CA House to Investigate SEIU Spending Scandal

September 20, 2008 | Filed Under Business, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Media Bias, News, Publius Contributor, Society/Culture, Unions, Warner Todd Huston |

-By Warner Todd Huston

To head off claims by California Republicans that California State House Democrats are covering up for the fraud involved in a Service Employees International Union (SEIU) spending and influence peddling scandal, it was announced that a criminal investigation is going forward against the union.

One wonders just how hard the Democrat controlled House will pursue the matter, though?

The Education and Labor Committee’s top-ranked Republican, Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-Santa Clarita), suggested last week that the congressional examination of an SEIU local in Los Angeles had stalled because the union is a key ally of the Democratic Party.

The committee chairman responsible for the investigation is a recipient of $10,000 in campaign donations from the SEIU. George Miller (D- Martinez) said that the investigation was going forward but that his panel would “avoid interfering with the efforts of federal law enforcement officials.”

The emergence of this spending and influence peddling scandal has already forced several SEIU leaders to step down in the face of pressure. Hundreds of thousands of dollars of union funds were spent on lavish diners and gifts as well as for “services” performed by companies owned by union leader’s family members.

This scandal threatens to taint SEIU leaders in Washington D.C., as well as California and has also reached into Michigan already. SEIU president Andy Stern was a close associate and backer of Tyrone Freeman, the California Local leader that had to step down as a result of these troubles.

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Warner Todd Huston is a Chicago based freelance writer, has been writing opinion editorials and social criticism since early 2001 and is featured on many websites such as newsbusters.org, townhall.com, New Media Journal, Men’s News Daily and the New Media Alliance among many, many others. Additionally, he has been a frequent guest on talk-radio programs to discuss his opinion editorials and current events. He has also written for several history magazines and appears in the new book “Americans on Politics, Policy and Pop Culture” which can be purchased on amazon.com. He is also the owner and operator of publiusforum.com. Feel free to contact him with any comments or questions : EMAIL Warner Todd Huston