Corruption Inquiry Threatens to Ensnare GOP Lawmakers

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19 - The Justice Department has signaled for the first time in recent weeks that prominent members of Congress could be swept up in the corruption investigation of Jack Abramoff, the former Republican superlobbyist who diverted some of his tens of millions of dollars in fees to provide lavish travel, meals and campaign contributions to the lawmakers whose help he needed most.

The investigation by a federal grand jury, which began more than a year ago, has created alarm on Capitol Hill, especially with the announcement Friday of criminal charges against Michael Scanlon, Mr. Abramoff's former lobbying partner and a former top House aide to Representative Tom DeLay.

The charges against Mr. Scanlon identified no lawmakers by name, but a summary of the case released by the Justice Department accused him of being part of a broad conspiracy to provide "things of value, including money, meals, trips and entertainment to federal public officials in return for agreements to perform official acts" - an attempt at bribery, in other words, or something close to it.

Mr. Abramoff, who is under indictment in a separate bank-fraud case in Florida, has not been charged by the federal grand jury here. But Mr. Scanlon's lawyer says he has agreed to plead guilty and cooperate in the investigation, suggesting that Mr. Abramoff's day in court in Washington is only a matter of time.

Scholars who specialize in the history and operations of Congress say that given the brazenness of Mr. Abramoff's lobbying efforts, as measured by the huge fees he charged clients and the extravagant gifts he showered on friends on Capitol Hill, almost all of them Republicans, the investigation could end up costing several lawmakers their careers, if not their freedom.

The investigation threatens to ensnarl many outside Congress as well, including Interior Department officials and others in the Bush administration who were courted by Mr. Abramoff on behalf of the Indian tribe casinos that were his most lucrative clients.

The inquiry has already reached into the White House; a White House budget official, David H. Safavian, resigned only days before his arrest in September on charges of lying to investigators about his business ties to Mr. Abramoff, a former lobbying partner.

"I think this has the potential to be the biggest scandal in Congress in over a century," said Thomas E. Mann, a Congressional specialist at the Brookings Institution. "I've been around Washington for 35 years, watching Congress, and I've never seen anything approaching Abramoff for cynicism and chutzpah in proposing quid pro quos to members of Congress."

Even by the gold-plated standards of Washington lobbying firms, the fees paid to Mr. Abramoff were extraordinary. A former president of the College Republicans who turned to lobbying after a short-lived career as a B-movie producer, Mr. Abramoff, with his lobbying team, collected more than $80 million from the Indian tribes and their gambling operations; he was known by lobbying rivals as "Casino Jack."

Mr. Abramoff's lobbying work was not limited to the casinos, though. Newly disclosed documents from his files show that he asked for $9 million in 2003 from the president of Gabon, in West Africa, to set up a White House meeting with President Bush; there was an Oval Office meeting last year, although there is no evidence in the public record to show that Mr. Abramoff had a role in the arrangements.

Fred Wertheimer of Democracy 21, an ethics watchdog group that has called for tighter lobbying rules, said it was too early to say whether the Abramoff investigation would produce anything like the convulsion in Congress during the Abscam investigations of the 1980's, when one senator and five House members were convicted on bribery and other charges after an F.B.I. sting involving a phony Arab sheik.

"But this clearly has the potential," Mr. Wertheimer said.

So far, one member of Congress, Representative Bob Ney, an Ohio Republican who is chairman of the House Administration Committee, has acknowledged receiving a subpoena from the grand jury investigating Mr. Abramoff. Another, Representative John T. Doolittle, Republican of California, has acknowledged that his wife, who helped Mr. Abramoff organize fund-raisers, was subpoenaed.

Continued: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/20/politics/20lobby.html

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Ex-DeLay Aide Pleads Guilty in Conspiracy

By PETE YOST, Associated Press Writer 44 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Michael Scanlon, a former partner to lobbyist Jack Abramoff, pleaded guilty Monday to conspiring to bribe public officials, a charge growing out of the government investigation of attempts to defraud Indian tribes and corrupt a member of Congress.

