Presidential Shift by C. G. Cooper Read Free Book Online

corporate corruption. Our staff worked diligently to corroborate the information we received detailing the alleged misconduct by Republican Congressman Joel Erling of Colorado, and Democratic Congressman Peter Quailen of Louisiana. We were unable to obtain comments from either of the congressman’s offices.
    We’d like to warn you that the following video is disturbing and meant for mature audiences.
    The screen changed and a jumpy video began to play.
    “Put him over there, under the light,” came the voice of the man behind the camera.
    “You sure you want to be taping this?” came another voice from off camera.
    “It’ll just be my little souvenir, don’t worry.”
    A wet slapping sound could be heard as the shot focused on a wooden chair set against a far wall. Dim light illuminated the grungy area that was littered with wooden crates and cardboard boxes.
    The slapping sound stopped.
    “Hurry up. I have a lunch to get to,” said the person behind the camera.
    A scraping sound was followed by two figures coming into view. One, a large man in a coat and slacks, dragged another man to the chair against the wall and shoved him into a half seated position. The shot focused on the bloody mess. His long hair and scruffy beard looked spotted where someone had yanked out patches that dripped blood.
    The tortured man tried to speak and got a wet slap in response from the hulking figure standing next to him. Red spattered onto the wall and the guard wiped the back of his hand off on the prisoner’s plaid shirt.
    “That’s enough,” came the voice from behind the camera. “Sit him up so he can listen politely.”
    The gory mess of a man tried to focus on the cameraman, but his head kept lolling and swaying.
    “I thought we’d had this conversation before, Jeremiah,” said the cameraman’s voice. “I’ve been working really hard for you in D.C. The least you could do is make sure you and your associates pay me on time.”
    “But I did…”
    “You came to me, remember? You begged and begged until I finally let my staff schedule a meeting. You told me that once marijuana was legalized on the local level, my payments would triple. Why haven’t I seen that extra money, Jeremiah?”
    “I told you, the feds are all over my ass. They’ve already raided us twice.”
    “That’s not my problem. We had an agreement. I held up my end of the bargain and pleaded your case, not only to my friends here in Colorado, but also to my colleagues on Capital Hill. Do you know how many hours I’ve spent fighting for your cause? Do you know how much I could be getting paid to lobby for someone else?”
    Jeremiah didn’t answer, hanging his head between his legs instead.
    The video bobbed as the cameraman moved closer and handed the camera to his partner. Now the video showed the cameraman, attired in a form-fitting pinstripe suit and looking every bit the retired NFL lineman, approach Jeremiah and deliver a series of quick hooks that sent the victim’s head snapping left and right like some macabre punching doll.
    The beating stopped abruptly, the aggressor’s chest heaving from the exertion, just barely.
    “See what you’ve done? Now I’ll have to go back to my office and get a new suit before my lunch with the Women’s Auxiliary of Denver.”
    The beaten man didn’t respond except to moan softly. His eyes were swollen shut from the assault.
    The first cameraman turned his ruggedly handsome face to his co-conspirator and grabbed for the phone.
    “Dump him back at his place. I’ll meet you at the office and you can drive from there.”
    The TV screen switched back to the news anchor.
    We have confirmed that the man you just witnessed being brutally assaulted is none other than Jeremiah Stevens, CEO of the largest legalized medical marijuana growing operation in Colorado. Our team is currently trying to locate Mr. Stevens for comment.
    The last man you saw on the video appears to be Congressman Joel Erling. Once again,