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ByMatthewDaly The Associated Press WASHINGTON The Veter- ans Affairs Department is firing four senior executives as officials move to crack down on wrongdoing fol- lowing a nationwide scan- dal over long wait times for veterans seeking medical care, and falsified records covering up the delays. The dismissals are the first since Congress passed a law this summer mak- ing it easier for veterans who experience delays to get care outside VA's na- tionwide network of hos- pitals and clinics. The law also made it easier for the agency to fire senior offi- cials suspected of wrong- doing, shortening their ap- peals process to 28 days. Among those being fired are a top purchasing official at the Veterans Health Ad- ministration, directors of VA hospitals in Pittsburgh and Dublin, Georgia, and a regional hospital director in central Alabama. Deputy VA secretary Sloan Gibson said Monday the VA will "actively and aggressively pursue disci- plinary action" against any employee who violates VA rules or values. "There should be no doubt that when we dis- cover evidence of wrongdo- ing, we will hold employees accountable," Gibson said. One of the employees be- ing fired is Susan Taylor, the deputy chief procurement officer with the VHA who oversees $15 billion a year in federal contracts. A report by the VA's Office of Inspec- tor General found that Tay- lor helped steer contracts to a private company that championed so-called re- verse auctions, in which sell- ers compete with each other to offer the lowest bids. VETERANS VAfires 4 senior executives in scandal By Amy Taxin The Associated Press SANTA ANA An investiga- tion into a fiery car crash that killed five Califor- nia teenagers was in its early stages Monday and no charges have been filed against the 16-year-old un- licensed driver who sur- vived, authorities said. Investigators were seek- ing witnesses to the crash early Saturday in which a white 1995 BMW struck an Interstate 5 guardrail in Orange County, rolled onto an embankment and burst into flames. Bradley Morales was listed in serious but sta- ble condition with a large skull fracture and internal bleeding, CHOC Children's at Mission Hospital said in a statement. Denise Almazan, a CHOC Children's spokes- woman, said Morales was brought to the hospital af- ter the crash. "It's too early to say whether or not any crimi- nal charges will be filed," California Highway Patrol Assistant Chief John Antil- lon told reporters. Antillon said he believed speed played a role in the crash shortly after 2 a.m. but could not say how fast the car was going. At least one of the teens was not wearing a seat belt in the backseat, he said. The car was registered to someone with the teen's surname, though the exact relation was unknown, An- tillon said. He believes the teen's parents were aware their son was driving that night. "Certainly it was an un- safe trip for that many peo- ple to be in the backseat of a car," he said. The victims included a middle school student and two high school freshmen in the Capistrano Unified School District, said Julie Hatchel, the district's as- sistant superintendent for education services. Grief counselors were made available at the schools, and high school students posted a banner for friends to write notes and tributes, she said. A candlelight vigil was held Sunday evening and another is planned for Tuesday. The coroner's office has not officially released the names of the victims. In a separate crash, five people were killed Friday night when three vehicles collided and burst into flames on an isolated two- lane road on the edge of Chino in San Bernardino County. The lone survi- vor was released from the hospital, police spokes- woman Monica Gutier- rez said. The victims included four recent high school graduates in a Chevy truck and a 47-year-old man in a Honda Accord, coroner's officials and family said. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Authorities investigate crash that killed 5 teens CINDYYAMANAK—THEORANGECOUNTYREGISTER Prady Aguilar, third from right, is consoled during a candlelight vigil at Capistrano Valley High School on Sunday in Mission Viejo. By Paul Elias The Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO A former Nevada lobbyist asked an appeals court Monday to toss out his conviction for illegal campaign fundrais- ing for Sen. Harry Reid. A lawyer for F. Harvey Whittemore argued that $133,000 he transferred to family, friends and employ- ees in 2007 that wound up in Reid's campaign coffers were unconditional gifts with no strings attached. Prosecutor Elizabeth White countered that "what we have here are blatant, straightforward campaign contributions ... it's no coin- cidence that all of these peo- ple were financially depen- dent upon him." Whittemore, 61, is cur- rently serving a two-year prison sentence at a min- imum-security prison on the central California coast after jurors rejected the same argument last year. Reid, a Nevada Demo- crat, was not accused of any wrongdoing, although he was required to amend his FEC reports. Whittemore's legal woes began Feb. 19, 2007, when he met with Senate Major- ity Leader Reid at the Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas. Reid