Tom DeLay (R-TX) remains in legal limbo with regards to the unfolding Jack Abramoff scandal that is roiling Congress, according to the Houston Chronicle. DeLay, who is under indictment for laundering money in Texas, “is likely to be linked to the probe for the foreseeable future because of his previous close association with Abramoff” despite recent comments made by Abramoff in a Vanity Fair interview about DeLay. Abramoff stated that “he didn't extensively lobby DeLay, partly because they already were in tune as conservatives.” However, DeLay’s involvement in any wrongdoing hinges on the cooperation of a former top aide, Tony Rudy, currently under investigation by the Justice Department. Rudy “is believed to be cooperating with federal officials, and sources close to the case said he is expected to reach a plea deal with the Justice Department.” Meanwhile, judicial partisanship may pop up again in DeLay’s appeal attempts on money laundering charges. One of the appeals court judges donated money to an opponent of prosecutor Ronnie Earle and another worked with an organization that had close ties to DeLay’s Texans for a Republican Majority, the PAC at the center of the money laundering case.
Continue readingSenate Finance Committee to Review Abramoff Charities:
In an “ongoing” and “broad-scale look” the Senate Finance Committee is preparing to delve into a “probe of nonprofits and foundations seeking to determine whether tax-exempt entities have abused their privilege in pursuit of political goals, including an examination of Abramoff-linked charities.” According to Roll Call, Finance Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) said that “he was not yet certain that there would be any hearings on the overall investigation into nonprofit abuse … but said any report or hearings held by his panel would cover a wide range of nonprofit activities, and not just focus on those associated with Abramoff.” A hearing would likely focus attention on how Abramoff used client money funneled through a non-profit to pay for the infamous Scotland golfing trip that included Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH), Religious Right activist Ralph Reed, and former procurement official David Safavian.
Continue readingJustice Department Pulls 9 Members Records, Some in Connection to Abramoff:
Roll Call reports that the Department of Justice has pulled the personal financial disclosure reports of nine members of Congress, some of them directly connected to Jack Abramoff. Those directly connected to the Abramoff case include Representatives Tom DeLay (R-TX), Bob Ney (R-OH), John Doolittle (R-CA), Senator Conrad Burns (R-MT), and a number of their aides. The other members listed, three Democrats and two Republicans, do not appear to have any connection with the Abramoff case and their records may have been accessed for separate matters. The article notes that, “Searching the financial disclosure forms of these lawmakers and ex-staffers is likely part of Justice’s efforts to match up actual ‘things of value,’ as they are known in legal terms, with so-called ‘official acts.’ While campaign contributions can be a part of an indictment against lawmakers and staff, Justice has usually shied away from bringing corruption cases unless they can show that politicians were actually receiving things of cash value for their own personal use.”
Continue readingVanity Fair Exclusive Abramoff Interview:
In an exclusive interview with Vanity Fair (to be published next week) ex-lobbyist and Republican heavyweight Jack Abramoff dishes on his GOP friends who have “airbrushed” him out of the Congress, the Party, and the White House. GOP Party chairman Ken Mehlmen, “exchanged e-mail with Abramoff, did him political favors (such as blocking Clinton administration alumnus Allen Stayman from keeping a State Department job), had Sabbath dinner at his house, and offered to pick up his tab at Signatures.” Karl Rove sat next to Abramoff for the NCAA Tournament games at the MCI Center and House Majority Leader John Boehner was a regular at Abramoff’s restaurant Signatures. Jack Abramoff on Newt Gingrich: “I have more pictures of him than I have of my wife!” President Bush once asked Abramoff, “What are you benching, buff guy?” Conrad Burns, “Every appropriation we wanted [from Burns’s committee] we got. … Our staffs were as close as they could be. They practically used Signatures as their cafeteria. I mean, it’s a little difficult for him to run from that record.”
Continue readingIn Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that a lobbyist hired by Gov. Sonny Perdue is taking heat for his ties to Jack Abramoff. … Lobbying reform, passed last year by the Florida Legislature, is already having an effect, and lawmakers are unhappy. The Miami Herald reports that lawmakers must now shell out $28 to go a big annual party thrown by the biggest lobbying group in Florida. Some lawmakers are challenging the legislation in court claiming that it bans lobbyists from making campaign contributions, a violation of the First Amendment. … New York legislator and union leader Brian McLaughlin’s offices were raided last Thursday as “part of a joint city and federal probe into an alleged bid-rigging scam,” according to the Village Voice. … REVOLVING DOOR ALERT: Bob Brooks, the chief of staff to Rep. Jim McCrery (R-FL), who is in line to be the next Ways of Means Chairman, will soon be lobbying on issues that come before his boss’ committee. Roll Call reports that Brooks has left Capitol Hill to work as a lobbyist at the Alpine Group where he will work on tax and financial services legislation. … According to the Washington Post, Maryland legislative leaders are calling for an investigation into government officials’ ties to Comcast. … The Hill reports that Democrats are indecisive in how they should treat their K Street affiliates. Should they court them? Should they avoid them? Should they avoid them before they court them? … Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) is being targeted by the Dem affiliated Senate Majority Project for his son’s work as a lobbyist, according to U.S. News and World Report.
