Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, An Actual Idiot

He may look like an idiot and talk like an idiot but don't let that fool you.  He really is an idiot.
        - Groucho Marx

I'm Sure Groucho was referring to Louie Gohmert

Remember terror babies?   And “overt homosexuality”  in the military?   And repealing the 17th Amendment?   And “moo goo dog pan or moo goo cat pan”?   This is the guy behind all of those “hits.”  He’s a racist moron whom a civilized nation would consider institutionalizing for his and our safety.   But in God’s favorite country that He has ever created, ever, men like Gohmert are elected to Congress, over and over again.

GOHMERT:   And I know the president made the mistake one day of saying he had visited all 57 states, and I’m well aware that there are not 57 states in this country, although there are 57 members of OIC, the Islamic states in the world.   Perhaps there was some confusion whether he’d been 
to all 57 Islamic states as opposed to all 50 U.S. states.   But nonetheless, we have an obligation to the 50 American states, not the 57 Muslim, Islamic states.   Our oath we took is in this body, in this House.   And it’s to the people of America.    And it’s not to the Muslim Brotherhood, who may very well take over Egypt and once they do, they are bent upon setting up a caliphate around the world, including the United States.   And this 
administration will been complicit in helping people who wants to destroy our country.

Louie is just your typical  “Barack Obama is a Muslim who wants to Muslimize America because he hates us”  screed.    Pretty standard, par-for-the-course for tea party conservatives.   More insane racist paranoia, from a congressman.   This bizarre right-wing fantasy-land bull gets aired out on a daily basis and the really sad part is there are a small percentage of Americans who really believe it.    Like Ron White says "You Can't Fix Stupid".





The Five Most Idiotic Things Louie Gohmert, Who Sees Radical Muslims Anywhere He Looks, Believes

Louis Gohmert doesn't need evidence.  He doesn't need proof, or sourcing, or the ability to back up a claim with anything other than the vitriol in his voice and the consternation in his gut.   All he needs is an idea, and a microphone, and away we go.

Gohmert's idiocies idiosyncrasies have brought plenty of poor repute to his Tyler-based district, comprising 12 counties that have been as satisfied with Gohmert's run as a dung beetle is with the massed, messy ball it enjoys rolling around.   And Gohmert's latest outburst -- alleging that the Obama administration isn't simply kowtowing to the Muslim Brotherhood, but that they've actually infiltrated his rank -- fits wonderfully within his trend of head-in-the-sand statements that make people wonder why anyone would choose to actually live in Texas.

It's a shame that Gohmert won't be around when future textbooks remind children of how studiously stupid you can look when you fail to corroborate claims with attendant evidence.   However, with this list of the five most imbecilic things Gohmert's ever asserted, here's hoping he may have some taste as to how future generations will view both him and those who've decided to reelect him ad nauseum:

5.   While discussing the putative reality that caribou, for some reason that only a rural Texan representative could fathom, enjoy the warmth of an oil pipeline:  "So when [caribou] want to go on a date, they invite each other to head over to the pipeline. ... So my real concern now if oil stops running through the pipeline ... do we need a study to see how adversely the caribou would be affected if that warm oil ever quit flowing?"

I'm pretty sure that the only thing we'd need a follow-up study on, Mr. Gohmert, is whether you have cracked a lone biology book within the past few decades, or if you'd like to cite, I don't know, a single study purporting to back up the notion that a warm pipeline -- a warm pipeline -- will expedite the mating rituals of ungulates.   (Or have you ever even encountered the word "ungulate" before?) Fortunately, George HW Bush had a thought along the same lines, saying,  "The caribou love [the pipeline].   They rub against it and they have babies."  Fair enough, Mr. President.   Whatever you say.

4.   After the massacre in Aurora, Colo., Gohmert determined that the cause of James Holmes's rampage wasn't, say, mental health issues, or some form of social trigger -- but, rather, that he didn't have the appropriate fear of a vengeful, unforgiving God:  "You know what really gets me, as a Christian, is to see the ongoing attacks on Judeo-Christian beliefs, and then some senseless crazy act of terror like this takes place. ... 

We've threatened high school graduation participations, if they use God's name, they're going to be jailed ... I mean that kind of stuff. Where was God?   What have we done with God?   We don't want him around.   I kind of like his protective hand being present."

Right, Louie.   I'm sure your God took such great offense to being taken out of the valedictory remarks that he let 12 people get gunned down.   I'm sure your God is such an egoistic priss that he decided to get back at us for not being the sufficiently pious nation we once were -- what, like when we legally sanctioned Jim Crow?   or when your state employed human chattel?    or when we snapped every antebellum treaty signed with a Native American tribe? -- that He said, No, fine, James, this is all you, whatever you want. I'm sure that's how your Judeo-Christian God works.   He has feelings too, you know.

3.   When nominating Florida Rep. Allen West as Speaker of the House ... after West had already lost his reelection bid.   (Louie didn't so much say as anything terribly heinous this time around, but it was certainly one of the most moronic moves he's yet made. West, well-known for being nearly court martialed for firing a gun past an already-held suspect's head in Iraq, was one of the scummier politicians recently in the House. 

2.   Last week, Gohmert went to World Net Daily, one of the only conspiracy sites giving Alex Jones a run, to spout, once more, a belief that the enemies have already reached our shore:   "This administration has so many Muslim Brotherhood members that have influence that they just are making wrong decisions for America."

