Over at DWT, Howie dug up a police report about Rep. Ken Calvert that I’d just as well have not seen. But, seeing as I’m a blogger and can’t avoid the salaciousness of it all, you can find a JPG of the report here.
According to the report, Calvert was caught in his car in a “compromising” situation with a woman known to engage in prostitution. Now, given that Calvert is one of those holier-than-thou types, that alone would be news worthy. But wait, there’s more.
The FBI is now poking around a land deal that now seems quite sketchy
Even for a speculator like Calvert, it was an unusually good deal.
During the time he owned the land, Calvert used the legislative process known as earmarking to secure $8 million for a planned freeway interchange 16 miles from the property, and an additional $1.5 million to support commercial development of the area around the airfield.
A map of Calvert’s recent real estate holdings and those of his partner shows many of them near the transportation projects he has supported with federal appropriations. And improvements to the transportation infrastructure have contributed to the area’s explosive growth, according to development experts.
…What sets Calvert’s actions apart from the traditional efforts of lawmakers to bring federal dollars home to their districts is that some of the spending has gone for improvements near his private real estate ventures, and he has used earmarking to secure the tax dollars… He also has secured funds for a number of projects pushed by campaign contributors, including employees of the Washington lobbying firm of Copeland Lowery & Jacquez, his top political donor in the last election cycle. (LA Times)
TPM has a bit more on this deal, but as of right now it is still in the investigation stage. Even if the sale was valid, which it may or not be, the fact that Calvert was using earmarks to improve the value of his land is very much a no-no. And Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) really, really doesn’t care for that sort of thing.
We will surely hear more on this story…
In keeping an eye on the other side, I have seen a number of posts over the years on Red State that paint Calvert as corrupt. What does it say for Calvert if the hyper-Republican Red State can’t stand him?
Last election cycle Democratic challenger Bill Hedrick came within 2% of winning, even though he had little money.
Bill Hedrick is a dedicated progressive and a really good guy. Please support him (HedrickforCongress.com) this election cycle and turn Riverside and part of Orange County blue.