Will Media Ever Ask Baise About CREA?

By: Rob
Published On: 4/14/2007 12:00:00 PM

When the GOP candidate for Chairman of Virginia's most populous county sits on the board of an organization embroiled in Abramoff-related scandal, what does the D.C.-area media do?  Well, so far, nothing.

Gary Baise, who is the GOP candidate opposing Chairman Gerry Connolly of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, is bringing a lot of baggage to the Fairfax GOP this year.  The former Nixon official and current high-powered environmental litigator for corporations (here he is supporting Bush's environmental record in a pro-industry, anti-environment website), is also on the board of the Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy (CREA).

And what is CREA? Well, they aren't pro-environment, that's for sure. Wikipedia says that it is an "anti-environmental charity and lobbying group, headed by Italia Federici, and is involved with the Jack Abramoff scandals. Grover Norquist has also been involved with the group." (More details on that after the jump.)

Now, no guilt by association here as there is no evidence that implicates Baise with any wrongdoing himself ... but he does now have to answer some questions about his involvement in this scandalous organization. I mean, he is running for Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, after all.  What did he know and when did he know it? These are the questions the area media needs to ask Mr. Basie. Voters need to know, and the Washington Post and other area outlets need to do their jobs.

And does the Fairfax GOP want to be answering questions about this scandal the rest of this year? Did it want to drag Jack Abramoff - the GOP's albatross of 2006 - into the critical elections of 2007? Well, by selecting a board member of CREA for this important contest, that's exactly what the Fairfax GOP has done. And the media must follow up on this issue as soon as possible.
More on CREA's Abramoff troubles:

The head of a Republican environmental advocacy group has been told officially by federal investigators that she is a target for criminal prosecution in the Jack Abramoff corruption probe.

Italia Federici, who co-founded the group with former Interior Secretary Gale Norton and conservative GOP activist Grover Norquist, was told by the Justice Department she faces up to five charges in the influence-peddling scandal that has produced convictions against one lawmaker, two senior Bush administration officials and several congressional aides.

While running the advocacy group, the Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy, Federici was involved in a romantic relationship with J. Steven Griles, who was deputy interior secretary during President Bush's first term. Griles last month became the highest-ranking Bush administration official convicted in the lobbying scandal when he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of obstructing justice by lying to the Senate Indian Affairs Committee in 2005....

Federal prosecutors told Federici in a confidential letter dated Jan. 19 that they are considering bringing charges of fraud, impeding the Internal Revenue Service, tax evasion, obstructing the Senate committee and testifying falsely to the committee and its investigators. The letter was first reported by Legal Times.

"The investigation is focused on the allegedly illegal manner in which you operated the Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy, commonly known as CREA," the letter says. "The government has also received information that you may have assisted others in depriving the American public of the honest services of at least one administration official."

There is no proof that Baise has himself done anything wrong - but he can't remain silent on such a major controversy engulfing an organization of which he sits on the board while he runs to be Chairman of the most populous county in Virginia.  And all it takes is a phone call for media to answer the basic questions.

Comments



Hat tip to James Martin (Andrea Chamblee - 4/14/2007 2:58:34 PM)
Lowell, you know I love you, but instead of using precious front page space on two diaries on this same topic, just keep Martin's diary higher for a longer time. That was a great find.


This is a follow-up diary ... (Rob - 4/14/2007 3:34:57 PM)
the media is being negligent in handling this issue.


No red devil stripes? (James Martin - 4/14/2007 4:40:38 PM)
How can we show him without them?!?!


Kilpatrick Stockton (Susan P. - 4/15/2007 7:31:10 AM)
I know someone who worked (note use of past tense) for what is now Kilpatrick Stockton.  Ummm, you might want to check out their client list.  Nuff said.


Baise who is that? (Alex_Cavalier_Fan - 4/15/2007 10:56:54 AM)
Why are we concearned at all about Baise it's not like he can really win.  Also Kilpatrick Stockton is a Democrat Law Firm much like Patton Boggs.

We are giving baise too much credability by talking about him.  and yo know the Right Wing Press won't ask Republicans hard questions.  Also I have a Friend who is an Intern for WMAL.  I hear he will be Chris Core's Guest on Tuesday.  So, we might want to call up and ask him about his CREA ties.

Alex



Alex (Susan P. - 4/15/2007 4:59:12 PM)
Did you join today just to post that comment?  Interesting.  Also an interesting comment about a "Democrat law firm."  Many Democrats might use the term "Democratic law firm."  Personally, I don't know of a lot of former Nixon officials who are Democrats, but I stand ready to be educated with some actual facts.  Go Hoos!


Not guilt by association, but rather, GUILT (jam222 - 4/17/2007 11:34:18 AM)
CREA is an impressively unctuous organization. And Mr. Baise is not passively involved, but rather is an active leader of the group. So this is not a case of assigning guilt by association. Indeed, only those who are associated with Mr. Baise could claim that.