In commemorating the Thanksgiving holiday your author has elected a double shot entry.
The next order of business with soon to be Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat Congresswoman from San Francisco, is installing a new chair over the House Intelligence Committee. Currently she is entertaining Democrat Congresswoman Jane Harman, who represents Los Angeles county, for the role. The Congresswoman is part of the Blue Dog Coalition of Democrats, often siding on conservatism.
It isn’t Congresswoman Pelosi’s rumored choice for this position that interests your author. No it was her first one. Pelosi’s has long thought to have wanted to install Democrat Congressman Alcee Hasting from Florida. This great Congressman is something of an anomaly. Your author must state that he uses the adjective great with tongue and cheek. Hastings is an example of what can slip through the cracks. To be quite frank from an ethical standpoint he shouldn’t be elected class clown, much less a Representative.
It’s 1979 and President Jimmy Carter appoints Alcee Hastings, a prominent Florida attorney, to the federal court circuit. A few years back two shady brothers-Thomas and Frank Romano-were shopping around for loans. The local Teamsters for New Jersey counties Passaic and Bergen were happy to oblige. Through 1974-77 the Romano brothers would purchase a series of homes in Florida. All the while mobster Anthony “Tony Pro” Provenzano and his associates were receiving a kickback as they were the ones who illegally brokered the loans. The amounts obtained by the brothers totaled $1million. Unbeknownst to the Romano brothers Provenzano and his mob cronies from New Jersey had been under an FBI investigation since the early 1960s. Provenzano was long alleged to have been a conspirator against the disappearance of former Teamsters International boss Jimmy Hoffa. Provenzano would later be convicted of murder and fraud, dying in a federal prison.
The Romano brothers were tried and convicted in Hastings’ court. The case should have been closed. The Romanos were cooling their heels while they awaited their fate. Dredge was also awaiting federal sentencing for a narcotics trafficking conviction. William Dredge decided to call the FBI. In the mobster’s lingo book this is called ‘dropping a dime’. Dredge had heard that the Romano brothers were making calls to Washington DC attorney and Hastings pal William Borders. The Romano brothers were looking to buy their way out of sentencing and thought Hastings would be interested in a cool $150,000 to help out. Borders was acting as the middle man.
When it had been confirmed that something was going on the FBI decided to pull a unique undercover operation and because Borders had never actually met or spoke with Frank Romano, an agent would just ring up the lawyer and say it was him. Unbelievably Borders bought it and the undercover agent pressed Borders on meeting Hastings. Borders was eager to broker the illegal deal. The first payment went to Borders, which totaled $25,000 and terminated the Hastings’ forfeiture judgment. Borders and Hastings were told more funds were on their way.
On October 9, 1981 Borders once again met with “Frank Romano” at a local DC hotel. After the remaining $125,000 was handed over to Borders, FBI agents convened and arrested the middle man for the corrupt federally appointed judge. When word got back to Hastings, who was also in DC, he quickly fled, taking a long and very expensive cab ride to the Baltimore airport. Hastings then flew back to his girlfriend’s home in Florida. In December of that year he was indicted for bribery.
At his trial Hastings plead innocent and used racism against him as a defense. Hastings was acquitted. Borders would be convicted. Borders had refused to testify against his old pal. Florida’s Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals hired a former Justice Department lawyer, John Doar, to investigate Hastings’ testimony. It was uncovered that enough evidence was present to indict him for perjury. The Democrat majority Congress agreed and proceeded with impeachment hearings.
During the initial phase Democrat Congressman from Detroit John Conyers, who was recently reelected, opened proceedings with the following:
We did not wage that civil rights struggle merely to replace one form of judicial corruption for another. The principle of equality requires that a black public official be held to the same standard that other public officials are held to, just as race should never disqualify a person from office, race should never insulate a person from the consequences of wrongful conduct.”
In an overwhelming majority it was decided to remove Hastings from the bench. Some Democrats who voted in favor included (which are relevant today) were Senators Ted Kennedy, Harry Reid (soon to be Senate majority leader), Jay Rockefeller, Robert Byrd and Daniel Inouye.
Unfortunately the verdict did not call for Hastings to be barred from public office. In 1992 Hastings won the US Representative seat in Florida’s 23rd District. To say this district is odd in the size and the area it encompasses would be an understatement. Below is a picture, the reader can see how it avoids the coastal region and actually slides into the heart of some of the poorest rural farm areas in Florida.
Furthermore Hastings enjoys the endorsement of the Black Congressional Caucus for the Committee Seat. It should be noted that John Conyers and the loveable Harlem Congressman Charles Rangel are members, although they have been silent on Hastings as of to date. For the record Go-Between-Man William Borders received a Presidential pardon by, you guessed it, President Bill Clinton.
Congresswoman Pelosi has pledged to manage the most ethical House ever. Thus far she is 0-2 with the resounding defeat of Representative John Murtha as House Democrat Leader and now with Hastings, already her push for the dismissed former federal judge is receiving a backlash from the newly elected Democrats, who your author pointed out in a 11/8/06 blog entry, ran on being conservative. The Party infighting has begun and the reader must question her abilities in choosing a leader. Soon to be Speaker Pelosi should reread her promise because it looks to be a bumpy road for the next two years.
