looks bad on the surface, but under the circumstances at the time he probably did the right thing.
Not that that will help him much.
Perhaps, but I do believe Johnson missed a prime opportunity to address ethics in a broader sense. Handel jumped right on it.
Handel jumped right on it? It is easy to jump on when it is on the front page of the AJC. You never heard a word from her on land fraud, special tax legislation, the Jekyll scam her X boss tried on Jekyll Island. and other issues.
Yes, but when it was front page AJC she did jump right on it. Opportunisitic? Could be viewed that way.
The problem is that other candidates did not address ethics (some could not for fear of exposure of their own sins) at all at a time when it was front and center. For that reason, I think Handel scored some political points with the few voters that were paying attention.
When does ethics count? Just when you read what one candidate sees as a opportune moment to address the 600 pound gorilla that has always been in the room?
Is ethics just personal and about sex when the candidate or politician is screwing just one lobbyist or screwing the entire state ?
One candidate I know of has been ethical all the time and not part of the machine that has been screwing us. It’s ironic that the machine that was in his own party labeled him as one that can’t get along.
That has become a badge of honor for Jeff Chapman and I can tell you dont know squat about him. That is how we end up with the Jerry Keen’s and the John Oxendien’s with power and abuse it.
Don’t assume I am not familiar with Jeff Chapman but I just don’t consider him a major candidate for Governor. I do think he will outpoll Ray McBerry and maybe Austin Scott. I will be interested to see how his fundraising has come along in the year end disclosures.
Handel has a long track record when it comes to ethics. She passed the toughest ethics legislation for any County in Georgia when she was the chair of the Fulton County Commission. She also worked to oust a corrupt sheriff, and a corrupt board of tax assessors.
And she defends the murdering of the unborn.
She seems to enjoy disenfranchising voters too.
Not allowing fraudulent voters to vote is not “disenfranchising voters.”
I would hope that we would all be for not letting illegals vote in our elections. Plus, we need citizen verification in the registration process to protect against fraud and prevent our entire democracy from being undermined.
Sounds like Jeff you want to just throw away democracy…
Handel reads the AJC? That disqualifies her right there.
Austin Scott was already talking ethics last January, when he introduced HR 75. You know, because unlike Handel, he actually has the power to make REAL changes.
What was Handel doing last January?
Oh yeah… violating Federal law.
Jeff,
Handel passed the strongest ethics laws of any county when she was Chair of Fulton county. She was in the minority party on the commision. Austin was in the majority party and introduced a bill that didn’t get passed.
Looks like one of them has actually done something on ethics.
and which of the two is (as of this moment, as best I can tell) violating Federal Elections Law?
What federal law is your boy Austin violating?
ready2rumble:
Karen Handel violated Voting Rights Act Section 5 – a very unpopular Federal law, but Federal law nonetheless – and flat out admitted to it in court proceedings regarding the Morales case (the Voter Verification issue that has been ongoing for the past year).
Section 5 requires pre-clearance of ANY change in voting procedure in Georgia, and Karen Handel admits she directed her office to change the voter verification process prior to recieving pre-clearance from the Justice Department. (BTW: As much as she wants to claim the “Obama” Justice Dept is trying to mess things up, it was a BUSH Justice Department that fielded the initial complaint, and it was a BUSH court that first smacked her down – a week BEFORE Obama was elected President, and nearly 3 months before he actually took power.)
So we have a democratic controlled DOJ, and you claim that the SoS violated federal law, and the democratic controlled DOJ hasn’t taken action.
Keep trying. The popular ones are Handel isn’t nice, and she doesn’t have a degree.
Actually, the “democratic controlled” DOJ HAS taken action – repeatedly. And it was a REPUBLICAN controlled DOJ when it first took action!
Well maybe the point is as WSB said, ” Oxendine has helped nearly 200,000 GA INDIVIDUAL VOTERS in fights against Insurance companies”
When you help average voter they just say thanks
…….cause that’s all they have, ……………..when you help a rich doctor friend collect he may say why don’t you and wife come on trip with us and here is campaign money plus say thanks.
Poor and Rich voters against the Bad Insurance Companies sounds Democratic to me.
Things like Labor, Law, Fire, Police, and Insurance are kinda neutral politically why they are made out to be Democrat vs Republican confuses electorate. What is A Republican Fire or Insurance Chief.
One who get the Rich People to pay so he can help the poor people?
A “Constitutionalist Fire Chief” would let you put out the fire yourself, because fire departments are not in the constitution.
the 10th amendment doesnt provide for fires so why would we need a fire chief?
Silly Gallops: tricks are for lobbyists!
Am I the only one who thinks the Ox’s $10 gift card email is tacky?
Speaking of emails from Ox’s campaign: Have you noticed that the tone and frequency of Oxendine’s emails has changed? I used to get numerous emails any time anything was said negative about the Ox’s campaign. Now the campaign emails are much less frequent and less defensive. They also seem to have a “softer” tone to them and have more mentions of his family.
I have also noticed that.
In addition, the polls are not mentioned. I think that is because Oxendine’s numbers never grew.
I have friends and acquaintances in some of the other camps and they all said the same thing: “Wait and see; Oxendine will shoot himself in the foot.”
Shoot himself in the foot? We may have a “history repeats itself” if the Ox is anything like Bob Barr with a gun.
Everyone KNOWS elections are for RICH PEOPLE and even money cannot always get you reelected. When you are not a multi millionaire you must ALWAYS suck up to the rich to help the poor [non rich].
Those that don’t understand this never get elected to begin their journey in the first place. They are stuck for life commenting on blogs.
LOL, Techie.
I like blogs,
I also like American Express Gift Cards.