Senators Call for Abramoff Special Prosecutor Over Island Security Report:
Two Senate Democrats, Jeff Bingaman (NM) and Ken Salazar (CO), wrote a letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales asking him to appoint a special prosecutor to “investigate lobbyist Jack Abramoff's activities in two Pacific island territories,” according to the Los Angeles Times. The Senator’s concern revolves around a Justice Department report that highlights security risks posed by immigration from the Northern Marianas Islands and Guam. Abramoff “bragged in a 2001 e-mail to his clients in Saipan that he would use his connections in the attorney general's office to block the anticipated report lest it fuel congressional efforts to place new immigration restrictions on the Northern Marianas.” The letter also asks for the special prosecutor to probe “Abramoff's role in the demotion of Frederick Black, the former acting U.S. attorney for the two Pacific island territories,” who was demoted in the midst of an investigation into Abramoff’s activity.
Continue readingAlaska Congressman Wants State to Pay for “Bridge to Nowhere”:
Rep. Don Young (R-AK) is furious that his earmarked “bridge to nowhere” became the object of derision and a symbol of congressional largesse and pork barrel spending, so he is asking the Alaska state government to pay for the two bridges to Ketchikan-Gravina Island and Knik. According to the Anchorage Daily News, Young blames John McCain (R-AZ) for the defeat of his earmarks and states his opposition to a McCain presidential campaign, “I may support Hillary Clinton if he gets the nomination.” Young also said “he has been unfairly pulled into the orbit of the Jack Abramoff scandal,” and denied that he addressed the Marshall Islands Legislature in Bermuda shorts on a trip organized by Abramoff as Islands legislators have claimed in recent reports.
Continue readingSubpoenas Issued for Abramoff-Russian Ties:
Investigators issued a subpoena to an associate of Jack Abramoff for all documents related to activities with “any department, ministry, or office holder or agent of the Russian government.” The Boston Globe reports that the subpoenas look to shine a light on the business dealings of, and possible congressional bribery by, Abramoff client Naftasib, a Russian energy giant and a “major supplier to the Russian military.” Investigators believe that Naftasib, run by Alexander Koulakovsky and Marina Nevskaya, paid Abramoff and his associates $2.1 million for lobbying services through a Dutch shell company, Voor Huisen. Of particular interest is a trip to Russia that Abramoff took with then-Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) arranged by Naftasib executives and the $1 million dollars Naftasib donated to U.S. Family Network, “a shell operation for Abramoff” run by former DeLay chief of staff Ed Buckham.
Continue readingRepublican Senator Considers Public Financing:
Senator George Voinovich (R-OH), the Ethics Committee chairman, is considering proposals for the public financing of elections, according to The Hill newspaper. The proposals are set to come from the joint efforts of Democratic Senators Chris Dodd (CT) and Dick Durbin (IL). Voinovich stated, “Maybe it is the answer. Too much of our time is spent raising money, time spent campaigning, time buying TV ads. When everyone’s out there trying to raise money, dialing for dollars ... until we deal with this issue you’re going to continue to have problems.” Durbin believes that “the heart of the lobbying reform question is still money.” Voinovich and Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD), Ethics Committee ranking member, also released last week correspondence from the Justice Department asking the Committee not to investigate Senators tied to Jack Abramoff.
Continue readingMalaysian Prime Minister Paid Abramoff $1.2 Million:
Ex-lobbyist Jack Abramoff was paid $1.2 million by the former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammed to set up a meeting with President Bush, according to the Associated Press. Mahathir was persuaded by the conservative Heritage Foundation to seek the meeting because, “the conservative think tank believed he could help ‘influence (Bush) in some way regarding U.S. policies.’” Sources claim that Abramoff used his connections to White House aide Karl Rove to set up the meeting. The Malaysian government also paid $300,000 to an Abramoff connected company to lobby members of Congress and to set up trips to the country, including a 2001 trip by then-Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX). Mahathir states that he cannot recall where the money paid to Abramoff came from but that it did not come from the Malaysian government.
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