"So many," he says.   This administration, this claque pushing into a second term the predominance of the American people demanded, has  "so many Muslim Brotherhood members"  within it.   Not that he'd like to name any other than, say, Huma Abedin, the former Hilary Clinton aide that Gohmert and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann determined was a mole last summer.   Ted Cruz has already grabbed the mantle of Modern McCarthyism, so Gohmert 
has to conduct a few House hearings before he can threaten Cruz's position.   But he's on his way.   Proof is for the weak.   Slander is for the successful.   And it's high-time the administration of the B. Hussein Gang is revealed for the anti-American, pro-Allah clique it is.

1.   Much like Houston's own State Rep. Debbie Riddle, Gohmert is convinced, all evidence otherwise, that there are terrorist organizations -- somewhere, somehow -- concocting schemes to send their pregnant Black Widows to our American shores, spawning natural-born terrorists, and then 
using them and their US Citizenship Cards, decades on, to decimate the land we call home:   "[The children] could be raised and coddled as future terrorists [and] twenty, thirty years down the road, they can be sent in to help destroy our way of life."

As before, Gohmert seems interminably incapable of citing any forms of evidence.   The man's rhetorical devices are as hollow as they are unbearable;   he'd be laughed out of any courtroom and debate society the nation over.   Fortunately, we have video evidence of Gohmert squaring against his dearth of evidence, and if you'd like to spend 10 minutes of your life gnashing your teeth while Louie provides ample fodder for future Americans to continue mocking Texas's 1st District, here ya go:

I'm impressed that anyone has the editorial fortitude to limit this list to just 5 items.  Calling him a retarded redneck insults the mentally disabled and the social hillbillies.
  
Everyone in Texas' 1st congressional district should hang their heads in collective shame for electing this semi-functional mental retard to the United States congress.   Here's the sad part, Gohmert may be a completely useless moron...but he just may be one of the smartest Republicans left in America.

“Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.”   George Carlin

This has been episode one in ACVDN's series of  Congressmen Who Make Bob Goodlatte Look A Little Better.    Stay tuned for episode two.

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GOP Now in Charge, Are Things Better?

Boehner owns stock in seven Canadian tar sand companies, thus his interest in Keystone pipeline.

It is beyond refute that there is a more than glaring level of hypocrisy in the Republican Party, and there is no better example than in the House of Representatives; particularly since the Koch brothers invested power in the tea party movement.   After the 2010 midterm elections when Republicans took control of the House they immediately launched myriad investigations into wrongdoing by the Obama Administration; including fabricating highly-profitable and phony scandals, only to find the Obama Administration is guilty of nothing untoward.

In fact, the House, under the direction of Speaker John A. Boehner, initiated a lawsuit against the President for exercising his executive authority according to the Constitution and long-settled Supreme Court rulings.


What is stunning hypocrisy is that there have been several unethical acts by House Republicans who are following the lead of their leader Speaker John A. Boehner;  the ethics-challenged cretin that no-one is willing to prosecute.   Like every common criminal, or once-convicted felon, who continues to escape punishment for violating the law,   Boehner continues his unethical, and now illegal, behavior because he truly believes he IS above the law.   It is time to disabuse Boehner of that belief and restore the American people’s faith in the nation’s justice system.

When Boehner conspired with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress to campaign and “send a clear message to the White House”  about how Israel will set America’s foreign policy in the Middle East, he violated a 216 year old law.   A law, by the way, devised and enacted by America’s Founding Fathers that Republicans claim are their exemplars.   It is now time to finally call for Boehner to be charged, tried, and convicted for violating the law and put a stop to his career-long abrogation of long-standing ethical and legal provisions to send a clear message that no-one in America is above the law.

The Speaker of the House openly violated the so-called Logan Act that was signed into law and enacted in 1799 by President John Adams and codified in 18 U.S. Code § 953.   The Code addresses precisely what Speaker of the House John A. Boehner did in conspiring with Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress to defeat the measures of the United States in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States.


The Logan Act prohibits any “Private correspondence with foreign governments” and reads;  “Any citizen of the United States, wherever he may be, who, without authority of the United States, directly or indirectly commences or carries on any correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government or any officer or agent thereof, with intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government or of any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.”   The Supreme Court ruled that Congress cannot and should not conduct foreign affairs;  that power rests in the Executive Branch exclusively.

In the 1936 Supreme Court case, United States v. Curtiss-Wright Export Corp, the Court held that “all ability to conduct foreign policy is vested in the President.   It is given implicitly and by the fact that the executive, by its very nature, is empowered to conduct foreign affairs in a way that Congress cannot and should not.”   Boehner just does not, and Republicans cannot, accept that yes,  “all ability to conduct foreign policy is vested in the President;”  regardless of the fact he is an African American man or that Republicans’ allegiance is to a foreign power; in this case Israel.


Boehner violated the Logan Act just by  “directly commencing or carrying on any correspondence with a foreign government, or agent thereof”  with his admitted and explicit intent of influencing measures of the United States.   Boehner did say publicly that his reason for illegally corresponding with Netanyahu was to  “specifically ask him (Netanyahu) to address Congress and send a clear message to the White House about our commitment to Israel.”   Boehner’s hubris, defiance, and obvious disregard for longstanding U.S. law was when he publicly said,   “Congress can make this decision on its own.”   No matter what Boehner says, or thinks, Congress cannot make that decision on its own according to a 216 year old law and reiterated by the 79 year old ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court. 

Boehner needs to be fully prosecuted under 18 U.S. Code § 953 to teach him that no American is above the law regardless what he thinks. 

Obviously, throughout Boehner’s political career he has considered himself above the law.


