Herb Moses

Sometime it is good to remember things. Politicians do not like that. The curious case of Herb Moses is one example. From The Delaware Curmudgeon:

Who Is Herb Moses?
From Business & Media Institute:

"Moses was the assistant director for product initiatives at Fannie Mae and had been at the forefront of relaxing lending restrictions at the company for rural customers, according to the Feb. 23, 1998, issue of National Mortgage News (NMN).

And since Barney Frank has declared that a person�s family is fair game for campaign discussion, we find out a little more about Herb Moses:

"The July 3, 1998, Reliable Source column in The Washington Post reported Frank, who is openly gay, had a relationship with Herb Moses, an executive for the now-government controlled Fannie Mae. The column revealed the two had split up at the time but also said Frank was referring to Moses as his �spouse.� Another Washington Post report said Frank called Moses his �lover� and that the two were �still friends� after the breakup.

While the relationship reportedly ended 10 years ago, Frank was serving on the House Banking Committee the entire 10 years they were together. The committee is the primary House body which along with the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO) has jurisdiction over the government-sponsored enterprises.

While Moses served at Fannie Mae and was Frank�s partner, Frank was actively working to support GSEs, according to several news outlets.

According to an article by Kathleen Day in the Oct. 8, 2003, Washington Post, Frank opposed giving the Bush administration the right to approve or disapprove business activities that �could pose risk to the taxpayers.� He told the Post he worried the Treasury Department �would sacrifice activities that are good for consumers in the name of lowering the companies� market risks".

Frank continues to deny any culpability in the Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac debacle. And while the government investigation currently underway is only going to address issues starting in 2007, the damage began long, long ago.

And Frank was right in bed with it.

Frank is no stranger to scandals either. From the New York Times:

House, 408 to 18, Reprimands Rep. Frank for Ethics Violations
After an emotional and often rancorous debate, the House of Representatives voted today to reprimand Representative Barney Frank for ethical breaches involving his relationship with a male prostitute.

The vote of 408 to 18 came after lawmakers turned back attempts by Republicans for the more severe rebukes of expulsion or censure of the Massachusetts Democrat. The punishment had been generally expected.

The case in question -- from the Washington Post:

TV Movie Led to Prostitute's Disclosures
'Mayflower Madam' Gave Gobie Idea

Prostitute and pimp Stephen L. Gobie settled in with his "girls" in his Georgetown town house one evening in late 1987 to watch "The Mayflower Madam" on television. As Candice Bergen portrayed upscale madam Sydney Biddle Barrows, Gobie's companions had an idea.

"The girls turned to me and said, 'You're just like her,' " Gobie recalled in an interview yesterday. "That's when I realized that I was in the middle of a developing story that could be worth something someday. I told them, 'One day, don't be surprised if you see me on TV.' "

Gobie's dream has come true. His accusation that Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) knew that Gobie had operated a prostitution service out of Frank's Capitol Hill apartment became national news after it was first reported Friday by the Washington Times.

What goes on between two consenting adults is their own business. What crosses the line is when it starts to involve questions of ethics and morality. Frank's involvement with Moses -- someone who was responsible for the course of Fannie Mae -- was unethical. One of them should have recused themselves. As for Gobie -- if he wanted to run his own string of "girls", Frank could have rented him a place to do it. Operating out of Frank's own apartment was questionable to say the least...