>>22215549

>interesting another corrupt poltician leading the way

>>22215797

>Michael Guest, Mississippi, Chair

Michael Patrick Guest(born February 4, 1970) is an American attorney and Republican politician. He has represented Mississippi's 3rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives since 2019. He became the ranking member of the United States House Committee on Ethicsupon the August 2022 death of Jackie Walorski, and became its chair in the 118th Congress after Republicans won a House majority that November.

Early life and education

Michael Patrick Guest[1] was born on February 4, 1970.[2] He graduated from Mississippi State University with a bachelor's degree in accounting and the University of Mississippi School of Law with a Juris Doctor. He served as theAssistant District Attorney for Madison and Rankin counties from 1994 to 2008, and became District Attorney in 2008.[3] Guest and his family are members ofBrandon Baptist Church, where he serves as a deacon and Sunday school teacher.[4]

On May 19, 2021,Guest was one of 35 Republicans who joined all Democrats in voting to approve legislation to establish the January 6, 2021 commission meant to investigate the storming of the U.S. Capitol.[14]

In November 2021, Business Insider reported thatGuest had violated the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act of 2012, a federal transparency and conflict-of-interest law, by failing to properly disclose trades in BP and ExxonMobil stock by his wife's family trust;as a result, Guest paid a $200 fine.[15]

In June 2022, after a leaked decision by the Supreme Court of the United States to revoke the right to abortion in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, Guest wrote to the Department of Homeland Security to demand action in the wake of attacks by Jane's Revenge, which Guest called an "anarchist extremist group" that targets crisis pregnancy centers and other anti-abortion organizations.[16]

In August 2022, Guest was named ranking member of the House Ethics Committee upon the death of former ranking member Jackie Walorski.[17]

Guest was among the 71 Republicans who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House.[18]

Caucus memberships[24]

Army Caucus

Border Security Caucus

Chicken Caucus

Fire Services Caucus

Freshman Working Group on Addiction

Law Enforcement Caucus

National Guard and Reserve Caucus

Prayer Caucus

Pro-Life Caucus

Republican Study Committee[25]

Rice Caucus

Sportsman Caucus

Steel Caucus

Suburban Caucus

Unmanned Systems Caucus

>>22215807

>Guest and his family are members ofBrandon Baptist Church, where he serves as a deacon and Sunday school teacher.[4]

Southern Baptist Convention sex abuse list includes at least 30 from N.C.

By Charles Duncan North Carolina

PUBLISHED 2:30 PM ET May 31, 2022

A list ofsex abuse cases involving people connected to Southern Baptist churches includes at least 30 names from North Carolina.

The list has numerous redactions, so there could be more preachers, teachers and volunteers from North Carolina on the list released last week. The Southern Baptist Convention released the list following a damning investigation by the Houston Chronicle.

The list includes more than 700 details on people associated with the church accused or convicted of sex crimes. The crimes include molesting children, rape and soliciting prostitutes.

“This list is being made public for the first time as an initial, but important, step towards addressing the scourge of sexual abuseand implementing reform,” Southern Baptist Convention CEO Willie McLaurin and executive committee chair Rolland Slade said in a joint statement.

“Each entry in this list reminds us of the devastation and destruction brought about by sexual abuse. Our prayer is that the survivors of these heinous acts find hope and healing, and that churches will utilize this list proactively to protect and care for the most vulnerable among us,” they said.

An investigation into abuse allegations by Guidepost Solutions criticized the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee. Abuse survivors, the report said, were “met, time and time again, with resistance, stonewalling, and even outright hostility from some within the EC.” Church leaders were more concerned about avoiding legal liability, according to the report.

“In service of this goal, survivors and others who reported abuse were ignored, disbelieved, or met with the constant refrain that the SBC could take no action due to its polity regarding church autonomy – even if it meant that convicted molesters continued in ministry with no notice or warning to their current church or congregation,” the report said.

The company that compiled the report for the Southern Baptist Convention set up a hotline for survivors to report abuse and get help: 202-864-5578 or SBChotline@guidepostsolutions.com.

Here’s the list and details on each person with North Carolina connections, provided by the Southern Baptist Convention:

>>22215837

>Southern Baptist Convention sex abuse list includes at least 30 from N.C.

>https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nc/charlotte/religion/2022/05/31/southern-baptist-convention-sex-abuse-list-includes-at-least-30-from-n-c–

Abuse of Faith: The database

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/investigations/abuse-of-faith/database/

>>22215549

>>22215797

>>22215807

>>22215837

>>22215844

>Abuse of Faith: The database

Former Mississippi pastor loses appeal of sexual battery of a child conviction

Updated: Nov. 26, 2014, 12:57 p.m.|Published: Nov. 26, 2014, 11:57 a.m.

