Jack Abramoff On The Road To Perdition

[Root Doctor]

Who'll be strolling with him?

[Brian Olewnick]

Hopefully many. In all likelihood, few if any.

[rollhead]

Just dial 1-800-SCAPEGOAT.

[Gordon B]

Originally Posted by Brian Olewnick

Hopefully many. In all likelihood, few if any.

I'm not sure about that. I'll bet you a cd that a minimum of five House members will be tarred by their dealings with Abramoff and will not be reelected to the House, e.g. retire, get defeated, or get indicted.

[Brian Olewnick]

Originally Posted by Gordon B

I'm not sure about that. I'll bet you a cd that a minimum of five House members will be tarred by their dealings with Abramoff and will not be reelected to the House, e.g. retire, get defeated, or get indicted.

If you restrict it to "get indicted", I might take you up.

[Chris D]

Tom DeLay, come on down!

[Gordon B]

Originally Posted by Brian Olewnick

If you restrict it to "get indicted", I might take you up.

No dice. Rollhead might find it interesting to know that Michelle Malkin, who he probably despises, it horrified by the scandal, and wants the guilty parties to get nailed, even if most are Republicans.

[Slurpy]

Originally Posted by Chris D

Tom DeLay, come on down!

Was the price right, motherf**ker!?

[Coda]

x

[Slurpy]

Originally Posted by Coda

They all should fry, regardless of party affiliation.

Agreed.

WASHINGTON - President Bush's re-election campaign is giving up $6,000 in campaign contributions connected to lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Lemme go fetch my "Zippo"...

[rollhead]

Originally Posted by Gordon B

No dice. Rollhead might find it interesting to know that Michelle Malkin, who he probably despises, it horrified by the scandal, and wants the guilty parties to get nailed, even if most are Republicans.

This is the time when the Republicans start heading for the tall grass, quoting scripture, etc., asking for forgivness of their sins.

Even Abramoff is asking forgiveness from "the Almighty and from those I have wronged."

You'll be seeing a lot of this as time goes on --



Then as soon as the American public has forgiven their sins, and think no one is looking, they will all load onto the plane headed to St. Andrews to play a round of golf at some lobbyist's expense.

Then, over drinks, they'll laugh their asses off over the tax cuts they voted for themeselves and their patrons, Medicaid and SCHIPS funding they'd cut to pay for the tax cuts, increases in funding for big defense contractors, health and safety regulations they weakened, deficits they ballooned, etc., etc.

[Scott Dolan]

Originally Posted by Gordon B

No dice. Rollhead might find it interesting to know that Michelle Malkin, who he probably despises, it horrified by the scandal, and wants the guilty parties to get nailed, even if most are Republicans.

That's because it's a bi-partisan issue. Something most folks can't fathom around here.

The biggest problem these days is that politicians simply do not understand that they can't conduct their tired old "business as usual" simply due to the fact that we are living in the information age. There is little dark of night left for these folks to conduct their dirty dealings.

All the better.

Though far too many will think this is the first time something like this has happened. To the nonthinking out there, the Bush administration has set MANY new precedents.

[Scott Dolan]

Oh goody.


Rollie validates my point before I even made it.

[rollhead]

That's because the Republican playbook is telling their dim-witted aparatchiks, such as little Scotty, to start painting this a "bi-partisan" issue, when it clearly isn't.

Abramoff was a GOP fundraiser. Not a Democratic fundraiser.

Abramoff was wired to the Bush Administration... the Clinton Administration hated him, and for good reason.

WASHINGTON (AP) — In President Bush's first 10 months, GOP fundraiser Jack Abramoff and his lobbying team logged nearly 200 contacts with the new administration as they pressed for friendly hires at federal agencies and sought to keep the Northern Mariana Islands exempt from the minimum wage and other laws, records show.

The meetings between Abramoff's lobbying team and the administration ranged from Attorney General John Ashcroft to policy advisers in Vice President Dick Cheney's office, according to his lobbying firm billing records.

Abramoff, a $100,000-plus fundraiser for Bush, is now under criminal investigation for some of his lobbying work. His firm boasted its lobbying team helped revise a section of the Republican Party's 2000 platform to make it favorable to its island client.

In addition, two of Abramoff's lobbying colleagues on the Marianas won political appointments inside federal agencies.

