
Judicial Watch’s Tom Fitton says that folks should ‘presume corruption’ was behind the 2011 Wire Act interpretation by the Department of Justice.
Judicial Watch claims that ‘no one is over the law’ in its logo, and also the watchdog group is testing that theory with a lawsuit directed at the Justice Department.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has long maintained that its 2011 opinion on how the 1961 Wire Act should be interpreted had been a decision that is routine came in response to requests for clarity from two states interested in offering online lottery tickets.
Nevertheless the conservative activist team is searching for additional information on theat choice, and states that the DOJ hasn’t been cooperative so far.
Judicial Watch announced this week that they had filed a lawsuit up against the DOJ, one that alleges the department has not cooperated with a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed last year.
The company filed that request in October, seeking ‘any and all records concerning, regarding, or associated to your December 23, 2011 ruling to legalize non-sports betting over the online world, including but not limited to any documents regarding the legal basis for the ruling under the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006.’
According to the group, the DoJ had been required to respond to them by 18, but did not february. That prompted a lawsuit to be filed in United States District Court last month.
Opinion Found Wire Act Applied to Sports Betting Just
The 2011 opinion by the Department of Justice found that the Wire Act was just applicable to betting on sporting events, and not to all or any forms of gambling. That launched the door for states to regulate casino that is online and poker, a move that three states took so far: New Jersey, Nevada, and Delaware.
However, those opposed to the spread of online gambling have very long questioned the Justice Department’s decision, and Judicial Watch reiterated those concerns in its press launch about the lawsuit.
‘ The executive action ‘legalizing’ on line gambling is another example of the Obama management’s habit of placing politics above law,’ said Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch. ‘When the Justice Department reverses its very own interpretation of a statute that is federal quickly and so entirely, the American individuals have a right to know why.
‘And considering that the Justice Department is willing to break federal documents law rather than disclose information, Americans can presume corruption behind its decision to unilaterally legalize Internet gambling that is widespread.’
Interpretation Agreed with Case Law
Not everybody agrees with the basic proven fact that the DOJ ‘reversed’ the interpretation of the Wire Act within the way that experts claim. The idea that the Wire Act just applied to sports betting has been around since well before 2011, most likely.
In a 2002 case, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals found that the Wire Act ‘concerns gambling on displaying events or competitions’ and that the Wire Act ‘does not prohibit non-sports internet gambling.’
However, the argument that the DOJ opinion had been an unwarranted reversal of standing law continues to be as being a chief argument for those whom oppose the regulation of the online gambling industry in the United States. Chief among them is Las Vegas Sands CEO and Chairman Sheldon Adelson, who formed the Coalition to Stop Web Gambling (CSIG) in an effort to avoid gambling that is online from moving forward.
The most significant part of the effort happens to be the Restoration of America’s Wire Act (RAWA), an item of legislation that would unambiguously ban many types of online gambling throughout the United States. Whilst the bill was introduced both in the House and Senate, it has received very little movement in the current Congress.
Oklahoma State Senator Pleads Guilty to Gambling With Better Business Bureau Money
Rick Brinkley had been a state senator in Oklahoma until this week as he finally admitted to stealing $1.8 million from the Better Business Bureau to support his addiction to gambling. (Image: Matt Barnard/Tulsa World)
Former Oklahoma State Senator Rick Brinkley (R-District 34) is a complete lot like most of us: he likes to gamble.
Truly the only difference is with someone else’s money that he prefers doing it.
On Thursday, Brinkley stepped down from the state legislature after admitting in federal court he served as president and CEO that he stole $1.8 million from the Eastern Oklahoma Better Business Bureau (BBB), a nonprofit agency.
In their plea deal, Brinkley stated he was guilty of five counts of wire fraud and one count of falsifying a tax return.
He’ll face as much as 20 years in prison and $500,000 in fines when he’s sentenced November 20th. ‘I used BBB’s bank card to help make money withdrawals at automatic teller machines located within gambling enterprises to help my gambling habit,’ Brinkley admitted.
Start With Trust
That’s the motto for the BBB, nevertheless now all in Oklahoma and around the country know not to trust Mr. Brinkley.
The previous vice chairman regarding the Senate Finance Committee and person in the Appropriations, Pensions, and Rules committees, the 54-year-old was in the centre of their 2nd term when this week’s revelations came to light.
Talking about revelations, Brinkley, who studied theology at Oral Roberts University, was a pastor before entering politics, but he has seemed to forgotten his religious morality due to his gambling addiction.
Earlier this year, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) looked into the BBB’s seemingly dismal financial situation after Brinkley told employees money was running low, which led to an internal review.
