Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by private persons or corporations not directly involved with the government.
All forms of government are susceptible to political corruption. Forms of corruption vary, but include bribery, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, patronage, graft, and embezzlement. While corruption may facilitate criminal enterprise such as drug trafficking, money laundering, and trafficking, it is not restricted to these organized crime activities. In some nations, corruption is so common that it has gained normative status. The end point of political corruption is a kleptocracy, literally "rule by thieves".
Bribery around the world is estimated at about $1 trillion and the on the bottom billion people living in extreme poverty.
Pages and Listings are in reverse chronological order:
News Former Illinois Governor Convicted of 18 Felonies
4-17-2006
Reuters
Former Illinois Gov. George Ryan, praised by death penalty foes for halting executions but accused of using public office to enrich friends and family, was found guilty of fraud, racketeering, tax evasion and other charges. The jury convicted Ryan, 7
News 7 lawmakers headed to prison after election says Senator
4-16-2006
Raw Story
A Republican senator told a town hall meeting that he expects at least 7 lawmakers will go to jail in the wake of investigations related to convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff and others. [Who's running against JD?]
News Ex-staffer says 'watch my child' turned into 6-week stay
04-12-2006
CNN 6:40 min. Video
The real story is the "Ethics Truce" between the R's and D's since 1998.
Feature Article Democracy in America - It's Spelled C-O-R-R-U-P-T-I-O-N Stephen Lendman
How our elected and other officials connected to government subvert the democratic process by unjustly or illegally distributing the nation's wealth to the privileged class and doing it at the expense of the public
News Abramoff's e-mails show Republican Party coordinating bribes
4-11-2006
Associated Press
A Republican Party official and Jack Abramoff's lobbying team bluntly discussed using large political donations as a way to pressure lawmakers into securing federal money for a client. Abramoff's team worked to leverage assistance from the Wh
News Unending ethics scandles plague Congress
4-5-2006
USA Today
A draft measure circulating in the House would outlaw travel funded by private interests, but only through the end of the year. After the November elections, the "ban" would quietly expire.
News It's official: Texas Republicans drop "The Hammer"
4-4-2006
Associated Press
"I have no fear whatsoever about any investigation into me or my personal or professional activities," Tom DeLay said in a statement to constituents. At the same time, he said the voters of his Houston-area district "deserve a campaign
News "The Hammer" comes down
4-4-2006
Washington Post
The pending resignation of former House majority leader Tom DeLay (R-TX), once one of the most powerful lawmakers in Washington, comes amid a federal criminal investigation that already has reached into his inner circle of longtime advisers. DeLay fa
News Hang up "The Hammer"
4-4-2006
Associated Press
Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay touched by a lobbying scandal that ensnared his former top aides and cost the Republican his leadership post, won't seek re-election to Congress and intends to resign. See also: http://tinyurl.com/rvl2r
News Corruption in Ohio spreads to Washington
4-2-2006
Toledo Blade
"Tom Noe saw a golden money pot and he wanted a piece of it. The Republicans in Washington were all too willing to help out their friends if they gave enough to the campaigns." Mr. Noe became a Bush "Pioneer" raising at least $
News Delay's aide pleads guilty
4-1-2006
CBS News
A former top aide to Rep. Tom DeLay pleaded guilty to conspiracy and promised to cooperate with a federal investigation of bribery and lobbying fraud that has so far netted 3 convictions and prompted calls for ethics reform in Congress.
News Federal sewage contract scandle drowns Vice President Cheney
3-30-2006
Raw Story
An explosive report soon to be released by the Project on Government Oversight, fingers high-level officials both on the federal and local California level in allegations of influence-peddling ensnaring members of both parties.
News Congressman Denies He Got Deal on House
3-30-2006
Associated Press
The Kansas Republican [US Congessman] bought the historic Capitol Hill town house for $410,000 on Dec. 15, 2000. That was $19,000 less than the US Family Network paid for the home about 2 years earlier, despite a sharp rise in real estate values duri
News Jon Kyl Congressional Record minutes just made up,... Shocking
03-29-2006
By Dan Eggen - Washington Post
But those exchanges never occurred. Instead, the debate -- which runs 15 pages and brims with conversational flourishes -- was inserted into the Congressional Record minutes before the Senate gave final approval to the legislation.
News Interview with Chalmers Johnson
3-25-2006
Asia Times
Consider what it means to live in an unacknowledged state of military Keynesianism, garrisoning the planet, and with an imperial budget - a real yearly Pentagon budget - of perhaps three-quarters of a trillion dollars.
Feature Article Saving Social Security, and the future, from the NeoCons Melinda Pillsbury-Foster
How did the NeoCons manage to convert the tools for freedom into shackles now slowing strangling the liberties of all Americans? Follow the money for answers and for solutions look to the unsuspected wealth America has wrought.
News Delay on slow roast
3-21-2006
Houston Chronicle
Rep. Tom DeLay can't rest easy until it becomes clear what Abramoff has told prosecutors about their relationship during extensive debriefing sessions before and since his guilty plea in January.
