JUST IN: Michigan Governor Rick Snyder Hit With Federal RICO Lawsuit For Flint Water Disaster

[MerryBlooms]

The water crisis in Flint, Michigan has already cost thousands of residents sleepless nights, endless visits to doctors as they see about their poisoned children, and proven yet again that too often in this country people cannot trust their elected representatives to do what is in the public interest.


Now, it will cost Michigan Governor Rick Snyder one massive headache atop the one he has already inflicted on himself and his state. Snyder, it was announced today, is now the subject of a federal racketeering (RICO) lawsuit filed by hundreds of Flint residents.

The lawsuit alleges that the state of Michigan ran Flint’s day-to-day operations through an emergency manager, who then attempted to partially balance the city’s budget through a what he felt was a wise cost-cutting measure: Switching Flint’s water source from Lake Huron, which had been the source of water in the city for more than 50 years, to a local, heavily polluted river.

The state could have used federal bankruptcy protections for Flint, rather than appoint an emergency manager who was charged with balancing the budget, according to John Clark, an attorney with the law firm Bern Ripka, but state officials decided not to for purely political reasons:

More:
http://bipartisanreport.com/2016/04/06/just-in-michigan-governor-rick-snyder-hit-with-federal-rico-lawsuit-for-flint-water-disaster/

Fucking jackhole Snyder should be behind bars awaiting trial.

[malaise]

1. Get thee to the greatest page

Oh Yes!!!

[MerryBlooms]

7. For the world to see!

I despise that man with every fiber of my being.

[malaise]

16. He will resign

I'm still sure of that

[dixiegrrrrl]

29. Dunno, my friend.

These guys have a pretty good track record of refusing to resign even after the trials.
Perry of Texas....Bentley of Ala. ..a few more Repubs I can't recall names right off the bat....
oh, not only our Gov Bentley, but the Speaker of the House and our state chief Justice Roy Moore refusing to resign, despite Federal charges in his case.

But...color me happy at the news of synder...

[bjobotts]

33. Snyder has no conscious caring only about avoiding punishment. Not a concern about how residents

would be affected.. He and his crew deserve jail time.

[malaise]

43. Valid point

but I expect to see tham all goon sooner rather than later

[scottie55]

64. Snyder Deserves Something Far Worse Than Just Jail

If it was my child that was being poisoned while he was saying the water was safe.................

[malaise]

67. Same here

[certainot]

65. he's got the uni of michigan and mich state on his side

like all republicans in trouble he's got rw radio defending him and that includes 19 limbaugh stations that will be doing it while wearing the logos and community cred of these michigan unis

Michigan St. 11, Michigan 7, Western Michigan 1

they were probably a major factor getting him elected in the first place, and pushng all their republican alec crap through

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. EXCELLENT NEWS.

I agree that he should be behind bars awaiting trial........and then staying there.

[MerryBlooms]

12. In my dreams... him and a few others.

[november3rd]

3. Front Page

I hope this gets plastered all over the front pages for the rest of the year!

[MerryBlooms]

9. Holiday news dump, but we can keep the story alive through social media.

[mopinko]

4. the whole emergency manager shit was nothing but a scam.

i hope this blows up in his face, big time.

[MerryBlooms]

8. ditto, kid.

[bravenak]

5. WHOA!!! This is GREAT NEWS!!

[99th_Monkey]

6. Hopefully it's not just a show-trial, like they have for cops who murder unarmed citizens. nt

[MerryBlooms]

11. Amen.

We'll just have to wait and see.

[dynamo99]

25. Not a criminal trial, alas

It's a lawsuit (which is permitted by the same law that covers criminal offenses).

I don't think we'll be seeing a criminal indictment. No national politician is going to permit opening that can of worms. Given the activities of the DoJ, NSA, etc., it would put every President at risk.

On the positive side, the burden of proof for a lawsuit is "more likely than not", easier to meet than the "beyond reasonable doubt" that a criminal conviction requires. But you'll still have to deal with jury members who may think the government can do no wrong.

[Dustlawyer]

45. I hope it landed in a good court and not one run by a sympathetic Republican judge.

I also hope that it turns out better than the BP oil spill litigation. A confidentiality Order prevents me from telling what is going down right now, but it is a travesty! The way our system is protecting BP from paying for their harm is, or should be a crime! If we had REAL JOURNALIST AND NEWS OUTLETS and not corporate owned parrots this could not have happened. BP was the biggest advertiser on the Gulf Coast from 2010 to 2013 and one of the biggest national advertisers so as to quash any real attempt at journalism. They would lose ad money if they reported what was going on and the harm caused by the spill and in the aftermath of litigation.

There is no justice if you get harmed by a huge multinational corporation!

[silvershadow]

10. k&R

[sheshe2]

13. May he rot in hell..

For what he did to the city of Flint.

[MerryBlooms]

14. Here's hopin'.

[blackspade]

15. It should be a FBI RICO criminal investigation.

Waiting.....

[Jeffersons Ghost]

21. naa hew's a Republican. The FBI primarily investigates Democrats

[meow2u3]

26. You took the words right off my keyboard

Civil RICO charges are more likely to stick. Repunks will find a way to game the jury system to get him off on criminal RICO charges.

[Miigwech]

17. Great news

Maybe now Michigan can kick the bum out of office .... and all the Republicans that have taken over our State!

[No Vested Interest]

18. This was posted by Bipartisan REport in early April.

Any update or follow-through?

[MerryBlooms]

23. It just showed up on my news feed tonight and I hadn't seen it posted here

so I shared.