asked the once-influ- ential developer and lobby- ist to quickly raise $150,000 for his re-election campaign. A month later, Whit- temore gave his five chil- dren, a daughter-in-law and about a dozen of his employ- ees and friends a combined $145,000. The recipients, in turn, contributed most of the money to Reid's re-elec- tion campaign. Prosecutors say Whitte- more transferred $5,000 to recipients who were sin- gle and $10,000 if they were married. In each case, they contributed the maximum $4,600, leaving each recip- ient with $400 to keep. Prosecutors say former partners of Whittemore who were in a business dis- pute with the one-time Ne- vada political powerbro- ker turned over files of the transactions to federal in- vestigators after they found them in Whittemore's for- mer office. Last year, a federal jury convicted Whittemore of making excessive campaign contributions, making con- tributions in the name of another, and lying to fed- eral agents. Whittemore's lawyer Vin- cent Savarese argued that the cash transfers were un- conditional gifts and that the recipients were free to spend themoney as they saw fit. Judge William Fletcher interjected with skepticism. "He made these pay- ments with the expecta- tions that the money was going to be contributed," Fletcher said. "He certainly had the hope and desire, but he re- linquished all control of the funds," Savarese replied. Fletcher concluded the exchange by pointing out that the family, friends and employees of Whittemore depended on the once-in- fluential lobbyist and devel- oper financially. "He had a fair amount of control over those people," Fletcher said. The three-judge panel is expected to rule later. DEVELOPER CONTRIBUTIONS Co ur t he ar s fo rm er N ev ad a lo bb yi st 's i ll eg al f un dr ai si ng c as e By Russell Contreras The Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. Po- litical rivals for New Mex- ico governor faced off in a Spanish debate Monday, a rare event that marked an emerging trend as Republi- cans and Democrats around the U.S. court Hispanic vot- ers. In the state with the na- tion's highest percentage of Hispanic residents, the moderator and Republi- can Gov. Susana Martinez spoke Spanish, while Demo- crat Gary King participated through a translator. They sparred live at a KLUZ-TV Univision Nuevo Mexico-sponsored forum, discussing topics including the economy, education and a state law that allows im- migrants in the country il- legally to have a driver's li- cense. "It's not a problem of im- migration. It's a problem of security," Martinez said in Spanish, explaining why she wants to repeal the law. King, however, said some police agencies supported the licenses. "I'm concerned about making two classes of citizens" if the law is re- pealed, he said in English. The debate and oth- ers like it acknowledge the ability of the growing and increasingly indepen- dent voting bloc to swing an election. Candidates for Florida governor will meet in a Spanish debate Friday, though both GOP Gov. Rick Scott and Democratic for- mer-Gov. Charlie Crist will use a translator. Other no- table Spanish debates in- clude a 2010 event in Cal- ifornia and a 2007 Demo- cratic presidential forum. Of candidates involved in those events, Martinez is unique in her ability to communicate in Spanish. The overwhelming ma- jority of Hispanics in New Mexico speak English, but the culture of bilingual- ism runs deep. Some local government bodies in the state start meetings with the Pledge of Allegiance in English and Spanish. "The debate is more for symbolism," said Matt Bar- reto, co-founder of a non- partisan Latino political re- search firm and University of Washington political sci- ence professor. Martinez is the nation's first Hispanic woman to be elected governor, but her positions on the immigrant driver's license law and bor- der security fall in line with Republicans nationally and often put her at odds with some members of a group that comprises 47 percent of the state's residents. She had "an opportunity to connect and appear com- fortable" by speaking Span- ish in the debate, said Bar- reto, who helped launch La- tino Decisions. Meanwhile, King, who is white and the son of a pop- ular former governor, faces a challenge seeking to knock off a strong incumbent. His supporters say his positions willappealtomanyHispanic votersinthestateandshould allow him to capitalize on momentum that has helped Democrats nationally. In 2004, more than 40 percent of Hispanic vot- ers supported George W. Bush for president. By 2012, about 75 percent of His- panics went for President Barack Obama. An inability to speak Spanish won't "hurt him more than it will help her," Barreto said. The live debate was scheduled to also air on tape delay to accommodate voiceover translations. For the most part, both can- didates stuck to talking points used in a previous forum. NEW MEXICO Governor rivals spar in Spanish debate PHELAN M. EBENHACK — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE Republican New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez answers a question during a panel discussion at the Wal-Mart U.S. Manufacturing Summit in Orlando, Fla. 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