Your Tax Dollars At Work, Cont. -- ICEmobiles On Ice

 

Following on the heels of news of "Whiskey Pete" Hegseth's luxury spending spree at the Pentagon, it's being reported that recently defenestrated "Border Barbie" Noem spent millions of taxpayer dollars on custom-painted ICEmobiles that aren't being used:

After spending millions of taxpayer dollars on a fleet of new vehicles with Donald Trump-inspired paint jobs, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents reportedly don’t want to drive them.

Last summer, a slick promotional video captured a Ford Raptor pickup truck and GMC Yukon SUV rolling around Washington, D.C., with music from DaBaby playing over close-up images of navy blue paint jobs with red-and-white racing stripes and a gold seal.

The words “defend the homeland” appear on the side, and “President Donald J. Trump” is printed in gold on a rear window.

Homeland Security’s preview of its new fleet — with paint jobs designed to look like the president’s private jet — cost more than $700,000. The government ultimately spent more than $2 million buying up hundreds of new cars with custom wraps, according to contracts reviewed by The Independent.

But officers don’t want them, according to The Washington Examiner.

“ICE has never had marked vehicles,” one person familiar with the purchases told the outlet. “In talking to people, they’re like, ‘We don’t want to use these, we can’t.'”

Another said it’s “ridiculous” to drive marked cars because “you don’t want to advertise what you’re doing.”

“We’re just hiding them in a parking garage somewhere because we don’t want to drive them,” the person reportedly told the outlet. “Who wants to drive the marked vehicles?”

Roughly 25 newly delivered ICE vehicles are sitting at an immigration detention facility in California, unused, according to the Examiner.  [snip]

One contract for a pair of high-performance Mustang GT Fastback coupes was “an immediate request by the White House,” according to another federal procurement document reviewed by The Independent.

Another no-bid contract awarded $2.25 million to a company owned by a prolific Republican donor, whose firm supplied 25 Chevrolet Tahoe SUVs. The contract, skirting a competitive bid process, was awarded to the company because of an “unusual and compelling urgency.”  [snip]

The purchases were reportedly directed by now-former ICE deputy director Madison Sheahan, who left the agency to run for a congressional seat in Ohio.

Sheahan was among several top DHS officials to leave the agency in recent months; last week, the president fired Secretary Kristi Noem, who is stepping down March 31, and Noem’s top deputy Tricia McLaughlin left the agency last month.

ICE leadership is now trying to amend open orders for new cars and trucks to leave out the pain jobs, according to the Examiner...  (our emphasis)

A $225 million inside job pr campaign starring Noem apparently got her fired;  then there's that multi-million dollar taxpayer funded flying love nest she shared with her married boyfriend.  Now we have another sketchy no-bid contract for a Republican donor's company to supply the ICEmobiles that can't be used (maybe a silver lining).  It goes without saying that, in any other administration, both this and the "Whiskey Pete" spending spree -- while Americans are struggling in the MF's economy -- would be top news stories for days if not weeks -- but, wait, there's that Operation Epic Epstein Fury taking up all the oxygen.  

This is a smash-and-grab, pay-to-play, "Epstein class" regime of morons, crooks, grifters, and self-dealers (all in the cult leader's image!) of world-historic caliber whose only interest in government is to sate themselves at the public trough.  We can only wonder, for now, what other grand thefts and misuse of tax dollars have been and are being committed by them.

BONUS:  Here's what their idea of a competent scourge of waste, fraud, and abuse is.

(Photo:  they forgot the clown horn;  one of the Trumpy ICEmobiles / DHS)

Today In Moscow Mitch -- Mrs. Moscow Mitch Edition

Swampy!

