{"id":519610,"date":"2022-12-02T04:14:57","date_gmt":"2022-12-02T01:14:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/congress-is-shocked-shocked-by-the-covid-fraud-it-created\/"},"modified":"2022-12-02T04:14:57","modified_gmt":"2022-12-02T01:14:57","slug":"congress-is-shocked-shocked-by-the-covid-fraud-it-created","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/congress-is-shocked-shocked-by-the-covid-fraud-it-created\/","title":{"rendered":"#Congress is shocked, shocked by the COVID fraud it created"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3bc1c021a93\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3bc1c021a93\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/congress-is-shocked-shocked-by-the-covid-fraud-it-created\/#%E2%80%9CCongress_is_shocked_shocked_by_the_COVID_fraud_it_created%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Congress is shocked, shocked by the COVID fraud it created&#8221;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CCongress_is_shocked_shocked_by_the_COVID_fraud_it_created%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Congress is shocked, shocked by the COVID fraud it created&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n        <\/aside>\n<p>Like Captain Renault in the gambling casino in \u201cCasablanca,\u201d congressmen are \u201cshocked, shocked\u201d by all the fraud spawned by the trillions of dollars in COVID handouts they <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>roved.<\/p>\n<p>The <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.house.gov\/sites\/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov\/files\/2022.12.01%20How%20Fintechs%20Facilitated%20Fraud%20in%20the%20Paycheck%20Protection%20Program.pdf\">House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis issued a report<\/a> Thursday blaming fintech firms for the pilfering of Paycheck Protection Program loans that began in 2020. But the real fraud is the illusion that members of Congress give a damn about plundering American taxpayers.<\/p>\n<p>PPP was enacted in March 2020 and eventually provided $800 billion in loans to more than 11 million businesses. Congress designed the program to carpet-bomb the nation with federal tax dollars. <\/p>\n<p>The Small Business Administration, which administered the plan, effectively told people, \u201cApply and sign and tell us that you\u2019re really entitled to the money,\u201d said Justice Department Inspector <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">General<\/a> Michael Horowitz. He testified PPP was an invitation to fraudsters because there weren\u2019t \u201ceven minimal checks to make sure that the money was getting to the right people at the right time.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignright\">\n    <\/aside>\n<p>Government investigators estimate <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pogo.org\/investigation\/2022\/10\/the-great-pandemic-swindle-feds-botched-review-of-billions-in-suspect-ppp-loans\">up to $100 billion in PPP loans was fraudulent<\/a>. The feds gave 342 people who said their name was \u201cN\/A\u201d PPP loans. Dozens of New York City and New York state employees were arrested this week for their role in a multimillion-dollar PPP fraud scheme. <\/p>\n<p>After 15 Illinois jailbirds <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/us\/illinois-police-arrest-15-people-allegedly-used-ppp-loans-bond-jail\">used PPP loans<\/a> to pay their bail, cynics scoffed that the program should be named the Prisoner Paycheck Program. In Florida, a PPP loan was used to bankroll a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcmiami.com\/news\/local\/documents-reveal-murder-for-hire-plot-ppp-fraud-behind-killing-of-tsa-agent-in-naranja\/2691756\/\">murder-for-hire plot<\/a> that left a Transportation Security Administration agent dead.<\/p>\n<p>Happily, a scapegoat has been found. According to the new congressional report, the problem was that the financial-<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a> companies (fintechs) that handled PPP-claims applications failed to show due diligence. Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC), the select subcommittee\u2019s chairman, declared that \u201cmany fintechs \u2026 <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.house.gov\/news\/press-releases\/clyburn-fintech-fraud-ppp-doj-sba\">refused to take adequate steps<\/a> to detect and prevent fraud despite their clear responsibility to safeguard taxpayer funds.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>PPPs were a typical legislative monstrosity where the profits were privatized while taxpayers suffered the losses. Some fintechs shamelessly exploited a reckless program and received hefty fees based on the loans they approved.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Kabbage, Inc.\u2019s policy chief scoffed in a September 2020 email: \u201cAt the end of the day, it\u2019s the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.house.gov\/news\/press-releases\/clyburn-fintech-fraud-ppp-doj-sba\">SBA\u2019s s\u2014ty rules<\/a> that created fraud, not\u201d us. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cWomply\u2019s CEO \u2014 who was convicted of insider trading in 2014 and has been permanently barred from participating in the securities industry \u2014 led Womply\u2019s fraud prevention efforts and instructed his company to not cooperate with federal PPP fraud investigators,\u201d the report charged.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Rep. Clyburn declared, \u201cWe must learn from this inexcusable misconduct to erect guardrails that will help ensure that federal programs\u201d are better administered in the future. But it was <em>Congress <\/em>that inexcusably failed to include any PPP guardrails when it catapulted hundreds of billions at the program.