Damn. That’s Ballsy.
You’ve heard me talk about UBS more than a time or two. UBS is a financial criminal enterprise.
It’s a Swiss global financial services company that admitted helping Americans hide money to keep from paying taxes. And that was some of the nicer things it’s done. You can start here.
They are fixing to enter into what’s being called “a historic tax evasion trial.”
What some call the most significant tax evasion trial in U.S. history begins Tuesday, when the former No. 3 exec at Swiss banking giant UBS faces a Florida jury on charges he helped thousands of fat-cat American tax cheats hide billions.
U.S. officials years ago got UBS to admit it helped Americans hide taxes, and since then took down Switzerland’s oldest private bank and won a guilty plea from Credit Suisse for aiding tax dodgers. Now they‘re trying to hold a top individual accountable.
So here’s UBS getting ready to go to trial for cheating you and me out of tax dollars.
I suspecting that they don’t have much faith in their defense lawyer and I suspect that because…
One week before their trial starts they donate an unprecedented $320,000 to member of Congress.
Let that sink in for a minute. Number one: they are faced with massive tax evasion and they are trying to buy congress one week before the trial starts. Number Damn Two: Congress gleefully took the damn money!
Holy crap. What the hell has this country become? A third world banana republic?
Personally, I think they should charge UBS and Congress with prostitution.
Yeah, I said. And, yeah, I meant it.
That’s either the most arrogant or most desperate thing I’ve ever seen by a corporate PAC.
If your member of congress is on that list, tell him to give the money back, dammit.
Thanks to Alfredo over at the Dairy Queen for the heads up.
Our entire government is corrupted. From the White House to the Congress, from the Pentagon to the Supreme Court. We need to get rid of all of them and get some young, smart people in office. I am so tired of these old rich folks who don’t care about the citizens at all. Thanks for keeping is informed about things like this. The MSM certainly could not.
1My congress critter is not on the list. I guess he was paid for in advance.
2I noticed Louie wasn’t there. That means one of two things.
31. He’s already bought and paid for in fee simple
2. He’s too crazy even for them.
sent:
pete…what the hell are you doing accepting money from the UBS pac? they are going to go to jail! send it back or i won’t check your name off.
bill,
a democrat
Vietnam Veterans Home Page
4http://www.vietvet.org
Bill, I sent Pete a note, too. I can’t believe he took money from them!
5Sorry to see that Steny Hoyer took the cash. It’s not as if he needs it. I don’t think I’ve heard the name of his GOP opponent, if there is one. In this district he’d have to be photographed violating underage Cub Scouts not to get re-elected.
Norma, if we’re going to replace the whole cast of government, don’t forget the SCOTUS, or at least the majority who’ve shredded the Civil Rights Act and given us Citizens United in its place. And Hobby Lobby.
6I see an Oregon Congressman Greg Walden got $5000. I wrote a letter to the Oregonian in Portland asking them to inquire just what was expected from this largess. We’ll see if anyone feels they need to respond.
7I thought political contributions from non-citizens were illegal. Did I tell my friend from another country wrong when I said she couldn’t contribute to a mutual friend’s campaign?
8I currently really don’t have a congress critter. The one I did have for many years (a former boxer) isn’t running again and the party nominee has to wait until Nov. 4th. Either way, the outgoing guy has no need of the money and the incoming guy is independently wealthy to the point where he couldn’t find five grand even if it were under his nose and smelling like a skunk. Must be nice to be that rich and live without a sense of smell for small potatoes. Is it OK if I yell at someone else’s congress critter?
9My congress varmint, Mike McCaul is on the list but only for 2,OOO. The other Texas received at least 2,500, and Sessions, Marchant and Gallego each received 5,000. damn
10Note to my “Representative”:
Roger Williams for U S Congress Committ
PO Box 91061
Austin, Texas 787091061
09/24/2014
2014 General 2500.00
Shame! Was UBS money really worth losing votes?
11If you’re in his district, please join me by copying and sending.
None of that frothy foreign chocolate for Loopy Louie. He’s a Koch man all the way.
On the other hand, Darrell Issa has no compunctions about taking money from anywhere or anyone. None.
12John Lewis cannot be bought, no matter the amount or who it is.
13Isn’t Phil Gramm some high mucky-muck with UBS? That may explain some of the corruption.
14Pete Gallegos lost my support when I saw his name on a couple of voting records that showed that he may say he’s a Democrat, but his votes didn’t back that up. So I’m not terribly surprised by this.
15Alfredo has certainly been putting in some overtime hours at the Dairy Queen. I wonder how he’s found the time to make all those ice cream sundaes.
I hope you’ve been tipping him well, JJ.
16W.C., Is that the same Gramm that came from Texas and tried to take things over like Cruz is doing? I thought he had totally vamoosed from this planet and gone somewhere else in the galaxy where he could be king of all he surveyed. Please don’t tell me this is the same guy. I have to eat dinner tonight!
17@Corinne … I hate to tell you, but John Lewis did get some of that money, $2500.