A shipping business started by Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao's family received at least $350,000 in loans set aside for companies struggling as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, according to data published Monday by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Chao's parents launched Foremost Group in New York in 1964. The company is currently run by her father and sister, according to the company's website. Its application for a Paycheck Protection Program loan was approved on April 15, the SBA's data shows. While the exact loan amount was not included in the report, the SBA said a loan between $350,000 and $1 million was approved, enabling the company to save 20 jobs. [snip]

The SBA said it approved about 4.9 million loans through the PPP program. The loan amount approved for Foremost Group is part of the second group of loans—those valued at $150,000 and above—that account for nearly 75 percent of PPP loan dollars allocated by the SBA. The SBA's news release said some loans reached values as high as $10 million.

The PPP was built into the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, a bill President Donald Trump signed into law in late March to provide Americans and business owners with financial assistance as states across the U.S. shuttered temporarily to prevent further spread of the virus. Though $349 billion was allocated for distribution through the PPP, the program ran out of money less than two weeks after it launched, frustrating small business owners who were unable to receive loan approval before the funds dried up. Though additional funding was later directed to the PPP—with the application deadline extended as recently as last weekend—reports of large businesses receiving loan approvals from a program that was theoretically designed to assist small businesses frustrated many within the latter group.  (our emphasis)

The Foremost Group owns 33 large dry bulk "capesize" ships, the largest dry cargo ships, valued at $1.2 billion. It's the most valuable of any dry bulk shipper headquartered in the U.S. Does that sound like a small business to you?

... Chao's relationship with the company has in the past been the subject of an ethics investigation launched by the House of Representatives after Chao assumed her role within the Trump administration in early 2017. Chao, who is married to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, has also received criticism for possessing stocks after she said she would sell them before stepping up to lead the Department of Transportation.

Of course, this company didn't need $350,000 + to save 20 jobs, yet it "somehow" got aid that struggling, truly small businesses could have used.  Perhaps her family (billionaires) or Mrs. Moscow Mitch herself ($24 million net worth) could have used some of their personal fortunes to guarantee those 20 jobs rather than take a place at the trough.  The shameless greedy always find a way, though.

Most. Corrupt. Regime. Ever.

(Photo:  Swamp creatures Elaine "Mrs. Moscow Mitch" Chao and Moscow Mitch McConnell.)

"One Of The Biggest Grifters In American History"

Kleptocrat and un- indicted co- conspirator Donald "Rump" Trump has an affinity for fellow grifters. One of them, his Secretary of Commerce, multi- millionaire "Offshore" Wilbur Ross, is giving Rump a run for his money as the biggest grifter of all:

It is difficult to imagine the possibility that a man like Ross, who Forbes estimates is worth some $700 million, might steal a few million from one of his business partners. Unless you have heard enough stories about Ross. Two former WL Ross colleagues remember the commerce secretary taking handfuls of Sweet’N Low packets from a nearby restaurant, so he didn’t have to go out and buy some for himself. One says workers at his house in the Hamptons used to call the office, claiming Ross had not paid them for their work. [Ed. -- sound familiar?] Another two people said Ross once pledged $1 million to a charity, then never paid. [Ed. -- sound familiar?] A commerce official called the tales “petty nonsense,” and added that Ross does not put sweetener in his coffee.   

There are bigger allegations. Over several months, in speaking with 21 people who know Ross, Forbes uncovered a pattern: Many of those who worked directly with him claim that Ross wrongly siphoned or outright stole a few million here and a few million there, huge amounts for most but not necessarily for the commerce secretary. At least if you consider them individually. But all told, these allegations—which sparked lawsuits, reimbursements and an SEC fine—come to more than $120 million. If even half of the accusations are legitimate, the current United States secretary of commerce could rank among the biggest grifters in American history. (our emphasis)

Also, Wilbur, like Rump, has deep connections to Russian oligarchs controlled by Rump's supervisor, Vladimir Putin, as well as to a Cypriot bank that Special Counsel Mueller is looking at as a primary money laundering front for those same Russian oligarchs. Add to that that he's a small- bore cheapskate and deadbeat, just like... well, you know. Ergo, he fits right in with the Rump crime family.

