Political Quotes

“I rise to note grave concern on behalf of a constituent of mine and his family. Elton ``Mark'' McCabe, a businessman from Slidell, LA, has been held against his will in the custody of South Sudanese officials since October 14--for several weeks now, going on a month, through Thanksgiving. Mark McCabe was in Africa, South Sudan, with business partners pursuing business opportunities, doing everything by the book, legally, ethically, and apparently, for reasons we don't yet fully understand, business competitors or business enemies of his had some sway with South Sudanese officials in a particular portion of the government with the security force, and he was taken into custody. He was charged with vague, very serious crimes and has been held against his will for these many weeks. I won't go into all the details, but it has been a long torturous experience. I have been on the phone constantly, virtually every day, with State Department officials, with the South Sudanese Ambassador to the United States, with others, trying to demand basic due process and basic justice. Things have gotten a little better in the last week, and a few days ago there was a hearing before a judge regarding these trumped-up charges. When the prosecution had basically no facts and no evidence to present, the judge virtually laughed in their face with regard to this lack of a case.…”