Texas Firm Charged in Kickback Case

Pariah/ex-car czar is under investigation in pay-to-play case

(NEWSER) - Steven Rattner doesn't have a ton of friends these days, but Michael Bloomberg is apparently one of them. New York's mayor has hired Rattner to manage his fortune and his philanthropic foundation, sources tell the New York Times , despite the kickback accusations swirling around him. Rattner, who briefly served as President Obama's car czar, has been accused of bribing an ex-comptroller to help land an investment contract for his private equity firm Quadrangle. More»

New York AG targets ex-car czar's company

(NEWSER) - Washington is dying to know why Steven Rattner quit after just months as President Obama’s car czar. One possible reason: New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is pushing for a legal settlement with his company for its part in a pay-to-play scandal surrounding the state’s pension fund, sources tell AP. An investment group led by Rattner, until he went to Washington, paid more than $1 million to a person since indicted in the case to get access to pension funds. Other companies that made payments have settled for sums from $2 million to $30 million. More»

Facing foreclosure, Burris II gets housing gig; 'reeks of hypocrisy,' state rep charges

(NEWSER) - Sen. Roland Burris’ son, Roland W. Burris II, got a job with the Illinois housing authority last year, weeks after the IRS imposed a tax lien and his home entered foreclosure, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. The appointment came as his father lobbied for Barack Obama’s Senate seat, and Gov. Rod Blagojevich was asking the elder Burris for money. Burris II is not being investigated. More»

(NEWSER) - Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn today joined the chorus of politicians calling for Roland Burris to resign, urging him to step down "as quickly as possible for the best interests of Illinois," the Chicago Tribune reports. Said Quinn, who gained the office after Rod Blagojevich's ouster for attempting to sell Barack Obama's Senate seat: "This should not be a matter that takes weeks." More»

(NEWSER) - Roland Burris denied today that an affidavit sent to the Illinois House conveyed a shift in his testimony in the Rod Blagojevich scandal, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. “There was no change,” Burris said of three statements he gave to the committee that recommended Blago's impeachment. Burris also called rumors that he filed the last statement at the request of federal investigators “positively not true.” More»