June 12, 2012, Fairfax, VA—Americans for Limited Government President Bill Wilson today issued the following statement urging that a Special Counsel in the Department of Justice be appointed to lead the investigation into the White House national security leaks case, questioning whether the truth could be revealed if Attorney General Eric Holder was overseeing the investigation:

“Eric Holder, who has been under increasing scrutiny for his purported cover-up of the Fast and Furious, the Black Panthers Philly 2008 case, and fighting Florida’s voter ID laws, has no business leading the investigation into the White House national security leaks. He is a political appointee loyal to Obama.

“The Special Counsel is the only office that independent of the Attorney General can lead such a politically charged inquiry. Holder has an interest to protect Obama, who for all we know originated the leak. Only an independent investigation will reveal how far up this goes, and avoid any appearance of a cover-up.

“If ever there was a case for a special prosecutor, this is it. This is precisely why the Special Counsel was created.

“Holder should stand aside, and let an independent investigation proceed without his or the White House’s interference. Right now, this is the equivalent of the fox watching the hen house. Nobody is going to feel justice was served when the White House exonerates itself without an independent body having had a chance to investigate.”

 Interview Availability: Please contact Rebekah Rast at (703) 383-0880 or at rrast@getliberty.org to arrange an interview with ALG President Bill Wilson.

Correction: The original version of this press statement errantly called for the U.S. Office of Special Counsel to lead the national security leaks investigation, when the intention was to call for a special counsel be appointed by the Attorney General to lead the investigation.

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Feb. 2, 2012, Fairfax, VA—Today, members of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight questioned Attorney General Eric Holder of the U.S. Justice Department on the stonewalling of subpoenaed information on the Fast and Furious debacle.

The Fast and Furious operation left one Border Patrol agent and at least 300 Mexicans dead because of the Justice Department’s operation to funnel guns to Mexican drug cartels.

“This was a transfer of firearms from straw purchasers to people who were not legally allowed to purchase them in violation of federal law. This was deliberately done to put the weapons in the hands of the cartels,” says Bill Wilson, president of Americans for Limited Government (ALG).

As Holder continues to argue that there has not been any cover up of the scandal while at the same time failing to turn over congressionally subpoenaed documents, it is time for the Obama Administration to come clean. Instead, in the wake of revelations that Justice Department officials had significantly more knowledge and involvement in the Fast and Furious disaster, Holder continues to claim innocence.

“It is time for Eric Holder to accept responsibility for the deaths that occurred based upon nothing more than a political public relations ploy attempting to drum up support for legislation banning firearms. Eric Holder should step down immediately to restore some semblance of trust in the U.S. Justice Department.”

The parents of the slain agent, Brian Terry, are promising a $25 million lawsuit against the federal government.

Interview Availability: Please contact Rebekah Rast at (703) 383-0880 or at rrast@getliberty.org to arrange an interview with ALG President Bill Wilson.

Nov. 30, 2011, Fairfax, VA—Americans for Limited Government President Bill Wilson today in a statement called on Attorney General Eric Holder to step down or be fired for his role in Operation Fast and Furious:

“Eric Holder’s Nixonian levels of paranoia penetrating the upper reaches of the Justice Department notwithstanding, there is indeed a growing chorus of elected officials calling for the Attorney General to step down — and with good cause. One Border Patrol agent and at least 300 Mexicans are dead because of the Justice Department’s operation to funnel guns to Mexican drug cartels.

“This was a transfer of firearms from straw purchasers to people who were not legally allowed to purchase them in violation of federal law. This was deliberately done to put the weapons in the hands of the cartels. Holder should resign or be fired, having lost the moral authority to lead a department tasked with enforcing the laws of the United States and protecting the American people.

“This felony, along with pretending to be in the dark about it, disqualifies Holder from further service. What apparently started out as a politically motivated operation to justify stricter gun control measures turned into a tragedy. Justice can only be served by Holder’s immediate removal from office.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Rebekah Rast at (703) 383-0880 or at rrast@getliberty.org to arrange an interview with ALG President Bill Wilson.

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November 2nd, 2010, Fairfax, VA—The Department of Justice is deploying “more than 400 federal observers and department personnel to 30 jurisdictions in 18 states” to monitor today’s elections. Of note, however, is that two notable states where irregularities have already been reported, North Carolina and Nevada, are not on the list of states.

In Clark County, Nevada, FOX 5 Vegas reported voters who, when they entering the voting booth, noted that Harry Reid’s name was already checked off. Controversy emerged when it was reported that the SEIU Local 1107, which supports Harry Reid,controls the ballot boxes by contract through their representation of the voting machine technicians.

In North Carolina, a similar situation has emerged where voters attempting to vote the Republican ticket had the opposite result recorded in the machine, despite repeated attempts. And in Havelock, NC, at one point the machines only tallied 250 votes cast when 400 people had signed into vote.

However, no federal agents have been called in. Instead, they are going to Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, South Dakota, Texas, Florida, Hawaii, Mississippi, Nebraska, New York, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.

Americans for Limited Government President Bill Wilson said he was not surprised at the omission: “The American people will remember that this is Eric Holder’s Justice Department, who let the new Black Panthers off the hook in Philadelphia in a case of blatant voter intimidation. We’ve gotten past the point where we expect them to deal evenly with potential cases of election fraud, manipulation, and intimidation. They have lost credibility.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Rebekah Rast at (703) 383-0880 or at rrast@getliberty.org to arrange an interview with ALG President Bill Wilson.

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Calls for New Ethics Investigation Grow as Public Watchdog Uncovers Conflict of Interest

October 26th, 2010, Fairfax, VA—Americans for Limited Government (ALG) President Bill Wilson today urged the Senate Ethics Committee to reexamine sweetheart loans given to Senators Chris Dodd and Kent Conrad by Countrywide in light of three Countrywide loans held by the committee’s chair, Senator Barbara Boxer.

