Mark Sanford avoids criminal charges following ethics investigation

By GottaLaff

Mark the C Streeter skates after pleading no contest to ethics charges. However, I wonder what will eventually come of Rachel Maddow's investigations into the suspiciously low rent he paid to live there.

As for the Appalachian Trail hike trip to Argentina sexcapades, he's home free:

South Carolina's Attorney General has decided that Gov. Mark Sanford will not face criminal charges following an investigation into his travel and campaign expenses.

The A.G. said he didn't "knowingly, willfully, and intentionally set out to break state law". He did, however, knowingly, willfully, and intentionally set out to break his family member's hearts.

But on Monday, McMaster said the ethics violations did not rise to the level of criminal conduct. The law, he said, "requires a much higher standard before criminal prosecution is warranted."

This gave Sanford the opportunity to use the word "stalwart":

He said McMaster's decision reaffirms his belief that the Sanford administration has always "been a stalwart defender of the taxpayer. "

Said the man who could very well be residing in a building owned by a group that shouldn't have tax exempt status and treats their favorite members of Congress to cut rates.

Clinton May Need to Pay Debt Before Accepting Post

Traveling around the intertubes today, I'm hearing alot of chatter saying that Hillary is not going to accept the nomination. Guess this could be part of it....

According to Bloomberg, Sen. Hillary Clinton "will face a financial decision if she is nominated as secretary of state: what to do about the more than $7 million in debts left over from her presidential campaign."

"She could pay off the bulk of her debt by liquidating her Senate campaign committee account. She also could legally continue to raise money, though that may present ethical concerns if she is serving in the Cabinet."

However, Politico notes that taking the post could give Clinton "a powerful case to make to the Federal Election Commission about why it should forgive her campaign debt through a settlement process not unlike filing for bankruptcy."

Meanwhile, a piece in the Wall Street Journal suggests Bill Clinton is going to extraordinary measures to assure the Obama team that his charitable and business activities will not present conflicts for his wife should she join the administration.

Palin's Makeup Artist Highest Paid Staffer

I realize that makeup for television is different, but as my grandmother always said, "A lovely face doesn't need that much makeup dear, so go wash that crap off now." $22k buys alot of crap.

Gov. Sarah Palin's traveling makeup artist was the highest paid person on Sen. John McCain's campaign staff during the first half of October, the New York Times reports.

Amy Strozzi, "who was nominated for an Emmy award for her makeup work on the television show So You Think You Can Dance?, was paid $22,800 for the first two weeks of October alone."

American Idol Make-Up Artist Made $8,672.55 From McCain In One Month

Guess it takes alot of makeup to cover um, the um, well, you know. Don't tv shows usually supply makeup artists for people appearing on them?

Remember last month when Republican presidential nominee John McCain got made up by the American Idol make-up artist?

Well, it wasn't a one-shot deal. The make-up artist to the wannabe-stars is getting paid beaucoup bucks to make McCain, 72, more telegenic.

Tifanie White, who reportedly has done makeup for the shows "So You Think You Can Dance" and "American Idol," was paid a total of $8,672.55 in September by the McCain-Palin campaign, according to the campaign's latest monthly financial report filed this week with the Federal Election Commission. She was paid $5,583.43 the previous month, records show.

h/t AmericaBlog