Larry Singleton (MDOC photo)

By

The Associated Press

JACKSON, Mississippi – The state Court of Appeals has upheld the 2013 conviction of a Mississippi pastor for sexual battery of a child.

Larry Gene Singleton, now 72, was convicted in Tate County on two counts of fondling and one count of sexual battery. He is serving a 30-year sentence.

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Singleton, the former pastor of Bay Springs Baptist Church in Abbeville,was arrested in December of 2013 after sheriff's investigators received a complaint from the victim, who accused Singleton of forcing him to have sex.

Authorities say the sexual abuse allegedly began when the victim was 11 years old and continued for several years.

The Appeals Court on Tuesday rejected Singleton's argument that he was coerced into confessing to the crimes. The court said Singleton waived his rights and agreed to the interrogation.

>>22215807

>Guest had violated the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act of 2012,

>>22215885

GOP Rep. Michael Guest Violates Stock Trading Rules, Submitting Disclosures 8 Months Late

Published Nov 05, 2021 at 5:42 PM EDT

By Alex J. Rouhandeh

Special Correspondent

0

Mississippi Representative Michael Guest turned in his mandatory stock trading transaction report eight months late, putting him in violation of the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act of 2012 (STOCK Act), Business Insider reported.

According to Guest's disclosure report, the Republican congressman purchased between $1,001 to $15,000 worth of Exxon stock and sold between $1,001 to $15,000 worth of BP stock on January 22—yet the House Clerk was not notified until October 22.

"On October 22nd, 2021, I became aware of a stock transaction made by a family trust," Guest wrote in a comment on his disclosure report. "I do not have a decision-making role in the trust; but my wife and sons are beneficiaries, so I am bound to report certain details. I reported the transaction to the Clerk of the House on November 3, 2021, and paid the statutory remedy of a $200 late fee."

As the second most senior Republican on the House Committee on Ethics, Guest serves on the panel responsible for overseeing the enforcement of the STOCK Act. Under the rule, members of Congress must report a stock transaction 30 days from when they are made aware of a trade imitated by them or their spouse.

US-politics-CONGRESS-HEARING-security

Representative Michael Guest's late disclosures involved trading in big oil stocks. Here, Guest attends a House Homeland Security Committee hearing about "Worldwide threats to the Homeland" on September 17, 2020, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by CHIP SOMODEVILLA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

The STOCK Act aims to provide greater transparency over where members of Congress earn revenue. It also intends to show where they may have potential conflicts of interest. Forty-four members of Congress failed to properly report their trades this year alone, according to Business Insider.

Newsweek uncovered a number of trades made earlier in the year by members of Congress that appeared to contradict their stated beliefs.

Congresswoman Lois Frankel traded $4,004 to $60,000 worth of stock in two of the nation's top greenhouse gas emitters, Duke Energy and Dominion Energy, over the past year. Congressman Ro Khanna's disclosures featured purchases of $30,000 to $100,000 worth of stock in ExxonMobil and Chevron, as well as $3,003 to $45,000 worth of shares in the natural gas companies Dominion Energy, Duke Energy, and ConocoPhillips.

https://www.newsweek.com/gop-rep-michael-guest-violates-stock-trading-rules-submitting-disclosures-8-months-late-1646600

As members of the Progressive Caucus, these two align themselves with a group that seeks to "eliminate our reliance on fossil fuels" and "recognizes environmental justice and economic prosperity must go hand-in-hand."

Read more

Rep. Lois Frankel Trades in Fossil Fuel Companies as Gas Prices Rise

Federal Reserve Banned Policymakers From Stock Trading, Is Congress Next?

Democrats Discuss Imposing New Taxes on Stocks, CEOs and Carbon Emitters

Ro Khanna's Wife Invests in Fossil Fuels While He Advocates Green New Deal

When Newsweek contacted the two lawmakers, Khanna said the purchases were made by his wife's money manager by mistake and were sold shortly after. Frankel said she does not manage her account and pointed to her "high ratings from multiple national environmental groups" but did not promise to divest.

The issue of stock trading among Washington's top decision-makers remains a developing issue. In late October, the Federal Reserve announced its intent to implement new rules that would ban its top policymakers and senior staff from trading individual stocks. It remains to be seen as to whether Congress may institute similar rules.

>>22215941

>GOP Rep. Michael Guest Violates Stock Trading Rules, Submitting Disclosures 8 Months Late

https://www.capitoltrades.com/politicians/G000591

>>22215941

>>22216065

>>GOP Rep. Michael Guest Violates Stock Trading Rules, Submitting Disclosures 8 Months Late

>https://www.capitoltrades.com/politicians/G000591

muh ethics

2024-03-14

Lawmaker Michael Guest's timely investment in $NVDA pays off

Capitol Trades

Capitol Trades

@capitol2iq

·

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Mississippian lawmaker @RepMichaelGuest recently invested in $NVDA shares worth up to $15K on Feb 20, 2024, just ahead of @Nvidia's announcement of financial results for Q4 & Fiscal 2024.

