Ken Calvert’s other problem

May 12, 2007

Following up on yesterday’s item about Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.) replacing Doolittle on the House Appropriations Committee, Erick at RedState declared “war” on the House GOP leadership and offered a run-down on Calvert’s alleged misdeads.

In 2005, Calvert and a partner paid $550,000 for 4.3 acres of land. Calvert then used his earmarking powers to secure $8 million in funds for an interstate exchange on the property. He then sold the property for about $1 million.

Also in 2005, a business partner of Calvert’s bought additional land that Calvert’s earmarks benefited. When the property was sold, a firm financially connected to Calvert received a commission for the sale.

In 2006, Calvert engaged in other shady land deals. The list goes [on].

I won’t even go in to his arrest for soliciting a prostitute.

Um, “prostitute”? What’s that about? ThinkProgress fleshes out the details.

In 1993, Calvert was caught by police with a prostitute in a parked car in California. Subsequently, Calvert repeatedly attempted to cover up the incident for nearly a year, publicly denying that it ever occurred.

But a year later, a court order forced the release of the police report, which revealed how Calvert was clearly caught in the act and attempted to run from the police.

Wait, it gets worse.

From the police report:

I observed a male subject in the driver seat… As I made my way to the driver door, a female immediately sat up straight in the front passenger seat. It appeared as if her head was originally laying in the driver’s lap…. I noticed that the male subject was placing his penis into his unzipped dress slacks, and was trying to hide it with his untucked dress shirt.

As the male subject covered up crotch area with his left hand and shirt, he started his vehicle and placed it into drive and proceeded to leave. I ordered him three times to turn off the vehicle, and he finally stopped and complied…The male identified himself as Kenneth Stanton Calvert.

It’s quite a Republican caucus, isn’t it? Remember, the GOP is the “family values” party.

Words without action. They scream about family values to make up for their complete lack of it. It’s a lot like what Arlen Specter is doing now in the attorney generals scandal.

  • Come on. How many folks reading this don’t like oral sex? How many of you want your teenage daughter doing it? This is the contradiction the Republicans exploit.

  • Well, it’s different if it’s my teenage daughter doing it. Way more incestuous, for one thing…

  • Ah, the best and the brightest. It’s clear why the Republican leadership would want this, er, upstanding guy on Appropriations.

    Between this and the Monica story, I’m full of admiration and respect for the Republicans in DC. No, wait, not admiration and respect, …what’s the word? Oh, yeah, contempt and loathing. That’s it.

  • fleshes out the details

    I am not sure this is the phrase one should use in reference to a scandal involving prostitution.

  • Wait, it gets worse.

    Did I miss something? How do the details actually make it worse than (or even different from) “caught in the act and attempted to run from the police”? Let the GOP be the party of prudery.

  • Phoebes, @6:

    There might be a correlation, but, if so, it’s t’ other way ’round; they divorced, and he was lonely for “conversation”, not that she left him because of that. The police report is dated Nov 28, ’93; there’s no way a divorce could have been finalized in 4 weeks remaining of the year, what with the Christmas break which paralyzes all life for over a week.

    If you go to ThinkProgress for today, they have the entire police report.

  • I hope the momentary sanity over at Red State passes soon. The more of them who believe that everything’s alright and the American people love the GOP status quo, the more ass the Democrats are going to kick in 2008.

    Maybe we can get them to bite on a more important story. Did Barack Obama undertip a shoeshine guy? Did Hillary Clinton get her nails done with the more expensive polish option? Did Al Gore use a light bulb in the past week? Stupid minds want to know.

  • “Erick at RedState declared “war” on the House GOP leadership”

    I did a triple take WTF when I read that. RedState goes to war on the GOP? Did pigs finally go airborne? Oh well, nice to see, but tomorrow they’ll rant about John Edward’s hair again and things will go back to normal.

  • Wow, it’s weird to find one’s self actually agreeing with Red State on anything. It’s like tumbling headlong down Alice’s rabbit hole…

    Nonetheless, they are absolutely correct about this guy. I don’t give a good goddamn about his sex life, purchased or otherwise, but his financial shenanigans reek to high heaven. What a scumbucket.

  • I was in school at UC Riverside when Calvert won his seat initially. The race was so close that Mark Takano went to Washington for freshman orientation, and there were billboards up in town congratulating him. Calvert won on absentee ballots.

    In the next election, the same to candidates went at it, and this was after Calvert’s escapades with the hooker. His campaign was unbelievably ugly. At it’s lowest point, he ran a series of ads that insinuated that Takano was gay. I don’t know if he is, and can’t find any evidence of it either way, but my impression is that he is not.

    Calvert is a grade A scumbag, and always has been. His more recent scandals don’t surprise me one bit.

  • libra, I wasn’t sure which way it was, it just seemed odd that both incidents were the same year.

    And, he’s not remarried since, so at least he’s not committing adultery.

  • I had to look up and see if the sky was falling when I read this. RedState ripping a ReThug? Did the sun blow up? Are we in the path of a meteor? Is Ohio in the path of a tsunami?

    Curiouser and curiouser….

  • This story only supports my theory that the “family values” crowd is the biggest bunch of pervs on the planet. Qui s’accuse, on s’accuse and all of that.

    But hey, at least he didn’t buy any meth!

  • The difference between red and blue oral sex….

    when Republicans pay, then it’s o.k.

  • It looks like one of the Red Staters came over for a troll. … With the same level of our morality as our friend Mr. Calvert.

  • Kali,@16:

    But, of course! If money changes hands, it’s good for economy. What’s good for economy is good for the country. Clinton’s oral sex, OTOH, was purely selfish 🙂

    NOT pleased to meet you, #17, though at least you’re honest about yourself when choosing your screen name. Prozac might help. Also, lay off Kool–Aid.

  • From the police report it doesn’t sound like Representative Calvert was wearing protection.

    What a bad example he sets for America’s sexually active youth.

  • From this Missionary’s Position, I’d haffta say Mr. Calvert has stray’d from his Calvinish roots.

  • Thanks to Seitz for reminding us all that Calvert managed to get re-elected despite the little misunderstanding with the female in his car and the police officer by not-so-gently insinuating that his opponent must be gay. Ah, the good ol’ GOP in its glory days!

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