Dodd makes JW’s Top 10 corrupt politicians

Judicial Watch has come out with its list of the Top 10 most corrupt politicians. Not many surprises although I guess taking payoff money for Nebraska doesn’t count. H/T to Hotair for the leg work. Read Ed’s take. Pretty good.

Chris Dodd is number one on the list … unfortunately, it’s alphabetical.

1. Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT): This marks two years in a row for Senator Dodd, who made the 2008 “Ten Most Corrupt” list for his corrupt relationship with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and for accepting preferential treatment and loan terms from Countrywide Financial, a scandal which still dogs him.  In 2009, the scandals kept coming for the Connecticut Democrat.  In 2009, Judicial Watch filed a Senate ethics complaint against Dodd for undervaluing a property he owns in Ireland on his Senate Financial Disclosure forms.  Judicial Watch’s complaint forced Dodd to amend the forms.  However, press reports suggest the property to this day remains undervalued.  Judicial Watch also alleges in the complaint that Dodd obtained a sweetheart deal for the property in exchange for his assistance in obtaining a presidential pardon (during the Clinton administration) and other favors for a long-time friend and business associate.  The false financial disclosure forms were part of the cover-up.  Dodd remains the head the Senate Banking Committee.

The list includes President Obama for, among other things, claiming the White House is exempt from the Privacy Act. Also on the list, Pelosi, Holder, Geithner, Murtha and Rangel. There’s a shocker.

UPDATE: Oh, and perhaps this might elevate the senior Senator’s status on the list. We talked about it this morning. From the Washington Examiner. (H/T Hotair)

Back in July, Senator Chris Dodd, D-Conn., proposed an amendment reducing aviation security appropriations by $4.5 million in favor of firefighter grants — a notoriously inneffective program. In fact, the money was specifically “for screening operations and the amount for explosives detection systems.” The amendment was also sponsored by Sen. Lieberman, D-Conn., and Sen. Carper, D-Del., but Dodd deserves to be singled out here because the firefighters union is a pet constituency of his. In 2007 he campaigned all through Iowa with the firefighters union. It was one of the few distinguishable features of Dodd’s ill-fated presidential bid.

More than one person called this morning to say the money for the Connecticut firefighters was well spent. I don’t doubt that it was necessary. What I take exception to is the robbing of Peter to pay Paul, in this case the TSA, to help firefighters in Connecticut. It’s “Paul’s” responsibility to make sure our firefighters have the equipment they need to do the job, meaning the local municipalities. It is the town’s first responsibility. It should be budgeted for. It should not be the responsibility of taxpayers in Nebraska or anywhere else to funnel cash to Connecticut, at the expense of national security.

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Jim Vicevich

Jim is a veteran broadcaster and conservative/libertarian blogger with more than 25 years experience in TV and radio. Jim's was the long-term host of The Jim Vicevich Show on WTIC 1080 in Hartford from 2004 through 2019. Prior to radio, Jim worked as a business and financial reporter for NBC30 - the NBC owned TV station in Hartford - and as business editor at WFSB-TV in Hartford for 14 years while earning six Emmy nominations and three Telly Awards.

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