Cliff Stearns: Birther

Rep. Cliff Stearns currently embroiled in a corruption scandal
. With Stearns facing so many problems, he has found the time to launch a potential investigation into President Barack Obama's citizenship.

“I am, shall we say, looking at all the evidence,” Stearns told reporters in the Capitol Tuesday, comments that come after he expressed similar doubts at a meeting with constituents in February.

Stearns has decided to join the birther movement. This list of fellow birthers includes Donald Trump, Judson Phillips, and the utterly bizarre Orly Taitz. Sterns has joined an all-star team of conspiracy theorists. The perfect reason for House Majority Leader Eric Cantor to give Sterns a vote of confidence.

"I think Cliff Stearns does a good job with the chairmanship of his subcommittee,” Cantor told The Hill in the Capitol Wednesday. “He has my full confidence.”

Well, that settles that.

Cliff Stearns Corruption Scandal

Republican James Jett has accused Rep. Cliff Stearns of briding him. Jett was set to run in the Republican primary against Sterns for the new District 3 seat. According to Jett, Sterns offered to a bride, in exchange for Jett dropping out.

Jett said one offer included a job on Stearns' campaign staff that would pay him to cover the approximately $25,000 he had spent on his congressional run. He also said he was told there could be a job heading the Florida Department of Law Enforcement or a U.S. marshall position once there are vacancies.

Gov. Rick Scott would have to be involved, in order for Stearns to give Jett the head position at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It could very well be that Stearns was overplaying his influence. However, it does sound shady.

According to Jett, the FBI has recorded phone conversations Jett had with Jim Horne and Jud Sapp. Horne and Sapp were to help set up the deal between Jett and Stearns. Jett isn't someone who makes these kind of accusations likely. By all accounts he is honest and doesn't stand for corruption.

This is the second time Jett has said someone has tried to pay him, illegally, for politics. A Clay County man was convicted in 1990 for offering Jett, then a county commissioner, $30,000 for his vote. Tape recordings were used in that case, by the State Attorney's Office.

Lt. Governor Jennifer Carroll's name was brought up by Jett to the FBI. Jett adds that he doesn't think Carroll has done anything illegal.

Update: the Sterns story makes me wonder how often this kind of pay for play deals go on. State Sen. Jim Norman admitted to violated the law by not reporting a $500,000 house, given by campaign donor Ralph Hughes to Norman's wife. Former Florida House Speaker Ray Sansom gave Northwest Florida State College pork, in exchange for a job. It is no wonder that Republicans don't flinch when JD Alexander uses the legislative process to increase his property values of his company Atlantic Blue.

The current crop of Republicans are so confident that they have no qualms about breaking the law. Do you actually believe that Rick Scott is worried about the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation on the data erased from his laptop and cell phone? Scott and other Republicans do not have to worry about being indicted for violating Sunshine and campaign laws. Jim Norman and Ray Sansom will unlikely get convicted by the FBI. JD Alexander got the CSX line and state college near his Blue Atlantic property. Marco Rubio used the nonprofit Republican Party of Florida credit card as his own ATM. Rubio is now a Senator. Scott was involved in a huge Medicare fraud scandal and his now governor. These Republicans are going to keep behaving unethically because it pays well.

Cliff Stearns Attacks Planned Parenthood

Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Ocala, is the chairman of the House oversight subcommittee. Stearns has requested that Planned Parenthood hand over internal audit reports from 1998 to 2010. Stearns question if Planned Parenthood is using federal funding for abortion the Hyde Amendment forbids the use of federal funds for abortions. Factcheck.org found that only 3 percent of services are dedicated to abortions and that it receives no federal funding for abortions.

Stearns is basing his investigation on the findings of the anti-choice organization Americans United for Life. AUL makes the outlandish allegations that Planned Parenthood is involved in prostitution and sex trafficking. The report's endnotes and appendix section is a mess. I cannot find anything relating to prostitution.

The prostitution allegations started from the anti-abortion group Live Action. Anti-abortion activist Lila Rose was trained in video hit jobs by the disgraced James O'Keefe. Unsurprisingly, the videos Rose made for Live Action were heavily edited hoaxes. The Americans United for Life are using debunked sex ring stories in their report. It isn't surprising that AUL would run with the sex trafficking story. What is shameful is Stearns cannot discern fact from fiction. That is assuming that Stearns cares about the truth.

There is pushback against Stearn's investigation. Emily's List is running a petition to stop the Congressional harassment against Planned Parenthood. Rep. Jan Schakowsky sent out a press release condemning the Republican attacks on Planned Parenthood.

“With the recent announcement of their needless and politically motivated investigation of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, House Republicans continue to make their extreme agenda clear: to undermine women’s access to reproductive health care and attack the health providers they rely on in their communities.

Instead of attacking unemployment, Republicans are waging a war against women. Earlier this year, House Republicans threatened to shut down the federal government over funding for Planned Parenthood. This investigation continues the Republican assault on Planned Parenthood, an organization that plays a critical role in our nation’s health care system.

Planned Parenthood serves over 3 million Americans every year. More than 90 percent of the care Planned Parenthood health centers offer is preventive. Planned Parenthood provides life-saving cancer screenings, routine gynecological examinations, contraceptive services, immunizations, and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections.

This is not about federal funding of abortion. This is about cutting off women’s access to affordable, quality care in an effort to score political points. Now is the time to be working on the issues that are most important to Americans – creating jobs and improving the economy.”

Below the fold is Stearns' document request to Planned Parenthood.

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