Washington
4 from former lawmaker's staff subpoenaed
WASHINGTON (AP) - Congress said Tuesday it has been told at least four staffers who worked for former Illinois Rep. Aaron Schock have been subpoenaed to testify before a federal grand jury as part of an ongoing probe into the congressman's expenses.
The Justice Department issued its subpoenas in recent weeks to current and former Schock staffers as it examines expense accounts, his re-election campaign spending and his relationships with political donors. A Springfield, Illinois, grand jury began hearing testimony about the matter earlier this month.
The House clerk reported Tuesday the subpoenas were issued to Schock chief of staff Mark Roman, Peoria district office manager Bryan Rudolph, district chief of staff Dayne LaHood and executive assistant Sarah Rogers.
Schock, a Republican, resigned from Congress March 31 following months of press reports into his office and political spending, including improper mileage reimbursements and trips on his donors' aircraft, as well as business deals with those contributors.
Federal investigators who questioned likely grand jury witnesses had previously indicated during their questioning that the probe would go beyond Schock's office expenses. They're interested in how his money was spent and his business relationships with his donors, according to a person familiar with the probe but who was not authorized to speak publicly.
Schock's staff did not immediately return phone calls and emails Tuesday afternoon seeking comment. Congressional staffers are required under House rules to notify the speaker if they've been subpoenaed.
A spokesman for Schock declined to comment.
The grand jury in this case could indict Schock or not, and it also could target other possible co-conspirators. Individuals can also avoid a grand jury by pleading guilty or otherwise cooperating before they are indicted.
Schock's resignation followed revelations over six weeks about his business deals and lavish spending on travel, personal mileage reimbursements and office redecorating in the style of "Downton Abbey." Congressional ethics investigators had begun probing Schock's conduct in the days before his announcement, but that probe was expected to shut down because of the federal investigation.
A special primary election to replace Schock is scheduled for July 7, with a special general election to follow Sept. 10.
California
Ending waivers for vaccines back for heated debate
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - California lawmakers are preparing for another round of heated talks Wednesday on whether the state should prevent parents from seeking vaccination exemptions for their children because of religious or personal beliefs.
The Senate Education Committee is the second body to consider a bill that supporters say would increase the number of schoolchildren who are vaccinated in the wake of a measles outbreak that started at Disneyland in December. But well-organized opponents have responded with impassioned pleas against the proposal, saying the bill tramples on parental rights.
The topic generated such an acidic debate last week that the proposal's author, Sen. Richard Pan, a Democratic pediatrician from Sacramento, received added security. In addition to threatening messages sent to his office, opponents of the legislation have posted images online comparing Pan to Adolf Hitler.
If the bill passes the Legislature and is signed by the governor, California would join Mississippi and West Virginia as the only states with such strict vaccine rules. Only medical exemptions would be available for children with health problems.
Robert Kennedy Jr., the nephew of President John F. Kennedy and son of former U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy, is among those who oppose the bill. At a film screening in Sacramento last week, he described the number of children injured by vaccines as "a holocaust."
Kennedy apologized this week for the comparison, saying he was trying to convey the effects of autism on children and their families. The medical community says such claims have been scientifically disproved.
Delaware
Court: Wal-Mart can exclude gun sales proposal
DOVER, Del. (AP) - A federal appeals court has ruled that Wal-Mart can exclude from its 2015 proxy statement a shareholder's proposal to review the sale of some guns.
The appeals court in Philadelphia on Tuesday reversed a 2014 ruling ordering Wal-Mart to include the proposal from Trinity Wall Street Church in New York.
A Delaware judge had declared that the proposal about guns with magazines holding more than 10 rounds should not have been excluded from 2014 proxy materials.
The Episcopal parish wants shareholders to vote on whether Wal-Mart's board should oversee the formulation of policies and standards on selling products considered especially dangerous or harmful to Wal-Mart's reputation.
New York
$115,000 reward offered in Times Square bombing
NEW YORK (AP) - Several persons of interest have been identified and are being pursued in the unsolved 2008 bombing at the Times Square military recruitment station, federal officials said Wednesday, but authorities are asking the public for help.
No one was injured in the blast, which happened before dawn on March 6, 2008, but someone could have been, FBI and police said.
"Moments before the device detonated, individuals walked by, unaware of the potential danger and imminent explosion," Police Commissioner William Bratton said in a statement.
Officials said the explosion may be connected to other unsolved early morning bicycle bombings in New York: one at the British Consulate in May 2005 and the other at the Mexican Consulate in October 2007. Peter Tzitzis, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force said officials were making good progress, but would not give any details on any possible leads, citing the ongoing probe. Officials are offering a $115,000 reward for information leading to the identification and arrest of suspects.
FBI footage shows the Times Square suspect placing the bomb and riding away on a blue bike that was later found in a trash bin in an adjoining neighborhood.
The device was built using an ammunition can that is commonly found on battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan, authorities said.
"It was filled halfway with black powder and detonated using a time fuse," the law enforcers said in a statement. "Although no one was wounded, the device could have caused significant casualties if people had been close to the blast."
"Someone knows those responsible for placing this device in the heart of New York City," said FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Diego Rodriguez.
Published: Thu, Apr 16, 2015
