Michael Steele, Newly Appointed Republican National Committe Chairman, Mired in Campaign Funds Mishandling Scandal

What do you know? Michael S. Steele, the newly elected chairman of the Republican National Committee is not so clean after all. Are you surprised? The Washington Post is reporting that Steele arranged for his 2006 Senate campaign to pay a defunct company, Brown Sugar Unlimited, run by his sister, Monica Turner, for services that were never performed. Wow. That's low and dirty. Steele has been a pretty vocal critic against President Obama and attacked him relentlessly on his association with Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Bill Ayers, his economic and foreign policies, including the stimulus plan. Funny, Barack Obama has never been accused of paying money to a defunct organization for services not rendered. There's a word for that -- theft.

The claim about the payment, one of several allegations by Alan B. Fabian, is outlined in a confidential court document. Fabian offered the information last March as he was seeking leniency for himself during plea negotiations on unrelated fraud charges. It is unclear how extensively his claims have been pursued. Prosecutors gave him no credit for cooperation when he was sentenced in October.

Steele spokesman Curt Anderson said he did not know what information the federal agents were seeking, but he dismissed Fabian's allegations as patently false. "It's from, what, a convicted felon? And it has no substantiation in fact," he said. Source: Washington Post

Here's the ironic part. Steele will be overseeing the raising and spending of millions in party money. Can you really trust him with this, since he has been fingered in funneling money to a defunct company? This begs the question of why he was elected as the chairman when he has faced allegations of mishandling of campaign money in prior elections and was twice fined for missing filing deadlines. They selected him because they wanted to make a statement -- a black man is the chairman of the RNC to match President Obama's historic ascent to the presidency. So what? This clearly isn't the right person for the position and with that dark cloud over his head, he should be the last person to criticize President Obama.

The recent allegations outlined four specific transactions. In addition to the payment to Steele's sister, Fabian said that the candidate used money from his state campaign improperly; that Steele paid $75,000 from the state campaign to a law firm for work that was never performed; and that he or an aide transferred more than $500,000 in campaign cash from one bank to another without authorization.

In one of his allegations, Fabian points to a February 2007 payment by Steele's Senate campaign of more than $37,000 to Brown Sugar Unlimited, the company run by Steele's sister, Monica Turner. Campaign finance records list the expense as having been for "catering/web services." Turner filed papers to dissolve the company 11 months before the payment was received. Source: Washington Post

Here's an interesting revelation -- Monica Turner, a doctor, is the former wife of boxer Mike Tyson. Yes, she said that her brother is being sabotaged. Wait, he didn't have a problem repeatedly denigrating President Obama. Imagine if this was revealed about President Obama or VP Joe Biden? The Republicans would have a field day. So now, Mr. Chairman, how does it feel when the shoe is on the other foot? Not comfy, I am sure.

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