by: Aaron Silverstein

06/21/08 @ 07:52:03 AM MDT

"Lingering questions from Schaffer-linked fraud cause" read the headline on Colorado Pols.com on June 7.

Udall's campaign spokeswoman, Taylor West, questioned what Schaffer actually did for National Alternative Fuels Foundation when he served on the board.

"Bob Schaffer just doesn't get to sit on the board and reap the benefits of saying he was involved in alternative fuels," West said. "At what point does he show some responsibility, fulfill his fiduciary duties?"

Shires said a number of blog postings from "overactive Democratic attackers" are wrong, particularly speculation that Schaffer was the congressman who obtained the questionable grant for Orr.

Schaffer's campaign manager, Dick Wadhams, shared Shires' frustration.

"These stupid blogs can make things up," Wadhams said. "This is the latest character assassination attempt by Udall and his leftist allies."

by: johne

06/05/08 @ 05:32:59 PM MDT

Nothing too out of the ordinary there except that it turned out that the NAFF was actually a scam funded with a $3.6 million congressional earmark. Last week, a federal court in Colorado convicted Orr of 22 counts all tied to basically using bogus science to bilk the US government out of $2 million bucks disbursed under that earmark. Shires had already pled guilty to charges tied to his role in the operation -- he was treasurer -- and is awaiting sentencing next month.

Now, it's bad enough that Schaffer was serving on the board of the NAFF while it was in the process of scamming the federal government. But the fat earmark that funded the whole scheme suggests another question. Was it Schaffer that got the earmark that funded Orr's phony-baloney operation?

They've now spoken with every member of Congress from Colorado who could have inserted that earmark.  They all say nope t'wern't me.  All, expect Schaffer who seems to be hiding in an undisclosed location without a phone.  He's keeping his mouth shut without even a denial.  Wadhams can't be bothered to come to the phone either.

...I'm pretty sure someone out there knows what happened. So if you do, we want to hear from you. And if you're not that person, if you can just get Schaffer to answer the question, that would do nice too. We're just looking for the mystery earmarker.

by: johne

05/30/08 @ 03:35:47 PM MDT

Growing a Stronger Economy
Coloradans consistently tell Bob how they've lost trust in their elected federal officials, especially because of their lack of attention to the economy. Bob agrees and wants to build the kind of prosperous economy Americans deserve.

You mean like George Bush, Dick Cheney, John McCain, and Wayne Allard?  It was John McCain's economic adviser, former Senator Phil Gramm, who's policies of deregulating the mortgage industry that directly lead to the mess we're in now.

This, while our continued meddling in Iraq costs now $12 billion with a B per month.

BTW, the future's price for a barrel of oil just peaked at over $130.

When the head of Schaffer's party took office, the price of a gallon of gas was about $1.50, and that same barrel of oil was $25 in 2002.

Curbing Wasteful Federal Spending
Bob Schaffer agrees with Coloradans who tell him it's time to hold government accountable for its spending.

You mean like earmarks to friends who use it to line their pocketbooks?  That was too easy.

by: johne

05/29/08 @ 10:19:35 PM MDT

Anyway, so NAFF founder Bill Orr was indeed found guilty on 22 of 26 federal charges.

From ProgressNow:

In U.S. Federal District Court in Denver, William Orr was found guilty on charges of misusing  $2 million in funds from the Environmental Protection Agency as President of Schaffer's organization, the National Alternative Fuel Foundation (NAFF).  Orr was found guilty of submitting false documents, including phony scientific test results, to the EPA to obtain the energy research grant money. [U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado:  U.S. Government v. William Orr]

There has already been a little bit of documentation linking Schaffer to Bill Orr and this organization.  Schaffer was also listed on the witness list for this trial.  He was not yet called, but could as part of sentencing.

It will be hard to prove that Schaffer was the one to provide the earmark as at that time in Congress earmarks could be inserted into bills anonymously.

For reference, CoCo has a pdf of the indictment.

by: johne

05/27/08 @ 01:59:53 PM MDT

Orr's trial is currently underway, and the jury has been deliberating since last week. Schaffer could still be called to testify in Orr's sentencing if Orr is convicted.

Orr successfully lobbied Congress in 2000 for a $3.6 million earmark, which he said he would use to develop a new clean-energy fuel that would emit less pollution. It's not yet known which member of Congress inserted Orr's earmark. Prosecutors say he "falsely represented" the scientific tests that convinced the EPA to turn over more than $2 million of the earmark money. Orr had created a separate not-for-profit group called the National Alternative Fuels Foundation to utilize the federal money.

And that's where Schaffer comes in. After leaving Congress, Schaffer was a "director" at the NAFF from October 2004 to March 2005, according to his Senate financial disclosure form. That's not a very long time, but it overlaps with the time frame when prosecutors say the NAFF was wrongfully accepting government cash -- from December 2001 through December 2004.

Form is below the fold