Swamp watch: Chao created special path for McConnell’s favored projects

[President Johnson]

But, but, I thought the God Emperor was draining the swamp big league?! The Trump Administration is the swampiest since at least Harding and Cocaine Mitch a total disgrance.

Chao created special path for McConnell’s favored projects

The Transportation Department under Secretary Elaine Chao designated a special liaison to help with grant applications and other priorities from her husband Mitch McConnell’s state of Kentucky, paving the way for grants totaling at least $78 million for favored projects as McConnell prepared to campaign for reelection.

Chao’s aide Todd Inman, who stated in an email to McConnell’s Senate office that Chao had personally asked him to serve as an intermediary, helped advise the senator and local Kentucky officials on grants with special significance for McConnell — including a highway-improvement project in a McConnell political stronghold that had been twice rejected for previous grant applications.

Beginning in April 2017, Inman and Chao met annually with a delegation from Owensboro, Ky., a river port with long connections to McConnell, including a plaza named in his honor. At the meetings, according to participants, the secretary and the local officials discussed two projects of special importance to the river city of 59,809 people — a plan to upgrade road connections to a commercial riverport and a proposal to expedite reclassifying a local parkway as an Interstate spur, a move that could persuade private businesses to locate in Owensboro.

[...]

Full Politico Article

[GeorgiaModerate]

If this happened with a Democratic Senator under Obama's administration, the hearings would never have stopped.

[President Johnson]

If this happened with a Democratic Senator under Obama's administration, the hearings would never have stopped.

Of course. And imagine in addition Obama paid off a pornstar to buy her silence ahead of the election. The Republicans would have started impeachment three seconds later and call for him to be locked up (or something beyond).

[Nyvin]

And to think most people were saying Chao was one of the better ones in the cabinet.

[PSOL]

Say it with me folks: Unparalleled Corruption

[Del Tachi]

This is nothing unusual.

[Progressive Pessimist]

McConnell still would have been Trump's partner in crime regardless of his wife receiving a cushy position in the administration. Her actually getting appointed to it just sweetens the deal.

[Ban my account ffs!]

This is nothing unusual.

It represents a sick and rotten civic culture built on faulty foundations.  This is "good ole boys I scratch your back you scratch my back"...

It is antithetical to the political culture in Minnesota, which has a culture of civic engagement, good governance, fairness, fair play, etc.  Even the GOP recognizes that.  (well, with the exception of Pawlenty and the 2010 crew... we know what happened to them)

Responding with shrugging your shoulders and saying "meh... not unusual" as a kind of endorsement is well... smh.  No wonder the south is losing again economically.

[QAnonKelly]

McConnell is truly an evil bastard

[Indy Texas 🇺🇦🇵🇸]

This is nothing unusual.

It's not unusual for a cabinet minister to literally be f#$%ing the Senate Majority Leader and doing them other personal favors too?

I get that you're from Mississippi, where the norm is to funnel tax dollars from more productive states to your own, but this is some banana republic nonsense.

[Saint Milei]

This is nothing unusual.

It's not unusual for a cabinet minister to literally be f#$%ing the Senate Majority Leader and doing them other personal favors too?

I get that you're from Mississippi, where the norm is to funnel tax dollars from more productive states to your own, but this is some banana republic nonsense.

This made me laugh. I'm sorry

[Dr. Arch]

This is nothing unusual.

It's not unusual for a cabinet minister to literally be f#$%ing the Senate Majority Leader and doing them other personal favors too?

I get that you're from Mississippi, where the norm is to funnel tax dollars from more productive states to your own, but this is some banana republic nonsense.

Brutal

[JA]

This is nothing unusual.

Aren't you at least bothered that Trump failed to achieve one of the signature issues he ran on: draining "the swamp"? Or did "the swamp" simply refer to alleged unethical behavior from the other political tribe?

[Indy Texas 🇺🇦🇵🇸]

This is nothing unusual.

Aren't you at least bothered that Trump failed to achieve one of the signature issues he ran on: draining "the swamp"? Or did "the swamp" simply refer to alleged unethical behavior from the other political tribe?

If you look at Del Tachi's background/post history, you'd see that he wistfully yearns for the good old days when all decisions were made behind closed doors by Southern fraternity brothers sipping bourbon at the country club with no transparency or accountability whatsoever.

[Progressive Pessimist]

McConnell is truly an evil bastard

That's an understatement!

[CrypticParrot]

By chaos you mean corruption

[pbrower2a]

If this happened with a Democratic Senator under Obama's administration, the hearings would never have stopped.

Of course. And imagine in addition Obama paid off a pornstar to buy her silence ahead of the election. The Republicans would have started impeachment three seconds later and call for him to be locked up (or something beyond).

Even worse -- a WHITE porn star.