Federal grand jury indicts Rep. Jeff Fortenberry on charges of lying to investigators

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Washington Post




A federal grand jury has indicted Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) on charges of lying to federal investigators about his campaign contributions.

The congressman, who was elected in 2004, said he expected to be indicted.

The federal grand jury charged him with one count of scheming to falsify and conceal material facts and two counts of making false statements to federal investigators looking into illegal contributions to his 2016 campaign, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/federal-grand-jury-indicts-rep-jeff-fortenberry-on-charges-of-lying-to-investigators-about-campaign-contributions/2021/10/19/808add1a-311f-11ec-9241-aad8e48f01ff_story.html

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Full headline: Federal grand jury indicts Rep. Jeff Fortenberry on charges of lying to investigators about campaign contributions

Short article.

[bucolic_frolic]

1. It's often overlooked but our grand juries are still functioning just like they always did /nt

[OAITW r.2.0]

2. Organized Crime Party

It's what today's Republican Party does.

[BumRushDaShow]

3. What is interesting

I had found and posted this in the earlier thread anticipating this indictment - https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=2815003

(Ack! Omaha Steve self-deleted his OP - https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142814993 apparently because it hadn't happened yet - until now)

But here is what I had about the Lebanese-Nigerian billionaire behind the scenes funneling the money -



The DOJ settlement doc is here - https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/lebanese-nigerian-billionaire-and-two-associates-resolve-federal-probe-alleged

I was trying to find out what other campaigns he gave to and found this - https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2021/04/straw-donor-scheme-foreign-billionaire/



The original articles were mentioning "4 GOP" members involved but had only mentioned 2 names - Fortenberry & Terry. OpenSecrets also included Rmoney and Issa as the other 2.

[OAITW r.2.0]

4. Who are the 2nd level recipients?

Are these pass-thru PACs? Sure looks like it.

[BumRushDaShow]

5. Apparently... going through the DOJ doc

there were various people & orgs (like PACs) in California who took the funding and then "distributed it".

[OAITW r.2.0]

6. Thanks....more corrupt election funding that the Republican (sorry, I mean Conservative)

Supreme Court majority wants to keep in place. Boggles my mind the impunity in which Republicans will violate Federal election law with regards to funding disclosure. A clear and present danger to our Country's survival.

[BumRushDaShow]

10. I so wish we could have restored McCain-Feingold

after the SCOTUS tossed it out with the Citizen's United ruling, and made "corporations" into "people".

They should have been able to revise that law to pass muster and end this madness.

[Champp]

8. Greedy grifty republicans

Something we can - alas - always depend upon.

[11 Bravo]

7. A lying Republican? Who could have ever guessed?

[SouthBayDem]

9. Ever seen this satirical website?

http://www.jefffortenberry.com/

That's now the least of his worries.

[Hassler]

11. Another fine Grand Old Perpetrator member.

[niyad]

12. He looks like a slightly-less dissipated bannon.

[dchill]

13. "...said he expected to be indicted."

Oh, well then. Never mind! No harm, no foul.

[Rhiannon12866]

14. Chris Hayes reported on this tonight: GOP Congressman Predicts His Own Federal Indictment - MSNBC

[BumRushDaShow]

16. LOL

Getting ahead of the news cycle.

[Rhiannon12866]

17. This was one of the few non-January 6th Committee news reports tonight, so I thought it was worth

Adding. I think Chris Hayes is underrated.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

15. Lock him up

[pwb]

18. He is sorry for one thing, he got caught.

He thought trump was king forever and would allow such things. oops.