This is not Boehner’s first offense without facing any legal action or congressional ethics violation repercussions to remove him for various acts.   He was caught red-handed, and admitted to handing out corporate bribes for favorable votes on the floor of the House that garnered expulsion for another Ohio congressman guilty of corruption.    Boehner openly, and continues to, lie about the number of jobs the KeystoneXL pipeline will create since he bought stock in seven Canadian tar sand companies in 2010;  a few months before becoming Speaker of the House.   In 2013 the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) began an investigation into campaign finance violations and like Boehner’s other instances of malfeasance;  nothing is done to put a stop to his criminality.

It is difficult for regular Americans to understand how unarmed African Americans are gunned down in cold blood, and then tried and convicted in absentia (because they were murdered) by a hostile justice system when men like Willard Romney openly violated SEC and bankruptcy laws with impunity.   Or, how seditious malcontents like Cliven Bundy can defy federal court orders and summon armed militias to confront and aim their weapons at federal officials in the commission of their duty;  a federal offense and sedition, and face no charges.   Every year across the nation evangelical clergy violate the conditions of their tax-exempt designation, videotape their illegal acts, and dare the IRS to take punitive action.   Former president George W. Bush and his co-conspirator Dick Cheney proudly boast that they authorized torture of captive enemy prisoners of war, many innocent, and nothing happens.   Now, the Speaker of the House of Representatives blatantly violates an over-200 year old law, boasts about it, and the Justice Department and congressional ethics committees turn away in what;  fear?

One often hears politicians, including President Obama proclaim with authority that  “no-one in America is above the law.”    Americans certainly understand that is undoubtedly one of the biggest lies, and farces, being parroted time and time again with no chance in proverbial Hell of ever changing.   John A. Boehner is a sleazy, crooked politician, and although handing out corporate bribes for votes, lying to manipulate tar sand share prices, and taking illegal campaign donations are crimes, they pale in comparison to conspiring with a foreign nation’s leader to  “influence and defeat foreign policy measures of the Unite States.

John Boehner’s most recent crime is not up for debate, or opinion;  he deliberately and with substantial malice aforethought violated the Logan Act and Americans must demand that he be charged, tried in federal court, and convicted with his own confession that he defiantly  “carried on any correspondence or intercourse an officer of a foreign government to defeat the measures of the United States”  because Israel has a dispute with the United States of America’s Middle East foreign policy.

Under the Constitution, the president is the federal official that is primarily responsible for the relations of the United States with foreign nations. 

Through the Department of State and the Department of Defense, the president is responsible for the protection of Americans abroad and of foreign nationals in the United States. The president decides whether to recognize new nations and new governments, and negotiate treaties with other nations, which become 
binding on the United States when approved by two-thirds of the Senate. The president may also negotiate "executive agreements" with foreign powers that are not subject to Senate confirmation.

U.S. Code › Title 18 › Part I › Chapter 45 › § 953
18  - Private correspondence with foreign governments

Any citizen of the United States, wherever he may be, who, without authority of the United States, directly or indirectly commences or carries on any 
correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government or any officer or agent thereof, with intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government or of any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.

This section shall not abridge the right of a citizen to apply, himself or his agent, to any foreign government or the agents thereof for redress of any injury which he may have sustained from such government or any of its agents or subjects.


So, why is Boehner's invitation to Netanyahu such a big deal?

First off, it's a huge violation of protocol and massively disrespectful to President Obama and the authority of the executive branch.

It is completely unprecedented for the Speaker of the House, or any member of Congress, to invite a foreign leader to come to the US and speak to Congress without getting authorization and/or cooperation from the White House.

It's unprecedented. It's hitting below the belt. It's taking partisanship to a whole new level.

By inviting Netanyahu to speak to Congress without the authority of the executive branch, Speaker Boehner is badly blurring the lines of national sovereignty, and again massively disrespecting typical protocol.

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But, more importantly, he may be in violation of a number of laws, which may make him a traitor.

So, let's take a look at a few legal possibilities where the Speaker's actions may be considered criminal.

First, you could make a case that by inviting Netanyahu to speak to Congress without authority from the executive branch, Speaker Boehner is committing an act of sedition.

Sedition is defined as conduct or speech inciting people to rebel against the authority of a state or monarch.

By inviting Netanyahu to speak to Congress, Boehner is using a foreign leader to lobby for his own legislation.

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A better case for Boehner's criminal conduct can be made under the Logan Act.

Established back in 1799, the Logan Act makes it illegal for unauthorized American citizens to negotiate with foreign governments.

Violation of the act is a felony, and comes with a punishment of up to three years in prison.


It's also possible that Boehner is in violation of Federal Elections Commission (FEC) law.

Section 441e of FEC law makes it illegal for,  "a person to solicit, accept, or receive a contribution or donation"  from a foreign national.

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In other words, if Speaker Boehner were to accept campaign money from Netanyahu, or use the speech to help raise money for Republicans in any way, he would be guilty of violating FEC law. Somebody needs to look into this, particularly to see if the hands of any of the Republican billionaires who obsess on Israel issues are involved in this.

Section 441e also makes it illegal for "a foreign national, directly or indirectly, to make a contribution or donation of money or other thing of value, or to make an express or implied promise to make a contribution or donation, in connection with a Federal, State or local election."

How is this speech not a thing of value to the Republicans?

The bottom line here is that, by inviting Prime Minister Netanyahu to speak to Congress, Speaker Boehner may have broken any number of laws, and the Department of Justice needs to investigate.




John Boehner and House Republicans Are Suing Obama For Being President

    ACVDN

Instead of creating jobs or passing legislation, Speaker of the House John Boehner announced today that House Republicans are suing President Obama using his presidential power to issue executive orders.

