Here's a Scandal for John Conyers to Investigate

Monica Conyers (in grey) leaving her radio show where she asked her listeners to pray for her.

Why?


Congressman John Conyers (D-MI)has for years been trying to dig up any possible scandal that pertains to Republicans. The 80-year-old head of the House Judiciary Committee never ceases to be outraged by the skulduggery committed by Republicans that he sees going all around him in Washington. Now it seems that he has a golden opportunity to find a scandal in his own backyard of Detroit-or more specifically in his own bedroom. That's right. His own wife, Monica (44) a Detroit City Councilwoman is implicated in a major bribery scandal.

The Detroit Free Press and others are reporting that Mrs Conyers has been identified as the infamous "City Council Member A," in court documents, who received thousands of dollars in bribes to vote "yes" on a city waste contract with a company called Synagro worth over a billion dollars. She is now reportedly engaged in plea negotiations with federal authorities before they indict her.

Yes, it's serious. People are pleading guilty and cooperating with prosecutors. And they are naming Mrs Conyers. Consider the following:

"In former Synagro consultant Rayford Jackson's plea this week, Jackson's brother, Lennie (who's cooperating with authorities) is alleged to have carried thousands in bribes to Conyers and her former aide, Sam Riddle."

-Detroit Free Press

and this:

"In January, James Rosendall, the former Michigan vice president for Synagro, pleaded guilty to engineering the scheme to get City Council votes on a $1.2-billion sludge-hauling contract. Conyers was one of the alleged targets of that scheme."

-Detroit Free Press


Mrs. Conyers won't comment on the charges or the plea negotiations, but on her weekly television show this week, she told her listeners this:

"If you're not praying for me, you're just adding to the problem." Indeed.

What about Mr Conyers? No comment coming from him either. Of course, he's too busy getting to the bottom of Bush, Rove, water boarding and all that other stuff.

Or praying.

While no one has pointed any accusations at John Conyers in this matter, he can't escape suspicion since normally, husbands and wives tend to share assets, so to speak. So if Mrs Conyers is indicted or pleas to accepting bribes, does this call for an investigation by Congress (and the FBI) into what role or benefit was involved with Congressman Conyers? Surely those watchdogs who are always calling for this or that Republican to be investigated will call for an inquiry here. I'm talking about Democrats like Charles Schumer, Henry Waxman, Pat Leahy and, oh yes, Arlen Specter.

What do you think the odds are of a Congressional inquiry by the Ethics Panel into John Conyers?

Just wondering.