House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s family benefited from U.S. program for minorities based on disputed ancestry

[ZiprHead]

A company owned by House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s in-laws won more than $7 million in no-bid and other federal contracts at U.S. military installations and other government properties in California based on a dubious claim of Native American identity by McCarthy’s brother-in-law, a Times investigation has found.

The prime contracts, awarded through a federal program designed to help disadvantaged minorities, were mostly for construction projects at the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in McCarthy’s Bakersfield-based district, and the Naval Air Station Lemoore in nearby Kings County.

Vortex Construction, whose principal owner is William Wages, the brother of McCarthy’s wife, Judy, received a total of $7.6 million in no-bid and other prime federal contracts since 2000, The Times found.

Vortex faced no competitive bids for most of the contracts because the Small Business Administration accepted Wages’ claim in 1998 that he is a Cherokee Indian. Under the SBA program, his company became eligible for federal contracts set aside for economically and socially disadvantaged members of minority groups, a boon to its business.

Wages says he is one-eighth Cherokee. An examination of government and tribal records by The Times and a leading Cherokee genealogist casts doubt on that claim, however. He is a member of a group called the Northern Cherokee Nation, which has no federal or state recognition as a legitimate tribe. It is considered a fraud by leaders of tribes that have federal recognition.

Vortex was awarded more than $4 million in minority set-aside contracts for projects at China Lake. McCarthy has been a staunch advocate in Congress for funding and staffing for China Lake, the Navy’s largest property at more than 1.1 million acres, and spearheaded successful efforts to expand its borders.

Make Elizabeth Warren look like a piker.

 

[TomC]

A company owned by House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s in-laws won more than $7 million in no-bid and other federal contracts at U.S. military installations and other government properties in California based on a dubious claim of Native American identity by McCarthy’s brother-in-law, a Times investigation has found.

The prime contracts, awarded through a federal program designed to help disadvantaged minorities, were mostly for construction projects at the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in McCarthy’s Bakersfield-based district, and the Naval Air Station Lemoore in nearby Kings County.

Vortex Construction, whose principal owner is William Wages, the brother of McCarthy’s wife, Judy, received a total of $7.6 million in no-bid and other prime federal contracts since 2000, The Times found.

Vortex faced no competitive bids for most of the contracts because the Small Business Administration accepted Wages’ claim in 1998 that he is a Cherokee Indian. Under the SBA program, his company became eligible for federal contracts set aside for economically and socially disadvantaged members of minority groups, a boon to its business.

Wages says he is one-eighth Cherokee. An examination of government and tribal records by The Times and a leading Cherokee genealogist casts doubt on that claim, however. He is a member of a group called the Northern Cherokee Nation, which has no federal or state recognition as a legitimate tribe. It is considered a fraud by leaders of tribes that have federal recognition.

Vortex was awarded more than $4 million in minority set-aside contracts for projects at China Lake. McCarthy has been a staunch advocate in Congress for funding and staffing for China Lake, the Navy’s largest property at more than 1.1 million acres, and spearheaded successful efforts to expand its borders.

Make Elizabeth Warren look like a piker.

I agree.
It's time for affirmative action to go away. Especially when it's taxpayer funded construction projects.
Tom

 

[Jarhyn]

Make Elizabeth Warren look like a piker.

I agree.
It's time for affirmative action to go away. Especially when it's taxpayer funded construction projects.
Tom

I don't think "affirmative action" really seems the culprit; it's fairly apparent to me that the problem here is that there's no means testing on the program...

 

[TomC]

Make Elizabeth Warren look like a piker.

I agree.
It's time for affirmative action to go away. Especially when it's taxpayer funded construction projects.
Tom

I don't think "affirmative action" really seems the culprit; it's fairly apparent to me that the problem here is that there's no means testing on the program...

I'm using the term affirmative action broadly. He got jobs based on racist policies. That is he got lucrative contracts based on his ethnicity, rather than competence, is the point.
Tom

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

I don't think "affirmative action" really seems the culprit; it's fairly apparent to me that the problem here is that there's no means testing on the program...

