More on FBI investigation of Curt Weldon

The LA Times, followed by the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Delaware County Daily Times, and other news and TV sources are reporting more on the FBI probe of Curt Weldon. From the LA Times:

A federal grand jury has subpoenaed congressional records from Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.) as part of an escalating Justice Department corruption probe aimed at determining whether Weldon used his influence to win favors for family members, people familiar with the investigation said.

The previously unreported subpoena was issued by a grand jury in Washington before the November election, although it is unclear when Weldon received it.
...
House rules require members of Congress to promptly report the receipt of subpoenas to the leadership when Congress is in session. Notice of the subpoena is then customarily published in the Congressional Record.

A search of the record Thursday did not turn up evidence that Weldon had disclosed the subpoena.

Well, it's kind of piling on at this point, but this is simply another example of the arrogance of Curt Weldon. In all of the investigations and allegations, he has loudly proclaimed his innocence, cried that he had been set up, and shown no remorse. It appears that in this case he didn't think the rules applied to him.

Even to the casual observer, all of the news and evidence looks like, sounds like, and smells like corruption. Just the number of incidents of corruption and the large monetary gains by family and friends, chronicled here and in many other places, are damning. And even if it turns out that all these things were not outright illegal, they sure were unethical. And as the voters of this district said, they are not what the people of this PA-7 district want their Congressman doing.

At the end of this, I hope that Curt Weldon spends some time in a jail cell. He betrayed the trust that was put in him. If he didn't actually break the law, then the laws need to be changed. The important lesson going forward is that future members of Congress know that if they do the stuff that Weldon did, not only will they be voted out, but they will be incarcerated. Maybe that will be a deterrent to more corruption.

Sestak on Armed Services Committee

Good to see that Joe Sestak will take Weldon's seat on the Armed Services Committee. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer yesterday:

After ousting Rep. Curt Weldon (R., Pa.) from a 20-year career in the House, Democrat Joe Sestak will now replace him on the Armed Services Committee.

A former three-star admiral who served in the Navy for 31 years, Sestak is the highest-ranking former military officer to serve in the House, according to a congressional historian.

He pledged to support a strategic focus on "revamping intelligence capability", keeping on top of the "western Pacific and the global war on terror," and backing the future of Boeing Co.'s V-22 Osprey.

Looks promising to have such a qualified guy on this panel.

Sestak says "Redeploy" by end of 2007

Today's Delco Times quotes Congressman-elect Joe Sestak:
"This is not militarily resolvable," Sestak said. "We must redeploy from Iraq, at least by the end of next year."
Further:

Forcing the Iraqi government to "face the reality" of U.S. troops leaving the conflict will force them to render some semblance of peace, most likely by coordinating the effort with other countries in the region using economic accords, according to Sestak.

Yes, that's what we wanted when we voted for Sestak. We voted overwhelmingly here in PA-7 and in many other areas of the USA, that we wanted out of this Iraq war.

Keep this "redeployment" effort going Joe!