Scanlon, a former aide to Rep. Tom DeLay, entered the plea before U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle and agreed to pay restitution totaling more than $19 million to the tribes.

Scanlon, who is expected to cooperate in the investigation of Abramoff and members of Congress, could face up to five years in prison.

Outside the courthouse, Scanlon attorney Plato Cacheris said his client "is regretful for what happened to the tribes" and is trying to do what is right by cooperating with the investigation.

The charge was in a criminal information filed Friday accusing Scanlon of conspiring with Abramoff to defraud Indian tribes and engage in a corrupt scheme that lavished trips, sports tickets and campaign donations on a member of Congress, Rep. Bob Ney (news, bio, voting record), R-Ohio.

DeLay is among those facing scrutiny for his associations with Abramoff, including a trip to Scotland and use of Abramoff's skybox at a Washington sports arena.

Abramoff's lobbying network stretched far into the halls of Congress. Documents obtained by The Associated Press show nearly three dozen lawmakers helping to block an American Indian casino in Louisiana while collecting large donations from the lobbyist and his tribal clients.

Among the documents were private e-mails, released by the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, in which Abramoff said he had persuaded Ney to attach language to an election reform bill to help an American Indian tribe in Texas reopen a closed casino.

Abramoff directed a Texas tribe, the Tiguas, to donate to Ney's re-election campaign and PAC by e-mail.

Abramoff and Scanlon were paid more than $80 million between 2001 and 2004 by six American Indian tribes with casinos.

Mark Tuohey, a Washington attorney for Ney, has said the congressman was misled by other people and was a victim in the circumstances involving Scanlon.

Ney's office performed certain acts and "there was certain other wining and dining situations like other people do," Tuohey said.

DeLay, who relinquished his post as House minority leader after a separate indictment in Texas, is due in court in Austin Tuesday for a hearing seeking dismissal of conspiracy and money laundering charges.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051121/ap_on_re_us/lobbyist_tribes

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Grab your barf bag before you read:

Cheney will speak at DeLay fundraiser

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/3476705.html

WASHINGTON - One of the most powerful members of the House usually does not need the vice president to campaign for him, but then again, this is an unusual time for Rep. Tom DeLay.

So on Dec. 5, Dick Cheney is scheduled to speak at what promises to be a lucrative re-election fundraiser in Houston for the Sugar Land Republican.

The vice president's first appearance on DeLay's behalf is proof that the lawmaker, who faces two felony charges in Texas, still has powerful allies.

"It points out that the party is behind (DeLay) and the (Bush) administration is supportive and wants to keep Congressman DeLay in office," said Eric Thode, chairman of the Republican Party of Fort Bend County.

DeLay stepped aside as House majority leader after being indicted on campaign finance-related charges in Travis County.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Update:

Abramoff probe broader than thought

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department's probe of Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff is broader than previously thought, examining his dealings with four lawmakers, former and current congressional aides and two former Bush administration officials, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

Prosecutors in the department's public integrity and fraud divisions are looking into Abramoff's dealings with four Republicans -- former House of Representatives Majority Leader
Tom DeLay of Texas, Rep. Bob Ney (news, bio, voting record) of Ohio, Rep. John Doolittle (news, bio, voting record) of California and Sen. Conrad Burns (news, bio, voting record) of Montana, the paper said, citing several people close to the investigation.

Abramoff is under investigation over his lobbying efforts for Indian tribes with casinos. He has also pleaded not guilty to federal charges in Florida that he defrauded lenders in a casino cruise line deal.

The prosecutors are also investigating at least 17 current and former congressional aides, about half of whom later took lobbying jobs with Abramoff, as well as an official from the Interior Department and another from the government's procurement office, the Journal said.

It said investigators were looking into whether Abramoff and his partners made illegal payoffs to the lawmakers and aides in the form of campaign contributions, sports tickets, meals, travel and job offers, in exchange for helping their clients.

