The Wall Street Journal reported in June that âunion recordsâ showed Schaitberger used a company credit card to download content from iTunes in 2017 and 2018. I hope POTUS steps in and stops the U.S. Armyâs unlawful persecution of Matt Golsteyn! As occupational cancer plagues our membership at alarming rates, we offer our Congratulations to #OurIAFF Brothers & Sisters in South Carolina on this important piece of Legislation. âUnion Probe Finds Close Biden Ally Misappropriated Millionsâ read the first Free Beacon headline from March. https://t.co/hZYkYutIZN. Conservative media outlets have followed along, with the Washington Free Beacon and the Wall Street Journal publishing updates based on leaked union records and board discussions, including a lengthy memo about Kellyâs financial audit. Thatâs all it takes to support the journalism you rely on. On Monday, Schaitberger sent a lengthy email to IAFF leaders sharing the pension report, which he claimed “, vindicated me,” laying out the major findings of the internal review. At the IAFF's annual convention at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on It comes as Biden is fighting Trump for votes among elderly and white working-class voters, where the firefighters union is a key validator, so much so that Trump has worked hard to undermine the value of the endorsement. The jockeying at the top of the IAFF, which represents 320,000 firefighters and paramedics across the U.S and Canada, comes at a crucial political juncture, ahead of the presidential election in November and union elections in January. Buried within the new business expense disclosures Kelly published this week existed one notable charge from December 11, 2019: a $74 lunch expense at Old Ebbitt Grill in Washington, D.C., listed for him, Golsteyn, and Clint Lorance, another U.S Army soldier pardoned for war crimes by Trump. Joining is simple and doesnât need to cost a lot: You can become a sustaining member for as little as $3 or $5 a month. The kind of reporting we do is essential to democracy, but it is not easy, cheap, or profitable. The launch of a federal investigation followed a written request sent to the FBI by Lamar, who wrote that the unionâs leadership âhave engaged in an ongoing pattern of defrauding the members while enriching themselves.â, On Tuesday, the day after The Intercept asked Lamar what he makes of those who say his blog posts in support of Kellyâs accusations may be politically driven, Lamar published a new post distancing himself from Kelly, blasting the General Secretary-Treasurer for submitting a $43,000 expense voucher that was late and without proper documentation. The new probe and criminal charges became a cause célèbre among conservatives, who rushed to Golsteynâs defense. Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. How many covert wars, miscarriages of justice, and dystopian technologies would remain hidden if our reporters werenât on the beat? Ed Kelly IAFF secretary-treasurer Edward Kelly has begun to publicly expose Harold Schaitberger’s long history of corruption at the IAFF. Thunderbolt Months ago, Ed Kelly, IAFF secretary-treasurer, hurled a thunderbolt at his partner, president-for-life Harold Schaitberger. Following Kelly’s accusations, the union executive board suspended Schaitberger’s monthly pension payments and suggested that the union may need to “recover the impermissible benefit payments” Schaitberger had received, potentially by offsetting them against future payments. Because of that, as well as U.S Attorney General William Barrâs track record of using the federal law enforcement agency to go after the presidentâs enemies, some, including former Justice Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, have speculated that the federal probe may be politically motivated. âThe IAFFâs reputation and power, which took over a century to build, is now at risk of being tarnished by the careless and selfish act of a few,â they wrote. In the union’s new report, the authors acknowledged that the federal government may still find wrongdoing, but emphasized that if a pension “correction” is needed with the IRS, Schaitberger should not be personally on the hook for it. October 19, 2020 / by Trevor Ewald Kelly’s chief of operations, Matt Golsteyn, was pardoned for war crimes by Trump in November 2019 and campaigned with him at a Republican Party fundraiser a month later. When they do, they will continue to expose their own agenda and further harm this IAFF.”. Things heated up earlier this year when Kelly accused Schaitberger of financial impropriety. Sure enough if you look hard enough you can usually conjure up some "evil deed" even if you have to go back 20 years. Ed Kelly: Hopes to win general secretary-treasurer position of the International Association of Fire Fighters. In August 2016, Ed Kelly, a young rising star in the Massachusetts labor movement, won his bid to become General Secretary-Treasurer of the International Association of … Past reporting has also relied heavily on longtime critics of Schaitberger, including Frank Ricci, a former firefighter union president from New Haven who now works as a strategist for a conservative think tank, and Eric Lamar, a former Schaitberger aide who now maintains a blog that is sharply critical of his old boss and IAFF leadership. (When Biden announced his candidacy for the White House in April 2019, the IAFF endorsed him almost immediately, long before any other union.) Who would hold party elites accountable to the values they proclaim to have? Wiley Rein attorney Robert Walker declined to comment, and Golsteyn did not return multiple requests for comment. But the law firm, according to the IAFF, did not stop working and proceeded to submit a so-called preliminary report on the union that had not been requested. into the allegations. Mr. Kelly served as treasurer of Marin Professional Firefighters Local 1775, and eventually followed in the footsteps of his father, Albert Kelly, as director of Fairfax's finances. The kind of reporting we do is essential to democracy, but it is not easy, cheap, or profitable. Brian Rice, the president of the California Professional Firefighters, told The Intercept he thought the leaks to the press violate Schaitbergerâs entitlement to a fair process, and to him, âitâs nothing more than a veiled coup, a power struggle, aimed at IAFF leadership.â. In the post, Lamar called Kellyâs action âsome mix of immature, unprofessional and reckless.â In a video response published later that day, Kelly apologized for his behavior, pledged to post the receipts in question online, and said his team has âbeen overwhelmed trying to expose the finances of the IAFF.â. The IAFF has donated $5,000 to … Self-dealing President’s need to be exposed and run out of the IAFF. One IAFF leader from the Midwest, who spoke to The Intercept under the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, said they were personally asked by Kelly earlier this year if they would support him in a bid for president. ahead of what is often described as the most important presidential election in generations. Consider what the world of media would look like without The Intercept. On March 20, IAFF Secretary-Treasurer Edward Kelly circulated a 105-page internal memorandum accusing Schaitberger and Kelly predecessor Thomas Miller of misusing or outright stealing about $6 million in union funds, especially pension assets. The board then launched its internal review; neither Schaitberger nor Kelly were involved in appointing members to the committee tasked with reviewing the pension claims, according to the 29-page report. They have framed their stories heavily around Schaitbergerâs close relationship with Biden. What Drove the Historically Large Murder Spike in 2020? The board then launched its internal review; neither Schaitberger nor Kelly were involved in appointing members to the committee tasked with reviewing the pension claims, according to the. “What most surprised me,” said Alex Lasry, “is the fact that Milwaukee has all the same things as any city,” citing bars, restaurants, and an art scene. This prompted the board to vote in July to instruct Nelson Mullins to immediately cease all IAFF work and provide the union with all documents, correspondence, and work product by August 7. It does not say definitively whether he improperly received payments, but concludes that any overpayment he may have received “cannot be recovered from him” because it would be “improper” under the principles of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to hold him financially responsible for that. Harold Schaitberger, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, speaks during the IAFF’s Legislative Conference General Session at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill, March 9, 2015. The IAFF, which represents more than 316,000 full-time firefighters, announced its endorsement of Biden in Pittsburgh, something Schaitberger said is … Kelly alleged in the spring that Schaitberger, who was elected as the IAFF’s president in 2000, after 24 years of serving as an IAFF staffer, has been drawing from his staff pension benefits too soon, receiving more than $1 million earlier than allowed by federal law and union rules. How many covert wars, miscarriages of justice, and dystopian technologies would remain hidden if our reporters weren’t on the beat? 2, General Secretary-Treasurer Ed Kelly, had charged back in March that Schaitberger was receiving the payments too soon, prompting the … Trump has made no secret of his ire toward the firefighters union for endorsing Biden, tweeting after the endorsement that heâs âdone more for Firefighters than this dues sucking union will ever doâ and that the membership of the union actually supported him. The Department of Justice did not return a request for comment. He could face the death penalty from our own government after he admitted to killing a Terrorist bomb maker while overseas. IAFF President Harold Schaitberger appeared with Mr. Biden at a rally in Pittsburgh on April 29, 2019. The revelations roiled the CIA, which quickly notified the Pentagon, sparking a two-year investigation in which the U.S Army concluded in 2013 that Golsteyn had knowingly violated the laws of war. Another internal review, which was distributed within the union last week, found that Kelly had improperly hired outside legal counsel to investigate Schaitberger and the IAFF. The allegations sparked the internal probes, which were led by board-level committees. Lorance was convicted of murdering two Afghan men in 2012, and both Lorance and Golsteyn had appeared at the Florida Republican Party fundraiser with the president four days earlier. 2, General Secretary-Treasurer Ed Kelly, had charged back in March that Schaitberger was receiving the payments too soon, prompting the investigation. Boston firefighter and organized labor leader Ed Kelly was elected to a leadership position in the International Association of Fire Fighters, a union that says it represents "more than 300,000 full-time professional fire fighters and paramedics in more than 3,100 affiliates" in the United States and Canada. 940 talking about this. Schaitberger is up for reelection in January and is currently running unopposed — though, as The Intercept. At the request of many, I will be reviewing the case of a âU.S. on about your day, ask yourself: How likely is it that the story you just read would have been produced by a different news outlet if The Intercept hadn’t done it? When they do, they will continue to expose their own agenda and further harm this IAFF.”, A second executive board committee report, which was distributed internally to IAFF leaders last week, blasted Kelly for secretly hiring the “antiunion, anti-employee” law firm Nelson Mullins in January to investigate the union’s finances. Throughout all of this, Kelly offered unwavering support on social media for his chief of operations and helped fundraise for Golsteynâs legal defense. Schaitberger is a key ally of former Vice President Joe Biden, and under his leadership, the IAFF endorsed Biden in April 2019, long before any other labor union, drawing the ire of President Donald Trump. In June, Rice joined three other state IAFF presidents â Bobby Lee of the Hawaii Fire Fighters Association, Robert Sanchez of the New Mexico Professional Fire Fighters Association, and Bryan Jeffries of the Professional Fire Fighters of Arizona â in writing a statement that their unionâs democratic process was disrespected by leaks of âselectiveâ and âincompleteâ details to the âhistorically anti-unionâ news outlet â referring to the Wall Street Journal â instead of waiting for the unionâs review of Kellyâs allegations to finish. The International Association of Fire Fighters has absolved its president, Harold Schaitberger, of any wrongdoing related to his receipt of pension payments, according to an internal review obtained by The Intercept. âNot only is this happening in an election year for [IAFF] president and secretary-treasurer, itâs also happening in the election year for the president of the United States,â he said. Another internal review, which was distributed within the union last week, found that Kelly had improperly hired outside legal counsel to investigate Schaitberger and the IAFF. Knowing that my wife and kids will be looked after. Just a couple of years ago, Ed Kelly was on a rampage to crush Ricky Walsh as he ran for 7th District Vice President. He also, to mischaracterize this Decision, to once again serve their own ambition and purposes. Photo: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images. Schaitberger, a key Biden ally. EDZO for IAFF President I am proud to be a card carrying member of #OurIAFF. Following Kelly’s accusations, the union executive board suspended Schaitberger’s monthly pension payments and suggested that the union may need to “recover the impermissible benefit payments” Schaitberger had received, potentially by offsetting them against future payments. The Intercept is a First Look Media Company. The IAFF blasted Nelson Mullins for producing an unauthorized work product that “is filled with unsubstantiated allegations, innuendo, and factual misstatements” and “appears to be nothing more than a hit piece on the IAFF Executive Board and General President.”, Asked about the internal reports, a spokesperson for the IAFF told The Intercept that they “speak for themselves.”, Rachel M. Cohen[email protected]theintercept.com@rmc031. Edzo was on a mission to get his buddy Ryan Mudie elected. Meanwhile, ahead of what is often described as the most important presidential election in generations, a series of escalating disputes among IAFF leadership have increasingly spilled over into public view. The Intercept is a First Look Media Company. The IRS needs to shine some light on the graft, theft, and self-dealing. last week, Kelly has expressed interest in the role, according to an IAFF leader from the Midwest and other union members. Earlier this month, federal authorities launched a criminal probe into the allegations. ), In the report pertaining to Nelson Mullins, the IAFF said that when it had first asked the firm for documents and emails relevant to its representation of the union, it “provided an incredibly incomplete response” and allegedly withheld documents from the executive board. Advocates are optimistic about a new round of legislation to curb predatory phone rates in the state — and pressure is mounting in Washington. While investigators did not find enough evidence to bring criminal charges, in an internal Army memo previously reported by The Intercept, Golsteyn was reprimanded for a âcomplete lack of judgement and responsibilityâ and told he had âdiscreditedâ himself and the U.S military. Ed Kelly IAFF secretary and ALL District VP’s should be encouraging ALL IAFF Locals to participate in this accounting endeavor. on about your day, ask yourself: How likely is it that the story you just read would have been produced by a different news outlet if The Intercept hadnât done it? Golsteynâs lawyer called the murder charge a case of âpolitical correctnessâ and following an interview with Golsteynâs wife in December 2018 on the presidentâs favorite news program âFox & Friends,â Trump got involved. The Intercept is an independent nonprofit news outlet. Jeffries, of the Professional Fire Fighters of Arizona, told The Intercept that he and many of his colleagues were not just concerned by the specifics of the accusations, which he said âseem to be blatantly falseâ â but the timing of them. Advocates are optimistic about a new round of legislation to curb predatory phone rates in the state â and pressure is mounting in Washington. The union’s No. Connecticut Lawmakers Want to Try Again to Make Prison Phone Calls Completely Free, Son of Wall Street Mogul Running for Wisconsin Senate Seat Was Pleasantly Surprised Milwaukee Is a Normal City. Schaitberger is up for reelection in January and is currently running unopposed, though Kelly is long rumored to want his job, according to members of the union. The elected position and the staff position earn pension benefits from two separate funds, and Kelly charges that Schaitberger drew from his staff pension benefits too soon, in violation of federal law and union rules. The report was distributed to thousands of IAFF leaders on Monday, and in it the union reversed its suspension of Schaitberger’s pension payments. That’s all it takes to support the journalism you rely on. Rachel M. Cohen[email protected]âtheintercept.com@rmc031. Schaitberger is a key ally of former Vice President Joe Biden, and under his leadership, the IAFF endorsed Biden in April 2019, long before any other labor union, drawing the ire of President Donald Trump. Military hero,â Major Matt Golsteyn, who is charged with murder. But in October 2016, just a month after joining the firefighters union, Golsteyn was asked on Fox News if he killed the suspected bombmaker, to which he replied, âYes.â This new public admission sparked army investigators to quickly reopen their investigation, and two years later charged Golsteyn with murder. So, he was willing to say anything and everything negative about the candidate running against Mudie, … In August 2016, Ed Kelly, a young rising star in the Massachusetts labor movement, won his bid to become General Secretary-Treasurer of the International Association of Fire Fighters, or IAFF: the union representing 320,000 firefighters and paramedics across the U.S and Canada. Each and every one of you are literally the "Tip of the Spear" in this fight against the global pandemic, COVID-19. Connecticut Lawmakers Want to Try Again to Make Prison Phone Calls Completely Free, Son of Wall Street Mogul Running for Wisconsin Senate Seat Was Pleasantly Surprised Milwaukee Is a Normal City. a series of escalating disputes among IAFF leadership have increasingly spilled over into public view. In 2015, Golsteyn had been stripped of a Silver Star after disclosing in a CIA polygraph interview that he had shot and buried an unarmed Taliban fighter he thought was a bombmaker, and later dug up the remains and burned them in a pit. Who would hold party elites accountable to the values they proclaim to have? That if I become infected with this illness, that the […] The union’s No. Source: LM forms filed with the Office of Labor-Management Standards. Ed Kelly IAFF secretary-treasurer Edward Kelly has begun to publicly expose Harold Schaitberger’s long history of corruption at the IAFF. Harold Schaitberger, general president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, speaks during the IAFF Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C., on March 12, 2019. Endorsement of Ed “Edzo” Kelly and Jake Lamanda Members, News, Political Action, Retiree News IAFF Local 1365 endorses Ed “Edzo” Kelly for IAFF General President and Jake Lamanda for IAFF General Secretary-Treasurer. The Intercept is an independent nonprofit news outlet. Edward Kelly, the general secretary-treasurer and the number two of the union, detailed the findings of his team's audit in a March 20 internal memorandum. It comes as Biden is fighting Trump for votes among elderly and white working-class voters, where the firefighters union is a key validator, so much so that Trump has worked hard to undermine the value of the endorsement. 1 MEMORANDUM DATE: March 20, 2020 TO: Harold A. Schaitberger, General President FROM: Edward A. Kelly, General Secretary-Treasurer SUBJECT: Response to Assertions Heâs an American Hero! What Drove the Historically Large Murder Spike in 2020. The position is the second most powerful in the union, behind the presidency, which has been held for the last two decades by 74-year-old Harold Schaitberger, a close ally of Joe Biden. Edward A. Kelly is the 11th General Secretary-Treasurer in IAFF history, elected in 2016 at the IAFF 53rd Convention. Kelly used his personal email account to hire the law firm, without knowledge or approval from others on the union executive board. 9:30am - IAFF GP Candidate: ED KELLY; 10:00am - IAFF GST Candidate: GREG MARKLEY; 10:30am – IAFF GST Candidate: JAKE LEMONDA; 11:00am – IAFF GST Candidate: FRANK LIMA; 11:30am – IAFF GP Candidate: MAHLON MITCHELL; 12:00pm – IAFF GP Candidate: JIM TRACY; These meetings are open for all Ontario Locals to attend. “Ed was sort of like the galvanizing factor from the two sides of the city,’’ said Ed Silva, who played starting quarterback in 1991 ahead of Kelly. Schaitberger's fall from grace started in March, when an internal probe led by the union's second-in-command Ed Kelly found that he misappropriated millions of … Earlier this month federal authorities launched a criminal probe into the accusations, while the unionâs executive board has launched an internal review. When I jump on Ladder 17 and respond to an incident, I do so knowing our IAFF has my back. “Cordial, comical. Kelly’s chief of operations, Matt Golsteyn, was pardoned for war crimes by Trump in November 2019 and campaigned with him at a Republican Party fundraiser a month later. But Golsteyn was not just any Green Beret: He had earned a spate of shocking headlines just a year earlier for alleged war crimes, for which he was ultimately pardoned by President Donald Trump in November 2019. âWhat most surprised me,â said Alex Lasry, âis the fact that Milwaukee has all the same things as any city,â citing bars, restaurants, and an art scene. @PeteHegseth @FoxNews. Schaitberger has been blasted for lavish spending before, but the crux of the new allegations hinged on whether Schaitberger received pension benefits too early; prior to being elected IAFF president in 2000, he served as an IAFF union staffer for 24 years. In the union’s new report, the authors acknowledged that the federal government may still find wrongdoing, but emphasized that if a pension “correction” is needed with the IRS, Schaitberger should not be personally on the hook for it. Ed "Edzo" Kelly, is a candidate for General President of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF). Professional Fire Fighters Association of … is locked in bitter in-fighting, grappling with leaks to right wing media, and confronting a federal investigation from a Justice Department thatâs been unabashed in its willingness to use federal power for the president’s political gain. “Our determination is due in no small part to the amount of time that has passed since the events at issue and the significant prejudice to Mr. Schaitberger resulting from the passage of time and the wasting of evidence,” the report concluded. The head of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) has been accused by the union’s treasurer of corruption and gross financial malpractice, and illegally raking in millions of dollars from the union pension fund over the past two decades. This is like no other challenge we have ever faced. Ricci, a supporter of Trump, told the Free Beacon in March he âstand[s] in full supportâ of Kelly, who provided âofficial documents and a cogent argument that support his accusations.â, In a statement to the Wall Street Journal following the announcement of the federal probe, the IAFF said it would cooperate with the investigation and that âthis action is part of a continued assault by a handful of individuals trying to tear down the organization for their own self-interest and personal retribution.â. "His dad was finance director for the town, and Ed would help him out," said Carmen Kelly, Mr. Kelly's wife. He also warned that some may try “to mischaracterize this Decision, to once again serve their own ambition and purposes. On Monday, Schaitberger sent a lengthy email to IAFF leaders sharing the pension report, which he claimed “vindicated me,” laying out the major findings of the internal review. When reprimanded in March by Schaitberger for the unauthorized hire, Kelly defended his decision, saying that his constitutional authorities as general secretary-treasurer “provide[s] for the ability to retain outside counsel to assist me with my fiduciary responsibilities as the association’s treasurer.” (The IAFF’s general counsel disagreed with this assessment, according to an email he sent Kelly on March 12. Consider what the world of media would look like without The Intercept. Kelly, who was pushed by a fellow union member to answer for his own use of funds earlier this week, declined to comment for this story and referred all questions to attorneys at Wiley Rein LLP, the law firm representing the IAFF in the federal investigation. 2, General Secretary-Treasurer Ed Kelly, had charged back in March that Schaitberger was receiving the payments too soon, prompting the investigation. Ed Kelly’s campaign website identifies him as the proud son, grandson, brother, nephew and cousin of fire fighters. Rochester, NY, January 19, 2021 - The International Association of Fire Fighters has long been one of the most respected Unions in existence, earning a reputation for supporting its allies and never backing down from a fight. Schaitberger is up for reelection in January and is currently running unopposed — though, as The Intercept reported last week, Kelly has expressed interest in the role, according to an IAFF leader from the Midwest and other union members. In the month following the pardon, Golsteyn joined Trump onstage at a secretive fundraiser for the Florida Republican Party, helping them net $3.5 million in donations. done more for Firefighters than this dues sucking union will ever do. The pandemic, police violence, and more guns all contributed to an unprecedented rise in murders across the United States. The low-key hire came at the recommendation of Kellyâs brother, Greg, who had overlapped in Afghanistan with Golsteyn. Edward A. Kelly is the 11th General Secretary-Treasurer in IAFF history, elected in 2016 at the IAFF 53rd Convention. The union’s No. Soon after, Kelly tapped combat veteran Mathew Golsteyn to serve as his chief of operations.
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