Senator's letter to Secretary of State nominee seeks additional transparency measures from husband’s organization
WASHINGTON, DC Jan. 16, 2009 -— U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, today sent a letter to Secretary of State nominee Hillary Clinton urging that the Clinton Foundation pledge to adopt increased disclosure requirements relating to foreign donors while serving as Secretary of State. Echoing similar concerns by the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Cornyn is hopeful Mrs. Clinton, the Clinton Foundation and the President-elect’s team will work with him to find common ground to prevent any real or perceived conflict of interest.
“I remain deeply troubled that America’s foreign policy and your diplomatic mission will be encumbered by the sweeping global activities of the Clinton Foundation … unless tighter foreign fundraising restrictions and transparency protocols are adopted by your husband’s organization,” Sen. Cornyn, a longtime champion of open government and transparency reforms, wrote in the letter. “Put simply, the Foundation’s refusal of foreign-source donations while you serve as Secretary of State is in this nation’s interest. But I am willing to consider other options to reduce the likelihood of real or perceived conflicts of interest that will result from foreign donations.”
--The full text of the letter is below--
January 16, 2009
The Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton
476 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Senator Clinton:
Congratulations on your nomination to be America’s next Secretary of State. I have followed your confirmation proceedings closely and believe that you will be an able representative of this nation’s interests as our diplomat-in-chief. At your recent hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, you demonstrated a command of the complex challenges we face abroad and a commitment to placing our national interest first.
But, like many others, I remain deeply troubled that America’s foreign policy and your diplomatic mission will be encumbered by the sweeping global activities of the Clinton Foundation (the “Foundation”)—unless tighter foreign fundraising restrictions and transparency protocols are adopted by your husband’s organization. As you know, my concern about potential conflicts of interest is shared by Senator Richard Lugar, the top-ranking Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee. But these are not partisan concerns. Senator John Kerry, who chairs that committee, noted that “it's fair to say that Senator Lugar is not speaking from a partisan perspective. He's speaking for the committee.” And it is a matter of public record that the President-elect’s team shares these concerns and that the Foundation has recently accepted additional transparency measures beyond those previously negotiated with transition officials.
Like Senator Lugar, I believe that during your tenure as Secretary of State, the Foundation should refuse all pledges and contributions from foreign sources. As Senator Lugar noted at your confirmation hearing on Tuesday, the Foundation “exists as a temptation for any foreign entity or government that believes it could curry favor through a donation” and thus arise “potential perception problems with any action taken by the Secretary of State in relation to foreign givers or their countries.”
Put simply, the Foundation’s refusal of foreign-source donations while you serve as Secretary of State is in this nation’s interest. But I am willing to consider other options to reduce the likelihood of real or perceived conflicts of interest that will result from foreign donations. Senator Lugar has proposed several commonsense disclosure requirements. I concur with many of his proposals and would indeed go further in several instances.
As a longtime champion of open government and transparency reforms, I feel compelled to urge you, the Foundation, and the President-elect to agree to stronger measures.
I look forward to working with you to resolve these concerns.
Sincerely,
JOHN CORNYN
United States Senator
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Attorney General Abbott Supports Court Ruling Allowing Prayer In Upcoming Presidential Inauguration
AUSTIN, TX Jan. 16, 2009 -– Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott today supported a Thursday ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Reggie B. Walton clearing the way for prayer at President-elect Barack Obama’s Presidential Inauguration next week and the presidential oath of office to include the phrase, “So help me God.”
“Yesterday's federal court decision marks an important victory for all Americans’ right to freely express their religious faith,” said Attorney General Abbott. “Since President George Washington first said ‘So help me God’ in 1789, American presidents have a longstanding, historic--and constitutionally established--tradition of invoking the Almighty at their inaugural ceremonies. Recognizing that right, the federal district court rejected the plaintiffs' request and cleared the way for President-elect Obama to invoke God during his historical inauguration.”
Attorney General Abbott and attorneys general representing all 50 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands filed their amicus brief in an effort to defeat a legal challenge that activist Michael Newdow and several atheist organizations filed on Dec. 30, 2008. Late Thursday, Judge Walton refused to grant the plaintiffs’ request for a preliminary injunction – an action which could have prevented President-elect Barack Obama’s oath from including the phrase, “So help me God,” and prayer during the inauguration.
The states’ action in Michael Newdow, et al. v. Hon. John Roberts, Jr. reflects Attorney General Abbott’s latest effort to lead a multi-state defense of public acknowledgments of God. In a 2003 amicus brief that was filed with the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of all 50 states, Attorney General Abbott successfully helped thwart Newdow’s attempt to remove the words “under God” from the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance. In 2007, he defeated a separate lawsuit attempting to remove the words “under God” from the Texas Pledge of Allegiance.