Boehner told House Republicans that he will be announcing within days, or maybe next week, that the House, a.k.a. House Republicans, will be suing President Obama over his use of executive orders.

According to Roll Call:

Boehner told the House Republican Conference during a closed-door meeting Tuesday morning that he has been consulting with legal scholars and plans to unveil his next steps this week or next, according to sources in the room.

     ACVDN

Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said further action is necessary because the Senate has not taken up bills passed by the House targeting executive actions. 

The House has passed a bill expediting court consideration of House resolutions starting lawsuits targeting executive overreach and another mandating that the attorney general notify Congress when the administration decides to take executive action outside of what has been authorized by Congress.

“The president has a clear record of ignoring the American people’s elected representatives and exceeding his constitutional authority, which has dangerous implications for both our system of government and our economy,” Steel said.  “The House has passed legislation to address this, but it has gone nowhere in the Democratic-controlled Senate, so we are examining other options.”

Boehner told the Republicans that he didn’t know which executive orders that the House was going to sue Obama over. What Speaker Boehner announced today boils down to this:   House Republicans are mad because the Senate won’t pass their bills, so they are going to sue President Obama over something.   They aren’t sure what yet, but they are definitely going to sue the President Of The United States.

One might think that before they went to court, House Republicans might try to come up with a reason for suing the president.   Logic has never been a friend of these Republicans, so the odds are that Boehner made the decision to sue the president and then decided that he would work out the details later.

Executive orders have been used since George Washington was president.   Courts have long held that executive orders are legal.   After seeing their attempts to block President Obama’s legislative agenda fail, Republicans are turning to the courts in the hope that the judicial branch will obstruct this president. 

The Boehner lawsuit isn’t about checks and balances.    It isn’t about the separation of powers.  Any potential lawsuit from the House Republicans will be all about political obstruction.

House Republicans are doing anything that they can think of distract the nation from their abysmal job performance.   They are even willing to take President Obama to court if it means keeping people from asking questions about why Republicans won’t create jobs while trying to take away healthcare from millions.

The truth is that Boehner and the Republicans are suing Obama for carrying out his duties and being president.   The truth is that Republicans had no problem with Bush’s executive orders, or Reagan’s executive orders.   The issue that they have isn’t with executive orders.   It’s because Barack Obama is the President Of The United States.





House Republicans End Their Day of Disgrace By Passing Resolution To Sue Obama

              No Doubt, He Hates President Obama

House Republicans embarrassed the entire country today by voting to sue President Obama. The good news is that five House Republicans joined Democrats in voting against the resolution.

The final vote was 225-201 in favor of the resolution. Five House Republicans joined with Democrats in voting against the Boehner lawsuit.

After voting to advance the resolution telling Boehner to sue President Obama, House Republicans wasted more time during their last hours in session before a five week vacation calling the president a tyrant.

Boehner spent a minute before the vote pushing his bogus lie that the House has passed forty jobs bills. Speaker Boehner tried to wrap himself in the flag by talking about the oath of office.   After planning his lawsuit for six months, Speaker Boehner claimed that the lawsuit was unplanned. He said,  “This is about defending the Constitution, and acting decisively when it has been compromised.”   Rep. Boehner claimed that Obama was tearing apart what the Founders 
built.”

Rep. Sander Levin (D-MI) followed Boehner, and said that, “Republicans are choosing lawsuits over legislating.”   He then listed all of economic bills that the Senate passed that Boehner refuses to bring to the floor for a vote. Rep. Levin accused Republicans of conjuring up their lawsuit of President Obama, and said,   “It is the House Republicans who should be sued, if that were possible, for the abjection of their duties.”

During the debate, it was easy to see who specifically was pushing this lawsuit.   One after another, Southern House Republicans came to the House floor and claimed that President Obama is a tyrant.   Rep. Tom Rice (R-SC) warned,   “Our freedom is in peril.”

Democratic Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York highlighted Boehner’s record of wasting taxpayer money on lawsuits.

Rep John Lewis (D-GA) called the resolution a waste of time and money.  He said,  “A Republican in this House has never supported this president.”

House Republicans put their final nail in their own coffin with this vote passing the resolution that directs Speaker Boehner to sue President Obama.  The Republican actions today are a fitting end to the latest stretch of deplorable behavior by House Republicans.

The lawsuit is not going to end well for Republicans.   Boehner’s dysfunctional caucus completely lacks in awareness and concern for the priorities of the American people.   House Republicans exist in their own little world, where they actually think that this lawsuit is a good idea.

The Behavior of House Republicans today has been cynical, disgusting, and deplorable.   They have now given voters every reason to vote them out of office at next opportunity.





John Boehner Makes A Fool Out of Himself Trying To Use ACA Subsidy Ruling To Push His Lawsuit

After the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling that Obamacare subsidies were illegal for the federal marketplace, Speaker Boehner jumped the gun with a statement that pushed his lawsuit against President Obama.

Boehner said:

For the second time in a month, the courts have ruled against the president’s unilateral actions regarding ObamaCare.   The president has demonstrated he believes he has the power to make his own laws.   That’s not the way our system of government was designed to work. That’s why the House will act next week to 
authorize a lawsuit to uphold the rule of law and protect our Constitution.   This isn’t about Republicans versus Democrats;  it’s about the Constitution versus unconstitutional and unilateral actions by the Executive Branch, and protecting our democracy.

Today’s ruling is also further proof that President Obama’s health care law is completely un-workable.   It cannot be fixed.   The American people recognize that ObamaCare is hurting our economy and making it harder for small businesses to hire, and that’s why Republicans remain committed to repealing the law and 
replacing it with solutions that will lower health care costs and protect American jobs.”