Since the trade, the $NVDA stock has surged nearly 29% in value.

capitoltrades.com/politicians/G0…

2:38 PM · Mar 13, 2024

Congressman Gains From Oracle Stock As Company Moves Into AI

Aisha Khan

30 Jan 2024 · 2 minutes read

Oracle Corp (ORCL:US) is an American company offering global products and services for enterprise information technology, providing cloud-based industry solutions, application licenses, and license support services.

Rep. Thomas Kean Jr. purchased up to 150 shares of ORCL on Dec 14, 2023. Listed as being a subholding of Kean Family Partnership, the trade was valued between $1,001 and $15,000.

On January 29, Oracle Corp stock closed at $113.75, in what would be its second consecutive day of losses. Despite heading downwards, the tech stock still holds a solid history behind it having climbed price charts by 30.22% in the past year. Since after Kean's purchase, ORCL shares have surged by almost 13.40%.

75100125150175200

Oracle Corp

15K30K45K60K75K90K105K120K135KQ4Q2Q1Q4Q3Q2Q1Q4Q3Q2Q1Q4Q4

Much of the debate around Oracle can be estimated due to the company foraging into AI. In the company’s Fiscal Q2 2024 earnings report, the company CEO Safra Catz said, “Demand for our Cloud Infrastructure and Generative AI services is increasing at an astronomical rate”. While much of the earnings fell below expectations, Oracle did land a 25% rise in Cloud revenues in the quarter.

In early January, Oracle officially introduced its Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Generative AI (OCI GenAI) service. Designed for enterprise use, the program specifically targets applications with large language models. Oracle anticipates continued rapid growth in cloud infrastructure revenue, potentially doubling every two years, becoming a substantial growth driver for the company. In addition, the GPU's cluster technology has attracted leading AI start-ups like Adept AI, Cohere, and Elon Musk's xAI.

Other Congress members who stocked up on ORCL in 2023 included Representatives Ro Khanna, Greg Stanton, Michael Guest, and Josh Gottheimer. Gottheimer, Khanna, and Stanton also sold ORCL not too long after purchasing stakes.

>>22216076

>muh ethics

2023-11-22

Congressman Michael Guest's strategic tech investments drive stock surge

Capitol Trades

Capitol Trades

@capitol2iq

·

Follow

On Nov 1, Congressman @RepMichaelGuest increased his holdings in @AristaNetworks by up to $15K.

This investment comes just days before the networking firm announced its updated Zero Trust Network Architecture and collaboration with cloud security company @zscaler to enhance…

2:35 PM · Nov 21, 2023

2

Reply

>>22216076

>muh ethics

>>22216078

>>muh ethics

Mississippi Moonlighting: Congressional hopeful, district attorney, debt collector

Nicole Lewis

Special to the Clarion Ledger

When District Attorney Michael P. Guest announced his bid for U.S. Congress in a packed courtroom in January, he touted his law and order record. Since 2008, Guest has served as district attorney for Madison and Rankin counties, two relatively affluent counties in Mississippi.

Guest said that he has prosecuted 20,000 felony cases and helped claim over $20 million for local law enforcement agencies through the use of civil asset forfeiture. His entire career, he said, has been dedicated to protecting, “citizens from those who would prey upon others.”

One thing Guest did not mention is his other paying job: municipal debt collector. Since 2002, Guest has served as president of Mississippi Court Collections Inc., which collects delinquent court fines and fees in at least 20 counties across the state.

In recent years, civil rights advocates in Mississippi have argued that municipal courts’ charging of fines and fees for low level offenses has created a modern version of debtors prisons, where people who can’t afford to pay their fines languish behind bars. The system, they argue, criminalizes poverty and violates citizens’ constitutional right to due process while serving as a revenue generating mechanism for municipalities that are strapped for cash. In Mississippi, where 22 percent of residents live in poverty, according to U.S. Census figures, the issue of fines and fees is the subject of several lawsuits and legislative proposals in the state.

Guest’s involvement in a for-profit collection company is perfectly legal but clashes with the commonly held notion of district attorneys as “public servants” who have given up the chance to earn larger paychecks in the private sector. Instead, __Guest profits from a system __that many in Mississippi say traps poor people in a cycle of poverty.

In Mississippi, Guest’s connection to Mississippi Court Collections is a matter of public record, but many officials said they did not know he was associated with the company. On his financial disclosure form with the Mississippi Ethics Commission, Guest listed himself as a stockholder of the collections agency. But on the company’s annual business filings Guest is consistently listed as president. The Marshall Project reached out to Guest to clarify his relationship to Mississippi Court Collections, but he did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Asked by the Clarion Ledger about this, Guest replied that there was no intent to mislead, saying he is both the president and a stockholder, owning 50 percent of the company. The other owner serves as vice president.