Attorney General Abbott also personally appeared before the U.S. Supreme Court, where he successfully defended a Ten Commandments monument on the Texas Capitol grounds. In that case, Van Orden v. Perry, the plaintiff sought to remove a Ten Commandments from the Texas Capitol, but the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the monument was constitutional.
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In separate cases, Billy Joe Butler and Damien Donte Porter, both of Pittsburg, pled guilty Wednesday to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine before United States Magistrate Judge Chad Everingham.
MARSHALL, TX, Jan. 14, 2009 -– United States Attorney Rebecca A. Gregory announced today that two Texas men have pleaded guilty to federal drug crimes in separate cases in the Eastern District of Texas.
Billy Joe Butler 44, of Pittsburg, Texas, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine today before United States Magistrate Judge Chad Everingham.
In a separate case, Damien Donte Porter 31, also of Pittsburg, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and felony possession of a firearm. He also stood before Judge Everingham.
According to information presented in court, Butler admitted that up until April 16, 2008, he conspired with others to distribute at least 5 kilograms of cocaine in Camp County, Texas.
Butler was indicted by a federal grand jury on June 3, 2008. He faces up to Life in federal prison. A sentencing date has not been set. The case was investigated by the Texas Department of Public Safety and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Denise Simpson.
In Porter's case, he admitted that up until March 28, 2008, he conspired with others to distribute at least 5 kilograms of cocaine in Camp County, Texas.
Porter, a convicted felon, having been previously found guilty of felony distribution of drugs in federal court in 2001, also acknowledged that he was in possession of a firearm on Jan. 24, 2008. As a convicted felon, Porter is prohibited from owning or possessing firearms or ammunition.
Porter was indicted by a federal grand jury on June 3, 2008. He faces up to Life in federal prison on the drug charge and up to 10 years in federal prison for the firearms charge. Porter has also agreed to the forfeiture of two firearms. A sentencing date has not been set. The case was investigated by the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Denise Simpson.
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Bradley Wayne Taylor, convicted of sexual assault in 1997 in Gilmer, plead guilty Wednesday to failing to register as a sex offender, and might receive 10 years imprisonment.
MARSHALL, TX, Jan. 14, 2009 -– United States Attorney Rebecca A. Gregory announced today that a 27-year-old Gladewater, Texas man has pleaded guilty to federal sex offender registry violations in the Eastern District of Texas.
Bradley Wayne Taylor pleaded guilty to failing to register as a sex offender, an Adam Walsh Act violation, today before United States Magistrate Judge Chad Everingham.
The Adam Walsh Act, which is found in 18 United States Code 2250, makes it a crime for a sex offender to travel in interstate commerce, and fail to register as a sex offender in the state where he plans to reside, work, or attend school.
According to information presented in court, Taylor was convicted of attempted indecency with a child sexual contact in 1996 in Galveston, Texas, and sexual assault in 1997 in Gilmer, Texas.
Taylor was notified by authorities that he was required to register as a sex offender. However, Taylor traveled in interstate commerce from Texas to Arkansas and failed to register as a sex offender with local authorities, in direct violation of the Adam Walsh Act. Taylor was indicted by a federal grand jury on Aug. 5, 2008.
Taylor faces up to 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not been set.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.
Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Denise Simpson.
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The Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) reports that laboratory tests have confirmed that a stallion in Texas is infected with contagious equine metritis (CEM), a highly contagious venereal disease of horses.
The Texas-born quarter horse had spent the 2008 breeding season in Kentucky, where CEM was detected in a stallion during routine testing in mid-December.
As of January 15, a total of nine infected stallions have been detected: four in Kentucky, three in Indiana, and one each in Wisconsin and Texas. All of the infected stallions have epidemiological links to one or more CEM-infected equine during the 2007 or 2008 breeding season. State and federal authorities are continuing to seek the source of the infection.
At least 38 states are involved in a nationwide epidemiological investigation and testing of about 275 horses that may have been exposed to CEM through natural breeding or artificial insemination. The disease can be spread among stallions, if strict biosecurity measures are not maintained during the collection of semen.
CEM is not routinely spread through casual contact or shared boarding facilities, and horses can be treated with disinfectants and antibiotics to wipe out the infection. Potentially exposed and infected equine animals are being held under movement restrictions by state animal health authorities, until they test negative for the disease or they complete veterinary treatment and are certified as CEM-negative.
