Obama 'High' on Xavier Becerra?

Representative Xavier Becerra, a California Democrat, has been offered the job of President-elect Barack Obama's top trade official, two Democrats close to the transition office said. - Source Miami Herald

In 2000, Beccera played a key role in the pardoning of a big time cocaine dealer, Carlos Vignali, by then-President Bill Clinton.

Vignali's family had made $15,000 in political donations to the Becerra and hired Clinton's brother-in-law for $200,000 to help free him.

Becerra was a candidate for mayor of Los Angeles in early 2001 when it came to light that he and several other politicians and prominent public figures wrote letters supportive of Vignali, who was accused of shipping 800 pounds of cocaine — worth about $5 million then — from Los Angeles to Minneapolis.

The federal judge who sentenced Vignali later complained that the commutation was inappropriate.

"Vignali was not a low-level operator in the conspiracy," said U.S. District Judge David S. Doty. "He played a major role in the financing, transport and procurement of the drugs."

Vignali's father spent six years and $160,000 in political donations, and paid $200,000 to Hugh Rodham to free his son. Hugh Rodham is the brother of then-first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, whom Obama has selected to become secretary of state. Carlos Vignali was less than halfway through a 14 1/2-year prison term when President Clinton let him out.

At the request of a Los Angeles businessman, Horacio Vignali, Becerra wrote to Bill Clinton on Nov. 21, 2000, asking him to evaluate the case. Carlos Vignali was 22 when convicted of conspiring to sell 800 pounds of cocaine.

Horacio Vignali contributed more than $15,000 to Becerra's campaigns and his political action committee, and hosted a fundraiser for his mayoral campaign seven months before Carlos Vignali was freed from prison, according to campaign finance records. - Source - AP

Becerra helped get out out the Latino vote for Obama. And apparently, Mr. Becerra is getting his due reward - despite his previous ties to a big time drug dealer....

Several weeks ago, Obama tapped Eric Holder to be his attorney General. Holder was Deputy Attorney General in Bill Clinton's Administration, and played a key role in the pardoning of 8 members of a notorious Puerto Rican terrorist group [FALN]. The group claimed responsibility for over 130 bombings and incendiary attacks in the U.S. and Puerto Rico between 1974 and 1983, killing six and wounding many others.