The problem is that the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Richmond, VA handed down a ruling that disagreed with everything that Boehner said. 

The Fourth Circuit ruled that the subsidies were legal.   By jumping the gun with his statement, Rep. Boehner looks like a fool.   Boehner’s 
office has not commented on the second ruling, which leads one to believe that he is simply going to pretend that it does not exist.

Speaker Boehner’s lawsuit has nothing to do with the issue that was ruled on today.   The court’s ruled on whether the law covers subsidies for the federal marketplace or is limited to state-run exchanges.   It is the height of dishonesty for the Speaker to suggest that these lawsuits have anything to do with his claim that President Obama is making his own laws.

One lawsuit that does directly relate to Speaker Boehner’s was not mentioned in his statement. Boehner doesn’t want to discuss the fact that Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) tried to sue President Obama for making his own laws on Obamacare and had his suit thrown out of court because he lacked standing.

John Boehner demonstrated that he is a terrible Speaker of the House, but he excels at making a fool out of himself.   The second ruling killed the Republican talking point that Obamacare is illegal and doomed while Speaker Boehner is on another planet still trying to sell his bogus lawsuit to a disbelieving public.

Every day the GOP proves they are unable to lead and their allegiance is to the billionaire interest that support their runs for office.   Republicans are bought and paid for tools of the 1%.    Now they control the House and Senate.    The GOP intends to destroy the middle class leaving a country composed of only rich and poor, that is the republican dream.



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McDonnell Best Treated Convict in Va's History

Favorable treatment by Judges had already reduced McDonnell's sentence to 2 years less about 3 months for good behavior but more special treatment now has allowed Bob to remain free while his case is on appeal.   Crime pays and it pays well if you're big enough for the political system to look out for you and without doubr former Governor Bob McDonnell is big enough.   So far the Federal Judges in the legal system have extended Bob every courtesy except to apologize to him for infringing on his time.

Bob is Determined to Never Serve a Day and the Federal Judges handling his case and Appeal are working with him to make it happen.


Here is a man who couldn't afford to pay for his daughter's wedding and somehow he has laid hands on millions of dollars for his extensive legal defense.   Something stinks to high heaven in republican circles in Richmond.


McDonnell was scheduled to serve his time in a minimum security satellite camp,  FCI Petersburg, where 309 inmates live.   But it now looks like Bob will walk and may even return to elected office if his friends and supporters have anything to do with it.  According to the prison’s 58-page orientation handbook, inmates are required to wear a green shirt and pants during the day, they can only have visitors on certain days, and they are required to work for the prison, doing jobs like cooking food or mowing grass.   Inmates there are also allowed to play a variety of sports, like tennis and basketball, and participate in activities like painting and crochet.

Bob Doesn't want to Serve his year and 10 months here and so far no federal judges want him to either.

The Federal Correctional Institution (FCI), Petersburg Medium is a medium-security United States federal prison for male inmates in Virginia. It is part of the Petersburg Federal Correctional Complex (FCC Petersburg) and is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice.

FCC Petersburg is located in Prince George County, 25 miles southeast of Richmond, the state capital.  It lies just west of Hopewell, Virginia.

Background:  FCI Petersburg Medium was opened in 2002.  FCI Petersburg Medium is a Sex Offender Management Program (SOMP) prison.  As such, around 40 percent of the compound is incarcerated for sexual offenses.  Because of this, FCI Petersburg Medium tends to be an easier prison.  It is part of the Petersburg Federal Correctional Complex (FCC).

Housing Configuration:  Inmates at FCI Petersburg Medium are housed in either four-man, three-man, or two man cells.  This is depending upon seniority and initial housing assignment.

Admission and Orientation:  During the first 28 days of arrival at FCI Petersburg Medium each inmate will attend an Admission and Orientation program.  During this program, staff from various departments will inform inmates of policies and procedures concerning specific programs and 
services at FCI Petersburg Medium.

Health Services:  Inmates desiring medical attention are required to complete a Triage Form (also known as a "Sick Call").  This medical form is available from any housing unit officer and, once completed, is to be deposited into the Triage Form box located outside of medical.  These forms are collected between 7:00 AM and 7:30 AM Monday through Friday.  Once the Triage Forms are collected, they are routed to the inmate's assigned Mid-Level Practitioner and the MLP places the inmate on call-out to be evaluated.  Inmates are seen by their MLP for triage on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.  Wednesdays are reserved for Admission and Orientation examinations.

While inmates at FCI Petersburg Medium can purchase over-the-counter medications from the commissary, if they are indigent, they can complete an Indigent OTC form, turn it in on Wednesday morning at the 7:00 AM pill line, and collect OTC medications at the Wednesday 11:30 AM pill line.  

Other pill line/insulin line times for FCI Petersburg Medium are 6:30-7:00 AM (insulin line), 7:00-7:30 AM (pill line), 11:30-12:30 PM (pill line), announcement after the 4:00 count (insulin line), and 7:30-8:00 PM (pill line).  On weekends and holidays pill line times remain constant, but the morning insulin line time changes to 7:30 AM.

Medical emergencies will be determined by the medical staff, but are not limited to "loss of life or limb" situations.  Inmates who become ill during the work day, weekends, or after normal Sick Call hours should report to their unit officer or their work supervisor.  Staff will notify medical personnel about the inmate's condition.  Medical personnel will then make a call as to if the inmate should be personally evaluated or if the inmate will be directed to submit a paper Triage Form for later consideration.

