AL Legislators Party With Lobbyists, Threaten Journalists

Every year, the National Conference of State Legislators holds a meeting for "influential" and "prominent" state legislators across the country. They meet for seminars and to hear political figures speak on this topic or that. They also, according to a recent expose' by ABC News, attend wild parties with lobbyists.

This year, five journalism students accepted a challenge to cover the conference, with cameras, to see what really went on. They videotaped the wild parties, the drinking, and the schmoozing with lobbyists. One of the female journalists was cornered and kissed by a State legislator from Puerto Rico.

And, to make matters worse, several Alabama legislators skipped a seminar on ethics (which, apparently, they badly needed to attend) in order to play a round of golf. When questioned by one of the journalists, Representative A.J. McCampbell (D–Demopolis) threatened him! McCampbell is caught on video responding to a question by hefting a golf club and saying “If you don’t want me to take this to you, gentleman, leave!”

McCampbell is running unopposed in November. Watch the video for yourself...

(NOTE: The videos seem to be working properly now.)




This is pretty bad, folks, and we should remember the people who attended this conference.

If you'd like a closer look at the golf club incident, you can find that in the video below. Notice that Alabama legislators are golfing with lobbyists (from the gambling industry!) while a panel on ethics in government is taking place... without them.



The Alabama legislators featured putting their clubs away have been identified as Sen. Bobby Singleton (D-Greensboro), and state Reps. Oliver Robinson (D-Birmingham), Harry Shiver (R-Bay Minette), and Artis McCampbell (D-Demopolis).

We have a major problem in this state, and that problem is Alabama legislators abusing their offices by accepting gifts from lobbyists... which is legal under state law up to $250 a day, or $91,250 each year.

If you'd like to read more about this, here are some stories.

From ABC News:
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/top-federal-prosecutor-vows-crackdown-corrupt-state-legislators/story?id=11926099

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/caught-tape-lobbyists-golf-party-lawmakers/story?id=11921636

From the Huntsville Times:
http://blog.al.com/wire/2010/10/alabama_legislator_threatens_r.html

Entries from other blogs:
http://www.politicalparlor.net/wp/2010/10/20/alabama-legislators-skip-ethics-panel-for-golf-with-gambling-lobbyist/

http://alabamaunfiltered.com/2010/10/20/national-embarrassment-alabama-democrat-threatens-journalism-student-with-assault/