Stunning Photo Surfaces of President Bush, Scammer Isaac Toussie's Father Robert Toussie, Who Bilked Blacks and Latinos in Mortgage Scam

It turns out that President George W. Bush had some contact with the patriarch of the Toussie scamming clan. The New York Daily News has published the picture showing President Bush shaking hands with Robert Toussie as they stand in front of an American flag. Aaaw, how patriotic! Of course, the White House is in damage control to minimized the embarrassment of Bush rescinding the pardon of a criminal who seems unrepentant, at best.

Isaac Toussie pleaded guilty in 2001 to lying to the Department of Housing and Urban Development to get mortgages for unqualified homebuyers. Both Toussies face suits accusing them of fleecing hundreds of blacks and Latinos who bought overpriced, shoddy houses. The Toussies are all over the place in New York City, contributing to many politicians who would rather take the money and worry later. It is a mystery to me how the White House didn't bother to do some research to see that this man was a scumbag. Wait, am I dreaming? This is a classic Bush move that would have remained under the radar had the Daily News not pursued the story. The Bush administration ignored the background of Toussie and his father, which is a tale of sordid actions--payoff and corruption spanning 45 years.

The rags-to-riches story began with Toussie's father, Robert, who clawed his way out of poverty to build empires in the clothing and real estate businesses. Although the Toussie family record is filled with suits and scam allegations, as well as the fraud conviction that drew the pardon, it is also a story of triumph and contradiction. Robert and the now-37-year-old Isaac enjoyed the high life, complete with Rolls-Royces, Bentleys and Jaguars.

Robert Toussie, 67, has made numerous charitable contributions, including $50,000 to New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell. The Toussies seem to win as many suits as they lose, prevailing against then-Attorney General Eliot Spitzer in an alleged land sale fraud case, among many others.

It all started with Robert Toussie, who was 7 when he began buying candy wholesale and selling it for a profit to his friends. At 10, he had a paper route, and at 15, he graduated as valedictorian of his high school class. Instead of going to college, he joined his older brother in the baby clothes and children's wear businesses - and soon became a millionaire. From there it was on to business school and then real estate development. Beginning in 1970, Toussie - later joined by his son - began buying thousands of parcels of land for development on Long Island, mostly in Suffolk County.

He bought the famed 39-acre Chandler estate in Mount Sinai for $500,000 in 1997 and sold it to Suffolk County for $5 million three years later. That sale triggered charges of collusion with two Suffolk County officials and investigations by Spitzer and the federal government. Robert Toussie emerged unscathed. The big suits against the Toussies involve charges of inflated prices and misleading advertising for some of the Long Island developments and others on Staten Island. Source: NY Daily News

I am not surprised that President Bush ignored this, but it is very hypocritical when they go after President Bill Clinton's pardoning of Marc Rich. At least Clinton didn't flip flop on the matter. It is truly reprehensible that the White House didn't bother to do a thorough investigation into its decision to pardon Isaac Toussie. It is, however, indicative of the type of White House President Bush ran -- Don't ask and I won't tell. I will be glad when this nightmare of President Bush's reign comes to a screeching halt on January 20, 2009.