(Photo: "I lifted this from the supermarket." - CNBC image)

Democrats' Mid-Term Strategy: It's All About Republican Corruption

With less than 5 months (!) to go to the 2018 mid- term elections, the Democratic Party thinks it has a unifying, overarching message that will resonate with voters.  "A Better Deal for Our Democracy," unveiled yesterday, focuses on Republican corruption in three areas: voting rights and access, campaign finance, and pay- to- play politics.  While issues such as health care, women's reproductive rights, income inequality, and off- shoring American jobs will play significant roles in individual district and Senate races, Republican corruption and the party's unwillingness to hold kleptocrat and crime family boss Donald "Rump" Trump accountable in any way, shape or form, polls very well across the political spectrum (as the linked article shows).

The beauty of this strategy is that it can accommodate and fold in what is likely to be a summer of revelations and indictments coming from the Mueller investigation. The message can be boiled down to a single notion, Adam Serwer points out,

There are not many Trump scandals. There is one Trump scandal. Singular: the corruption of the American government by the president and his associates, who are using their official power for personal and financial gain rather than for the welfare of the American people, and their attempts to shield that corruption from political consequences, public scrutiny, or legal accountability. 

Speaking for ourselves, it wouldn't matter much what the Democrats' message is for the mid- terms (and we suspect that's true for most other politically- woke folks).  We're going to vote straight Democratic ticket from County Clerk to Congress to Governor.  To do otherwise is to vote against what's left of American democracy.

For those less politically in- touch but "reachable," a message stressing Rump's and his cronies' endemic and blatant corruption -- to the detriment of those who play by the rules -- can be easily absorbed, especially if it's paired (where most effective) with Democratic proposals on economic and social issues.  But the messaging has to be clear, simple and repeated.  Democrats need to get this right;  the stakes are too high for them to fail.

BONUS:

A perennial theme, really works well here -- exposes the "drain the swamp" hypocrisy and ties GOP Congress to Trump. https://t.co/jFXcPt4U1p

— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) May 22, 2018

Great News  https://t.co/pbjV8RTIxd

— Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) May 21, 2018

(h/t Balloon Juice)

Tweets Of The Day -- The Trump Regime Encapsulated

"Trump is ours."

#Russia's state TV:
For the umpteenth time, Russian state TV host exclaims "Trump is ours."
Olga Skabeeva:
"Yesterday, Tillerson supported Theresa May in her 'highly likely' [#Skripal poisoning] allegation. So Trump immediately fired him. Trump is ours!" pic.twitter.com/86WJgPGWmL

— Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) March 14, 2018

"Oh, that $31,000 dining set!"

First on CNN: Emails show Ben and Candy Carson selected the $31,000 dining set for his Department of Housing and Urban Development dining room https://t.co/cqTxVtsc7C pic.twitter.com/crsr27U6wr

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) March 14, 2018

HUD spokesman said last month: “Mrs. Carson and the secretary had no awareness that the table was being purchased” https://t.co/9OoMShgVpP

— Alex Burns (@alexburnsNYT) March 14, 2018

Treason, lies and venality (just for starters). The Republican Party of Trump.

The Accolades For Trump Are Pouring In

He may not have made Time Magazine's "Person of the Year," but unhinged "f*cking moron" Donald "Rump" Trump is earning some well- deserved recognition:

"Lie of the Year"

The fact-checking news site PolitiFact has called President Donald Trump’s claim that Russian interference in the 2016 election is a hoax as the 2017 “Lie of the Year.”

"Most Corrupt Government Institution"

A new public opinion poll conducted over the past two months found that Americans don’t believe that Trump is cleaning up the government. In fact, the opposite is true: 58 percent of people surveyed say the level of corruption has risen in the past 12 months, up from 34 percent who said the same in January 2016. 