"Our standing with the new administration promises to be solid as several friends of the CNMI (islands) will soon be taking high-ranking positions in the Administration, including within the Interior Department," Abramoff wrote in a January 2001 letter in which he persuaded the island government to follow him as a client to his new lobbying firm, Greenberg Traurig.

The reception Abramoff's team received from the Bush administration was in stark contrast to the chilly relations of the Clinton years. Abramoff, then at the Preston Gates firm, scored few meetings with Clinton aides and the lobbyist and the islands vehemently opposed White House attempts to extend U.S. labor laws to the territory's clothing factories.

The records from Abramoff's firm, obtained by The Associated Press from the Marianas under an open records request, chronicle Abramoff's careful cultivation of relations with Bush's political team as far back as 1997.

In that year, Abramoff charged the Marianas for getting then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush to write a letter expressing support for the Pacific territory's school choice proposal, his billing records show.

"I hope you will keep my office informed on the progress of this initiative," Bush wrote in a July 18, 1997, letter praising the islands' school plan and copying in an Abramoff deputy.

White House spokeswoman Erin Healy said Thursday that Bush didn't consider Abramoff a friend. "They may have met on occasion, but the president does not know him," she said.

As for the number of Abramoff lobbying team contacts with Bush officials documented in the billing records, Healy said: "We do not know how he defines 'contacts.'"

Andrew Blum, a spokesman for Abramoff, declined comment.

The Greenberg Traurig firm, where Abramoff worked between late 2000 and early 2004, is investigating Abramoff's work and cooperating with government investigations.

"Greenberg Traurig accepted Jack Abramoff's resignation from the firm, effective March 2, 2004, after Mr. Abramoff disclosed to the firm personal transactions and related conduct which are unacceptable to the firm and antithetical to the way we do business," spokeswoman Jill Perry said.

Abramoff is now under federal investigation amid allegations he overcharged tribal clients by millions of dollars, and his ties to powerful lawmakers such as House Majority Leader Tom DeLay are under increasing scrutiny.

The documents show his team also had extensive access to Bush administration officials, meeting with Cheney policy advisers Ron Christie and Stephen Ruhlen, Ashcroft at the Justice Department, White House intergovernmental affairs chief Ruben Barrales, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick, Deputy Interior Secretary Steven Griles and others.

Most of the contacts were handled by Abramoff's subordinates, who then reported back to him on the meetings. Abramoff met several times personally with top Interior officials, whose Office of Insular Affairs oversees the Mariana Islands and other U.S. territories.

In all, the records show at least 195 contacts between Abramoff's Marianas lobbying team and the Bush administration from February through November 2001.

At least two people who worked on Abramoff's team at Preston Gates wound up with Bush administration jobs: Patrick Pizzella, named an assistant secretary of labor by Bush; and David Safavian, chosen by Bush to oversee federal procurement policy in the Office of Management and Budget.

"We have worked with WH Office of Presidential Personnel to ensure that CNMI-relevant positions at various agencies are not awarded to enemies of CNMI," Abramoff's team wrote the Marianas in an October 2001 report on its work for the year.

Abramoff's team didn't neglect party politics either: There were at least two meetings with Republican National Committee officials, including then-finance chief Jack Oliver, as well as attendance at GOP fundraisers.

In 2000, Abramoff and his team were connected enough to both political parties to boast of obtaining early drafts of the platforms each adopted at its presidential nominating convention.

"In the case of the Republican platform, the team reviewed and commented on sections dealing with insular territories to ensure appropriately positive treatment. This was successful," the Preston Gates firm wrote to Marianas.

"In the case of the Democratic Party platform, the team assisted in drafting early versions of neutral language relating to the territories," the firm wrote. "However, heavy intervention by the White House eventually deleted positive references to the CNMI."

The access of Abramoff and his team to the administration came as the lobbyist was establishing himself as a GOP fundraiser.

Abramoff and his wife each gave $5,000 to Bush's 2000 recount fund and the maximum $1,000 to his 2000 campaign. By mid-2003, Abramoff had raised at least $100,000 for Bush's re-election campaign, becoming one of Bush's famed "pioneers."

Money also flowed from the Marianas to Bush's re-election campaign: It took in at least $36,000 from island donors, much of it from members of the Tan family, whose clothing factories were a routine stop for lawmakers and their aides visiting the islands on Abramoff-organized trips.

