-By Dan Scott
Last week on WJR radio Frank Beckmann conducted an interview of Tom Lauria, a bankruptcy lawyer who represents some of the bondholders who loaned money Chrysler. During the course of that interview Mr. Lauria dropped a bombshell that implicated the Whitehouse in an extortion plot against a bondholder potentially involving almost a billion dollars amounting to fraud.
The threat that amounts to extortion:
“I can tell you for sure that I represent one less investor today than I represented yesterday. One of my clients was directly threatened by the White House, and in essence compelled to withdraw its opposition to the deal under threat that the full force of the White House press corps would destroy its reputation if it continued to fight. That’s how hard it is to stand on this side of the fence.”
Let’s be clear what extortion is: Extortion, outwresting, or exaction is a criminal offense, which occurs when a person either unlawfully obtains money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution through coercion or intimidation or threatens a person, entity, or institution with physical or reputational harm unless he or she is paid money or property. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime groups. The actual obtainment of money or property is not required to commit the offense. Making a threat of violence or a lawsuit which refers to a requirement of a payment of money or property to halt future violence or lawsuit is sufficient to commit the offense.
One must wonder how many more Chrysler bondholders were similarly threatened? And what about the GM bondholders, were they threatened, how many of them and by whom? The possibility more than one bondholder was threatened creates another set of crimes called Conspiracy to commit fraud. What the country is potentially faced with is a RICO case involving Enterprise Corruption over the Chrysler and GM attempts to avoid bankruptcy filings. By the way, it should be known these bondholders represent mutual funds whose investors are people like you and me, IRA and 401k accounts. The financial fraud being committed is not to be discounted as against some rich people who won’t be missing one of their many little piles of cash; it is against the average working stiff who diligently sacrificed for years to have a retirement.
Unfortunately, it comes as no surprise the FBI or SEC are not investigating a potential extortion threat or fraud when it comes to the Whitehouse’s actions. During the last four months they have essentially sat on their hands while President Obama and his minions at the Whitehouse have broken one law after another under the guise of political expediency to save the nation. One must wonder if they are simply clueless as the Keystone Cops or have been told not to investigate potentially politically damaging actions. This seems to be behavior of most Law Enforcement these days. Let’s compare this behavior to within the last few years (2007) when Senator Larry Craig stuck his hand under a bathroom stall, or when (2006) Senator Foley made some untoward comments in emails to a 17 year old page or recently when (2008) Alaska Senator Ted Stevens was prosecuted for some work at his house by a generous campaign contributor. All of those seem to have one thing in common, an R behind their title. Yet when faced with serious multiple felonies, the people involved with a D behind their title the FBI doesn’t bat an eyelash.
The Whitehouse when confronted with the accusation of making threats engaged in denials. “The charge is completely untrue,” said White House deputy press secretary Bill Burton, “and there’s obviously no evidence to suggest that this happened in any way.” Interesting response wouldn’t you say? There is no evidence that this happened? As though an event never happened if it wasn’t documented in triplicate? Mr. Burton, knows better, first hand testimony IS evidence and it does exist in this case, namely the person who received the threat, Perella Weinberg. Be watchful for staffers being reassigned out of the Whitehouse as anyone in the know with material information will to sent off elsewhere to hid the “evidence” of who knew what and who did it. The cover up of wrongdoing has already started with this denial.
During the course of a conversation with Tom Blumer at Bizzyblog.com how this might be Obama’s Watergate moment, he made the comment, “As an event in and of itself, Watergate had little significance. The cover-up did.” I was rather dumbfounded at the time, however after digesting his observation, it unlocked an even greater truth in shades of Richard Nixon. While most conservatives intuitively recognize the bias in the media and it’s cooperation with the Democrats in general, there is even a greater issue. So people at the FBI, pay close attention since you clearly have been dropping the ball lately I will spell it out for you. Let me draw your attention back to the original quote and repeat these words for your interest: “…under threat that the full force of the White House press corps would destroy its reputation…” Now was it an empty threat that the Whitehouse would have the press corps destroy the reputation of Mr. Weinberg’s investors if he didn’t comply with their demands that he allow 71% of his investment (they were told to accept only 29 cents on the dollar) to be taken from him? If the threat weren’t empty, how would the Whitehouse get the press corps to destroy him? Would that be through the press corps weakness to be easily influenced to chase after any juicy story like throwing a steak for a dog to run after or would that be a concerted collective effort by the editors and producers of the MSM to walk in lock step with the Obama Administration?
Given the MSM almost universally (save Fox News) has refused to cover this juicy story of a Whitehouse extortion plot against a Chrysler bondholder one is left with the impression that the MSM has collectively decided not to publicize it. Why would they not cover a story that is explosive and thereby boost their flagging ratings? Why the incuriosity? One would expect reporters falling all over themselves trying to interview every GM and Chrysler bondholder for the scoop of the decade. Let me underline this discontinuity of behavior by the MSM for you at the FBI. In the last few years, literally tens of thousands of journalists have lost their jobs in both the print and media. Revenues are severely down, ratings are dropping like a stone and likewise circulation, a number of MSM companies are under a deathwatch. Under these severe economic circumstances what editor or producer would turn away a juicy story, which would bring in badly needed revenue? On the surface no sane person would hold back or hesitate, however, a group might not be inclined to do so if there were a promise of greater monetary reward for agreeing to spin only a positive light on the Obama Administration.
The refusal of the MSM to question even shaky false assertions by President Obama is part of the positive only spin they are engaged. Consider the failure of the MSM to challenge President Obama on an obviously false premise when he stated: Wall Street is not going to play as dominant a role in the economy as regulations reduce “some of the massive leveraging and the massive risk-taking that had become so common,” as though Wall Street were the sole source of the problem when we know it was the supercharging of the CRA under the Clinton Administration that was the source of the housing bubble via legally mandated unsound lending practices and he Barack Obama was the lawyer for ACORN that forced Citibank to make those unsound loans. It was government’s and Barack Obama’s interventions in the market place that caused the mortgage meltdown.
What are the facts? We know Rahm Emanuel has daily conference calls with point people in the MSM. We know that the news industry in general is suffering heavy financial losses. There have been calls for government to subsidize, that is use taxpayer funds to float various newspapers such as in Connecticut. There is a drumbeat by the MSM to get itself on the taxpayer dole like GM, Chrysler and the banks. The greater issue is that the MSM collectively has entered into an agreement with the Obama Administration to “Pay for Play” for a taxpayer bailout in some form, whether that be through loaned funds, government contracts or outright cash payments. The transfer of funds isn’t happening yet, however, it will. The question is will the FBI even investigate and follow up on the leads? You at the FBI were interested in Governor Blagojevich’s Pay for Play, regarding Obama’s former senate seat, why not President Obama himself?
References:
Whitehouse denials
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Dan Scott calls himself a “Member of the Global Capitalist Cabal preaching Capitalism and personal responsibility as the economic solution to world poverty.” He is also a member of the 14th Amendment Society — victimhood is a liberal code word for denying the civil rights of others. He is also a proud member of the Global Warming Denier Cabal, insisting that facts not agendas determine the truth.
Dan can be seen on the web at http://www.geocities.com/fightbigotry2002/ as well as http://www.geocities.com/dscott8186/saidwebpage.htm, And can be reached for comments at dscott8186@yahoo.com.
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