Alphonso Jackson in full retreat

May 11, 2006

At this point, I’d be very surprised if [tag]HUD[/tag] [tag]Secretary[/tag] [tag]Alphonso Jackson[/tag] is able to keep his job.

[tag]Housing and Urban Development[/tag] Secretary Alphonso [tag]Jackson[/tag] apologized yesterday for telling a Dallas business group that he had rejected a HUD contract because the contractor had criticized President [tag]Bush[/tag].

Jackson said he made up the story. “I deeply regret the anecdotal remarks I made at a recent Texas small-business forum and would like to reassure the public that all HUD contracts are awarded solely on a stringent merit-based process,” Jackson said in a statement. “During my tenure, no contract has ever been awarded, rejected, or rescinded due to the personal or political beliefs of the recipient.”

Yesterday, the story unfolded quickly and forcefully. Jackson is now under investigation from the HUD Inspector General’s office and his spokesperson, Dustee Tucker, who offered several contradictory explanations for Jackson’s bizarre comments, is now suddenly on “scheduled leave.”

According to the official story, Jackson fabricated a detailed discussion that never happened. Asked whether the secretary had informed the audience that the story was not true, HUD spokesman Jereon Brown said, “I don’t think he highlighted it.” (Maybe Jereon Brown might need some “scheduled leave,” too.)

But even if we accept Jackson’s latest version of the truth at face value — we shouldn’t, but let’s, just for the sake of discussion — I’m still at a loss to explain why the HUD secretary said what he said.

So why did Jackson make up such a story? Jackson was speaking to the Real Estate Executive Council, a consortium of minorities in the real estate industry. According to his spokesperson, Dustee Tucker, he was “trying to explain to this group how politics works in D.C.” Tucker said he was trying to send the group a “message.”

And what “message” would that be, exactly?

According to Jackson’s initial comments, HUD can and should deny contracts to those who criticize the president. He insisted that “logic” demands such a course, and concluded, “That’s the way I believe.” Now Jackson says he wouldn’t do that and that his conversation was “anecdotal.” (I still don’t think HUD knows what that word means.)

So was the “message” one of coercion? HUD doesn’t deny contracts based on politics, but it might? Dustee Tucker said Jackson was “trying to explain to this group how politics works in D.C.” In other words, according to HUD, Bush’s cabinet secretary told the Real Estate Executive Council, “It’s a nice government contract you have here; it’d be a shame if something happened to it.”

In this sense, Jackson’s “apology” is more than just unpersuasive; it’s incoherent. It’s not even clear what Jackson is apologizing for.

If reality still has any relevance in DC at all, Jackson’s [tag]resignation[/tag] is a foregone conclusion.

Let’s hope “on scheduled leave” quickly morphs into “scheduled to leave”.

Looks like reality is starting to bite these people in the butt at long last. We’ll find out a lot more about how large the “reality based community” has become by this November.

  • I’m confident that Jackson’s been doing a heckuva job, and no doubt he’s in line for a promotion. In fact, he seems to have precisely the experience needed to take over the K Street project now that Delay has given up the reins. [/sarcasm]

  • The sheer arrogance of the Republicanites and the Texas Mafia is unbelievable. To stand in front of a minority business group and lie or brag about denying a government contract based on political beliefs can have only one purpose, which is intimidation.

    Jackson is only a reflection of the sickness that is this whole administration. He needs to go, and they need to go.

  • Do they not even understand that their supposed “defense” is as bad as the crime?

    Let’s say he did make up the story…is the claim that they were just sending a message to the audience supposed to be better? Crooks.

    At this point, he was better off just admitting it was true, and a one-time event. Of course then he would have to explain exactly why that topic even came up—solicitation for a politcal contribution perhaps? Fucking crooks.

    He is screwed. If it really happened, we will find out. If it was not true, he is actively trying to intimidate contractors. That these scumbags think they can do this kind of thing with imipunity is the most galling part. Fucking lying scumbag crooks.

    Kakistocracy indeed.

  • I posted this on the other Jackson thread last night, but it’s effectively expired. From an INSIGHT in the News article from 2003:

    Insiders tell INSIGHT that investigative-staff morale has plummeted at HUD in the face of growing allegations of wrongdoing involving senior officials in the internal-affairs office. According to an internal memorandum obtained by INSIGHT, in just 21 months at least 56 agents, nearly 25 percent of the total investigative workforce, voluntarily have left the IG’s employment, an attrition rate critics say is 10 times the average.

    In place of senior and seasoned investigators, critics complain, a group of retired Secret Service officials, many unskilled in the kind of white-collar fraud investigations required at HUD, have been appointed to what one IG watcher complained is a growing “good-old-boy” network reflecting senior management’s background in the presidential-protection service.

  • Didn’t we all learn from Nixon, Reagan, and Clinton that the coverup is always what brings you down? Personally I am enjoying watching these guys scrambling to talk their way out of trouble while only making things worse. I also like internet videos of monkeys flinging poo BTW.