News Iraq was awash in cash as we played football with stacks of your $100 bills
3-20-2006
The Guardian
At the beginning of the Iraq war, the UN entrusted $23bn of Iraqi money to the US-led coalition to redevelop the country. With the infrastructure of the country still in ruins, where has all that money gone? One of the greatest financial scandals of
News Citizens use Open Records Laws to unveil government misdeeds
3-14-2006
Associated Press
3 words caught Brenda Stewart's attention: "by private plane." When she read that phrase in her local newspaper she wondered how much the plane ride cost. Discovered that the county paid more than $18,000 for the private charter from Ka
News Florida Senators get kickbacks from defense contractors for votes
3-13-2006
St. Petersburg Times
The biggest winner in the appropriations requests, or earmarks, made by Florida's U.S. senators is the defense industry. And in the game of fundraising, the senators have won big from the defense industry.
Republican Sen. Mel Martinez and Demo
News Read the Vanity Fair Abramoff Corruption scandle in its entirety
3-11-2006
Vanity Fair (PDF doc) see his photo collection
The lobbyist who has ignited what might be the biggest government scandal since Watergate, Jack Abramoff became notorious for tossing around money to influence key lawmakers. Washington is waiting to see who hell take down with him.
News Indian tribe pays $25,000 for access to Bush
3-10-2006
Texas Observer
Abramoff was so closely tied to the Bush Administration that he could, and did, charge two of his clients $25,000 for a White House lunch date and a meeting with the President. From the same two clients he took to the White House in May 2001, Abramof
News 2nd Indian tribe paid $25,000 for access to Bush
3-10-2006
New York Times
The chief of an Indian tribe represented by the lobbyist Jack Abramoff was admitted to a meeting with President Bush in 2001 days after the tribe paid a prominent conservative lobbying group $25,000 at Mr. Abramoff's direction, according to docum
News Jury fines defense contractor in Iraq $10M
3-10-2006
USA Today
The case was brought by two former Custer Battles employees under a Civil War-era law that allows individuals to file lawsuits in secret on behalf of the government. Under the law, the cases are sealed while the government determines whether to join
Feature Article Stealing Elections Texas Style: Mrs. Blankenship goes out to vote. Melinda Pillsbury-Foster
Mrs. Blankenship, disgusted with the Republicans, went out to vote a slate of Libertarians and two Democrats. But the X refused to stay where she put in using the Diebold Machine. Mrs.Blankenship went home, determined to do something about the dish
Feature Article Why Scooter Libby is Toast - and the security briefs of John Fund Melinda Pillsbury-Foster
Scooter Libby made a mistake. He thought he was a NeoCon Insider. It was a natural mistake for him to have made, his business cards, the perks, the deference, the salary, and the access to power, all spell out Insider using the usual formula for such
News Senate decides to ignore oversight of domestic spying scandle
2-17-2006
New York Times
The Senate Intelligence Committee decided today not to investigate President Bush's domestic surveillance program. "I believe that such an investigation is currently unwarranted and would be detrimental to this highly classified program,"
News Get caught with lobbyist, no worries, we'll change the rules
2-16-2006
Associated Press
Republicans may change the rules allowing former senators to attend weekly GOP luncheon meetings after retired Sen. Lauch Faircloth got caught attended a session while lobbying a bill pending on the floor.
News National Buffoon's Family Vacation
2-14-2006
DCCC
House Resources Committee, Rep. Richard Pombo (R-CA) has a long, sordid history of treating the US Treasury as a personal slush fund that might finally be catching up with him. So let's get caught up ourselves: This August, my family and I rente
Headlines: National Buffoon's Family Vacation -- Get caught with lobbyist, no worries, we'll change the rules -- Senate decides to ignore oversight of domestic spying scandle -- Why Scooter Libby is Toast - and the security briefs of John Fund -- Stealing Elections Texas Style: Mrs. Blankenship goes out to vote. -- An Insider's Guide to the NeoCon World: Get ready to meet the wolves of fate -- Jury fines defense contractor in Iraq $10M -- 2nd Indian tribe paid $25,000 for access to Bush -- Indian tribe pays $25,000 for access to Bush -- Read the Vanity Fair Abramoff Corruption scandle in its entirety -- Florida Senators get kickbacks from defense contractors for votes -- Citizens use Open Records Laws to unveil government misdeeds -- Iraq was awash in cash as we played football with stacks of your $100 bills -- Delay on slow roast -- Saving Social Security, and the future, from the NeoCons -- Interview with Chalmers Johnson -- Jon Kyl Congressional Record minutes just made up,... Shocking -- Congressman Denies He Got Deal on House -- Federal sewage contract scandle drowns Vice President Cheney -- Delay's aide pleads guilty -- Corruption in Ohio spreads to Washington -- Hang up "The Hammer" -- "The Hammer" comes down -- It's official: Texas Republicans drop "The Hammer" -- Unending ethics scandles plague Congress -- Abramoff's e-mails show Republican Party coordinating bribes -- Democracy in America - It's Spelled C-O-R-R-U-P-T-I-O-N -- Ex-staffer says 'watch my child' turned into 6-week stay -- 7 lawmakers headed to prison after election says Senator -- Former Illinois Governor Convicted of 18 Felonies --
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