Bennie And The Gist

House Homeland security chairman Rep Bennie Thompson is under investigation in relation to donations to his campaign from credit card companies after he announced that the House was considering expensive new security rules.  Rep Thompson found $15,000 more in his wallet from the Visa and Master card type folks.  No legislation has been forthcoming. 

Bennie is a stand up guy who votes the (D) party line over 98% of the time so he's a reliable shill for the agenda.  No dogs anywhere near his blue.  And he honestly doesn’t begin to hold a candle to any of the other ethicists in the House like Murtha who like any good mobster is always under scrutiny but never in danger of being picked up.  So why investigate Bennie?  According to the Washington Post, Thompson ...

“made headlines separately this week by calling a committee hearing to investigate Tareq and Michaele Salahi's ability to get past Secret Service and into a White House state dinner without invitation.”

Bennie didn't want to waste a good crisis.  But the Rahminator doesn't like it when people ask too many questions so I think he had to put in the fix. Rahm made a phone call.  Bennie needs to get back in line.  Make sure he knows who is in charge.  That’s Chicago politics at work. 

It might not be a big deal.  But then the White House just happens to invoke Executive privilege to prevent their Martha Stewart party planner Desiree Rodgers from having to testify before congress (about her involvement in the gate crashing).  They  knew full well that after spending up a few months worth of minutes pointing out how evil it was when “the previous administration” invoked the same right with actual advisors that they would take some heat for it.  I hope it was worth it.  Protecting Rodgers is like protecting the House cleaners.  She’s supposed to be a nobody.  You don't blow political capital on the party planner--although they do have quite a few parties.  So she must know something uncomfortable that they don’t want anyone else to know, and they must think she'll squeal like a pig under pressure.  

Wait, I've got it.  She's actually "undercover" CIA operative Valerie Plame.

Then Gibbs makes the laughable attempt at calling it a separation of powers issue as justification for the denial.  No.  You can't talk to the party planner.  She's got the presidents ear.

Want to see what the White House really thinks about separation of powers?  Mr 98% guaranteed democrat vote congressman Bennie Thompson thought he could investigate someone who works in the White House when they didn’t want them investigated and now he is suddenly being subjected to an ethics probe over $15K.  John Murtha gets $15K from a lobbyist to wipe his ass with every time he takes a crap.  $15K is unmeasurable as a fraction of Obama's deficit even if we divided eternity into milliseconds.  $15K is chump change.  But it's enough for staffers to take notes and pass them to the headmaster in the big house.  And the ethics committee schedule suddenly has an opening.  Bennie we'd like to have a chat.

Bennie says he did nothing wrong.  That there’s no connection.  And maybe not.  But Bennies got 1.7 mill in cash for his next campaign already.  Government contractors and unions are his schtick.  Plenty of evil perpetrated there no doubt.  Commercial banks are way down on his list of donors.  But "staffers" we are told, were suspicious. Lots of new staffers in Bennies office.  Wonder if Rahm provided some replacements.   Then the White House fingers Bennie to shut him up.  They just want him to drop the investigation-talk, and walk away from the cameras.   All will be forgiven.  You can return to the family.

The ethics probe is clearly just a shot across his bow.  But Bennie should take it seriously.  The House ethics committee is not unlike the UN Human rights commission.  It's a big joke.  But if they decide they don't like you, you're Israel.   Talk about getting screwed.  So let's see if Bennie gets the Gist.