And more Americans put the blame at the top: 44 percent now believe that most or all of the officials in the Office of the President are corrupt—up from 36 percent last year, and worse than perceptions of Congress (38 percent of Americans believe Congress is the most corrupt institution).

"Lowest Approval Rating"

President Donald Trump's approval rating sits at 32%, according to a new poll released by the Pew Research Center, matching the lowest level in any poll on his approval since he took office in January. 

The poll also found that disapproval of the President's job performance is at 63%, and just 14% of those who disapprove of his presidential performance say they can think of something he's done that they've been happy with.

"Idiot" and "Liar"

In trying to find the right word for President Donald Trump, American voters are overwhelmingly negative, as 53 voters (not percent) say "idiot" is the first word that comes to mind when they think of the president, followed by 44 voters who say "liar" and 36 voters who say "incompetent," according to a Quinnipiac University national poll released today.  

We're hoping, before his time on Earth is over, he earns the "Most Incorrigible Inmate" award at a fine federal institution.

Whitefish-y Contract With Puerto Rico Power Authority Cancelled

The corrupt (allegedly!) boondoggle is officially over:

Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority is canceling its controversial $300 million contract with Whitefish Energy Holdings to restore the island’s power, officials announced Sunday. 

Ricardo Ramos, executive director of PREPA, said he would honor Puerto Rican Gov. Ricardo Rosselló’s request Sunday to terminate the business deal, which has raised questions from several lawmakers and government agencies. 

Whitefish, a two-year-old firm based in Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s Montana hometown, had just two full-time employees when Hurricane Maria hit the island more than a month ago.  

Language in the contract ― a full copy is here ― looked like it gave Whitefish a sweetheart deal as the people of Puerto Rico struggle to recover from the devastation of the hurricane. 

For one, the contract, which Whitefish signed with the government-owned PREPA states that, “In no event shall [government bodies] have the right to audit or review the cost and profit elements.” That gave Whitefish wide of discretion and privacy over how it used $300 million in American taxpayer money.

So, does this mean any bribes payments made under the table consultation fees are returned? Will Whitefish investors demand that the contributions they made to the campaign of moron Donald "Rump" Trump be returned? What prison will be housing the people responsible for cutting this deal? Haha kidding.

Unfortunately, the corrupt bungling of this contract by all parties will inevitably mean further delays in getting power restored to roughly 70 percent of our fellow Americans in Puerto Rico. It's a complete outrage that this should be happening but, given the players, not at all surprising.

Ah, The Smell Of Swamp Gas In The Morning!

There seems to be a swampy odor emanating simultaneously from Whitefish, MT, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico:

Puerto Rico has agreed to pay a reported $300 million for the restoration of its power grid to a tiny utility company that is primarily financed by a private-equity firm founded and run by a man who contributed large sums of money to President Trump, an investigation conducted by The Daily Beast has found. 

Whitefish Energy Holdings, which had a reported staff of only two full-time employees when Hurricane Maria touched down, appears ill-equipped to handle the daunting task of restoring electricity to Puerto Rico’s more than 3 million residents. 

Much larger utilities are more commonly used following natural disasters on the scale of Hurricane Maria, which devastated the island last month. (our emphasis)

Whew! The smell is getting stronger:

... On Monday, The Washington Post reported that Whitefish Chief Executive Officer Andy Techmanski is friends with Trump administration Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. Moreover, Whitefish is located in Zinke’s hometown of Whitefish, Montana. [snip] 

Zinke isn’t the only member of the Trump administration with a connection to the Whitefish contract. In addition to the Colonnettas’ contributions to Trump’s presidential campaign, Kimberly Colonnetta’s Facebook page contains a photo of her with Ben Carson, Trump’s secretary of housing and urban development. Another photo appears to show Kimberly Colonnetta with Trump Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Both photos were posted the week of Trump’s inauguration. (our emphasis)

Those are a lot of powerful connections!  Not to be confused with connecting Puerto Ricans to power.

