Political Scandal News
Coverage of government scandals, corruption, and accountability. The Daily Signal reports on scandals with conservative analysis and commentary.
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news
Before Lois Lerner Targeted the Tea Party, She Helped the Clinton Foundation
Six years before she became the central figure in the IRS’ illegal targeting of tea party tax-exemption applicants, Lois Lerner cleared the way for the Clinton Foundation’s transformation from building a presidential library to being a $2 billion global political influence peddling machine, according to documents obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation’s Investigative Group…. -
news
House IT Scandal Figure Threatened Kidnappings of Stepmom’s Pakistani Kin
A former congressional information technology (IT) aide allegedly threatened to have his stepmother’s Pakistani relatives kidnapped if she talked to U.S. law enforcement authorities, according to court documents obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation’s (TheDCNF) Investigative Group. “Imran Awan threatened that he is very powerful and if I ever call the police again, [he] will …… -
news
Congressman Says Corruption in Washington Is ‘Worse Than You Think’
Corruption on Capitol Hill is “worse than you think,” Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., insists. “When you first get here, you think that you are in some sort of fairy-tale novel,” Buck said. “They wine and dine you and they show you just exactly what it’s like if you play the game. It’s a wonderful life.” Things… -
opinion
From the Car Wash to the Butcher Shop, Corruption Permeates Brazil
For the past three years, a massive (and still unfolding) public corruption scandal known as “Operation “Car Wash” has rocked Brazil. The scandal includes allegations of widespread kickbacks and money laundering schemes connected to construction contracts with the state-owned Petrobras oil company. Now, the country is confronting another major embarrassment. According to The Wall Street Journal,… -
news
IRS Policy That Allowed Targeting Is Still in Effect, Watchdog Finds
An obscure bureaucratic policy that allowed IRS officials to target conservative and tea party tax-exemption applicants during the 2010 and 2012 election campaigns is still in place, meaning the same abuses may be continuing, according to a nonprofit government watchdog. The federal tax agency’s policy requires IRS officials to stop processing tax-exempt applications that are “likely… -
news
Maryland City Considers Sanctuary Status Amid Immigrant Rape Scandal
Rockville, Maryland, the city home to the recent immigrant high school rape scandal, is considering declaring itself a sanctuary city. Although Rockville police have had a longstanding policy neither to question suspected illegal immigrants about their immigration status, or to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, the city is now considering the process of formalizing that informal… -
opinion
How Local Citizens Can Take Up the Fight Against Public Corruption
We hear it all the time from politicians: They are finally going to stop the “waste, fraud, and abuse” in government. In states with more corruption, like Pennsylvania, New York, or Illinois, calls to clean up government are frequent as well. The problem is that these promises rarely come to fruition. This week—Sunshine Week—is a… -
news
Ukraine’s Former Top Spy Goes After a New Enemy: Corruption
KYIV, Ukraine—Ukraine’s former top security official has gone from tracking down Russian spies to fighting what he perceives to be the country’s greatest threat—corruption. “The question is, are we going to survive or not?” Valentyn Nalyvaichenko told The Daily Signal from his offices in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital. Nalyvaichenko, 50, is the former head of the… -
opinion
The Slow March to Rooting Out Corruption in Guinea
Corruption in the small West African nation of Guinea is pervasive. Bribery is an everyday reality, and it is often the key to securing lucrative contracts and business licenses. It should come as no surprise, then, that the vast majority of Guineans live in poverty, despite the country being rich in natural resources. In the… -
news
9 Controversies Obama Didn’t Mention When He Denied Any ‘Major Scandals’
President Barack Obama discarded eight years of controversies surrounding his administration, including the targeting of conservative groups, veterans lacking health care, the administration’s response to a terrorist attack weeks before the 2012 election, and a botched gun sting. During a Democratic fundraising event in San Diego Sunday, Obama attacked Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., the former… -
opinion
Fighting the Good Fight Against Corruption in Nigeria
The Heritage Foundation was on the road in West Africa carrying the message of economic freedom. One of our stops was Lagos, Nigeria. Lagos is the largest city in Africa (its metro area population exceeds 20 million) and Nigeria has the largest population (by some estimates nearly 180 million) among the 54 countries on that… -
news
Obama Attends Final Economic Summit Amid Concerns of Cronyism, Corruption
President Barack Obama heads to China on Friday to participate in his final G-20 leaders summit—marking a legacy critics say has left America weaker on the global economic front. While still the world’s largest economy, the United States has experienced weak growth since the Great Recession because of policies that make America less competitive, said… -
news
‘Bribery and Kickback Schemes’ Plague Syrian Relief Program Funded With Tax Dollars
U.S. tax dollars are going to relief agencies in Syria that are engaging in “bid-rigging and multiple bribery and kickback schemes” and the federal government has taken inadequate steps to prevent it, according to a recent audit. The fraud makes an already difficult task even tougher in getting needed aid to Syrians in a country… -
news
House Conservatives Explain Latest IRS Chief Impeachment Push: ‘Leadership Has Been Too Timid to Go After Corruption’
The House Freedom Caucus has launched a pressure play against Republican leadership in an effort to force a vote on impeaching John Koskinen, commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service. Before Congress skipped town Thursday for a seven-week recess, Reps. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kan., and John Fleming, R-La., filed a parliamentary measure known as a privileged resolution… -
opinion
Why the Supreme Court’s Decision on a Governor’s Corruption Conviction Matters
On Monday, the Supreme Court of the United States issued its ruling in the case involving former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, who—with his wife Maureen—had been convicted of public corruption charges. Whether the government chooses to retry the McDonnells remains to be seen, but it seems doubtful. The Supreme Court, in a unanimous opinion written… -
opinion
South Africa Is Losing the War Against Corruption
Once a model for emerging African democracies, South Africa is now mired in corruption that undermines its economy, provokes social unrest, and betrays the dreams and trust of millions of South Africans. South African President Jacob Zuma easily survived an April 5 impeachment vote in parliament, thanks to the large majority party he heads, the… -
news
Corruption Charges in Detroit Schools Spur Calls for Education Reform
Officials are calling for education reform after bribery indictments against Detroit public school officials and a supplier alleged $2.7 million in fraudulent spending, even as Michigan’s governor signed off on nearly $50 million in emergency spending. “Principals are in positions of public trust and have an obligation to act in the best interest of their schools… -
opinion
Corruption and Lack of Economic Freedom Common Themes in Panama Papers
As The Atlantic has reported, “[d]isclosures from the Panama Papers are rocking the global political elite.” Although not all of the activities alleged in the papers may ultimately be determined to be unethical or illegal, it is instructive to look at the connections between many of the people named in the papers and the scores of their… -
opinion
4 Lessons the Government Didn’t Learn After Solyndra Scandal
The lessons of Solyndra have clearly not been learned. The Department of Energy’s loan programs have been fraught with failures and corporate welfare, which have cost taxpayers millions. The problem is not just in the apparent abuse of taxpayer dollars, but more broadly that the government has continued to play venture capitalist The need for…