Dental Services:  FCI Petersburg Medium allows inmates to sign up for dental sick call by submitting either an electronic request to staff or by submitted a paper cop-out to the Dental Department.  If the dental issue is of an emergency nature, the inmate can go to the 6:30-6:45 emergency dental sick call signup.  This sick call is held on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday for the first 10 inmates and is only for dental emergencies.  For non-emergency dental care (including when an inmate goes to the emergency dental sick call signup and the concern is deemed to not be an emergency) the inmate will be placed on the call-out list for their appointment.  Inmates at FCI Petersburg Medium usually wait 
somewhere between 5 and 12 months to be seen by dental personnel once they submit their request.


Psychology Services:  FCI Petersburg Medium's Psychology Department offers a number of self-improvement courses and programs.  These include anger management, stress management, Smart Recovery, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Narcotics Anonymous (NA), Young Men's group, and the Drug Education Class (40 hour).  The Psychology Department also offers the Non-Residential Drug Abuse Program (NR-RDAP) and the Non-Residential Sex Offender Treatment Program (NR-SOTP).


Residential Drug Abuse Program:  FCI Petersburg Medium houses a Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP).    This RDAP location houses 143 beds.  The RDAP program consists of nine months of intensive treatment, for inmates who meet the diagnostic criteria for substance abuse or dependence.  The program follows a modified therapeutic community model which seeks cooperation and self-disclosure from "community members."  Selection of participants is based on projected release date.  Inmates interested in participating are interviewed about 36 months from their projected release date.  Inmates who complete the RDAP program are eligible for a maximum Residential Reentry Center (halfway house) time recommendation, and, if their crime doesn't preclude them from qualifying, up to 1 year off their sentence.

Education Services:  FCI Petersburg Medium offers GED classes, English-as-a-Second Language (ESL) courses, Adult Continuing Education (ACE) courses, parenting courses, and college correspondence courses (which the inmate pays for on their own).

Advanced Occupational Education:  FCI Petersburg Medium does not offer any advanced occupational education programs.


Vocational Training:  FCI Petersburg Medium offers Basic Carpentry, Cabinet Making, Computer Aided Design, Masonry, and Machine Shop vocational training.  All programs are accredited by the State Board of Vocational Education of Virginia, require students to possess a GED or high school diploma, and award a certificate from the State Board of Vocational Education of Virginia upon program completion.


Apprenticeship:  FCI Petersburg Medium offers Carpentry, HVAC, and Electrical Maintenance apprenticeship programs.  All apprenticeship programs are accredited by the U.S. Department of Labor and Bureau of Apprenticeship, last 48 months, require students to possess a GED or high school diploma prior to enrollment, and issue a certificate from the U.S. Department of Labor upon program completion.


Library Services:  FCI Petersburg Medium has a general library including a variety of magazines, newspapers, reference materials, and fiction and non-fiction books.  The Education Department also allows inmates to watch approved DVD's (these to include education and Hollywood titles).

Law Library Services:  FCI Petersburg Medium houses a number of Electronic Law Library computers, 10 typewriters (which inmates must furnish supplies for), and a copier in the Education Department.


Religious Services:  Amongst offering a number of religious services and programs, the FCI Petersburg Medium chapel also houses the Life Connections/Thresholds programs.  This is a 9 month program which essentially includes seminars on a plethora of different faiths and some of their life skills teachings.


UNICOR:  FCI Petersburg Medium houses a UNICOR facility which receives, sorts, and repackages at least 48 types of clothes hangers for private vendors (e.g., Target, Dicks Sporting Goods, etc.).  All UNICOR facilities in Petersburg, VA employ a total of 442 incarcerated UNICOR workers.


Commissary:  Inmates at FCI Petersburg Medium can shop in the institution's commissary once a week (the day depends on their inmate number) and are allowed to spend $320 per month (a BOP-wide limit).  This does not count against the purchase of over-the-counter medications, stamps, copy cards, or other spending limit-exempt items.


Controlled Movement:  FCI Petersburg Medium regulates movement throughout the institution by a procedure called controlled movement.  Controlled movements will begin generally 5 minutes before the hour and end at 5 minutes after the hour.  They are announced over the institution's public address system.  During these ten minutes periods of controlled movement, inmates may move from one area of the prison to another.


Recreation Services:  FCI Petersburg Medium houses outdoor and indoor recreation areas.  The outdoor area (the "yard") houses various sports fields (i.e., softball, soccer, and football), several basketball and handball courts, a tennis court and a volleyball court, bocce and horseshoe 
areas, and a track.  Inmates play individual, organized, and non-organized sports on these fields.  Every year there are soccer, volleyball, softball, basketball, flag football, street hockey, and ultimate Frisbee leagues.


The indoor recreation area houses various elliptical machines, rowing machines, and treadmills.  It also houses several tables for playing cards, a leather craft area, a painting room, and a pool table area.  Inmates can check out sports equipment from the equipment issue room.  This sports equipment includes jump ropes, medicine balls, Frisbees, basketballs, footballs, soccer balls, and more.

Visitation Information:  FCI Petersburg Medium allows visits on Thursday, Friday, and Monday from the hours of 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM.  Visitation is also allowed on Saturday, Sunday, and federal holidays from the hours of 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM.  Due to the number of inmates at FCI Petersburg 
Medium, inmate are only allowed to visit on one day per weekend.  The exact visiting day (Saturday or Sunday) will be determined by the fifth digit of their register number and whether it is an odd or even number.  Inmates are issued calendars which show them which days they are allowed receive visits.


Each inmate receives 10 visitation points each month.  Points are charged as follows: weekday visits are one point each; weekends and holidays are three points each.  No more than 6 points can be used on weekends in any given month.  Unused points are cancelled at the end of the month.  