I'm using the term affirmative action broadly. He got jobs based on racist policies. That is he got lucrative contracts based on his ethnicity, rather than competence, is the point.
Tom

Racist policies? How much did Raytheon get last year? White owned military contractors have not hit on hard times because of these "racist" policies. The issue in the OP is fraud. I've got to imagine this is an inside joke at that base/property/whateva. The Native American contractor with no Native Americans.

 

[Jarhyn]

I don't think "affirmative action" really seems the culprit; it's fairly apparent to me that the problem here is that there's no means testing on the program...

I'm using the term affirmative action broadly. He got jobs based on racist policies. That is he got lucrative contracts based on his ethnicity, rather than competence, is the point.
Tom

Racist policies? How much did Raytheon get last year? White owned military contractors have not hit on hard times because of these "racist" policies. The issue in the OP is fraud. I've got to imagine this is an inside joke at that base/property/whateva. The Native American contractor with no Native Americans.

Honestly, I would as soon see as well that currently wildly successful companies, even if they were Native American in some way, be excluded as well.

The point of "affirmative action" here is to make more minority-backed businesses competitive in the space. That only happens when you pick ones that are solid but not already "winners".

Not to mention excluding outright fraud.

 

[fromderinside]

Not only is Kevin McCarthy not a House Majority leader he's party to a family rip off of government sponsored Indian assistance while criticizing the ethnicity of a Senator.

McCarthy, master baiter of Republican chattering class.

 

[Jarhyn]

Not only is Kevin McCarthy not a House Majority leader he's party to a family rip off of government sponsored Indian assistance while criticizing the ethnicity of a Senator.

McCarthy, master baiter of Republican chattering class.

Well this might just end his career, I would hope. What was it he called Warren, again? You should quote him. It'll be funny.

 

[Trausti]

I don't think "affirmative action" really seems the culprit; it's fairly apparent to me that the problem here is that there's no means testing on the program...

I'm using the term affirmative action broadly. He got jobs based on racist policies. That is he got lucrative contracts based on his ethnicity, rather than competence, is the point.
Tom

When you create a racial spoils system, you invite corruption.

 

[southernhybrid]

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/mccarthy-threatens-companies-cooperate-jan-6-probe-n1278209

Kevin McCarthy is one of the biggest assholes and threats to democracy who currently holds a powerful position in US government.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy warned "a Republican majority will not forget" telecommunications companies that turn over phone records to the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. More than 30 companies including Apple, AT&T and Verizon, received a request for phone records from congressional investigators Monday.

"If these companies comply with the Democrat [sic] order to turn over private information, they are in violation of federal law and subject to losing their ability to operate in the United States,” the California Republican said in a statement issued last night. “If companies still choose to violate federal law, a Republican majority will not forget and will stand with Americans to hold them fully accountable under the law."

McCarthy didn't specify which "law" he believes telecommunication companies will be violating if they cooperate with the investigation, suggesting his intimidation tactics were rooted in hollow posturing.

Part of what makes this so extraordinary is the nature of the message. In the spring, when Republicans went after companies that supported voting rights, the campaign was largely about message discipline: GOP officials expected corporate America to toe the party line.

McCarthy's new message is worse because he's actively trying to undermine an ongoing federal investigation. The bipartisan select committee is closely examining an insurrectionist attack on the United States Capitol — a probe the House minority leader said he supported before changing his mind for partisan reasons — and investigators need the assistance of telecommunications companies to learn the whole truth.


It's against this backdrop that the House's top Republican — a man who might very well become House Speaker after the 2022 midterm elections — effectively told these companies, "Keep the whole truth hidden or we'll punish you later."

Kevin is a dangerous man. Will he be able to manipulate the Republican base as well as Trump?

 

[TomC]

I don't think "affirmative action" really seems the culprit; it's fairly apparent to me that the problem here is that there's no means testing on the program...

