in Major Bribery Conspiracy
https://www.finance.senate.gov/ranking-members-news/wyden-blasts-lax-fbi-background-check-of-irs-nominee-billy-long-sounds-alarm-over-court-documents-implicating-long-in-major-bribery-conspiracy
"Washington, D.C. – In a letter sent Tuesday to White House Chief of Staff Susan Wiles, Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) blasted the FBI’s background check of IRS nominee Billy Long as either irresponsibly inadequate or a deliberate whitewash. Senator Wyden cited the FBI’s apparent failure to investigate several matters of public record, including court documents that show Long is implicated in a major bribery conspiracy involving a health care company located in his Congressional district that unfolded while he was in office. The case resulted in more than a dozen convictions and guilty pleas, including one which appears to identify Long as “U.S. Representative #1” and involves a series of kickbacks and other illicit payments using funds from a Springfield, Missouri charity.
“I have serious concerns about Long’s personal conduct and his suitability for the position to which he has been nominated, all of which stem from publicly reported information. These issues were not adequately investigated. In fact, the FBI’s investigation, a process dictated by the White House, seemed designed to avoid substantively addressing any of these concerning public reports. It’s almost as if the FBI is unable to read the newspaper,” Senator Wyden wrote. “Mr. Long’s public record is riddled with markings of corruption. A good-faith investigation by the FBI should include a thorough vetting of all publicly available information about a nominee to help determine their fitness for office. The Administration’s inadequate vetting process is either irresponsible or a deliberate whitewash of the nominee’s record.”
A PDF of Senator Wyden’s letter is available online here.
He and Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) kicked off an investigation of Billy Long’s work selling Employee Retention Tax Credits in December, shortly after Trump announced his nomination. After press reports exposed a scheme involving “tribal tax credits” Long helped sell, committee investigators sought and obtained confirmation from the IRS that the tax credits were fake and promoters could face prosecution. Senators Wyden and Cortez Masto called for a criminal investigation into the matter in April, and in May they demanded additional information from people involved after they were made aware that the scheme was larger than previously known. Long has consistently refused to provide answers to key questions on these issues..."
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