-By Warner Todd Huston
This is pretty momentous information. According to two people interviewed by federal agents the FBI and the U.S. Labor Dept. are investigating former Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Andy Stern.
The two organized labor officials met with federal agents this summer to answer questions about a six-figure book contract that Stern landed in 2006 and his role in approving money to pay the salary of an SEIU leader in California who allegedly performed no work.
It should be remembered that Andy Stern has been one of the most frequent visitors to the White House and has served as a close adviser to President Barack Obama.
Stern unexpectedly resigned in April as president of one of the most powerful unions in the nation. This news might explain why. He may have known that he was being investigated.
Accusations include questions over a $175,000 advance for a book deal that Stern pocketed.
One person who spoke to federal agents twice, in May and June, said they asked about a 2006 contract in which Stern received a $175,000 advance from Simon & Schuster to write the book “A Country That Works.” The SEIU and its locals bought thousands of copies of the book after it was published. The union also paid thousands to fact-check and promote the book, but Stern pocketed the advance.
In February Stern was appointed to Obama’s White House debt commission. Apparently Obama thinks that a guy that may have scammed hundreds of thousands of dollars really understands finances!
**UPDATE**
SEIU spokesman Ringuette flatly denies that former chief Andy Stern has “been contacted” by the FBI. It should be noted that no news of the possible investigation into Andy Stern asserted that the FBI has contacted him directly.
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“The only end of writing is to enable the reader better to enjoy life, or better to endure it.”
–Samuel Johnson
Warner Todd Huston is a Chicago based freelance writer. He has been writing opinion editorials and social criticism since early 2001 and before that he wrote articles on U.S. history for several small American magazines. His political columns are featured on many websites such as Andrew Breitbart’s BigGovernment.com, BigHollywood.com, and BigJournalism.com, as well as RightWingNews.com, CanadaFreePress.com, StoptheACLU.com, AmericanDaily.com, among many, many others. Mr. Huston is also endlessly amused that one of his articles formed the basis of an article in Germany’s Der Spiegel Magazine in 2008.
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