Two Tan family companies gave $25,000 each to the National Republican Senatorial Committee for the 2002 elections. Greenberg Traurig, too, was a big GOP giver. Its donations included $20,000 to the Republican National Committee for the 2000 elections and $25,000 each to the GOP's House and Senate fundraising committees in 2000 and again in 2002.

The Marianas' lobbying paid off — it fended off proposals in 2001 to extend the U.S. minimum wage to island workers and gained at least $2 million more in federal aid from the administration.

Abramoff's team bragged to the cash-strapped Marianas government that the taxpayer money would cover its lobbying bill: "We believe that this additional funding — along with other funds we expect to secure by the end of the year — will make clear to even our biggest critics that we pay for ourselves," Abramoff teammate Kevin Ring wrote in October 2001, copying in Abramoff.


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Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[rollhead]

Originally Posted by Scott Dolan

There is little dark of night left for these folks to conduct their dirty dealings.

Except for the "little dark of night" left in the brains of those defending Republicans and Republican policies.

[groover]

Originally Posted by Coda

They all should fry, regardless of party affiliation.

Here is a listing of Democrats and the amount of $ received from Abrams:

Who is Abrams? A cousin of Abramoff? What's the source of this possibly irrelevant info?

[Root Doctor]

From Bloomberg.com:

Abramoff's `Equal Money' Went Mostly to Republicans

Dec. 21 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. President George W. Bush calls indicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff ``an equal money dispenser'' who helped politicians of both parties. Campaign donation records show Republicans were a lot more equal than Democrats.

Between 2001 and 2004, Abramoff gave more than $127,000 to Republican candidates and committees and nothing to Democrats, federal records show. At the same time, his Indian clients were the only ones among the top 10 tribal donors in the U.S. to donate more money to Republicans than Democrats.

Bush's comment about Abramoff in a Dec. 14 Fox News interview was aimed at countering Democratic accusations that Republicans have brought a ``culture of corruption'' to Washington. Even so, the numbers show that ``Abramoff's big connections were with the Republicans,'' said Larry Noble, the former top lawyer for the Federal Election Commission, who directs the Washington-based Center for Responsive Politics.

``It is somewhat unusual in that most lobbyists try to work with both Republicans and Democrats, but we're already seeing that Jack Abramoff doesn't seem to be a usual lobbyist,'' Noble said.

Abramoff, 46, is under investigation by a Justice Department-led task force; he has already been indicted in Florida in a separate case involving the purchase of a casino boat company.

Abramoff is talking with prosecutors about providing testimony against former political and business associates in exchange for a reduced sentence, the New York Times reported today, citing unidentified people with knowledge of the case.

`Glass Houses'

The National Republican Senatorial Committee has set up a Web page, dubbed ``Glass Houses,'' featuring pictures of Democratic senators and a tally of funds they took from Abramoff or his associates.

In the last week, two Democrats have said they're returning donations from Indian tribes represented by Abramoff and from his associates. Senator Byron Dorgan of North Dakota -- the top Democrat on a committee investigating the lobbyist -- gave back $67,000. Senator Max Baucus of Montana is returning $18,893.

Mostly Republicans

Between 2001 and 2004, Abramoff joined with his former partner, Michael Scanlon, and tribal clients to give money to a third of the members of Congress, including former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, according to records of the Federal Election Commission and Internal Revenue Service. At least 171 lawmakers got $1.4 million in campaign donations from the group. Republicans took in most of the money, with 110 lawmakers getting $942,275, or 66 percent of the total.

Of the top 10 political donors among Indian tribes in that period, three are former clients of Abramoff and Scanlon: the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe of Michigan, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, and the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians of California. All three gave most of their donations to Republicans -- by margins of 30 percentage points or more -- while the rest favored Democrats.

Abramoff faces allegations that he bilked the casino-owning tribes out of millions of dollars and attempted to corrupt public officials. E-mails released by the Senate Indian Affairs Committee during a year of hearings offer evidence that he directed the tribes to donate funds to specific lawmakers.

Continued to Give

Abramoff's tribal clients continued to give money to Democrats even after he began representing them, although in smaller percentages than in the past.

The Saginaw Chippewas gave $500,500 to Republicans between 2001 and 2004 and $277,210 to Democrats, according to a review of data compiled by Dwight L. Morris & Associates, a Bristow, Virginia-based company that tracks campaign-finance reports. Between 1997 and 2000, the tribe gave just $158,000 to Republicans and $279,000 to Democrats.

