The Carpetbagger must have thought they had something when they came up with this one. [1]
The St. Petersburg Times reported [2] this week that WellCare Health Plans, a Florida-based company that provides managed-care plans for millions of Medicare and Medicaid participants, has come under federal investigation. Indeed, the FBI raided WellCare’s headquarters Wednesday morning, along with the U.S. Attorney’s office, HHS investigators, and the Florida Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
The Times article included a little tidbit towards the end of the piece.
WellCare was a slow-growing Florida company until 1992 when its owner, Dr. Kiran Patel, sold it to a New York investment group led by financier George Soros. The bankers hired Todd Farha, an aggressive Harvard MBA, to transform the company. Under his leadership, WellCare’s earnings have increased eight-fold and the company’s investors and executives like Farha have profited handsomely from appreciation in its stock.
Right wing blogs saw the reference to Soros and pounced [3]. Conservatives hit the St. Petersburg Times comments section, with insights such as [2], “I hope they prosecute that worm GEORGE SORROS [sic] added, “Welcome to George Soros’s America?”
As it turns out, there are two big problems [4] with the story. First, Soros sold off his interests in the company quite a while ago. Second, WellCare is actually run by Bush Pioneers and generous Republican donors.
Ummmm…..Wait just a minute.
Hold one.
We’re to understand that George Soros is innocent of wrongdoing because he’d supposedly… and quietly… divested himself of that firm?
So, how does that claim work as a shield for George Soros, and WellCare Health Plans, but not [5] for [6] Dick [7]Cheney [8] and [9] Haliburton? [10]
Does this mean we have CDS working at The Carpetbagger?
Funny how these double standards keep popping up.
More: Memeorandum [11]