Currently, the TAHC is working with accredited private veterinary practitioners to test another stallion and 21 mares with potential exposure to CEM. In some cases, CEM may cause infected mares to abort.
CEM is not known to affect humans. The equine disease was first detected in the U.S. in 1978, then again in 1979. In both instances, the limited outbreaks were eradicated.
Additional national CEM information may be found on the USDA’s web site at:
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/newsroom/hot_issues/cem/index.shtml
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On the heels of bad economic news, governor emphasizes pro business climate and workforce development.
AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry today emphasized the need for continued conservative fiscal principles and strengthening of the state’s workforce to help bolster Texas’ economy as it begins to feel the strain of the national economic downturn. The governor spoke at the Texas Workforce Commission Economic Summit: Putting America Back to Work.
“As we move forward, we must ensure that the challenges of the financial downturn are handled with confidence and discipline,” Gov. Perry said. “With a recent revenue estimate that came in below working numbers, we must devote this legislative session to those programs and initiatives that make the biggest difference to Texans.”
The governor credited Texas’ low taxes, reasonable regulatory structure, and economic development incentives such as the Texas Enterprise Fund and Texas Emerging Technology Fund with creating jobs for Texans by attracting businesses to relocate to the state. Approximately 70 percent of the jobs created in the U.S. from November 2007-2008 were in Texas, with 7,300 jobs created in November 2008 alone. Texas’ unemployment rate is one point lower than the national average, and the state’s annual growth rate was 2.1 percent last year, compared to -1.4 percent nationally.
The governor also credited workforce programs such as the Skills Development Fund, which provides funding to community and technical colleges that prepare workers for skill-based technical jobs, with building the state’s capable and educated workforce.
“As we move into this legislative session, the biggest challenge we face is bolstering our state to withstand the economic crisis that has toppled businesses and economies around the world,” Gov. Perry said. “Fortunately, thanks to some tough decisions we made in 2003, Texas has not suffered as much as other states, but we must look ahead with an eye to responsibility and the best interests of Texans at heart.”
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In the past, Upshur County has responded to calls to bury dead livestock on private property free of charge. That practice might be illegal, and is certainly in question.
GILMER, TX Jan. 15, 2009 -- At today's Commissioner's Court meeting, Commissioner Lloyd Crabtree (Pct. 3), called into question whether the county should be providing the service, and if the owners of the animals should be paying for it.
Acknowledging that were some instances that diseased animals might pose a health problem and need to be buried, he said that county workers were sometimes called upon on overtime to bury the animals.
County Road Administrator Bubba Pendarvis confirmed that he received calls to bury animals at all hours and on weekends, saying some residents were even setting up appointments to correspond to veterinarian visits to put the animals down.
Commissioner Joe Ferguson, (Pct. 2), stated he had looked into legal statutes regarding the issue in the past, and thought it might be illegal for the county to continue the practice.
County Judge Dean Fowler said he would look into the statutes involved, and instructed Pendarvis to limit the practice to normal working hours in the mean time.
In other court business, the Commissioners accepted high bids on all properties foreclosed on for tax delinquencies, and agreed to bring any issues involving roadwork they couldn't resolve with Pendarvis to the court as an agenda item.
The Commissioners assured Fowler that they had been able, thus far, to work with Pendarvis on roadwork needed in their precincts.
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Upshur County District Attorney Billy Byrd reports that the 115th Judicial District Court heard 11 guilty pleas for the period.
GILMER, Tx, Jan. 13 -- With Judge Lauren Parrish presiding, the court heard eleven criminal cases, all resulting in guilty pleas.
Michael Decco, 44, White Oak, TX
Possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine)
Pled guilty.
James Allen Bell, 32, Gladewater, TX
Possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine)
Pled guilty.
Daniel Wayne Porter, 21, Gilmer, TX
Theft
Pled guilty.
Shawn Heim, 17, Ore City, TX
Burglary
Pled guilty.
Dale Edwin Johnson, 52, Dallas, TX
Driving while intoxicated
Pled guilty.
David Lester Mcalhany, 49, Longview, TX
False statement to obtain credit
Pled guilty.
Gary Don Elliott, 42, Mt. Pleasant, TX
Theft
Pled guilty.
Louis Franklin Gilmore, 65, Pittsburg, TX
Aggravated sexual assault of a child, Indecency with a child
Pled guilty.
Josiah Andrew Mitchell, 18, Longview, TX
Burglary
Pled guilty.
Kimberly Bunch, 44, Big Sandy, TX
Theft
Pled guilty.
Sarina Danner, 21, Gilmer, TX
Possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine)
Pled guilty.
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