I want to direct media attention to corruption in the MD state government. How do I do that?

[Anonymous]

Is there no whistleblower statute in Md ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can your husband share anything here? Maybe we have a journo who is willing to pick up the story from little snippets you provide here.

Also I'm curious.

I don’t want to totally give it away but basically government contracts for services were funneled to Hogan’s friends and contacts, which I get, is sometimes how things are done, but the new contractors have completely failed and it is impacting government services in such a way that lots of money is being lost, mishandled, etc., and funds that were essentially supposed to go to poor people are just… disappearing, going to the wrong individuals, etc.

This is your claim? You think this is somehow a Hogan-specific thing only in the state of Maryland? This is basically the normal functioning of state and local government in this area.

Martin O’Malley accepted hundreds of thousands in “speaking fees” while he was governor from a company with state contracts. You might also want to google “Muriel Bowser+Ft Myer Construction”.

Unless there is serious fraud, like the companies not delivering, or you have evidence that Hogan himself did something unethical like order contract award over legal advice that the contracts were illegal under state law, you most likely have a nothingburger that no one will be interested in.

This is exactly what I am alleging. The company has just failed in a very very serious and obvious way.

Non delivery means that they received payment and did absolutely nothing. Not that they did the job poorly.

In Montgomery County, Ike Leggett had the county change its solid waste contract to a new company that was a big donor. The new company didn’t even have enough trucks to pick up garbage in Bethesda for months. You know what happened? Nothing. They canceled half of the contract and awarded another company the other half of the contract.

It’s a matter of degrees/severity, right? This is much bigger than the county trash for a few months.

Although that’s pretty bad about the trash- and you KNOW about it, and it has colored your perception of Leggett, right? Sunlight is the best disinfectant. -op

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I don’t want to totally give it away but basically government contracts for services were funneled to Hogan’s friends and contacts, which I get, is sometimes how things are done, but the new contractors have completely failed and it is impacting government services in such a way that lots of money is being lost, mishandled, etc., and funds that were essentially supposed to go to poor people are just… disappearing, going to the wrong individuals, etc.

There have been plenty of stories written about how the Purple Line is over budget and behind schedule. We all know that already.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I don’t want to totally give it away but basically government contracts for services were funneled to Hogan’s friends and contacts, which I get, is sometimes how things are done, but the new contractors have completely failed and it is impacting government services in such a way that lots of money is being lost, mishandled, etc., and funds that were essentially supposed to go to poor people are just… disappearing, going to the wrong individuals, etc.

There have been plenty of stories written about how the Purple Line is over budget and behind schedule. We all know that already.

Yes, but I wouldn't assume that the Purple Line is the only example of this. I'm not the OP.

https://washingtonmonthly.com/2022/06/20/larry-hogan-purple-line-fiasco/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Call the news stations??

I work at a local TV station in the DC market. We are completely uninterested in any story that reflects badly on elected Democrats. Maybe try Channel 7. Of the 4 major affiliates here in DC they are the only one who I have ever seen do any stories critical of dems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can your husband share anything here? Maybe we have a journo who is willing to pick up the story from little snippets you provide here.

Also I'm curious.

I don’t want to totally give it away but basically government contracts for services were funneled to Hogan’s friends and contacts, which I get, is sometimes how things are done, but the new contractors have completely failed and it is impacting government services in such a way that lots of money is being lost, mishandled, etc., and funds that were essentially supposed to go to poor people are just… disappearing, going to the wrong individuals, etc.

This is your claim? You think this is somehow a Hogan-specific thing only in the state of Maryland? This is basically the normal functioning of state and local government in this area.

Martin O’Malley accepted hundreds of thousands in “speaking fees” while he was governor from a company with state contracts. You might also want to google “Muriel Bowser+Ft Myer Construction”.

Unless there is serious fraud, like the companies not delivering, or you have evidence that Hogan himself did something unethical like order contract award over legal advice that the contracts were illegal under state law, you most likely have a nothingburger that no one will be interested in.

This is exactly what I am alleging. The company has just failed in a very very serious and obvious way.