Any part of a day shall count as a whole day/point.  The number of approved visitors permitted to visit an inmate at any one time will be limited to six.  Children under two years of age, who do not require a seat, will not be counted against the six visitor rule.

Only approved visitors are allowed to visit inmates at FCI Petersburg Medium.  Generally speaking, immediate family (which is stated in the inmate's Pre-Sentence Investigation report) is automatically approved.  Others who desire to visit must submit a visitation application to the inmate's unit team.  Outside of immediate family, a total of 10 additional visitors can be placed on an inmate's visitation list.

Inmates housed in the FCI Petersburg Medium Special Housing Unit are allowed to visit on the same days as those in general population.

All visitors must present photo identification when visiting.  Proper identification includes a valid state driver's license or state identification card.



An inmate at FCI Petersburg blogged “There is not even a fence here.  It`s almost like home except you can`t see family and friends.  It`s ridiculous,”   “We had a 4th of July cookout after all this and ate bacon cheeseburgers, watermelon, corn, and had red velvet ice cream after,”.

  Is this Club Fed or what?   These convicts are living better than half the working stiffs in Virginia.    What can we do to make things easier for Bob McDonnell?




McDonnell Juror Speaks Out ahead of former governor’s sentencing

                                             Robin Trujillo


A juror who convicted Bob McDonnell on 11 corruption charges is speaking out before the former governor is sentenced in federal court.

“I feel bad for the guy,” McDonnell Juror Robin Trujillo said.

However, while Trujillo said she “feels” for McDonnell, she does not regret her verdict.

“He broke the trust of the people. He committed a crime,” Trujillo said.

While  McDonnell will be sentenced on Tuesday, his wife Maureen, who was also convicted, will be sentenced in February.

Prosecutors have endorsed a sentence of at least 10 years behind bars with Bob McDonnell’s attorneys suggesting no jail time and instead 6,000 hours of community service.

Trujillo said she just hates “that [the sentence] is so long” and recommends anywhere between five and ten years behind bars.    She had no ideas that the Judge would reduce it to two years.

“Unfortunately there are repercussions,” Trujillo said.

Trujillo revealed that the jury still discusses the case on Facebook with one another.

“We are all kinda wondering what’s going to happen on the sixth,” Trujillo said.

Trujillo also broke down some of the key moments of trial, including the moment when, as she put it,  Bob McDonnell’s attorneys threw the former first lady “under the bus.”

“All of us kinda thought Mrs. McDonnell did not get very good representation,” Trujillo said. “It almost seemed like they were trying to prosecute her more than the prosecution was.”

Trujillo said the key moment for her was not the testimony of a witness or the closing argument by the government, but the moment in which she 
held the designer dresses and the Rolex watch in her hand for the very first time.   All of those are gifts McDonnell received from businessman Jonnie Williams.

“I looked at it, and especially in the jury room, we were able to handle all of the gifts and we were just like, ‘Wow,'” Trujillo said.

Since the conviction, Trujillo said jurors have read the letters in the media from McDonnell supporters, as well as the report that suggested 
Judge James Spencer may have been biased since McDonnell voted against Spencer’s wife to become a state judge.

However, Trujillo said all she witnessed was fairness by the judge, something she expects he will deliver once again Tuesday.

“He was very, very fair,” Trujillo reiterated.





Former Virginia governor Bob McDonnell will remain out of prison while his appeal is heard by a federal appeals court.

On Monday, The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, said McDonnell is not likely to flee or pose a danger to the safety of the community. 

The court also stated that the appeal raises a substantial question of law or fact that could warrant a reversal or new trial.

Federal Judge James Spencer denied McDonnell’s request to remain free earlier this month, and ordered McDonnell to report to prison on February 9th.

McDonnell released a statement in response to Monday’s ruling:

“I am grateful for today’s ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit allowing me to remain free on bond pending my appeal.  I plan to spend time with my new granddaughter who was born this month, attend my sons’ graduation ceremonies, and embrace family time with my 
daughters.  I want to thank my family, friends and legal team for their tireless support and unwavering belief in my innocence.   At this time our family requests privacy.”

The former governor and his wife, Maureen, were convicted on multiple corruption charges stemming from their relationship with businessman Jonnie Williams.   Prosecutors accused the couple of lending the prestige of the governor’s office in exchange for lavish gifts and loans from Williams, a dietary supplement executive.

The McDonnell’s attorneys have long argued that the couple never broke the law because the governor never performed any official acts that 
benefitted Williams.

Legal scholars say McDonnell’s case could set a legal precedent.

“I wouldn’t be surprised at all if this goes up to the Supreme Court,” said University of Richmond Law Professor Henry Chambers.   “There’s still a 
fair amount of discussion about what qualifies as an official act.”

Chambers believes Judge Spencer’s decision to sentence McDonnell to two years in prison, far below the recommended sentencing guidelines of 10 to 12 years, is telling.

“The fact that Judge Spencer only gave him two (years) suggests to me that he really doesn’t believe in the case as much as he says he believes 
in the case,” said Chambers.

The appellate court will hear McDonnell’s case on May 12.

Maureen McDonnell is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Spencer on Feb. 20.





McDonnell's Spiritual Advisor Speaks Out

Va –For the first time, the pastor, friend and close confidant of former Governor Bob McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, is speaking out about the difficult months following the conviction of the former first couple.

Father Wayne Ball says the McDonnell’s have remained deeply grounded in their faith as they await their sentencing in the new year.

