Cong. Ryan: Does 2+2=4? Bice's Fantasy World

Bice (ex-Spice) writes, in an attempt to smear Cong. Ryan:

The elder Willems, as anybody in Kenosha can tell you, is the executive vice president and general counsel for trucking conglomerate JHT Holdings.

(The junior Willems was a high-ranking aide to Cong. Ryan.)

[The elder Willems] is the guy who signed, on behalf of the company, the secret deal to pay former JHT owner and now-indicted Kenosha powerbroker Dennis Troha on the side through 2010 if Congress passed legislation that benefited the firm by easing federal truck-hauling regulations.

...In 2005, Ryan had the lead signature on a letter urging two other congressmen to fight for the Troha provision in a conference committee. Last year, Ryan wrote then-Acting Transportation Secretary Maria Cino urging her agency to adopt rules based on the legislation that were favored by JHT.

So what?

JHT wants larger trailering capabilities. If that's allowed, JHT makes more money. If that happens, the owners of JHT should pay Troha more money, as the value of the Company rose.

That's what we call "the normal course of business." In other words, there's no "there" there. And yes, the deal was a confidential codicil--but there are LOTS of those floating around. Maybe Troha's a skunk--but even skunks get the benefit of normal business deals.

Ryan didn't know about the deal between JHT and Troha--so it can't be said that Ryan was pushing something for Troha's benefit. Ryan thought that the legislation made sense for a constituent--in this case, JHT.

The Teamsters' Union doesn't think so.

What the deal DID do was allow Bice to write articles which don't mean anything.

Fantasy.