The third thing about Miers.

[crispini]

IMO, Miers is showing some very distinct connections to the nastier side of Texas politics.

The first thing is Miers' tenure at the Texas Lottery. Now, most Texans know that the Lottery, being tied to money, has a sort of perpetual whiff around it. Kind of like three day old fish. The kind the cat won't even look at.

During her five year tenure they fired TWO directors. The first director they fired, Nora Linares, had a little conflict of interest issue. However, her firing also has a distinct political flavor to it, being as she was a Democrat. Interestingly enough, Linares was represented at the time by Charles Soechting, who is now the leader of the Texas Democratic Party. And the second director, Lawrenc Littwin, who may have been fired because he was looking into G-Tech, and thus the whole Ben Barnes and TANG scandal... you all know about already and if you don't you can read it here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5318713,00.html

The second thing: Miers' law firm, Locke, Liddle and Sapp, were lobbyists for some of the TRMPAC contributors, and therefore tied into that whole Tom DeLay crooked campaign finance thing. (See link here: http://www.texasobserver.org/showArticle.asp?ArticleID=1781)

So that brings in two of Texas' favorite recent piles of dirty laundry.

Now, I really think there's a trifecta out there. My spidey sense is tingling. It's telling me that there will be something unsavory connected to Miers' term on the Dallas City Council. Why do I say this? Because it's a perfect fit. Miers is tied to two of the nastiest little schemes to pop out of the stew that is Texas politics recently. And, on the other side, there is always something vaguely unsavory cooking up there at the Dallas City Council. It's a match made in heaven.

So let's look. Her tenure there was from 1989-1991. Anyone got any ideas about where to dig the dirt? If someone has free access to Lexis Nexis or something like that-- that would be VERY cool... Dallas Morning News charges for their archive. :(

[MrBenchley]

1. As soon as I heard her name I wondered about Enron...

Funeralgate? Harken Energy? The Texas Ranger deals?

[Fridays Child]

3. Well, she's been giving Captain Coke Jaw legal guidance since...

...1993, so she may well know where some very important bodies are buried. Harken would have been before her time but not Funeralgate and the Rangers.

[MrBenchley]

9. Maybe now we can find out how many times the drunk's been arrested

By the way, her law firm is right in the middle of the Tom Delay TRMPAC scandal...

[Fridays Child]

11. Bush cronies are so tightly connected, it's downright incestuous.

[MrBenchley]

12. What I love about this situation

is that right wing loonies are up in arms...but not about any of the things that sane people ought to be up in arms about...

What's blistering their bunsd is that she might be fair to Democrats...and they're actually saying that out loud!

[crispini]

16. Yet another "piss everyone off" decision.

Niiiiiiice.

[crispini]

4. Mmm. Enron.

That could be worth pursuing.....

[MrBenchley]

10. Lots of Texas Republicans were involved....

[Fridays Child]

2. I brought some of this up earlier but...

...after kicking my thread twice, I figured nobody cared about her lottery/G-Tech/Barnes dealings. Thanks for this thread. Let's hope it gets some notice because I think her hands may be very dirty from scrubbing Bush's TANG history.

[crispini]

6. Yeah, I think people care, there are about 30 posts on it

in Skinner's big thread. The only reason I didn't post this there is because it's speculating.

I need to go have some RL conversations with some old Dallas politicos. I know just who to talk to, too. :D

[Fridays Child]

8. Carry on, then!

And don't be shy about telling us what you learn, either. :)

[MrBenchley]

19. Yeah, that's a subject that should be hit early and often....

Especially at the time when there's an investigation inot traitors in the White House, it doesn't hurt to have America reminded that this drunk is a wartime deserter himself.

[eleny]

5. Interesting DeLay connection

I wonder how it will pan out given that the word is that W is done with DeLay. Of course, given Mier's career formula - her loyalty will be to meld herself with W's leanings. His leanings are her own. She could spell big trouble for DeLay if he hopes his troubles will lead him to the SCOTUS.

For my analysis of Mier's career formula, see here http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=4960498&mesg_id=4960607

[crispini]

7. Nice post.

I get it. She's a made woman in the Texas mafia.

[Horse with no Name]

13. Campaign Finance?

1968: Ben Barnes, a prominent Texas Democrat and a former speaker of the House in the state legislature, told friends he used his influence to get George W a guard slot after receiving a request from Houston oilman Sid Adger. Barnes said Adger told him he was calling on behalf of the elder George Bush, then a Texas congressman.

1995: Harriet Miers appointed to head the Texas Lottery.
The biggest issue before Miers and the commission was whether to retain lottery operator Gtech, which had been implicated in a bribery scandal. Gtech's main lobbyist in Texas in the mid-1990s? None other than that same Ben Barnes who had the goods on how Bush got into the Guard and avoided Vietnam.