Do you remember the company that got the contract to build Trump's wall, and why they got the contract, and what happened to those walls? If nothing came of that, why do you suppose what's happening here is worse?

I'm not saying I support corruption, just that these types of things aren't considered that big of a deal. Unfortunately, but reality.

The difference is that the new company was contracted to replace a pre-existing government function that is very necessary, and just hasn’t performed the contract. The “replacement” wasn’t really needed and doesn’t work. It’s been under audit for awhile and I think should be made public. I also think a smart journalist could find more here.

I don't think it matters that the work is replacing an existing contract.

There's a lot of waste in government; it doesn't matter if it's a D or R.

Rs think there are too many wasteful programs that are used to line the pocketbooks of friends of politicians (and they aren't 100% wrong in this); Dems think Rs are too big business friendly and have given too many big military contracts to R friendly companies.

If you husband isn't that concerned about it, then I don't know why you think it's such a big deal.

Yes there is a lot of waste in government. But that doesn’t mean it’s OK! I applaud OPs efforts to reveal the shadiness that occurs, it’s often worse at state and local levels.

PS but it’s pervasive across both parties, I voted for Hogan for governor and will vote for him for Senate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Call the news stations??

I work at a local TV station in the DC market. We are completely uninterested in any story that reflects badly on elected Democrats. Maybe try Channel 7. Of the 4 major affiliates here in DC they are the only one who I have ever seen do any stories critical of dems.

That's ridiculous. I live with someone who (alas) watches the local TV news a lot. There are lots of stories that reflect badly on elected officials, which includes elected Democrats, on stations that aren't the Sinclair-owned station.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe start with the FOIA requests and see what a few journalists think about the information?

What matters is doing your due diligence, not the end goal. If a whistle-blower informs some expert members of the public (a few journalists), and it doesn't lead to what you think should happen... then instead of thinking that the entire affair has been covered up, maybe it just means that the issues, real though they are, are not as important as you think.

But at least the whistleblower will have done his duty.

Please don't confuse releasing information and your desired outcome, which is getting Hogan out of the Senate race.

I think actually the opposite is true… what we can see/perceive from our vantage point is just a piece of the elephant and so many worse things are there, waiting to be discovered.

I don’t care what happens to Hogan but I think voters should be aware of the financial malfeasance that happened on his watch. What they do with that information is up to them.

A laudable goal. Have at it, then. Best of luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Call the news stations??

I work at a local TV station in the DC market. We are completely uninterested in any story that reflects badly on elected Democrats. Maybe try Channel 7. Of the 4 major affiliates here in DC they are the only one who I have ever seen do any stories critical of dems.

Fox 5. Sierra Fox has done a number of stories embarrassing to Bowser and is the only local reporter I’ve seen with the stones to ask her challenging questions at press conferences.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I don’t want to totally give it away but basically government contracts for services were funneled to Hogan’s friends and contacts, which I get, is sometimes how things are done, but the new contractors have completely failed and it is impacting government services in such a way that lots of money is being lost, mishandled, etc., and funds that were essentially supposed to go to poor people are just… disappearing, going to the wrong individuals, etc.

There have been plenty of stories written about how the Purple Line is over budget and behind schedule. We all know that already.

Op here- nope, not the Purple Line, something totally different that shouldn’t be that hard to manage.

[Anonymous]

I agree with you totally. I have first-hand experience working with the state of Maryland, and it is disgusting that these criminals are actually getting paid to break the law.

How can we get together to talk? So many of the investigative reporters are not allowed to tell the truth any more.

[Anonymous]

I agree with you totally. I have first-hand experience working with the state of Maryland, and it is disgusting that these criminals are actually getting paid to break the law.

How can we get together to talk? So many of the investigative reporters are not allowed to tell the truth any more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You don't have any real standing to do this. If your HUSBAND wants to be a source and has the goods/evidence to back up his claim, he should find either an investigative reporter or editor at the Baltimore Sun or another MD newspaper (or maybe the Washington Post) and reach out. But this isn't something for you to do. You don't have first-hand knowledge of anything and aren't a credible source.

-- former journalist.

This, but adding the Baltimore Banner. Also, is there an Inspector General for the relevant department he can contact?