Crimes? We don't care bout no stinkin' crimes

What follows is mostly cut and pasted from the NY Times:

You have to ask yourself: why isn't this guy going to jail?

For Starters: What is the BBG?

The Broadcasting Board of Governors ("BBG") is an office of the State Department that oversees most government broadcasts to foreign countries. It is responsible for broadcasts that go out in 61 languages to more than 100 million listeners. The BBG oversees, among others, the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, Radio Martí, Radio Sawa and Al Hurra. The United States Secretary of State, among others, sits on the board. The BBG is Kenneth Y. Tomlinson has been chairman of the BBG since 2002. Mr. Tomlinson’s position at the broadcasting board makes him one of the administration’s top officials overseeing public diplomacy.

The Crime: Who did what to whom?

State Department investigators have found that Tomlinson had used his office to run a “horse racing operation” improperly put a friend on the payroll (who received nearly $250,000 over two and a half years, ending last year). . . repeatedly used government employees to perform personal errands and billed the government for more days of work than the rules permit (and that he may have double billed as many as 14 days).

Investigators who seized Mr. Tomlinson’s e-mail, telephone and office records found that he had improperly and extensively used his BBG office for nongovernmental work, including work for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the horse racing and breeding ventures. The material seized included racing forms and evidence that he used the office to buy and sell thoroughbreds.

So What is Being Done?

Corruption? In high places? A high office being used as a gambling parlor? That's criminal conduct usually isn't it? Mr. Tomlinson has been arrested and will pay for his crimes won't he?

Guess again.

The summary of the report, prepared by the State Department inspector general, said the United States attorney’s office had been given the report and decided not to conduct a criminal inquiry.

So Who is this guy?

So why is it this guy isn't being prosecuted? Could it be that he knows the "right" people? Could he be protected by some highly placed patron?

You bet.

Mr. Tomlinson, 62, is a former editor of Reader’s Digest who has close ties to Karl Rove, Mr. Bush’s political strategist and senior adviser. Mr. Rove and Mr. Tomlinson were on the board of the predecessor to the broadcasting board in the 90’s.

Well it could be worse. . . oh, it is. . .

In November 2005, Mr. Tomlinson was ousted from his position as head of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting . His 2005 ouster from the CPB was prompted by an investigation by CPB's inspector general which found evidence that Mr. Tomlinson had violated rules as he sought more conservative programs and that he had improperly intervened to help the staff of the editorial page of The Wall Street Journal win a $4.1 million contract, one of the corporation’s largest programming contracts, to finance a weekly public television program.

Mr. Tomlinson was also rebuked for improperly hiring an acquaintance from a journalism center founded by the American Conservative Union. The corporation paid the person more than $20,000 to monitor public radio and television programs for bias, including “Now,” with Bill Moyers as host. I guess he thought that if he paid his friend at the BBG 12 times that amount, he might have a better chance of getting away with it.

But he's still not being prosecuted.

Can it get any worse?

Yes it can. Mr. Tomlinson has been renominated by the President to a new term as chairman of the BBG. That nomination is now pending before the Senate. A spokeswoman for the White House, Emily Lawrimore, said President Bush continued to support Mr. Tomlinson’s renomination.

Can anything be done?

Three Democratic lawmakers, Senator Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut and Representatives Howard L. Berman and Tom Lantos of California have written letters demanding Mr. Tomlinson's ouster.

I think we ought to be able to expect more from our public servants, particularly the highly placed ones, something more than that they are "not actually under indictment." This guy put cronies to work at two different highly placed policy positions, submitted false reports, used his office and staff for personal business, all in violation of the law. But is he being prosecuted? No, like the Wolfewitz triumvirate before him, Tomlinson is being rewarded for a job poorly done. Wolfy et al. received Medals of Honor, Tomlinson is avoiding prosecution and has been nominated to continue running the BBG.

If you are like me and you believe that criminals should be prosecuted instead of rewarded with high paying, important policy making offices, you should contact your senators and tell them you oppose the nomination of Mr. Tomlinson to the Board of Broadcasting Governors . . . and you might send a letter to the editor of your local newspaper,

or even link this blog to your friends!