1997: Barnes was abruptly fired by Gtech.

1997: Nora Linares was fired by Miers. Coincidentally (?) Linares was represented by Charles Soechting, now head of the Texas Democratic Party.

1997: Linares replacement, Littwin was fired. He had ruffled feathers for ordering lottery security officers to research campaign finance records of 30 current and former state officials.Littwin claimed GTECH used its political influence to have him fired. Miers denied the accusation.
Littwin's lawyers suggested that former Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes, who was a lobbyist for GTECH until January 1997, helped the company keep its state contract to run the lottery in exchange for keeping silent about how he had helped Bush get into the National Guard in the late 1960s.
Barnes denied the allegations.

1998: Bush's Texas gubenatorial campaign in 1998 (when he was starting to eye the White House) actually paid Miers $19,000 to run an internal pre-emptive probe of the potential National Guard scandal.

So this is just starting...fill in appropriate information. Cursory glance shows that perhaps Miers was put into a position at the Lottery to gleen info regarding Barnes so that she could turn around and bury the info later? Perhaps Lawrence Littwin would be a person of interest to talk to.

http://www.pnionline.com/dnblog/attytood/archives/00238...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-531...

[crispini]

14. Oh, yes, that's definitely part of it.

That's #1 on my list. #2 being the TRMPAC connection. But what's #3? I'm sure there's more out there. Dallas City Council, 1989-1991. Bank on it.

[Horse with no Name]

15. I missed this earlier I think

Ms. Miers served as general counsel for the transition team of Governor-elect George W. Bush in 1994.

http://www.legalreforminthenews.com/leaders/Miers/Miers_bio.html

[Flying Dream Blues]

17. Something to do with the Rangers deal? Or is this too early? nt

[sandnsea]

22. Look at the timeline

Miers put the GTech contract up for rebid. That's when Barnes was fired from GTech. Then Littwin was put in, AFTER Barnes was out. Clearly there is something else going on with GTech, because despite all of this, they still have the contract long after Barnes was gotten out of it, and that's what Miers supposedly was appointed to clean up. GTech was told to get rid of Barnes and that's what the Bushies don't want let out.

[sandnsea]

18. GTech always had, still has lottery contract

She got put into the lottery to get Ben Barnes out, they've been after him forever because he knows about TANG. Plain and simple. Littwin was put in AFTER they got Barnes out, so I don't know what his firing was about, but it wasn't about Ben Barnes.

[crispini]

23. Littwin was fired, allegedly, because he was investigating G-Tech.

:D

[sandnsea]

24. Allgedly, because...

the allegation is they were contracting GTech in order to keep Barnes quiet. That's not the way they play, they annhilate people and had been after Barnes for years. Something else was going on with Littwin, he was brought in after Barnes was already gone.

[Horse with no Name]

20. Buying off judges

http://www.tpj.org/docs/2000/04/reports/checks/profiles2.html

Justice Abbott's Top Donors
Locke Purnell Rain Harrell
$19,000
Liddell Sapp Zivley Hill & LaBoon
$17,350

Justice Enoch's Top Donors
Locke Purnell Rain Harrell
$13,800
Liddell Sapp Zivley Hill & LaBoon
$13,100

Justice Gonzales' Top Donors
Locke Liddell & Sapp
$2,500

Justice Hankinson's Top Donors
Locke Purnell Rain Harrell
$14,150

Justice Hecht's Top Donors
Locke Purnell Rain Harrell
$32,523
Liddell Sapp Zivley Hill…
$13,425

Justice Owen's Top Donors
Liddell Sapp Zivley Hill…
$6,700

Justice Phillips' Top Donors
Liddell Sapp Zivley Hill…
$16,450

>>>>snip
Business law firms and the defense firms that typically represent business interests before state judges are the dominant source of Supreme Court campaign cash. Led by the triumvirate of Vinson & Elkins, Baker Botts and Fulbright & Jaworski, business and defense firms account for 19 of the Supreme Court’s top 25 sources of campaign money. The recent merger of Locke Purnell with Liddell Sapp also catapults Locke Liddell into these ranks. There are just five leading sources of campaign money on this list that are not law firms. All five of these other top sources of campaign cash are the very kinds of business interests that hire defense firms to fend off plaintiff lawsuits. In contrast, the top plaintiff firm, Perdue Clore & Perdue, contributed $35,000 to the justices. This firm ranks as the 61st largest source of their campaign cash.

http://www.tpj.org/docs/2000/04/reports/checks/C.html

[jazzjunkysue]

21. Tied to the Delay scandal? Could this be better? It'll make good

fodder, if the Dems ever grow a set.