    What needs to be articulated here is that HUD doles out the People’s money to the People. They do not dole out George W. Bush’s money. I guess placing politics over policy in all levels of government is not an effective way to govern. Who knew?

  • I’ve always thought, until now, that if Congress impeached Cheney and then Boy George II, the Secret Service would march them out of the Oval office and support the constitutional transfer of power.

    Now, I’m not so sure.

  • Everyone’s missing an important part of this story. In his speech he commented that this potential vendor “made a heck of a proposal…”
    See? you missed the secret code. OK, eveyone roll over and go back to sleep, nothing to see here, move along…..
    (stop snark)

    Perhaps the comment from the vendor came up when they were invited to one of W’s little pre-screened show and tells. Not a call for a campaign donation per se, but another member of the repub’s “diverse” community.

  • We really need the victim to come forward here. Where is the bidding contractor who got the shaft after failing to salute (and contribute to?) the Bush brigade? He needs to come forward and give his understanding of what, if anything, was being asked of him when he made his comment. Then we’ve got a great front page story, of political cronyism or extortion, that just about any American can understand.

    In the meantime, Alphonso’s goose is cooked. There is simply no other way to spin his clueless remarks. I’m sure he’s waiting for things to blow over, which they might, since there is such an incredible number of scandals occuring at the same time that it defies belief and stamina on the part of press and populace. If not, coming soon, the race card–the final spin. Why is everyone picking on this poor African-American who only recounted an “anecdote”, which in the Bush lexicon doesn’t mean “story that actually happened” but “cautionary tale” oh, uh, maybe not, nevermind…. When’s the next bus for ‘scheduled leave’ leave…?

  • From the Government side- there is a set of ethics rules which all government employees are supposed to follow (14 of them). Rule 14 is the one about avoiding even the appearance of unethical activity- whether or not actual unethical activity took place. (and, yes, violating any of the 14 rules can get you fired).

    By this measure, he is definitely in violation of the rules which he expects all of his departmental employees to follow.

  • …And thus, we see yet another example of a new Tammany Hall; rising from the ruin of Democracy that this administration and its “Theology of Tweed” has brought upon the nation….

  • “Anecdotal” in this case means
    “I didn’t do it, but I would. In a heart beat. Nah, I’m just kidding. But seriously, don’t piss me off. Nah, just messin’ with ya, but seriously, I find out you made any contributions to Kerry, you’re out of here. Where are you going? I SAID I was joking! God, you homos are so sensitive…no, I don’t think you’re REALLY a homo; we wouldn’t give you a contract if we did…nah, I’m just kiddin’ but seriously you’re not a pole smoker are ya? What? I’m just CURIOUS! Can’t a guy be curious about the people he’s giving tremendous government contracts to? Tell ya what, I’ll drive you to your voting center during the next Republican primary. You DO vote in Republican primaries, right? RIGHT? Nah, it’s none of my business, I’m just foolin’ around, but seriously you voted for Bush right? WHAT? WHAT DID I SAY?!?!?”

  • The way this little “anecdote” has played out is simply Bu$hCo revealed: Corruption practiced blithely because impunity is assumed. And, I’ve gotta think that Mr. Jackson isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed.

  • LOL…Move over Scott McClellan and Porter Goss – Andy Card’s children sure are enjoying a lot of company these days…

  • The Bush agenda to turn the U.S. into a third world nation is right on track. Unaccountable imperious leaders, check. Two-tiered society of really rich and really poor, check. Massive indebtedness to other nations, check. … And thanks to folks live Alphonso Jackson, a government structured to run on bribes and threats. We’re looking more like Haiti every day (with Bush 41 as Papa Doc and Bush 43 as Baby Doc.)

  • Jackson’s foible like Brown’s the former FEMA director is yet another example of Bush’s appointees failing to remember what the hell they’re suppose to be doing. Baby Doc just hasn’t provided the leadership. The vendor should not have to come forward to expose Jackson. We’ve seen enough.

    /whenpinguinsfly/

  • I doubt the contractor will go public. Why stick his neck out further? It can only hurt his business.

  • Let’s be honest here….Yes, it was very stupid for Mr. Jackson to tell this story (true or false) and wrong for an administration to pick only those who favor the president to give favors using tax payers dollars. That should get you fired or severely punished. Now that that is settled…Giving favor (through financial awards and so forth) to those who like you is the real world. That is why none of us should be the least surprised. It happens in the government, business, schools, whatever. If someone with enough power like you and you like them and you do a lot for them, they will give you a lot of favor, but they often don’t just blurt out that they are actually doing it…even if it is obvious. Mr. Jackson may or may not step down, but this kind of attitude is everywhere…and very hard to avoid. Watch around you to see if a coworker who likes to brown-nose the boss gets ahead of you…it will happen, and has happened whether in government or Corporate America. We just need to get real.

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