<\/p>\n<p>Almost all the PPP loans have been \u201cforgiven\u201d because employers claimed to have kept employees on their payroll \u2014 often despite indicators of fraud that the feds are too busy to pursue.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/james-clyburn.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Rep. James Clyburn said the tech firms &quot;refused to take adequate steps to detect and prevent fraud.&quot;\" class=\"wp-image-24866542\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/james-clyburn.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/james-clyburn.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/james-clyburn.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Rep. James Clyburn said the tech firms \u201crefused to take adequate steps to detect and prevent fraud.\u201d<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">AP Photo\/J. Scott Applewhite<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Though Clyburn now claims to be aghast at the wasteful spending, he championed the political exploitation of the COVID pandemic when Congress created PPP. \u201cThis is a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/report-clyburn-says-coronavirus-relief-package-a-tremendous-opportunity-to-restructure-\">tremendous opportunity<\/a> to restructure things to fit our vision,\u201d he proclaimed in a March 2020 closed phone call with other House Democrats.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats milked the COVID bill to seek changes for the 2020 election (including \u201cno-excuse absentee voting and vote-by-mail,\u201d <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/majoritywhipforms.house.gov\/news\/email\/show.aspx?ID=GZJVYBPHJ67YM\">as Clyburn bragged<\/a>), medical subsidies and college funding. Citizens Against Government Waste designated Clyburn the Porker of the Month for \u201ctrying to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cagw.org\/porker-of-the-month\/cagw-names-house-majority-whip-james-clyburn-april-2020-porker-month\">take advantage of the coronavirus crisis<\/a> to promote a radical agenda.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The select subcommittee sifted <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.house.gov\/news\/press-releases\/clyburn-fintech-fraud-ppp-doj-sba\">through 83,000 pages<\/a> of internal documents from private companies to compile its 120-page report. But it would be far more interesting to see a report excerpted from tens of thousands of PPP-related emails, texts and letters from members of Congress, their staff and their campaign operations.<\/p>\n<p>When did our \u201cbest and brightest\u201d recognize PPP would be the biggest boondoggle of the century? Did they take any steps to fix the problem or curb the looting? (Did hell freeze over?) How many members of Congress sought campaign contributions as a result of the geyser of COVID spending they unleashed?<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/AP22333588239438.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"The American flag flies at half staff at the U.S. Capitol in Washington\" class=\"wp-image-24866759\" width=\"618\" height=\"411\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/AP22333588239438.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1233 1236w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/AP22333588239438.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=925 927w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/AP22333588239438.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=618 618w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/AP22333588239438.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=308 309w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/AP22333588239438.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 618px) 100vw, 618px\"\/><figcaption>PPP was enacted in March 2020 and eventually provided $800 billion in loans.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Don\u2019t expect to see any such report ever come from Capitol Hill. Squandering a hundred billion tax dollars is simply another congressional office perk. Politicians don\u2019t give a damn about any government waste that buys them applause, votes or campaign contributions.<\/p>\n<p><em>James Bovard is the author of 10 books and a member of the USA Today Board of Contributors.<\/em>\n                        <\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/12\/01\/congress-is-shocked-shocked-by-the-covid-fraud-it-created\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Congress is shocked, shocked by the COVID fraud it created&#8221; Like Captain Renault in the gambling casino in \u201cCasablanca,\u201d congressmen are \u201cshocked, shocked\u201d by all the fraud spawned by the trillions of dollars in COVID handouts they approved. The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis issued a report Thursday blaming fintech firms for the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":519611,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/newspress-collage-24863997-1669942998412.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&1669925054&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[136509,52214,1545,10701,71006,111622,82897,70922],"class_list":["post-519610","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-12-1-22","tag-congress","tag-coronavirus","tag-democrats","tag-fraud","tag-jim-clyburn","tag-paycheck-protection-program","tag-us-house-of-representatives"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519610","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=519610"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519610\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/519611"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=519610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=519610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=519610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}