And I hate to say Perlmutter [$2500] and Udall [$4000] in CO took some, too.
Disgusting!!
18My Congresswoman, Kyrsten Sinema is on the list. Here is what I wrote to her.
“It has come to my attention that your campaign has received a donation of $4000 from USB(United Bank of Switzerland) the Swiss Global Financial Services company which helped wealthy Americans evade paying taxes. They are about to be tried for for tax evasion themselves, and have donated over 320,000 dollars to members of Congress, including you and Steny Hoyer.
http://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/dcdev/forms/C00012245/960947/sb/23 is the list that includes your name.
I would expect, at the very least, that you return this donation in a public way, to indicate that our faith in you as our elected representative is not misplaced.”
Considering the large number of donations being sent to 535 members of Congress on a daily basis in an election year for many of them, I can see how this could “slip through the cracks”, but it is my obligation, as her constiuent, to call her out and to expect her to react in a principled way. If she doesn’t then I will vote accordingly.
19W. C. Peterson, good catch. Phil is a lobbyist for UBS, in addition, specifically UBS AG as a vice chairman of the Investment Bank division. He was also part of Grumpy McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign. And, if memory serves is a key player in the deregulation schemes.
The schwantz isn’t on McCain’s, of Keating Five infamy, specific money list. Probably does the satchel thing and uses Cindy like an internal off-shore account.
20Wonder why they didn’t donate any money to Steve King or Loopy Gohmert?
21I’m guessing when a congressman receives one of these large “deposits” from a bank, the bank expects to get a lot more than a toaster, or duffel bag with a logo on it.
Like they’d offer us if we opened an account with them.
22@Gramiam, great letter! I sent a modified version to Steny Hoyer asking for a reply.
23“Personally, I think they should charge UBS and Congress with prostitution.”
Can we do that? I mean “Corporations are people too, my friend!” (Romney 2012, SCOTUS etal), so it would seem like we should be able to do so, under the circumstances.
Missouri has 3 folks on that list, 2 Republicans and one Democrat. FYI the Democrat went down much more cheaply than the Republicans did, then again Blount may be a better purchase for $5K than Cleaver was at $2K. Kind of reminds me of an old joke, suffice it to say the punch line was, “No we’ve already established your profession, now all we are doing is haggling over the price.”
24Congress, phooey. How much have they paid the judge?
25I am shocked, shocked I say, that my varmint Lamar Smith isn’t on this list. Guess he’s already a lock!
26I googled UBS swiss bank and Koch brothers and found this, among other things:
Freakstorm – Reverend Billy & The Church of Stop Shopping
27revbilly.com/…/freaksto…
Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping
We have cast the Global Warming Devils from the cash machines of JP Morgan Chase and UBS — the Swiss bank that invests in the Koch brothers and climate …
I am proud to see that my rep Tulsi Gabbard didn’t accept the money. The $5,000 was voided. Good for her.
28The congresscritters who take the money are only doing what people generally do–what’s best for themselves. That is why replacing them won’t fix anything. We need to replace the system that allows and rewards legalized bribery.
29I asked both Ed Perlmutter and Mark Udall in CO why they accepted money from this source? I doubt I’ll get a response from either of them and Udall is all over the place campaigning right now. Yes, I’ll still vote for him but this really pisses me off that he’d take the $4,000.
30I sent this to Mark Udall . . damn
See this link http://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/dcdev/forms/C00012245/960947/sb/23 and know that taking money from this UBS PAC is not a smart move. They are going to trail after having admitted sheltering taxable income from various citizens and/or US corporations to the Fed on Tuesday.
It might be a good idea to give that $4,000 back. Something to seriously consider.
I look forward to hearing from you. I wasn’t undecided until today. I note that Cory Gardiner is not on the above list.
31Marcia in CO…. Note that Mike Coffman took a donation, too… I am sending friends in his suburban Denver district the info… I have my fingers crossed that Andrew Romanoff will make a big deal out of this contribution…. and that he will become the first Democrat ever elected from the 6th CD in Colorado! God knows I’ve had several friends run in that district since its inception, all of whom got their heads handed to them on a platter on election night…. Steve Hogan, twice… Henry Strauss, then Ken Toltz – the kid whose family owns Dependable Cleaners who used to work at one point for American Israel PAC, and last time, Joe Miklosi. Allegedly Romanoff has out-raised Coffman, thanks to this being one of the most-watched races nationally… but the DCCC pulled over a million $$$ worth of advertising from the Romanoff Campaign last week. Another election night squeaker to watch, along with Udall/Gardener. Ed Perlmutter’s family is the PerlMac dynasty… they developed huge tracts – residential around their commercial developments like Northglenn and Southglenn Malls. I, like you, wonder what he and Udall were thinking when they took that donation. Now that I am back in Texas, I guess I was shocked to see that my favorite horses’arse Congressman, Randy Neugabauer wasn’t on the top of that list, since he loves to feed at the banking troughs with the other pigs.
32@Mike, @PKM;
33Truly Louie IS a Koch ho. And I suspect the Kochs require those bought by them to stay bought.