Ethics

Ken Cuccinelli = Lance Armstrong?

When public figures are caught engaging in unethical or illegal behavior, they often try (and fail) to make up for it by engaging in some type of grand gesture to show the public that they're not alllll bad. By pushing for ethics reform after accepting -- and refusing to return -- $18,000 in gifts from Star Scientific CEO Jonnie Williams, Cuccinelli is following the PR playbook of disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong...

SHOT: "Cuccinelli Op-Ed: Why We Need Ethics Reform Now"  [Cuccinelli.com, 8/7/12] CHASER: "Armstrong tried to donate $250,000 to anti-doping agency" [CNN, 1/9/13]

It didn't work out so well for Lance, either.

Introducing GiveTheGiftsBack.com — What's Ken Waiting For?

10:30am today will mark exactly one week since Gov. Bob McDonnell announced that he would return the gifts he received from Star Scientific CEO Jonnie Williams. For one week -- 168 hours -- Ken Cuccinelli has refused to follow McDonnell's lead and return the tainted gifts he received from Williams. Why? What's he waiting for? Cuccinelli said yesterday that "Trust is something that is easy to lose and hard to recover." He's right. And until he shows Virginians that he understands that it was wrong for him to accept (and even ask for) THOUSANDS of dollars of gifts from someone who was fighting the state in court, he is not taking a single step toward recovering Virginians' trust.

Uncovered: Jonnie Williams' invoice* to Cuccinelli for $18,000 worth of gifts

*Just kidding! Cuccinelli has ignored repeated calls for him to follow Gov. McDonnell's lead and repay Jonnie Williams for more than $18,000 in gifts. But if he had, the itemized invoice would probably look a lot like this:

Cuccinelli requested gifts from Star Scientific CEO

Remember those gifts from Star Scientific CEO Jonnie Williams that Ken Cuccinelli failed to disclose? It turns out Cuccinelli actually *ASKED* for them.

Infographic: The Curious Timing of Cuccinelli's Investments

Here's a new infographic/timeline illustrating the curious timing of Ken Cuccinelli's stock transactions in Star Scientific paired with his vacations/gifts from the company's scandal-ridden CEO, Jonnie Williams.

Paul Ryan Failed To Disclose Investments On Ethics Forms

Vice-presidential candidate Rep. Paul Ryan's tax returns contained investments he failed to disclose on his Congressional financial disclosures. His tax returns reveal the amount of profit or loss, but we still don't know the value of the underlying investment.

Ryan’s Tax Returns Reported Investment In TLS Partners LLC – But Did Not Disclose It In Personal Financial Disclose Forms

Ryan Did Not Disclose Any Stake In TLS Partners In His Personal Financial Disclosures.  Since 1999, Ryan has not disclosed any ownership interest in TLS Partners, LLC in any of his personal financial disclosure forms.  [Personal Financial Disclosure, “Schedule III – Assets and Unearned Income,” Office of the Clerk for the U.S. House of Representatives, Paul Ryan, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, Amended 2009, 2010, Amended 2010, 2011,Amended 2011] 2010-2011: Ryan Reported A Cumulative Income Loss Of $178 From Stake in TLS Partners LLC.  According to Ryan’s 2010 and 2011 individual tax return, he took a cumulative $178 loss in income from a stake in TLS Partners LLC.  Ryan’s investment in TLS Partners LLC is detailed in the table below:

Year	Investment Name	Income Profit
2011	TLS Partners, LLC	-$75
2010	TLS Partners, LLC	-$103
Total:		-$178

[Form 1040 Individual Income Tax Return, Internal Revenue Service, Paul & Janna Ryan, 2010, 2011]

Ryan’s Tax Returns Reported Investment In Oil And Natural Gas Exploration Business, LongFellow Energy LP – But Did Not Disclose It In Personal Financial Disclosure Forms

Ryan Did Not Disclose Any Stake In Longfellow Energy LP In His Congressional Personal Financial Disclosures.  Since 1999, Ryan has not disclosed any ownership interest in Longfellow Energy, LP in any of his Congressional personal financial disclosure forms.  [Personal Financial Disclosure, “Schedule III – Assets and Unearned Income,” Office of the Clerk for the U.S. House of Representatives, Paul Ryan, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009,Amended 2009, 2010, Amended 2010, 2011, Amended 2011] 2010-2011: Ryan Took A Cumulative $164 In Income From Investment In Longfellow Energy LP.  According to Ryan’s 2010 and 2011 individual tax return, he took $164 worth in investment income from his stake in Longfellow Energy, LP.  Ryan’s investment in Longfellow Energy is detailed in the table below:

