Drug Czar John Walters Used Taxpayer Funds to Campaign for Republicans

By Jeralyn, Section Elections
Posted on Tue Jul 17, 2007 at 09:03:58 PM EST
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The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee today, through Rep. Henry Waxman says:

At the request of Sara Taylor, the former White House Director of Political Affairs, John Walters, the nation’s drug czar, and his deputies traveled to 20 events with vulnerable Republican members of Congress in the months prior to the 2006 elections. The trips were paid for by federal taxpayers and several were combined with the announcement of federal grants or actions that benefited the districts of the Republican members.

Students for a Sensible Drug Policy is calling for Walters' resignation and has a letter for you to sign. The group points out:

It is not only offensive that someone charged with crafting sensible policies to address the serious harms of drug abuse and drug prohibition would waste government resources and time on partisan politics, it is a blatant violation of the federal Hatch Act.

Drug Policy Alliance has issued this press release. [Hat tip to Think Outside the Cage.]

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Drug Czar John Walters Used Taxpayer Funds to Campaign for Republicans | 13 comments (13 topical)

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I can't let mention of the Czar go by (none / 0) (#1)
by Ben Masel on Tue Jul 17, 2007 at 10:23:48 PM EST

without citing his latest, issued after accompanying a raid on a DOMESTIC farm...

Drug czar gives warning, Federal official calls marijuana growers dangerous terrorists

John P. Walters, President Bush's drug czar, said the people who plant and tend the gardens are terrorists who wouldn't hesitate to help other terrorists get into the country with the aim of causing mass casualties. Walters made the comments at a Thursday press conference that provided an update on the "Operation Alesia" marijuana-eradication effort.
"Don't buy drugs. They fund violence and terror," he said.
After touring gardens raided this week in Shasta County, ...

Wow (none / 0) (#2)
by scarshapedstar on Tue Jul 17, 2007 at 11:45:11 PM EST

Evidently he's been smoking crack, too. Roll a doobie = blow up the Twin Towers!

Resignation is too good for this guy.


Ben M (none / 0) (#6)
by jimakaPPJ on Wed Jul 18, 2007 at 09:01:14 AM EST

The guy may or may not be a nut and I think the drug laws need to be rationalized and changed.
But you need a better point.

A rather constant theme of the Left has been that Afghanistan has now increased production of heroin.

In the new issue of The Nation, Christian Parenti investigates the explosion of poppy farming and trafficking in Afghanistan and asks why it took the US so long to crack down on the illicit drug trade which fuels everything from Islamic terrorism to the spread of HIV.

Silly leftists (none / 0) (#8)
by Repack Rider on Wed Jul 18, 2007 at 09:28:48 AM EST

Silly leftists think cheaper heroin and drug profits funneled to terrorism are bad things.

No wonder the GOP eats their lunch.


Nice hi-jack attempt (none / 0) (#11)
by jondee on Wed Jul 18, 2007 at 01:37:41 PM EST

there, Uncle Troll.

What do "the constant themes of the Left.." have to do with whether or not your fav prez filled yet another position of reponsibility with yet another inept crook?


Hmmm .... Go google and you will see.... (none / 0) (#12)
by jimakaPPJ on Wed Jul 18, 2007 at 02:29:07 PM EST

My point was to Ben M and merely noted that both he and the Left was in agreement that drugs can fund terrorism...


: Right Wing Terror (none / 0) (#13)
by squeaky on Wed Jul 18, 2007 at 02:43:18 PM EST

Or as they are called Freedom Fighters, Ollie North had it worked out.
Seems more ultra conservatives use drug money to fund their terror than the left.

truly (none / 0) (#3)
by cpinva on Wed Jul 18, 2007 at 12:15:27 AM EST

awe inspiring. with every revelation, this administration continues to set new standards for greed and corruption, on a scale not seen since the harding presidency. by comparison, clinton/gore were but pikers, costing the american taxpayers mere millions in independent counsel fees, vs the trillions squandered by the bush administration.

worse yet, all we got for that 140m plus was a measly blowjob. with bush, you get war, prostitution (gay & straight), unprecedented attacks on our civil liberties and so much more!

you just can't find entertainment like this any more.

The Hatch Act is our friend (none / 0) (#4)
by kovie on Wed Jul 18, 2007 at 04:05:46 AM EST

Let's use it. If there were justice, at least half the administration would be in jail or on the street due to it. I'll settle for the top 10 or 20.

Well of course (none / 0) (#5)
by Abdul Abulbul Amir on Wed Jul 18, 2007 at 08:02:26 AM EST

The trips were paid for by federal taxpayers and several were combined with the announcement of federal grants or actions that benefited the districts of the Republican members.

Doh! Isn't this practice about 200 years old?

No (none / 0) (#9)
by Repack Rider on Wed Jul 18, 2007 at 09:32:50 AM EST

Isn't this practice about 200 years old?

Not since the Hatch Act made it illegal.

Silly leftists think that elections should be fair and that tax money shouldn't be used to influence them.

Where in the Constitution does it say that elections have to be fair?


Silent (none / 0) (#10)
by Abdul Abulbul Amir on Wed Jul 18, 2007 at 12:42:24 PM EST

The Hatch act is quite silent on which district pork barrel spending gets announced in.


: Goal posts move at light speed! (none / 0) (#14)
by Repack Rider on Wed Jul 18, 2007 at 07:39:12 PM EST

The Hatch act is quite silent on which district pork barrel spending gets announced in.
You're shadow boxing here, since I didn't make any claim to the contrary. What it prevents is an unelected, tax-paid public servant taking advantage of that pork to try to influence elections.
Do try to focus.