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Editor's Note: The Sacramento Press editorial made a change to the headline of this article after it was published. We normally strike out incorrect information in an article, but since we cannot strike out a headline, we are adding an editor's note. We made this change to the headline because we do not have the actual ages of the females mentioned and we didn't want to use language that indicated an incorrect age range.
Allegations that Mayor Kevin Johnson engaged in inappropriate conduct with three girls females are included in a new joint report from a congressman and senator, both Republicans.
The report focuses on the firing of federal Inspector General Gerald Walpin, who was investigating the finances of Johnson’s nonprofit St. HOPE. Walpin was the inspector general of the Corporation for National and Community Service.
The report, which was released today, can be read in its entirety here.
Sen. Charles Grassley, a ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, wrote the report with Rep. Darrell Issa, a ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Grassley and Issa argue in the report that Walpin’s firing by President Barack Obama was unwarranted.
The report says that Agents Jeff Morales and Wendy Wingers from the Office of Inspector General learned of the allegations against Johnson.
“While in Sacramento, Agents Wingers and Morales became aware of allegations of inappropriate contact between Johnson and three female St. HOPE students,” the report states. “Mr. Johnson’s attorney, Kevin Hiestand, approached at least one of the students describing himself only as ‘a friend of Johnson’s,’ and ‘basically asked me to keep quiet.' "
The report further notes: “According to her interview with OIG investigators, about one week later, Kevin Johnson offered her $1,000 a month until the end of the program, which she refused to accept. Moreover, the OIG uncovered evidence of two other female St. HOPE students reporting Johnson for inappropriate sexual conduct towards them.”
Steve Maviglio, a spokesman for Johnson, said the report is “politically motivated” and groundless. Johnson is being used as a “political football” between “ultra-right wing” members of Congress and the Obama administration, Maviglio said.
Concerning the allegations involving the three girls females, Maviglio said: "There's nothing that has ever been proven."
Photo by Anthony Bento.
Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.
Tsakopoulos stood to get rich off "shovel ready" stimulus money for Sacramento... and he's been a huge campaign contributor to these folks.
They are all dirty & "in bed" together with big money special interests. Vote limited government. That is the only way you can fight corruption... by limiting their power & protecting individual rights & the Constitution.
But from the start this Mayor has assaulted the truth with regard to his organizations, which have dealt covertly with the SCUSD in unreported loans and rent abatements concealed from public scrutiny until just last December, the Americorps debacle and misuse of funds, schools with unprecedented staff turnover and budgetary deficits causing routinized layoffs, and the hiring of unqualified teachers to do the front line work of education our youth...
He sanctimoniously accused Heather Fargo of everything from the mortgage meltdown to world hunger, and has proposed an audit for the City that he himself could never sustain in his own organizations, accompanied by a 'Strong Mayor' proposal that grants his office WHILE in office unprecedented authority over City affairs, examples of which include the nepharious and secretive 'arrangement' with Nestle to siphon off and repackage municipal water already paid for by rate payers, as well as the Natomas permit switcheroo granted to a supporter...
He has conducted himself in office disgracefully, always attempting to muddy any serious consideration of his malfeasance by his attempts to divert public attention yet another bright shiny object, a la the arena panel, or the lipservice paid to homelessness...
For KJ's supporters I suggest one thing -- to READ the accounts provided in Das Bee's articles of yesterday and today, linked below... and THEN decide if you can continue your support...
http://www.sacbee.com/topstories/story/2339288.html
http://media.sacbee.com/smedia/2009/11/20/19/20091120JointStaffReport.source.prod_affiliate.4.pdf
http://media.sacbee.com/smedia/2009/11/20/19/20091120docs2.source.prod_affiliate.4.pdf
http://media.sacbee.com/smedia/2008/04/15/21/Phoenix_Police.source.prod_affiliate.4.pdf
KJ's media suckups have painted him as a Clarence Thomas for the new millenium attempting discredit those who brought his past truths to light... But we all KNOW that Anita Hill was right, and the details contained within these reports are FAR more credible than ANY of Johnson's defenders --- They are too detailed to have been simply 'made up', and there is a repeated pattern of his behaviours... AND there are additional allegations that have not reached the MSM yet...
This Mayor has been a disaster from day one, and he needs to GO NOW!
bbbbmer...don't know how to reach you offline, but I appreciated your response about the bossmayor folks. I still haven't heard a peep despite several attempts to contact them via the website.
Rather, I believe it would be dereliction of duty if members do NOT express their concerns...
I am alarmed by the questions being raised about SMI, Nestle, the Natomas permits, etc. And I agree with you that it would be dereliction of duty (whether one is a city council member or just an average citizen) to ignore any of these things.
"Politically motivated" is having the alleged perpetrator's lawyer speak privately to the witness BEFORE the police; after which the police decide there is no need to investigate or report further.
"Politically motivated" is the resulting record of bogus and buried stories.
He didn't get the same punishment others who have done similar (if not less serious) wrongdoing. No criminal charges...
He didn't have to pay back 2-3x the amount that was misused - which is standard practice. He did not have to admit to any wrondoing, just sloppy bookkeeping.
He didn't have to personally pay back any of the money (The initial payment was a loan to St. HOPE which can be paid back to KJ) even though he personally benefitted from misusing the funds.
I cannot believe people are defending him still. I believe it is political in that he got off virtually scot free because of his political position. Just because the GOP released the report doesn't make it false or wrong. I read it. It's thourough and it explains a lot. There definitely was something shady going on. There is still more to come...
The future Queen of Sacramento tells "Sac High" staff that she'll take care of it -- the staff literally feels ill when finding out what Ms. Rhee meant by that.
The person whose job it is to investigate at the Federal level is scapegoated to cover up the dirty deals and fired illegally; then later "the charges against him are dropped" as if there was ever anything to the (oh look another) sham in the first place.
Someone above here says "...the accusations seem a bit warmed-over and politically motivated, e.g., a reverse-Pelosi "culture of corruption" line of attack," which is exactly what we're supposed to think, regarding this "Republican" attack. "Warmed over" because the heart of what has been COVERED OVER is still beating?
Walpin was fired illegally as part of the deal you describe. Doesn't matter what party you are to be concerned (and informed) about that. A public adequately informed (not merely patronized and propaganda-fed) about Johnson's various misdealings would NOT have voted him into office.
Walpin was fired illegally
the machinations within the Obama administration
including apparently the involvement of Michelle Rhee
give Congress Republicans an opportunity to attack the President.
So thumbsdown to all that true stuff and those who perpetrate it.