“Senator Boxer, who had Countrywide loans of her own, never should have headed the Dodd and Conrad investigations into their own Countrywide dealings. This is one of the most blatant conflicts of interest in Senate history, and throws the Ethics Committee’s investigations of Dodd and Conrad completely into question,” Wilson declared.

“Senator Boxer’s loans even came during the same period as Dodd and Conrad’s loans, and yet she did not recuse herself,” Wilson explained.

Documents have recently surfaced from the Foundation for Ethics in Public Service, as reported by the Daily Caller, showing Boxer had refinanced mortgages with Countrywide in Marin and Alameda Counties in California from 2000 through 2004, and in Washington, D.C. from 2001 to 2007. The Marin County refi was paid off in 2006, and the Alameda County refi was paid off in 2005 via a Credit Suisse refi. Dodd refinanced twice with Countrywide in 2003, and Conrad received his special deal in 2004.

Boxer spokesman Zachary Coile denied any wrongdoing: “Senator Boxer disclosed more information than she was asked to disclose — even though Senate rules do not require any disclosure of a lawmaker’s mortgages.” Wilson said the issue “goes beyond disclosure.”

Wilson responded, “Boxer still doesn’t get it. This is pretty basic stuff. You don’t head an investigation into a company that you’re a client of. Her partial disclosure does not mitigate that inherent conflict of interest.”

Previously, Boxer had only disclosed the existence of two of the Countrywide loans to reporters in 2008. Wilson questioned why the third loan was kept a secret, saying, “The head of the Senate Ethics Committee should be above reproach. It certainly raises questions.”

The Foundation for Ethics in Public Service has now filed formal complaints with both the Senate Ethics Committee and Attorney General Eric Holder for this particular failure of Boxer to disclose the Alameda County refi for her son Doug’s home. “It’s been 8 years where it should have been disclosed, and she did not,” said Leslie Merritt, Executive Director of the Foundation.

“As head of the Senate Select Committee on Ethics, she should have listed everything,” Merritt added.

“Boxer’s committee concluded that both Senators Dodd and Conrad ‘should have exercised more vigilance’ to avoid the appearance of impropriety when she herself did not meet that basic standard. She did not recuse herself from overseeing these investigations because of her own Countrywide loans when she should have,” Wilson said.

Wilson called on the Senate Ethics Committee, which exonerated Dodd and Conrad of any wrongdoing, to redo their inquiries. Both Senators were accused of accepting gifts from Countrywide via the so-called “Friends of Angelo” program. The committee found “no credible evidence” that either Senator had “knowingly accepted a gift.”

However, Dodd had admitted that he knew he was in the VIP program in February 2009. And according to sworn testimony by former Countrywide employee Robert Feinberg to Congress, both Senators Dodd and Conrad were aware they were in the program. As reported by the Wall Street Journal, Dodd “got the red-carpet treatment because of his central role in regulating the financial industry,” according to Feinberg.

The Journal report continues, “Countrywide was for years the biggest single customer of Fannie Mae, the giant government-sponsored mortgage securitizer that has since gone into federal conservatorship. Much of Countrywide’s business was built around its ability to sell loans to Fannie, and [former Countrywide CEO Angelo] Mozilo helped push Fannie to accept dodgier and dodgier paper. Mr. Dodd in turn supported this goal by pressing Fannie to do more for ‘affordable’ housing.”

“Boxer’s commission completely botched this investigation. She said Dodd and Conrad didn’t know they were getting special treatment. It is crystal clear they did know,” Wilson said. Dodd reportedly saved $75,000 because of the preferential treatment, and did not seek reelection in 2010 because of his involvement with Countrywide.

Also included in the “Friends of Angelo” program were former Fannie Mae CEO’s Franklin Raines and Jim Johnson.

Wilson said Countrywide’s bankruptcy would not have been possible without support from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. GSE purchases of mortgages from Countrywide gave it the ability to originate some $789 billion of so-called “Best Practices” mortgages that helped to fulfill the Government Sponsored Enterprises’ “affordable housing goals,” according to research by former chief credit officer of Fannie Mae, Edward Pinto.

Those “affordable housing goals” helped to facilitate both companies’ downfalls, according Pinto’s research. Both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were placed in conservatorship in 2008 by Congress, and have received as much as $145 billion in taxpayer assistance.

“Dodd and Conrad’s placement into the ‘Friends of Angelo’ VIP program, when Countrywide was doing some $789 billion worth of business with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac at the behest of congressionally-mandated ‘affordable housing goals’, were obviously gifts. The Senate kept the easy money flowing from the GSEs to Countrywide, and Countrywide reciprocated to key senators with favorable treatment,” Wilson explained.

“Senator Boxer had no business overseeing the ethics panel against Dodd and Conrad for their own Countrywide loans when she had multiple refi’s from Countrywide during the same period Dodd and Conrad did. Boxer should have recused herself,” Wilson concluded.

Attachments:

Senator Boxer’s Alameda County Property, 2002, at http://washingtonalert.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/BoxerAlamedaCountyProperty.pdf

Complaint to Senate Ethics Committee, October 25th, 2010, Foundation for Ethics in Public Service.

Complaint to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, October 25th, 2010, Foundation for Ethics in Public Service.

Interview Availability: Please contact Rebekah Rast at (703) 383-0880 or at rrast@getliberty.org to arrange an interview with ALG President Bill Wilson.

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January 15th, 2010, Fairfax, VA–Americans for Limited Government President Bill Wilson today announced that his organization’s news team will help insure ballot integrity in Tuesday’s Massachusetts senatorial election by positioning video teams, field reporters, and bloggers at key locations throughout the state.