[SusanCalvin]

46. Works for me. nt

[baran]

19. Article is dated April 6, 2016. n/t

[LovingA2andMI]

38. Agreed....

This is where READING THE ARTICLE is IMPORTANT!

[Rex]

39. Cannot wait to see that POS put behind bars!

[Jeffersons Ghost]

20. K&R

i wonder if they could charge him with multiple murders

[meow2u3]

27. Or at least multiple manslaughter counts

I think murder would be too tough to prove, although manslaughter could be a lesser included offense.

[scscholar]

22. Expanding the use of RICO could be bad...

for Hillary. Let's hope the feds don't keep trying to expand it.

[safeinOhio]

24. Thank you

For your concern.

[Rex]

34. So no comment on Snyder and a cheap shot against HRC?

Interesting.

[AzDar]

28. Awesome! Put these fuckers UNDER the jail!

[jberryhill]

76. How would one end up in jail in a civil lawsuit?

[Hekate]

30. I hope this is just the beginning for Snyder and all those following ALEC advice

[malaise]

42. +1,000

[Marie Marie]

31. He needs to go to jail and then have his own personal water brought in for him - FROM FLINT!

[Iwillnevergiveup]

32. Better late than never

But I'm very happy for Flint residents who have endured A LOT!!

[Rex]

35. AFT!

[benld74]

36. Woohoo

[hopemountain]

37. it is about time. pos. nt.

[myrna minx]

40. K&R

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

41. Now he'll hire another bunch of lawyers ...

at taxpayers' expense.

He should just be allowed to finish his term-limited stint as Guv, so Lt Gov Brian Calley doesn't get to run as an incumbent governor. It would be nice to get a Dem into that seat next time.

http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/flint-water-crisis/2016/05/25/gov-rick-snyders-legal-tab-6500-per-day/84859358/

[usaf-vet]

44. Hopefully a similar fate awaits Scott Walker in Wisconsin

IMO.... RICO charges would seem fitting given all of shady dealings with contributors that are starting to see the light of day.

[valerief]

48. ^^^THIS TOO^^^

[Rex]

68. YES!!!!

[valerief]

47. I hope this is real and not just political theater. I want to see Snyder strung up like Mussolini.nt

[Enthusiast]

49. I'll believe it when I see Snyder in jail.

[libodem]

50. Boom

About time.

[spanone]

51. K&R...

[saltpoint]

52. Michigan. Where the trees are all

the right height and the water pipes flow with toxins.

Didn't like Snyder in the first place. After this Flint thing I liked him even less.

Let the lawyers do their stuff.

[hollysmom]

53. best news today!

[notadmblnd]

54. Wonder if the Feds will get around to charging him criminally under RICO laws?

Right now it sounds like he's just being sued in a civil action. I think he and his city manager need to be charged criminally. Is it even possible?

[CrispyQ]

55. "Fucking jackhole Snyder should be behind bars awaiting trial."

Ditto this.

[procon]

56. This is a really BFD!

The suit is going far beyond just a one time payoff to those affected, they want big bucks for damages for future medical costs, legal fees, and damages for property damages, loss of business, and financial loss.

[Scientific]

57. Yes. Republicans need to be held RESPONSIBLE for their public misdeeds

Republicans are all about "dodging responsibility" - it's one of their freaking degenerate "Republican Values." They are always weasling out. They must be held accountable for the harm they do.

[Lee-Lee]

58. Now we need Federal charges instead of a Federal Lawsuit

Until then it's just half measures.

[WhiteTara]

59. The idea was to privatize the water

looks like he made a big mistake.

[OwlinAZ]

60. You are right.

Privatizing water goes along with the Republican plan to reduce America to a third world country.

[scottie55]

61. Try Attempted Murder

Make an example of him.

Life in prison is too god for all the Snyder's of this world.

[rladdi]

62. Republicans believe they are above any laws. We just need to look at State of AL and the 3 top

Republicans indicted. We look at Senator M. McConnell, he is about following the Constitution. We look at many Republicans states and politicians and they all believe no law covers them. Gov. Snyder has thumbed his nose at the citizens of MICH. many times.
They we hear Donald Trump saying he is removing all regulations for water. INSANE. Donald also indicated he will remove all taxes from Businesses. INSANE.

[scottie55]

63. Why Is This Child Poisoner Not In Prison?

Shall I repeat?

[Octafish]

70. If he was Arab American store owner from Dearborn, he'd already be labled a TERRORIST...

...and undergoing 24/7/366 torture in Gitmo.

[maxrandb]

66. The entire Republican Party since the ascendancy of Reagan

could and SHOULD be brought up on fucking RICO charges!!!!!

[Octafish]

69. Good news for a Tuesday.

Let's see the RICO criminal indictments, as that's what it is. Snyder and the Michigan GOP cough DeVos Koch and their DEM toadies cough Dillon wanted to piratize Detroit in bankruptcy, including offing with the public treasures in the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Detroit City Water System, the prime provider of good, clean, safe H2O in SE Michigan. Flint paid the price for THEIR greed.

[Rex]

78. They can go after Walker and Rick Scott next, then maybe come here to Texas

and find out why the AG dropped a lawsuit against Trump U. The GOP has been needing to face criminal indictments since the Nixon WH.

Long overdue.

[CobaltBlue]

71. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder would make a fine vice-presidential running mate for Donald Trump.

[BootinUp]

74. GET HIM! K&R

[Quantess]

77. K & R