Following two months of inpatient gambling addiction therapy, Brinkley told the court, ‘I made efforts to conceal my use that is fraudulent of funds. I falsified the names of BBB vendors, created false invoices and redirected BBB cash for cash.’
While Brinkley didn’t reveal in his testimony which games enthralled him the most, he apparently wasn’t very good at it, losing nearly $2 million.
Politicians Love Money
It’s an inherent element of human nature to want, as well as for many in America, that want is just a financial one, but while most moral citizens wouldn’t ever steal, politicians undoubtedly don’t help their generalized public opinion of being purchased or being corrupt when situations such as this come to light.
Because the current 2016 election cycle gets underway, a theme that is general GOP frontrunner Donald Trump is that the rest of his Republican counterparts have all been influenced by donors and super PACs.
‘Our system is broken,’ Trump stated at the first Fox News debate. ‘I give everybody, when they call we give, and have you any idea what? When i would like something from them two years later on, three years later, I call them and they are here for me.’
In 2012, $34.29 million in governmental lobbying ended up being spent by gambling enterprises and gambling businesses, and while accepting such monies undoubtedly isn’t illegal, it highlights the big business nature of running for workplace.
Though many stories exist of shady discounts between politicians and gambling executives, too as lawmakers who became addicted to gambling itself, no whole story is more infamous than that of Maureen O’Connor.
The heir of her husband Robert Peterson’s wealth, the founder of Jack-in-the-Box, O’Connor served as San Diego’s first mayor that is female 1986 and 1992.
After her husband’s death, she proceeded to gamble more than $1 billion, losing some $13 million and in the end stealing $2 million from their charity and making it bankrupt.
O’Connor’s wagering $1 billion and only losing $13 million is really quite impressive.
If Brinkley would have been that good, he’d likely nevertheless be running the BBB.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras Resigns
Alexis Tsipras has resigned his post as Prime Minister, but he’ll run for the office again in a snap election. (Image: Michael Kappeler/Corbis)
The Greek financial crisis took on a new twist this week, as Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras resigned his post in the wake of critique from members of his own party.
Tsipras is hoping to regain his seat in a snap election, one that is planned to be held on September 20.
Tsipras announced his decision in an address that is televised after which it he presented their resignation to Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos.
‘ I would like to be honest with you,’ Tsipras stated in his address. ‘We did not achieve the agreement we expected before the elections. january’
Tsipras Decided to Austerity Measures to Appease Creditors
Tsipras was elected on claims which he would avoid further austerity measures in the united kingdom. However, with the Greek economic system near collapse previously this year, and speculation starting to mount that Greece might be removed from the Eurozone, Tsipras ultimately accepted the needs of creditors despite their earlier in the day convictions.
‘I feel the deep ethical and responsibility that is political put to your judgment all I have done, successes and problems,’ Tsipras stated.
Tsipras’ help for the contract with creditors caused something of a revolt among members of their party that is own. The party that is leftist largely opposed to taking another bailout from European creditors, particularly if it might require reductions in pensions and other federal government spending cuts along with tax increases.
Greece simply received the very first percentage of its latest bailout, a €13 billion ($14.8 billion) payment that will enable the country to avoid defaulting on its debts to the European Central Bank. The bailout package is worth approximately €86 billion ($97.7 billion), with funds coming over the course of three years.
Snap Elections Could Work In Tsipras’ Benefit
For Tsipras, calling for snap elections now might be a shrewd gambit that is political to strengthen his position, though it’s not without danger. At the moment, Tsipras remains well-liked by voters in Greece, as numerous of the very austerity that is painful have actually yet to come into place.
The Greek constitution specifies that other party leaders be given a chance to form a government before resorting to another election because the election is coming less than a year since the previous vote. But while Vangelis Meimarakis, leader of the conservative New Democracy party, has said he will make an effort to form a governing coalition, it seems highly unlikely that he should be able to do this.
The most recent polling available in Greece found that more than 33 percent of voters supported Syriza, making it typically the most popular party in the country. However, with out a majority of seats in government, it will need coalition partners to govern after having a snap election.
While the bailout is controversial, it really is prone to achieve its absolute goal: keeping Greece in the euro for the future that is foreseeable. While which had been in question, Paddy Power now puts the odds of Greece leaving the Eurozone in 2015 at 10-1, with bettors having to bet at 1-50 chances if they want to place cash on Greece not leaving instead.
So far, the Greek financial crisis appears to have had little impact on the countries gambling industry. While the government has recently published more powerful regulations on video lottery terminals in the united states, which caused a delay in rollouts of the games this summer, those techniques were apparently unrelated to the austerity measures.
