Feinstein’s self interest in lining the pockets of her husband by inadvertently funding a contract his company received to do foreclosure work is just another case of the corruption of power and we should expect no less from government officials.  The biggest crime is that people keep electing thieves into office because they themselves are thieves and want their fair share of the welfare bailouts from a liberal government tax and spend machine.

Claiming plausable denyability while at the same time lining your pockets with cash from direct decisions of an elected official is called conflict of interest.  Ethical people who take it upon themsleves to represent the people must be beyond reproach in their dealings with the publics money.

But hey we didn’t even know this would happen, it does help with the house payment, the new yacht, vacation money and my reelection campain war chest, thanks America, oh and thank you Dianne great job and good example!:))

Feinstein Accused of Self-Dealing in $25 Billion Legislation for FDIC

Sen. Diane Feinstein (D., Ca.) as reported by the Washington Times, April 21st,  is embroiled in an expanding controversy over her introduction of legislation to give $25 billion to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp that awarded a highly generous contract to her husband. Feinstein is notably not on any committee with jurisdiction in this area and this legislation was unusual for her. The scandal, once again, shows the calculated decision of Senators to preserve loopholes that allow them to invest or have interests in areas where they legislate and vote.

I have written repeatedly about how members of Congress have made themselves rich by investing in areas where they vote or legislate, click here. In this case, Feinstein suddenly decided to send $25 billion to the FDIC after her husband’s real estate firm was given a lucrative contract to sell foreclosed properties. She offered the measure on Oct. 30th only days after the agency gave the CB Richard Ellis Group (CBRE) – the firm headed by her husband Richard Blum.

For civil libertarians, the week has been something of a windfall. Jane Harman and Feinstein are blamed for blocking efforts to investigate unlawful surveillance and torture -programs that they reportedly knew about for years before made public. Now, Harman is facing a potential criminal allegation and Feinstein is tied up in a financial scandal.

Feinstein has a legitimate argument under the ethics rules in the Senate which were written to clear Senators rather than deter Senators from conflicts of interests. While there is an obvious appearance of a conflict of interest, the toothless standard could not gum a Senator engaged in the both flagrant acts of self-dealing.
For the full story,

On the day the new Congress convened this year, Sen. Dianne Feinstein introduced legislation to route $25 billion in taxpayer money to a government agency that had just awarded her husband’s real estate firm a lucrative contract to sell foreclosed properties at compensation rates higher than the industry norms.

Mrs. Feinstein’s intervention on behalf of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. was unusual: the California Democrat isn’t a member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs with jurisdiction over FDIC; and the agency is supposed to operate from money it raises from bank-paid insurance payments – not direct federal dollars.

Documents reviewed by The Washington Times show Mrs. Feinstein first offered Oct. 30 to help the FDIC secure money for its effort to stem the rise of home foreclosures. Her letter was sent just days before the agency determined that CB Richard Ellis Group (CBRE) – the commercial real estate firm that her husband Richard Blum heads as board chairman – had won the competitive bidding for a contract to sell foreclosed properties that FDIC had inherited from failed banks.

About the same time of the contract award, Mr. Blum’s private investment firm reported to the Securities and Exchange Commission that it and related affiliates had purchased more than 10 million new shares in CBRE. The shares were purchased for the going price of $3.77; CBRE’s stock closed Monday at $5.14.

Spokesmen for the FDIC, Mrs. Feinstein and Mr. Blum’s firm told The Times that there was no connection between the legislation and the contract signed Nov. 13, and that the couple didn’t even know about CBRE’s business with FDIC until after it was awarded.