"I don't have anything to do with the day-to-day operations," he said.

>>22216096

>Guest’s involvement in a for-profit collection company is perfectly legal but clashes with the commonly held notion of district attorneys as “public servants” who have given up the chance to earn larger paychecks in the private sector. Instead, Guest profits from a system that many in Mississippi say traps poor people in a cycle of poverty.

Asked by The Clarion-Ledger about this, Guest replied that there was no intent to mislead, saying he is both the president and a stockholder, owning 50 percent of the company. The other owner serves as vice president.

"I don't have anything to do with the day-to-day operations, he said.

In a 2003 interview with a local newspaper, Guest said he first got the idea to create the company after mulling over with his colleagues the problem of unpaid back fines. At the time, Guest served as the assistant district attorney in Rankin County. Guest’s initial collection contract was for $1.7 million with Simpson County, and since then MCC has expanded its contracts across the state.

To date the company has at least 20 contracts to collect outstanding fines from Justice Courts throughout Mississippi, though it does not collect fines for Rankin and Madison counties where Guest is DA. Mississippi’s Justice Courts oversee misdemeanor criminal cases, traffic violations, bond hearings in felony criminal cases, and some civil matters. In several counties, Mississippi Court Collections is charged with collecting millions of dollars in unpaid fines.

Mississippi law allows companies like Guest’s to charge an additional 25 percent on top of the initial fine for collecting from state residents, and 50 percent for out-of-state residents. Mississippi Court Collections sends letters urging residents to pay their fines or risk arrest. It reports its progress to the courts on a 30-day basis. If the fine holders do not pay, it warns they could be held in contempt of court, resulting in the court issuing an arrest warrant.

“Collection efforts like these are part of a system that, at least in part, threatens poor people in hopes of shaking the last pennies from their pockets,” said Cliff Johnson, director of the MacArthur Justice Center at the University of Mississippi. “Telling poor Mississippians that they will be jailed if they don't pay their fines immediately is misleading and heavy-handed.”

In June 2017, the Justice Center settled a class action lawsuit against the city of Jackson for jailing people who failed to pay misdemeanor court fines. The court found the city’s practice violated the defendant’s constitutional rights, citing the 1983 U.S. Supreme Court case, Bearden v. Georgia, that established individuals can not be jailed for nonpayment of fines without a meaningful inquiry into their ability to pay.

>>22216096

>>22216100

>>Guest’s involvement in a for-profit collection company is perfectly legal but clashes with the commonly held notion of district attorneys as “public servants” who have given up the chance to earn larger paychecks in the private sector. Instead, Guest profits from a system that many in Mississippi say traps poor people in a cycle of poverty.

Similar lawsuits are pending in other counties in Mississippi. Civil rights groups in several states throughout the South, including Mississippi’s nearest neighbors, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Alabama, have successfully sued the courts to stop the practice of jailing people for failing to pay their fines.

The issue of fines and fees came into sharp relief in 2015, as a result of a Justice Department investigation into the police department in Ferguson, Missouri, where police officer Darren Wilson shot and killed Michael Brown. The DOJ found the police department routinely targeted African American drivers, pulling them over at twice the rate of white drivers. Additionally, the report found that the municipal court system served as a revenue-generating mechanism for the city.

A year later, the DOJ sent guidelines to local courts cautioning them against issuing burdensome fines to poor defendants, asserting that issuing steep fines for minor offenses often traps poor people into an endless cycle of poverty and erodes trust between local government and the people it is sworn to serve. The current attorney general, Jeff Sessions, recently rescinded the Obama-era guidance.

During the 2017 legislative session, local lawmakers passed a bipartisan bill that would have ended automatic incarceration following the nonpayment of fines or court costs. But Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant vetoed the bill over a separate provision that would have allowed some repeat offenders early release.

Other efforts to address disparities in the justice system have proved more fruitful. In December 2017, the Southern Poverty Law Center settled with Mississippi’s Department of Public Safety to reinstate more than 100,000 drivers licenses that were suspended for a failure to pay fines. SPLC argued that suspending licenses disproportionately affected poor residents, especially those in rural areas with limited public transportation.

For Myesha Braden, director for the Criminal Justice Project at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, who is working on similar issues in Arkansas, Alabama, and Louisiana, Guest’s involvement in the fines and fees collection business is unsettling. It is a reminder that personal financial interests can run counter to the rising political will to reform the criminal justice system throughout the region.

“You have to ask the question,” said Braden, “as DA, when there have been opportunities to reform, what has he had to say in those meetings?”

https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2018/02/07/mississippi-moonlighting-mississippi-moonlightingcongressional-hopeful-district-attorney-debt-collec/312917002/