“The waiting has been difficult,” Father Ball said.  “The day of the verdict, I can say without a doubt, it was the worst day I’ve experienced… sitting in the courtroom with the five children and every time the word guilty was said, it was striking the children, the grief just became more 
and more profound.”

In September, a jury convicted Bob McDonnell on 11 of 13 felony counts.  Maureen McDonnell was found guilty on nine of 13 counts.  Prosecutors 
alleged that both McDonnell’s lent the prestige of the governor’s office to wealthy businessman, Jonnie Williams Sr., in exchange for lavish 
gifts and loans.

But on Monday, Judge James Spencer tossed out the obstruction of justice conviction for Maureen McDonnell,  saying “obstruction of justice 
requires more than a misleading note.”

The obstruction charge stemmed from a note McDonnell wrote Williams at the beginning of the criminal investigation.  Prosecutors said the former first lady was trying to cover up expensive clothing given to her by Williams, by implying that she had just borrowed them.  McDonnell’s lawyers claim that Maureen McDonnell had intended to return the clothing long before she was interviewed by investigators.

Father Ball believes the judge’s decision is a “sign of hope” for the McDonnell’s, who pray their convictions will be overturned on appeal.  Ball 
says the judge’s  ruling symbolically comes on the first week of advent.

“I said, that’s it!  That’s the candle.  That one light, that’s the beginning… the first ray of light in the darkness,” Ball said.

Legal experts believe attorneys for the McDonnell’s will focus on the term “official acts” in the appeals process.  Attorneys say evidence and testimony never showed that the governor performed any official act that benefited Williams.  
The outcome of the appeal’s process could set a 
precedent in corruption trials for years to come since Judge Spencer’s definition of  “official acts” was broad.

Each conviction  carries a maximum sentence of 20 years,  but  legal experts say it’s unlikely either McDonnell will serve decades in prison.

Father Ball says the former governor and his family are sustained by the overwhelming support of friends, family and even strangers, some who 
stop the former governor in public to talk.

In the media chaos that followed the Sept. 4 verdict, Ball says he remembers hearing a female voice calling out to the governor as they got into 
their car.

“She yelled, ‘Keep the faith!’  You have to hold onto those moments,”  Ball remembers telling the governor.

Father Ball says the McDonnell children continue to be a constant source of strength for their parents.  The McDonnell’s oldest daugher, Jeanine, is expecting her first child in January, just days after her father’s sentencing.

“They refuse to lose hope,” Ball says.  “They absolutely refuse to give up hope that in the end, their parents will come out exonerated.”

 A federal appeals court has approved former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell's request to remain free while he appeals his corruption convictions.

Attorneys for McDonnell asked the court to allow the former governor to remain out of prison because his appeal raises substantial questions of 
law which could warrant a reversal, dismissal or a new trial.

The court further finds that the appeal is not for the purpose of delay and raises a substantial question of law or fact that, 'if decided in 
favor of the accused' is 'important enough' to warrant reversal or a new trial," the court wrote in its order.

McDonnell made the same request of Senior District Judge James R. Spencer, who oversaw his trial. Spencer denied McDonnell's request and ordered he report to prison on February 9.

Federal prosecutors had also opposed McDonnell's request for bond pending appeal.

The two-page order from the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals says McDonnell is to remain free on his own recognizance and must abide by the same 
rules that were imposed by the trial court.

In making its ruling, though, the court ordered an expedited schedule for filing briefs and hearing an argument in the case. Briefs are due by March 2 and a hearing is set for May 12 in Richmond. The court said the hearing date cannot be moved back.

McDonnell's request to stay out of prison was also supported by three separate amicus briefs filed by outside organizations. One brief was filed by six former Virginia Attorneys General, another by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and a third by two law professors.

A jury last year found McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, guilty of taking gifts and loans from a vitamin executive in exchange for promoting his 
products.

Maureen McDonnell is scheduled to be sentenced by Spencer in district court on February 20.





FILED: January 26, 2015

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT  ___________________  No. 15-4019

(3:14-cr-00012-JRS-1)

 ___________________ UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Plaintiff - Appellee v. ROBERT F. MCDONNELL Defendant - Appellant and ANTHONY FRANCIS TROY; MARY 
SUE TERRY; STEPHEN DOUGLAS ROSENTHAL; ANDREW P. MILLER; J. MARSHALL COLEMAN; MARK L. EARLEY; NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYERS;  

NANCY GERTNER, Law Professor; CHARLES J. OGLETREE, JR., Law Professor; Amici Supporting Appellant

 ___________________ O R D E R  ___________________ 

Upon consideration of the submissions relative to appellant's motion for release pending appeal pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3143(b), the court finds, 
by clear and convincing evidence, that appellant is not likely to flee or pose a danger to the safety of any other person or the community if released. The court further finds that the appeal is not for the purpose of delay and raises a substantial question of law or fact that, “if decided in favor of the accused” is “important enough” to warrant reversal or a new trial.  United States v. Steinhorn, 927 F.2d 195, 196 (4th Cir. 1991) (per curiam). 

The court grants appellant's motion and releases appellant on his own recognizance pending appeal, subject to the same conditions imposed by the district court for release pending trial. 

The court will hear this case on the following expedited schedule:  Opening Brief and Joint Appendix:  Due March 2, 2015 Response Brief: Due March 26, 2015 Reply Brief, if any:  Due April 8, 2015 Oral Argument will be held on May 12, 2015, in Richmond, Virginia, and is not subject to continuance.

 For the Court /s/ Patricia S. Connor, Clerk
Appeal: 15-4019 Doc: 39 Filed: 01/26/2015 



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