Senators ripped for bungling Obama's AG pick
Watchdog: Committee 'not interested in investigating corruption'
WASHINGTON – An honest Senate vetting process would have uncovered
the role of Obama’s attorney general nominee in a federal government
cover-up of HSBC money laundering and other corruption, alleges a
judicial watchdog.
“When the White House and Justice Department first vetted Loretta
Lynch to be Eric Holder’s replacement as attorney general, she was
required to disclose that she had been the subject of at least one
complaint of professional misconduct filed with the Justice Department
Office of Professional Responsibility,” explained Elena Sassower,
director of the Center for Judicial Accountability in White Plains, New
York.
“I know at least one complaint of professional misconduct has been filed against Loretta Lynch – because I filed it myself,” Sassower told WND in an interview, referring to a 2001 complaint.
Her national grassroots organization was created in 1989 to expose judicial corruption at all levels of government.
As WND reported, Lynch oversaw the investigation in 2012 of drug-related international money laundering allegations against London-based HSBC Holdings LLC. WND published a series articles documenting charges HSBC laundered billions of dollars that traced back to the Mexican drug cartels.
As a result of HSBC agreeing to a settlement requiring the international bank holding company to pay the U.S. government more than $1.2 billion in fines for money laundering, Lynch’s office agreed in return not to press criminal charges against any bank employee of the U.S.-based HSBC subsidiary.
Sasshower’s professional conduct complaint against Lynch was filed March 23, 2001. Also named was Mary Jo White, then-U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. Sasshower’s charge was that they did not reply to CJA’s various complaints and accompanying documentation alleging then-Republican New York Gov. George Pataki had “politicized” the merit selection process to appoint judges, including judges to New York’s Supreme Court.
“The Senate Judiciary Committee was not interested in legitimate complaints that could have been filed against Lynch’s conduct as U.S. attorney,” Sassower said. “The committee members were not interested in investigating corruption in New York judicial politics.”
Having Eric Holder endorse Lynch as his successor would have been like appointing Attorney General John Mitchell to head the Watergate committee investigating President Nixon, she said.
“I know at least one complaint of professional misconduct has been filed against Loretta Lynch – because I filed it myself,” Sassower told WND in an interview, referring to a 2001 complaint.
Her national grassroots organization was created in 1989 to expose judicial corruption at all levels of government.
As WND reported, Lynch oversaw the investigation in 2012 of drug-related international money laundering allegations against London-based HSBC Holdings LLC. WND published a series articles documenting charges HSBC laundered billions of dollars that traced back to the Mexican drug cartels.
As a result of HSBC agreeing to a settlement requiring the international bank holding company to pay the U.S. government more than $1.2 billion in fines for money laundering, Lynch’s office agreed in return not to press criminal charges against any bank employee of the U.S.-based HSBC subsidiary.
Sasshower’s professional conduct complaint against Lynch was filed March 23, 2001. Also named was Mary Jo White, then-U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. Sasshower’s charge was that they did not reply to CJA’s various complaints and accompanying documentation alleging then-Republican New York Gov. George Pataki had “politicized” the merit selection process to appoint judges, including judges to New York’s Supreme Court.
“The Senate Judiciary Committee was not interested in legitimate complaints that could have been filed against Lynch’s conduct as U.S. attorney,” Sassower said. “The committee members were not interested in investigating corruption in New York judicial politics.”
Having Eric Holder endorse Lynch as his successor would have been like appointing Attorney General John Mitchell to head the Watergate committee investigating President Nixon, she said.