Year	Investment Name	Income Profit
2011	Longfellow Energy, LP	$6
2010	Longfellow Energy, LP	$158
Total:		$164

[Form 1040 Individual Income Tax Return, Internal Revenue Service, Paul & Janna Ryan, 2010, 2011] Longfellow Energy LP Formerly Named “Deut 8 Holdings LP” Referring To Biblical Passage Deuteronomy Eight, Concerning The Inheritance Of Land.  Since the company’s inception in June 2001, its original name and listed General Partner makes references biblical passages concerning the inheritance of land in Deuteronomy – Chapter Eight – through its original name of “Deut 8 Holdings LP,” and its general partner “Deut 8 LLC.”  [Certificate of Limited Partnership, Texas Secretary of State, Deut 8 Holdings LP, Filed 6/19/01; Articles of Organization, Texas Secretary of State, Deut 8 LLC, Filed 6/8/01; Vatican New American Bible, “The Pentateuch, Deuteronomy, Chapter 8,” www.vatican.va]

Ryan Failed to Disclose Role with Family Real Estate Partnership

Ryan Did Not List Position With Ryan Family Real Estate Limited Partnership On Congressional Financial Disclosures. Between 2001 and 2011, Ryan did not list a position with the Ryan Family Real Estate Limited Partnership on his Personal Financial Disclosures, filed with the Clerk of the House of Representatives.  [Certificate of Domestic Limited Partnership, Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Ryan Family Real Estate Limited Partnership, Filed 4/16/01; PersonalFinancial Disclosure, “Schedule VIII – Positions,” Office of the Clerk for the U.S. House of Representatives, Paul Ryan, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, Amended 2009, 2010, Amended 2010, 2011, Amended 2011]

American Bridge Launches “Meet the Crooks” Website

WASHINGTON – American Bridge 21st Century has launched MeetTheCrooks.com, highlighting four of the worst ethical transgressors currently running for U.S. Congress. Between them, these candidates have managed to accumulate at least 13 separate investigations by agencies including the IRS, the FBI, and state and county prosecutors. They have been accused of cheating on taxes, evading campaign finance laws, and even secretly running a fake Democrat to interfere with a Democratic primary.

TheRiveraFiles.com Launches Today

WASHINGTON – Calling attention to the myriad ethical lapses and law enforcement investigations into Florida Rep. David Rivera, American Bridge 21st Century today released TheRiveraFiles.com. This website details the numerous investigations into Rivera’s alleged ethical violations, money laundering, tax evasion, and funding a fake primary challenge to his Democratic opponent.

Josh Mandel Refusing to Comply with Ohio Open Records Law

WASHINGTON – American Bridge 21st Century is calling on Ohio Treasurer and Senate candidate Josh Mandel to comply with Ohio open records law after our requests have gone ignored for months. American Bridge has submitted two simple requests nine and ten weeks ago for which we have received no information or even an acknowledgment. We contend that Mandel is now in violation of the law for failing to respond in a reasonable amount of time. Mandel’s office has been in the news lately for his failure to comply with these types of requests despite claiming in the press to support transparency and compliance with the federal Freedom of Information Act. “This is yet another example of Josh Mandel making verifiably false statements to the press while failing to comply with the simplest of duties,” said Matt Thornton, spokesman for American Bridge 21st Century. “Mandel’s entire justification for running for Senate is his supposed expert management of the Treasurer’s office -- a job he is obviously neglecting.”

Vern Buchanan Ethics Memo

Florida Rep. Vern Buchanan skipped out on his July 30 court deposition to answer serious questions about business ethics. Buchanan, who has been dogged by questions about his business dealings — and under investigation by both the House Ethics Committee and the Justice Department — evaded answering questions under oath by failing to appear at the scheduled time. Read the American Bridge research document below to see the facts he didn't want to face. Buchanan Ethics Memo