A number of religious groups and nonprofits are fighting a proposed ban on members of Congress accepting privately financed travel, arguing that their “activities are far different from the golfing and exotic foreign junkets that have been the centerpiece of recent lobbying scandals.” According to The Hill newspaper, the groups leading the fight are the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the American Jewish Committee (AJC), the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, and the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities. Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) has raised the possibility of modifying the Democratic proposals after “discussions on things like the Faith and Politics trip to Selma and Montgomery or the Aspen Institute or other like institutions.”
Continue readingIraq Contractor Trial Underway:
A retired brigadier general told a grand jury that the work of two U.S. contractors “was probably the worst I've ever seen in my 30 years in the Army.” The Washington Post reports on the trial of Michael Battles and Scott Custer, accused of defrauding the American government and the Coalition Provisional Authority, the American-run government of post-invasion Iraq, of millions of dollars. The general, Hugh Tant III, accused the pair of providing trucks that did not work and “failed to perform adequately in supplying cabins, mattresses, generators and Internet service to troops who were distributing the new dinar in the fall of 2003.”
Continue readingAbramoff, Rove Ties Examined:
Jack Abramoff contacted White House aide Karl Rove four times to arrange for his client, the President of Malaysia, to meet with President Bush, according to former associates of the disgraced lobbyist. The Los Angeles Times reports that the Malaysian government paid $1.2 million to the American International Center, a shell company set up by Michael Scanlon and Abramoff, to lobby the White House for a meeting between the two Presidents. President Bush eventually met with President Mahathir in May of 2002 after Rove approved the meeting, according to the Times source. The White House denies that Abramoff’s lobbying played any part in Mahathir’s visit, stating that “the meeting was arranged through normal channels.”
Continue readingK Street Continues to Grow:
Patton Boggs reigns supreme as the leading lobby shop in Washington after the early returns on end-of-year lobbying disclosure forms came in. The Hill newspaper has a round-up of the top lobby shops and the biggest growing shops. Patton Boggs jumped from $31 million in income in 2004 to $37 million and “[r]oughly half of firms that fell in the top 25 a year ago reported rising revenues in 2005.” Perhaps “2005 could wind up being a high-water mark for the lobbying industry,” with the intense scrutiny on the practice in the media and Congress but, “lobbyists said that so far their business hasn’t suffered under the intense spotlight, as both retainers and client lists are continuing to grow.”
Continue readingLobbyists Eye Pork for Greasing, Lawmakers Eye Reform:
The former chief of staff to Appropriations Chairman Jerry Lewis (R-CA) – now a lobbyist – is a master at greasing the wheels to get earmarks, for her clients from the Chairman, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Letitia White’s lobbying firm and their clients have contributed 37 percent of the $1.3 million raised by Lewis’ political action committee over the past six years while she has obtained numerous earmarks for her clients, defense contractors and California municipalities. Congress is eyeing reform of this practice as the federal budget deficit swells to unheard of proportions. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Trent Lott (R-CA); John McCain (R-AZ) and Tom Coburn (R-OK); and Barack Obama (D-IL) all have varying proposals to reform the process. Meanwhile, The Hill newspaper reports that some lawmakers receive earmark requests via e-mail, making the process easier for both parties.
Continue readingReed Info Sought in Abramoff Probe:
A subpoena issued to the U.S. Family Network relating to its relationship with convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff mentions former Christian Coalition head Ralph Reed, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Reed was named along with another long-time Abramoff friend Grover Norquist, the head of Americans for Tax Reform. Reed denies any wrongdoing.
Ohio Officials Did Not Act on Noe Crimes:
The Attorney General Jim Petro (R) and the State Auditor Betty Montgomery (R) “failed to take action” for nearly two months after they learned the indicted Republican donor Tom Noe was misusing funds, according to the Toledo Blade. Montgomery and Petro both received campaign contributions from Noe and his wife, receiving $8,100 and $6,000 respectively. Petro is also being accused of taking away state legal work from two law firms after their principals refused to contribute to his campaign. According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the FBI is investigating allegations made by Jack Morrison and Ray Weber that Petro “punished them in 2002 for not supporting his campaign by withdrawing special-counsel contracts they had received from former Attorney General Betty Montgomery to handle patent and intellectual- property matters.” The Plain Dealer reports that, “Petro has been dogged by complaints that he has used the special counsel program as a fund-raising ATM, collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars from lawyers after awarding them unbid contracts.”
Continue readingLos Angeles Ethics Commission Calls for Public Financing:
After a record setting year for independent campaign expenditures, the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission is calling for the public financing of elections, according to the Los Angeles Times. Corporations, unions, and individuals spent $4.9 million on the election last year with 96% percent of that money spent in the final thirty days of the election. Studies show that “independent expenditures ballooned from $323,000 in 1993 to $3.2 million in 2001,” while the 2005 number was 54% higher than the 2001 amount. The Times also notes that, “298 lobbyists and 134 lobbying firms accounted for nearly $600,000 in contributions to 18 candidates. Lobbyists also engaged in fundraising to bring in an additional $450,000 for 14 of the candidates.”
Continue readingProsecutors Issue New Subpoena in Abramoff Case:
Justice Department prosecutors issued subpoenas for the records of the U.S. Family Network, a non-profit started in 1996 by Ed Buckham, then-chief of staff to Tom DeLay (R-TX). According to the National Journal, of particular interest to prosecutors is a $15,600 payment by the U.S. Family Network “to Liberty Consulting, a firm run by Lisa Rudy, the wife of Tony Rudy, who was a deputy chief of staff to DeLay before becoming a lobbying colleague of Abramoff's.” Tony Rudy has subsequently been named in Abramoff’s plea agreement with federal prosecutors. Named in the subpoena of the U.S. Family Network are Tony and Lisa Rudy; Ed Buckham and his wife, Wendy; “several dozen other individuals and groups that have been linked to Abramoff by investigators and news reports;” and Abramoff associates Ralph Reed and Grover Norquist.
Continue readingAbramoff Claimed Close Ties to Karl Rove:
Former associates of Jack Abramoff claim that the ex-lobbyist “frequently told them he had strong ties to the White House through presidential confidant Karl Rove.” The Associated Press reports that, “One said he was present when Abramoff took a call from Rove's office to confirm a White House meeting had been approved between Malaysia's prime minister and Bush in May 2002. Abramoff was being paid by Malaysia for helping it in Washington, according to evidence the Senate has made public.” Rove’s executive assistant is Susan Ralston, a former top assistant to Abramoff. Rove, through a spokesman, describes Abramoff as a “casual acquaintance.”
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