The Republican senatorial committee is sending information out to state campaigns and to all Republican press secretaries on Capitol Hill about the Democrat-Abramoff connections, spokesman Brian Nick said. The cover sheet asks, ``They Don't Know Jack???'' in red ink and features a picture of Abramoff surrounded by Democrats including Dorgan and Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada.

Reid's Response

Reid spokeswoman Tessa Hafen said the senator is still considering whether to return the $60,000 in donations he received from Abramoff associates and clients. The money includes contributions that came from Abramoff's former employer, Greenberg Traurig LLP, a lobbying and law firm with multiple issues in Congress.

Bush, in the Fox News interview, said of Abramoff: ``It seems to me that he was an equal money dispenser, that he was giving money to people in both political parties.''

White House spokeswoman Erin Healy said yesterday that Bush was making the point that Abramoff's links weren't exclusively Republican. ``The president was referring to press reports showing Mr. Abramoff, his clients and associates have contributed to both Democrats and Republicans alike,'' Healy said.

``Republicans are bending over backwards to exaggerate the links'' between Democrats and Abramoff, said Phil Singer, a spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. ``This is a Republican scandal that involves Republican lawmakers doing favors for a Republican lobbyist.''

`Representative No. 1'

Scanlon, Abramoff's former partner, has pleaded guilty to attempted fraud and corruption of public officials and is cooperating with the Justice Department's investigation. His plea agreement refers to efforts to corrupt U.S. lawmakers, including a ``Representative No. 1,'' identified by lawyers in the case as Ohio Republican Robert Ney.

The other names most frequently mentioned in connection with Abramoff are both Republicans: DeLay, a one-time friend who has cut off contact with the lobbyist, and Senator Conrad Burns of Montana. Burns, who is facing criticism in his home state for being the top recipient of Abramoff-related donations, said on Dec. 16 he planned to give back to the tribes about $150,000 in contributions from Abramoff, his associates and tribal clients.

In the Florida case, in which Abramoff has already been indicted, prosecutors allege that he and partner Adam Kidan conspired to defraud lenders when buying SunCruz Casino Ltd. in 2000. Kidan pleaded guilty Dec. 15, and his lawyer said he's willing to testify against Abramoff.



To contact the reporters on this story:
Kristin Jensen in Washington kjensen@Bloomberg.net;
Jonathan D. Salant in Washington at jsalant@bloomberg.net.

[groover]

Abramoff Plea Could Have Far-Reaching Implications

Cooperation Could Lead to Indictment of Other Political Heavyweights

Analysis
By LIZ MARLANTES





WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan. 3, 2006 — - Former lobbyist Jack Abramoff's guilty plea today to charges of conspiracy, tax evasion and mail fraud has set in motion what many predict could become the biggest scandal involving money and politics in decades.

Abramoff's testimony, e-mails and other pieces of evidence could potentially become damaging evidence against a number of political heavyweights, including members of Congress, top aides and administration officials.

But beyond just exposing the corrupt behavior of a rogue lobbyist and possibly some lawmakers, some political analysts say the scandal could have broader implications and shed light on a system in which Republicans, in control of Congress over the last decade, pressured lobbying firms to give top positions to GOP loyalists, and then took contributions from those lobbyists and their clients to help solidify their own power even further.

"I believe it's much more widespread than people had thought, and thoroughly corrupt," says Norman Ornstein, a congressional expert at the American Enterprise Institute. "It's part of a broader scheme that says, we're in power now, and to the victor go the spoils." Although the extent of Abramoff's dealings with lawmakers remains to be seen, today's guilty plea is likely to be especially bad news for Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, who is believed to be "Representative No.1" in court documents charged with accepting "things of value," including a golf trip to Scotland, tickets to sporting events and regular meals at one of Abramoff's restaurants, in exchange for "official acts," such as agreeing to support legislation and put statements into the Congressional Record.

In a statement today, Ney maintained his innocence. "At the time I dealt with Jack Abramoff I obviously did not know, and had no way of knowing, the self-serving and fraudulent nature of Abramoff's activities," the statement said.

Abramoff also had close ties with former Majority Leader Tom DeLay, and contributed to lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. So far, at least 25 lawmakers have returned or donated campaign contributions they received from Abramoff.

