In the latest bid to prove how much the government misunderstands the connection between deregulation and the current crises, one official has taken to tasking US Marshals for private use.
Joseph Band, an attorney for the US Marshall Service (USMS), also works as a part-time sports statistician. According to the Inspector General of the Department of Justice, Band arranged for himself and Fox Sports broadcasters Joe Buck and Tim McCarver to be driven in official USMS vehicles to two World Series games at Fenway Park in Boston in 2007. Then, leaving the park, Band secured a USMS motorcade to accompany Buck’s and McCarver’s private limousines.
Apparently, sports broadcasting is more dangerous than walking through a minefield: you can’t even go out in the same way you came in.
There has actually been an official investigation by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG). The report concludes that “Band’s conduct violated the standards of ethical conduct for federal employees and USMS policy,” that he sought to obtain similar inappropriate transportation privileges at least three other times, and that he “falsely” denied his role once questioned.
Band couldn’t be reached for comment, no doubt cordoned off from the press by eleven US Marshals and a roadblock.
Although Band was caught violating ethical rules for personal business gain and lying about it, the relevant US Attorney’s offices in Boston and Virginia will not push criminal charges. Any action left to be taken, if any, is simply up to the USMS itself.
In more ways than one, this debacle gives a whole new meaning to the term ‘social security.’
Maybe we shouldn’t judge Band too harshly. After all, the revolving door turbine that powers the military-industrial complex has long been seen as one of the gears that keeps our national economy spinning. At the same time, such cushy relationships easily get out of hand, like when ex-military pundits run talk show circuits as mouthpieces of Pentagon misinformation in exchange for security access or defense contracts – a phenomenon which has been extensively reported.
Thankfully it hasn’t gotten that far in the current case, preempted by an anonymous complaint made about Band’s actions. But we were only one step away from having our oldest federal law enforcement agency dispatched to the disposal of the highest bidder…or batter, as the case may be.
And we all know what role models our sports heroes can be.
Also Interesting: