By ,
Published January 25, 2017
And now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine...
Show Me the Money
Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli says the IRS is withholding funds owed to his office and the Commonwealth and wonders whether there's a political motive.
Virginia is owed, apparently, $125 million for being the lead investigator in a Medicaid fraud case that resulted in a $1.5 billion settlement in May 2012.
The U.S. Treasury received the money in October but has not paid up and the A.G. is not happy.
Quote -- "For months, we thought this was just incompetence by the IRS, but with its refusal to properly fill out fairly simple paperwork for an entire year, we are left to wonder if this involves more deliberative motives."
Cuccinelli, who is the Republican candidate for Governor in Virginia says the money would be used to assist law enforcement or train local prosecutors.
In a letter obtained by Fox News, Treasury has now agreed to an initial payment of $10 million to Virginia and promised to start the process for the transfer of the remaining funds.
G-8 Facelift
Northern Ireland is getting a facelift before hosting the G-8 summit later this month.
The government says unemployment is almost 8.5 percent, economic activity growth is under a half percent.
Local governments are trying to make the best of a bad economic situation by painting murals depicting thriving businesses on abandoned buildings and fences to hide signs of a struggling economy.
One local official told the UK Telegraph the people are amused but not fooled. Quote -- "It is like when your mother-in-law is coming to visit and you give the house a tidy up."
The price tag? Just over $3 million.
DNA Mapping
Finally, the Supreme Court ruled this week that the police can take DNA samples from people charged but not convicted of crimes.
In upstate New York, officials say a burglar left behind some DNA when he decided to knock back a few beers while stealing copper wire.
Well, the DNA off the cans led to that suspect's arrest. He is being held on $10,000 bail.
https://www.foxnews.com/transcript/grapevine-g-8-facelift-for-northern-ireland