Illegal Jobs Given to Felons by D.A.?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:
Training Day
A program designed by San Francisco's district attorney trained illegal immigrant drug felons for jobs they cannot legally hold. The Los Angeles Times reports prosecutor Kamala Harris developed "Back on Track" to help young adults arrested once for selling drugs.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The accused plead guilty, spend a year in the program instead of jail, and receive employment and life-skills training, counseling and English lessons. Criminal records are expunged upon completion.
It is not known how many illegals have enrolled in the program since it began four years ago. But one woman who was allegedly mugged by an illegal immigrant drug dealer, who avoided jail time because of the D.A.'s program – says: "If they've committed crimes and they're not citizens, then why are they here? Why haven't they been deported?"
Harris is now running for state attorney general. She blames the issue on a design flaw, adding, "the immigration issue... obviously is a huge kind of pimple on the face of this program."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Breaking the Rules?
We've told you before about Congressional Black Caucus members who may have violated ethics rules by attending a corporate-sponsored conference on the Caribbean island of Saint Martin.
Now the CBC is lashing out at an office created by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, because of its investigation into the trip. The Hill newspaper reports CBC members have formed a working group to look into the resolution that created the Office of Congressional Ethics. A CBC source says, "We may have to revisit that law."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A CBC members complained the office does not have enough minorities and that staffers, "acted like they were the FBI."
Members also say that in comparison to other current ethics investigations, the Caribbean trip is small fry. An aide to a CBC member says, "What's the charge, that they spent too much time by the pool? That's ridiculous."
Par for the Course
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}And finally, President Obama has played golf at least 11 times since taking office. But, in contrast to his predecessor, the outings have generated little criticism.
In fact, on June 9, a headline in Washington Post wrote that golf is, "just the sport for a leader most driven," adding in the same article: "Obama's frequent outings reflect a cool self-confidence."
A 2002 piece about President Bush called, "Before Golf, Bush Decries Latest Deaths in Mideast," the post wrote, "however incongruous the setting, the president plunged ahead," pointing out that President Bush continued playing after his delivering his statement to the press. The piece was published in the Post on August 5, 2002. President Bush was even slammed for giving up golf in 2003, as a show of respect to those in the Armed Services.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Post quoted a historian Robert Dallek saying: "That's his idea of sacrifice, to give up golf?"
White House staff has not allowed reporters to get anywhere near the president on the links. But, photographers have been allowed to snap a few shots from afar.
— FOX News Channel's Zachary Kenworthy contributed to this report.