Does ANYONE who testifies to congress tell the truth??? Let’s face it, these people don’t give a crap about poor people receiving legal aid. What they care about is padding their own pockets and living the high life. And what will be done about it? Nada……Nichts…….Niente…….Rien……..Niets. Just like nothing is done about Bush and Cheney’s abuse of power. This whole administration is riddled with abuse, fraud, incompetence, waste and a disregard for the voice of the people. It is truly a self serving government. By the politicians and their cronies, for the politicians and their cronies.

From YahooNews:

WASHINGTON - The president of the government’s legal aid program misled Congress when she denied that her first-class airfare to a conference in Ireland saddled the program with excessive costs, an internal report has concluded.

Legal Services Corp. is a congressionally financed program that funds local legal service organizations that provide free lawyers for the poor. West provided his report to Congress, and The Associated Press obtained it from lawmakers.

AP reported last year that top officials at the program, including Barnett, used limousine services, enjoyed $14 “Death By Chocolate” desserts and conducted board meetings in an upscale Washington hotel instead of the corporation’s headquarters board room. At the same time, poor people were being turned away for lack of resources.

Amid congressional criticism, the corporation changed its policies to curtail top officials’ spending. Among the excesses cited in the AP stories were Barnett’s cab rides during the same Ireland trip in June 2005.

The inspector general’s report determined that Barnett’s husband, Victor Barnett, intervened and directed Barnett’s executive assistant, Karen Dozier, to upgrade Barnett’s ticket to first class for her flight to Ireland. Victor Barnett does not work for Legal Services Corp.

The report included the transcript of Victor Barnett’s voice message to Dozier asking her to arrange the upgrade “so she can be comfortable and get some sleep that night.”

Sen. Charles Grassley (news, bio, voting record), R-Iowa, said, “It’s hard to see how it serves those who are down on their luck, and in need of legal aid, for the president of the Legal Services Corp. to take a charmed trip to Ireland, traveling first-class at taxpayer expense.