Bush Appointees Still Corrupt as Ever

Ken Tomlinson, the Bush appointee that formerly was the Chairman of the CPB (Corporation for Public Broadcasting) who was forced to resign from his position last year after it was determined that he was trying to tamper with PBS and NPR by intimidating reporters and producers, and trying to turn PBS and NPR into conservative propaganda outlets (Bush's PBS Pick Broke the Law), has continued to be a corrupt Bush political appointee.

Tomlinson, a close and personal friend of Karl Rove, remained on the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) as a Bush political appointee, even after it was determined that he was a hack and a liar.

Well, now a new investigation shows that he has been dishing out money to his friends, using the taxpayers money to support his horseracing business, as well as billing two separate government agencies for the same hours worked.

Tomlinson Cited For Abuses at Broadcast Board
By Paul Farhi
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, August 30, 2006; Page C01

A year-long State Department investigation has found that the chairman of the agency that oversees Voice of America and other government broadcasting operations improperly used his office, putting a friend on the payroll and running a "horse-racing operation" with government resources.

The report, released yesterday, marks the second time in less than a year that an internal investigation has found evidence of rules violations by Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors.

In November, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting inspector general found that Tomlinson had made improper hires, had tried to tamper with PBS's TV programming and appeared to show political favoritism in selecting CPB's president while he was chairman, Tomlinson resigned his CPB post that same month.

The new allegations against Tomlinson, 62, stem from his chairmanship of the BBG, which oversees the federal government's array of international broadcasting services, including VOA, Radio and TV Marti in Cuba and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Tomlinson defended his performance as BBG chairman, saying, "I believe it will become clear that this [inspector general] investigation was inspired by partisan divisions."

Although the Broadcasting Board of Governors and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting are unrelated entities, Tomlinson's alleged violations overlapped both federal agencies. He conducted CPB work and "personal matters" while working for the Broadcasting Board, and directed BBG employees to do the same, the State Department's investigation found. Investigators said he received compensation from both the BBG and CPB for the same days worked on 14 occasions, but did not specify an amount.

The investigation also found that Tomlinson -- a former Reader's Digest editor and longtime Republican ally of White House political adviser Karl Rove -- helped hire a friend as a BBG contractor without the knowledge of other board or staff members. The friend -- whose name was withheld from a public summary of the investigation but whom Tomlinson identified as retired VOA employee Les Daniels -- received nearly $245,000 for unspecified services over a two-year period. Tomlinson signed the invoices for these payments even though there was no documentation that the work had been completed, investigators said.

(Full Story)