No worries! We've located the cause of the smell:

Luis Vega-Ramos, member of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives, told The Daily Beast, “Whitefish’s most important expertise or assets seems to have been… having the U.S. secretary of the interior, Ryan Zinke, as their former congressman and current ally and having the wisdom to retain the services of key people close to the governor [of Puerto Rico].”

“Whitefish seems to be nothing more than a glorified middleman to get the real providers of the services, with which PREPA [the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority] could have contracted directly,” Vega-Ramos said. “It is a cozy sweetheart deal in which Whitefish gets a gratuity for subcontracting the actual providers.”  (our emphasis)

The House Committee on Natural Resources is looking into this, apparently. At last glance, the House is Republican, so the Committee is run by Republicans, who have their swamp gas masks on. Move along, nothing to see here.

(Photo: Interior Secretary Ryan "Stinky" Zinke.)

Flying High On The Taxpayer's Dime (UPDATED)

Various watchdogs are now looking into the champagne travel costs of three of neo- fascist incompetent Donald "Rump" Trump's well- heeled cabinet members:  EPA's Scott "Screw It" Pruitt, HHS's Tom "For Sale At Any" Price, and Treasury's Steve "Moochin'" Mnuchin.

As EPA's Pruitt methodically cuts EPA staff and budget in service to the fossil fuel industry, he's not so careful about taxpayer money when it comes to his well- cushioned ass (our emphasis throughout):

Scott Pruitt, the Environmental Protection Agency chief, has been criticized for his frequent travels back to Oklahoma, where the former state attorney general is discussed as a possible candidate for governor. Although he has mostly flown commercial, the high-priced fares suggest he was probably not traveling coach. 

In the latest development, the EPA confirmed Wednesday that Pruitt flew in a private jet round trip from Denver to Durango, Colo. He also reportedly flew a military plane from Cincinnati to New York. 

Separately, the EPA — which has also been targeted for deep budget cuts — is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on Pruitt’s round-the-clock security detail.

Mnuchin, the infamous foreclosure king of California, is also facing questions about using private jets for public business:

Mnuchin, a former Wall Street executive and Hollywood producer worth as much as $350 million, married Scottish actress Louise Linton in June at Trump International Hotel near the White House. He requested an Air Force jet for his honeymoon to Scotland, France and Italy. His office said he needed access to secure communications during the trip but withdrew the request after finding another option. 

Mnuchin did take a military jet last month from New York to Washington, saying once again he needed a secure phone line. The Aug. 15 flight cost at least $25,000, ABC News reported. 

HHS's Price, however, is determined to make his fellow hypocrites look like pikers when it comes to bilking taxpayers:

Price’s trips on chartered jets could prove more problematic. He has called for deep spending and staffing cuts at the Department of Health and Human Services, including a $6-billion reduction at the National Institutes of Health, opening him to charges of both poor judgment and hypocrisy. 

Politico has documented 26 flights by Price on private charter planes at taxpayer expense since early May, estimating the cost at more than $400,000. It found frequent, low-cost airline flights on some of the routes he took, as well as train fares as low as $72 for a trip between Washington and Philadelphia — as opposed to about $25,000 for his charter. 

Two of Price’s private jet trips paid for by the government were to places where he owns property — St. Simons Island, Ga., and Nashvile, Politico reported Tuesday. A department spokesman said Price conducted official business and visited family members and colleagues.

The ethically challenged Price, you may recall, was involved in shady insider stock trades when he was a Congressman from Georgia writing legislation to benefit those companies.  He was confirmed anyway by his fellow Republican crooks and crackpots.

BONUS: The great former Congressman John Dingell weighs in:

Trump and his millionaire cronies are flying around the country on private planes YOU pay for, destroying programs and policies YOU deserve.

— John Dingell (@JohnDingell) September 27, 2017

UPDATE: Uh-oh. Interior Secretary Ryan "Stinky" Zinke has a private jet problem too.