Still, simply taking money from a lobbyist -- even a corrupt one -- is not illegal. "At the end of the day, they [prosecutors] have to prove a connection between the contribution and the activity," said Larry Noble, director of the Center for Responsive Politics.

In other words, prosecutors need to show a quid pro quo -- that a lawmaker took money in exchange for a specific act. That proof could potentially come from Abramoff's e-mails, from testimony from Abramoff or other staff present at meetings, or simply from the timeline surrounding a contribution and an action on the part of a lawmaker. Abramoff's own credibility will likely come under assault, however, as someone who has now pleaded guilty to a range of crimes, which could affect the value of his testimony.

In court today, Abramoff apologized for his actions.

"All of my remaining days, I will feel tremendous sadness and regret for my conduct and for what I have done," he said. "I only hope that I can merit forgiveness from the almighty and from those I have wronged or caused to suffer."

Whether or not any lawmakers wind up going to jail, the political effects of the scandal could be widespread. Although some Democrats may also wind up implicated, the majority of Abramoff's contributions and dealings were with Republicans. And Democrats have already made it clear they hope to run in 2006 on a national campaign of restoring checks and balances to government -- attacking what they call a "culture of corruption."

In the most recent ABC News poll, Democrats had increased their advantage over Republicans on the question of whom the public trusts to "handle ethics in government" -- leading 47 percent to 38 percent. Democrats also held a 42 to 34 percent advantage on "standing up to lobbyists and special interest groups." Depending on its resonance, the scandal could affect presidential politics heading into 2008, with campaign finance reformers like Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis. -- both of them eyeing a run -- benefiting.


Copyright © 2006 ABC News Internet Ventures

[Coda]

x

[Root Doctor]

Originally Posted by Coda

Abramoff it is.

I work with an Abrams and made a mistake. I'll have to work on an official source, got the data from a blog but should be able to work backwards for you.

My guess is it's this one:

http://www.gopsenators.com/glasshouses

[Scott Dolan]

Originally Posted by rollie

aparatchiks

Missing something there?

Except for the "little dark of night" left in the brains of those defending Republicans and Republican policies.

Are you referring to me?

Shall we play 20 questions that rollie refuses to answer again? Or will you run away from this thread if that happens and start another one calling me a Republican toady?

You are one of the few here dense enough to think that Republican=bad guys, Democrats=good guys. You, lynn, and TG are the most vocal advocates of the Democratic party here. The only difference being that they openly admit being rabidly partisan.

Most others here, on either side of the aisle, have the common sense to understand that government is run by crooks, cheats, and liars. No matter what capital letter comes after their name.

[Chris D]

Most of that money spread to Dems is really small potatoes, and it's common for lobbyists to at least make a gesture of "evenhandedness" in their palm greasing. Abramhoff was a Republican superstar; you can bet the GOP bigwigs are crapping their pants over his promise to cooperate.

[Coda]

x

[Root Doctor]

I wonder if we can sue for breach of contract:

http://www.house.gov/house/Contract/CONTRACT.html

[Scott Dolan]

Originally Posted by Root Doctor

I wonder if we can sue for breach of contract:

http://www.house.gov/house/Contract/CONTRACT.html

Newt would be spinning in his grave, if he were dead!

[Scott Dolan]

Coda, you're really not helping your cause, brother.

[Gordon B]

Today's WAPO indicates that six Congressmen/Senators have been fingered by Abramoff.

Scott, I think the reasons why Malkin wants the DOJ to go after Congressmen on the take isn't because Democrats as well as Republicans take bribes. It's because bribery is wrong and illegal.

The six sitting members of Congress named by Abramoff are very likely to be six Republicans.

One could argue that on some level all lobbyists engage in bribery, albeit mostly of the wink-wink kind.

[Scott Dolan]

Originally Posted by Gordon B

Scott, I think the reasons why Malkin wants the DOJ to go after Congressmen on the take isn't because Democrats as well as Republicans take bribes. It's because bribery is wrong and illegal.

And I agreed. Sorry if my answer wasn't clear.

[Monte Smith]

Originally Posted by Gordon B

Today's WAPO indicates that six Congressmen/Senators have been fingered by Abramoff.

Cripes, as if bribery isn't enough!

Goody Got Me Banned!