I'm using the term affirmative action broadly. He got jobs based on racist policies. That is he got lucrative contracts based on his ethnicity, rather than competence, is the point.
Tom

Racist policies? How much did Raytheon get last year? White owned military contractors have not hit on hard times because of these "racist" policies. The issue in the OP is fraud. I've got to imagine this is an inside joke at that base/property/whateva. The Native American contractor with no Native Americans.

What I mean by racist is deciding who gets the contract based on the race of the owner, rather than the best value for the taxpayer. That's racism, whether it's white people getting the contracts 40 years ago or non-whites getting them today. Racism is racism.

I well understand why systemic government racism was a good idea 40-50 years ago. But that was then, and this is now.
It's time to put racism aside as a tool and get on with dealing with the real problems.
Tom

 

[ZiprHead]

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/mccarthy-threatens-companies-cooperate-jan-6-probe-n1278209

Kevin McCarthy is one of the biggest assholes and threats to democracy who currently holds a powerful position in US government.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy warned "a Republican majority will not forget" telecommunications companies that turn over phone records to the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. More than 30 companies including Apple, AT&T and Verizon, received a request for phone records from congressional investigators Monday.

"If these companies comply with the Democrat [sic] order to turn over private information, they are in violation of federal law and subject to losing their ability to operate in the United States,” the California Republican said in a statement issued last night. “If companies still choose to violate federal law, a Republican majority will not forget and will stand with Americans to hold them fully accountable under the law."

McCarthy didn't specify which "law" he believes telecommunication companies will be violating if they cooperate with the investigation, suggesting his intimidation tactics were rooted in hollow posturing.

Part of what makes this so extraordinary is the nature of the message. In the spring, when Republicans went after companies that supported voting rights, the campaign was largely about message discipline: GOP officials expected corporate America to toe the party line.

McCarthy's new message is worse because he's actively trying to undermine an ongoing federal investigation. The bipartisan select committee is closely examining an insurrectionist attack on the United States Capitol — a probe the House minority leader said he supported before changing his mind for partisan reasons — and investigators need the assistance of telecommunications companies to learn the whole truth.


It's against this backdrop that the House's top Republican — a man who might very well become House Speaker after the 2022 midterm elections — effectively told these companies, "Keep the whole truth hidden or we'll punish you later."

Kevin is a dangerous man. Will he be able to manipulate the Republican base as well as Trump?

Strange. I don't remember him complaining when Trump got the phone records of Democratic congress people and several reporters.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Racist policies? How much did Raytheon get last year? White owned military contractors have not hit on hard times because of these "racist" policies. The issue in the OP is fraud. I've got to imagine this is an inside joke at that base/property/whateva. The Native American contractor with no Native Americans.

What I mean by racist...

is using a definition for the word that isn't applicable.

is deciding who gets the contract based on the race of the owner, rather than the best value for the taxpayer. That's racism, whether it's white people getting the contracts 40 years ago or non-whites getting them today. Racism is racism.

And racism is actually about using the system to displace or remove the *insert group* from whatever. SBE (small), MBE (minority), FBE (female), VBE (veteran... I actually don't know if it called "VBE") requirements are always a fraction, a small one, of total contracts (or within a contract). It is providing crumbs to small, lesser established firms in order to create a more diverse and competent engineering environment.

So it isn't racist, racist would be no white firms can file for contracts with the US Navy. There might be other words it is, but it isn't "racist".

 

[TomC]

is using a definition for the word that isn't applicable.

is deciding who gets the contract based on the race of the owner, rather than the best value for the taxpayer. That's racism, whether it's white people getting the contracts 40 years ago or non-whites getting them today. Racism is racism.

And racism is actually about using the system to displace or remove the *insert group* from whatever. SBE (small), MBE (minority), FBE (female), VBE (veteran... I actually don't know if it called "VBE") requirements are always a fraction, a small one, of total contracts (or within a contract). It is providing crumbs to small, lesser established firms in order to create a more diverse and competent engineering environment.

So it isn't racist, racist would be no white firms can file for contracts with the US Navy. There might be other words it is, but it isn't "racist".