Team OX Gift Card=Fail
Belcher even admitted at the VERY end of his report that this was NOT ILLEGAL.
Poll numbers haven’t been mentioned because no new polls have been done in several months….
May not be ILLEGAL, but pay to play is pay to play. First $120k through Alabama. Now give me a $100k in campaign donations and 2 trips to the Oscars, and I’ll help you out. Can’t wait to see what else pops out when people really start digging.
That’s the kind of leadership Georgia needs – NOT
Now that Ox has been to the Oscars, are we going to get a sequel to the King Roy the Rat animation saying that “Hollywood Values” aren’t that bad?
The next Rasmussen poll (you know, the real ones that use real polling and not made up numbers) is scheduled to come out next week – on the 22nd, I think.
Ox has fallen 4 pts on each of the last two surveys they’ve done, in August and October. 4 pt fall this time puts him at under a quarter of the voters – and he has 90% name ID, so that clearly isn’t the problem.
As has been said over and over, Ox’s problem is simply that the more people know about him, the more they vote for someone else.
Absolutely. It’s hard to even look for his positives when you can’t get past the stench of corruption.
Belcher has to work hard to make sure people remember his story; otherwise all viewers will remember is Monica’s hair-do.
This on the other hand….VERY ILLEGAL….
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/Scandal-surrounding-Rep-Nathan-Deal-R-Ga-79319837.html
Your man Ox, and Deal – both crooks. At least Deal is smart enough to go for more than good wine, dinner, limos, and hotels. Deal goes for $300k/year
So True Grit your defense of your boy OX is “it depends on what the meaning of is is”?
You have no problem with chronic unethical behaviour and your defense is that its not illegal or someone else did something more illegal.
The problem as others have said is pay for play is illegal.
If OX was clean on the paying the money back claim, why won’t he provide the evidence?
That’s OK, we know you àre committed to go down with the OX ship.
Damn, that’s one cool dude. I could drink a case of PBR with him and really hit the boiled peanuts.
He’s livin the high life with his renta spouse. You republicans are so virtuous.
Damn and I thought you all were prudes. Bet his babes don’t have hairy legs.
Of course there are more stories waiting to be told about the Ox. Once he can’t refile for Insurance Commissioner and everyone is sure he can’t come back and hurt those his office regulates, those folks are going to talk, hell they are going to sing and the chorus will include the shake downs, the expensive restaurants, the thousand dollar wine tabs, his penchant for abusing restaurant staff, the suggestions to regulated industry CEOs that they should give personal checks and so much more. He’s just lucky we don’t have any newpapers in Georgia any more or this would have been out years ago. I’m guessing when the truth comes out on the Ox, even Blagojavich will say “damn, we couldn’t even get away with that in Chicago.”
Am I the only one having a hard time keeping up with the scandals in the GA GOP? Good Lord.
Elected Republicans are not equal to “Ga GOP.” Please stop presuming that the Georgia Republican Party (a grassroots organization whose sole purpose is to help elect Republicans to office) is the same thing as individually-elected public officials who put an “R” next to their name.
Thanks for pointing that out!
from the website for The Ox:
“I am running to restore the grassroots to their right and proper place in our Party.”
I wonder what his definition of “grassroots” is?? Just good ole plain ordinary hard working folks, who also happen to attend Sir Elton’s Oscar bash each year.
Is there one — just one — honest Republican leader who will scorn lobbyists and free handouts from supporters and maybe, perhaps act like they believe in open government? We are all a bunch of pathetic suckers for falling for this bunch of clowns and miscreants.
Yep, there is. Here’s a tip… he currently serves in the Georgia House of Representatives.
Speaking of closed governments, how about requiring legislators to fall under the Open Records Act?
Also, how about putting some teeth in the punishment of those who fail to abide by the Open Records Act?
As I recall, it was Richardson who helped gut some of the enforcement parts of that law.
great new facebook group for those of us who have been ‘defaced’ by the ox — http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fgroup.php%3Fgid%3D183468872353%26ref%3Dsearch%26sid%3D1653556238.1531310085..1&h=8b7f91b93f89c4f1eae36c52f7d8f519
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-us-georgia-ethics-flaps,0,770745.story
“State Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine — another GOP gubernatorial hopeful — was defending himself after a lawsuit surfaced claiming he took trips bankrolled by a campaign contributor who asked for help in an insurance dispute.
The federal lawsuit involves a dispute over investments in an insurance company. The company alleges Dr. Jeffrey Gallups shelled out almost $2,000 in 2007 for Oxendine and his wife to attend the Oscars, according to court documents.
Gallups is involved in a lawsuit against the Indianapolis Life Insurance Company, which Oxendine’s office is investigating.
Oxendine denied any wrongdoing and said he’d broken no law in taking personal trips with a friend. He said he had reimbursed Gallups for the trips, although he refused to provide proof.
“What you have here is an insurance company accused of cheating people, and they are trying to do whatever they can to get at me,” Oxendine told The Associated Press.
He said his office found wrongdoing by the company after an investigation prompted in part by complaints from Gallups.
Indianapolis Life Insurance Spokeswoman Catherine Huggins said the company “strongly disagrees” with Oxendine’s assertions and said it is reviewing his report on the company’s market conduct.”
“What you have here is an insurance company accused of cheating people, and they are trying to do whatever they can to get at me,” Oxendine told The Associated Press.</i.
What we got heah is a failure to communicate…
Or close an italics>
Oxendine’s a crass politician trying to hide behind a populist image. Media whore when it benefits him. His favorite quote when accused of an ethical lapse: “Oh, it’s just politics.” Every Republican of substance looks at him as a joke.
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