WASHINGTON—Chris Miller nearly doubled his $3,500 stock investment in a
renewable-energy firm in 2008. It was a perfectly legal bet, but he's no
ordinary investor.
Reid’s spokesman tried to defend the staffer, Reid’s top energy policy
adviser, by asserting that he had no influence over tax incentives for
renewable energy firms.
Under federal securities law, of course, it is not important whether the
staffer had any influence over legislation, Sen. Reid or anyone or
anything else.
If it can be shown that the staffer breached a duty of confidentiality in
using “inside information” as the basis for buying and selling the stock,
then he may very well be guilty of the crime of insider trading.
Similarly, if the staffer had material information that the public didn’t
have and he took advantage of it in the buying and selling of securities,
he could have committed a serious crime — as well as anyone he may have
tipped off.
Reid’s staffer has denied wrongdoing, but that should not be dispositive.
The Department of Justice, FBI and U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission ought to be investigating the staffer as well as any other
potential insider trading violations described in the WSJ article.
At the very least, the staffer should be afforded the same opportunity as
Martha Stewart to chat with federal investigators — that worked out so
well for her.
Don’t expect this to happen, however, as Sen. Reid and other members of
Congress will no doubt quietly work to quash any investigation.
Big Brother Has Turned Green
The environmental movement has cultivated a warm and fuzzy public
image, but behind the smiley-face rhetoric of "sustainability" and
"conservation" lies a dark agenda. The Greens aim to regulate your
behavior, downsize your lifestyle, and invade the most intimate
aspects of your personal life.
In this stunning exposé, Steve Milloy unveils the authoritarian impulse
underlying the Green crusade. Whether they're demanding that you turn
down your thermostat, stop driving your car, or engage in some other
senseless act of self-denial, the Greens are envisioning a grim future
for you marked by endless privation.
Steamrolling nearly all opposition with its apocalyptic predictions
of environmental doom, the Green movement has gained influence
throughout American society--from schools and local planning boards to
the biggest corporations in the country. And their plans are much more
ambitious than you think, says Milloy. What the Greens really seek,
with increasing success, is to dictate the very parameters of your
daily life--where you can live, what transportation you can use, what
you can eat, and even how many children you can have.
Citing the tactics and goals of Green groups as explained by their
own activists and leaders, Green Hell demonstrates:
* How Green pressure campaigns threaten the safety of your home and your
car, and public health overall
* Why the election of President Obama portends a giant leap forward for
coercive Green policies
* Why Greens obstruct the use of all forms of energy--even the renewable
sources they tout to the public
* How wealthy Green elites stand to profit fabulously from the
restrictions and regulations they seek to impose on the rest of us
* How Green pressure campaigns are hamstringing the military and
endangering our national security
* Why big business is not only knuckling under to the Greens, but is
aggressively promoting the green agenda to the detriment of its own
stockholders
* What you can do to help stop the great Green machine
A one-of-a-kind, comprehensive takedown of the entire environmental
movement, Green Hell will open your eyes to a looming threat
to our economy, our civil liberties, and the entire American way of
life.
'
Green
Hell explains why Americans can't afford to fall for Al Gore's `the
debate is over' line on global warming. While we're all for the
environment,
Green Hell explains why we need to oppose the
environmentalists."
--Fred Barnes, Executive Editor, the Weekly Standard
"
Green Hell is the `inconvenient truth' on extremist,
growth-killing environmentalism. A must-read for those interested in
keeping America free and prosperous."
--Steve Forbes, President and Chief Executive Officer of Forbes
"Regardless of whether you believe global warming is a fraud, the fact
is that the current depression, the past spike in oil prices, and the
coming technology of electric cars are all going to solve whatever
problem exists. Liberals want to use climate change as an excuse to take
over the economy and regulate everything and this book exposes their
plans."
--Dick Morris, FOX News commentator and former political consultant to
Bill Clinton
"This book describes why the world can't afford to fall for global warming
alarmism and environmental hysteria. Steve Milloy shows how to avoid the
environmentalists' vision of our future."
--VACLAV KLAUS, President of the European Union and President of the Czech
Republic
"Free market capitalism is still the best path to prosperity. Green
Hell is a must-read for anyone who wants to keep America on that
path and away from Soviet-style command-and-control environmentalism."
--Larry Kudlow, Host, CNBC's The Kudlow Report
Former President Barack Obama liked to portray himself as a
politician watching out for the little guy.
But it looks like he spent much more time protecting his rich friends
– and manipulating the government to help make them a fortune.
It was all part of a scheme that looks a lot like insider trading –
or what author Peter Schweizer calls “smash and grab.”
In his new book, Secret Empires: How the American Political
Class Hides Corruption and Enriches Family and Friends, Schweizer
lays out how Obama used government regulations to help lifelong pals
buy up companies for pennies on the dollar.
Basically, the Obama Administration would threaten and devalue
companies, and Obama’s pals would be ready to swoop in and buy them on
the cheap.
And apparently nobody ever stopped to consider the effect that this
plot would have on ordinary shareholders – who lost millions – or the
employees at the companies.
In an interview with Breitbart, Schweizer gives one shocking example
– the case of Marty Nesbitt, who has been described as Obama’s “best
friend.”
After Obama was reelected on 2012, Nesbitt set up a private equity
firm called Vistria to invest in highly regulated industries – in
other words, industries that Obama and his administration can help
control.
Schweizer points to Vistria’s acquisition of online learning giant
the University of Phoenix as an example of Obama and Nesbitt working
together on a “smash and grab” deal.
The Obama Administration had threatened to withhold GI Bill money
from the University of Phoenix over the quality of its education,
sending its share price tumbling.
Then, Nesbitt and Vistria were able to purchase the university for
“three cents on the dollar,” Schweizer reports.
After the deal was made, the Obama Administration withdrew its threat
to withhold federal funds.
Schweizer says Obama repeated the strategy throughout his presidency
to enrich liberal billionaires like Tom Steyer and George Soros, who
have both worked to ruin current President Donald Trump.
“Barack Obama smashes coal companies, [and] what do these guys do?
They go in, they buy them for pennies on the dollar, and when the
regulatory weight is lifted, their valuations increase, and they make
a lot of money, and you see that pattern in all of these industries,”
Shweizer said.
And what happens to other shareholders – the ones who aren’t friends
with Obama? They’re left holding the bag when the companies are
devalued.
Schweizer says that some of the ill-gotten gains realized by Obama’s
friends eventually found their way to the Obama Foundation.
It’s a scheme that absolutely cries out for a federal investigation.
But with so many Obama puppets still left in the government, we won’t
be holding our breath.
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