What you're supporting here in this thread is racism.

Like many people through the centuries, you've got your reasons. Racism is fine with you. But that's what you're doing.
Supporting racism.
Tom

 

[Trausti]

is using a definition for the word that isn't applicable.

is deciding who gets the contract based on the race of the owner, rather than the best value for the taxpayer. That's racism, whether it's white people getting the contracts 40 years ago or non-whites getting them today. Racism is racism.

And racism is actually about using the system to displace or remove the *insert group* from whatever. SBE (small), MBE (minority), FBE (female), VBE (veteran... I actually don't know if it called "VBE") requirements are always a fraction, a small one, of total contracts (or within a contract). It is providing crumbs to small, lesser established firms in order to create a more diverse and competent engineering environment.

So it isn't racist, racist would be no white firms can file for contracts with the US Navy. There might be other words it is, but it isn't "racist".

Could a mostly White small, less established, firm get these contracts? Or does the skin hue make them the untouchable chaste?

 

[laughing dog]

I don't think "affirmative action" really seems the culprit; it's fairly apparent to me that the problem here is that there's no means testing on the program...

I'm using the term affirmative action broadly. He got jobs based on racist policies. That is he got lucrative contracts based on his ethnicity, rather than competence, is the point.
Tom

When you create a racial spoils system, you invite corruption.

It is cute you think these assholes need an invitation for corruption.

 

[laughing dog]

is using a definition for the word that isn't applicable.

is deciding who gets the contract based on the race of the owner, rather than the best value for the taxpayer. That's racism, whether it's white people getting the contracts 40 years ago or non-whites getting them today. Racism is racism.

And racism is actually about using the system to displace or remove the *insert group* from whatever. SBE (small), MBE (minority), FBE (female), VBE (veteran... I actually don't know if it called "VBE") requirements are always a fraction, a small one, of total contracts (or within a contract). It is providing crumbs to small, lesser established firms in order to create a more diverse and competent engineering environment.

So it isn't racist, racist would be no white firms can file for contracts with the US Navy. There might be other words it is, but it isn't "racist".

What you're supporting here in this thread is racism.

Like many people through the centuries, you've got your reasons. Racism is fine with you. But that's what you're doing.
Supporting racism.
Tom

Funny how the unwitting enablers of racism attack affirmative action.

 

[blastula]

Not only is Kevin McCarthy not a House Majority leader he's party to a family rip off of government sponsored Indian assistance while criticizing the ethnicity of a Senator.

McCarthy, master baiter of Republican chattering class.

Well this might just end his career, I would hope. What was it he called Warren, again? You should quote him. It'll be funny.

It won't end his career, the story is 3 years old.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

is using a definition for the word that isn't applicable.

is deciding who gets the contract based on the race of the owner, rather than the best value for the taxpayer. That's racism, whether it's white people getting the contracts 40 years ago or non-whites getting them today. Racism is racism.

And racism is actually about using the system to displace or remove the *insert group* from whatever. SBE (small), MBE (minority), FBE (female), VBE (veteran... I actually don't know if it called "VBE") requirements are always a fraction, a small one, of total contracts (or within a contract). It is providing crumbs to small, lesser established firms in order to create a more diverse and competent engineering environment.

So it isn't racist, racist would be no white firms can file for contracts with the US Navy. There might be other words it is, but it isn't "racist".

What you're supporting here in this thread is racism.

Like many people through the centuries, you've got your reasons. Racism is fine with you. But that's what you're doing.
Supporting racism.
Tom

And you are supporting gang rape, where in the definition I’m using for gang rape isn’t the actual definition.

 

[Jarhyn]

Part of what gives THIS taxpayer value is to see my fellow humans, of communities often isolated, opportunities and reasons to isolate less and participate more.

Some people are isolated and isolate on lines of race. Offering such contracts makes that happen less.

This gives me value, to heal wounds in society deep and long festering.

White communities have seen contracts come in over decades building the companies in those communities. Other communities have not. Other communities need opportunities and contracts.