DeLay and Ney have already retained criminal defense lawyers.

More: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051125/ts_nm/crime_lobbyist_report_dc_2;_ylt=AgO1Zagu7fF_dyi4T8 KCYKOGbToC;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Step aside DeLay and Ney, two more Republicans named in spiralling Abramoff case: Sen. Conrad Burns and Rep. John Doolittle.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/25/AR2005112501423.html?sub=AR

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Another one bites the dust...

Calif. Congressman Admits Taking Bribes

AP - 39 minutes ago

SAN DIEGO - Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, an eight-term congressman and hotshot Vietnam War fighter jock, pleaded guilty to graft and tearfully resigned Monday, admitting he took $2.4 million in bribes mostly from defense contractors in exchange for government business and other favors. "The truth is I broke the law, concealed my conduct, and disgraced my office," the 63-year-old Republican said at a news conference. "I know that I will forfeit my freedom, my reputation, my worldly possessions, most importantly, the trust of my friends and family."

http://news.yahoo.com/fc/us/us_congress

[W*GS]

Another one bites the dust...

"The truth is I broke the law, concealed my conduct, and disgraced my office," the 63-year-old Republican said at a news conference. "I know that I will forfeit my freedom, my reputation, my worldly possessions, most importantly, the trust of my friends and family."

At least he came out and 'fessed up - better than most politicos who go down swinging and refuse to acknowledge their crimes.

The guy's a scum regardless.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

GOP criminality as far as the eye can see?

Time for W*GS to change the subject to Clinton's zipper!

http://www.bartcop.com/duke_busted.jpg
Former Rep Duke Cunningham (R-CA)

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

http://www.bartcop.com/dyna-vest.gif

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

The GOP's culture of corruption

Only now is the general public starting to learn how corruption swept through the GOP after the party's rise to majority status in the '90s. But it didn't happen suddenly.

http://alternet.org/story/28891/

The old saying goes that even a broken clock is right twice a day. So when Democrats accuse Republicans of fostering a culture of corruption, it proves the old saying true. (That's once; the other time they've been right lately is in calling for an early withdrawal from Iraq.)

We saw further evidence of the GOP's culture of corruption yesterday when California Republican Rep. Randy Cunningham resigned from Congress after admitting to taking $2 million in bribes from a defense contractor.

But Randy is a small fry; his take is chump change. Further up the GOP food chain, the crimes and corruption are so enormous they would have left even Carl Sagan at a loss for superlatives. (Billions upon billions upon billions…)

Only now is the general public starting to learn just how corruption swept through the GOP ranks after the party's rise to majority status in the 1990s. But it didn't happen all at once. And it didn't begin yesterday. It began over eleven years ago.

Continued at link...

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

California's 'Duke' heads to the pokey

For a crude bully who used to bray about lining up Democrats and anti-war protesters to be "shot," Randy (Duke) Cunningham cried like a little baby the other day when he finally admitted taking millions in bribes from defense contractors.

http://www.observer.com/opinions_conason.asp

[W*GS]

This seems to be an appropriate time to query LABF about his party's dependency on the "donation" of tens of millions of dollars from George Soros and his pals.

What say you, LABF?

[bendog]

Wags, both parties take donations. But Duke gave contracts to people whom he extorted money from. Soros or Mellon-Scafide can give their money to whomever they like.

btw, I don't see that the gop is inherntly more crooked than the dems, but even the gop has some inside it who look at Randal Terry, Cunningham, Newt, et al. and think the Reagan revolution came in to clean out the inherent corruption in professional politicians and then turned into what they originally wanted to root out.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Wags, both parties take donations. But Duke gave contracts to people whom he extorted money from. Soros or Mellon-Scafide can give their money to whomever they like.

What is it about W*GS that he doesn't understand the difference?

Chalk it off to "blinded by the right," I suppose.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

btw, I don't see that the gop is inherntly more crooked than the dems...

If a look at the current political landscape isn't proof enough, then I don't know what is.

[W*GS]

What is it about W*GS that he doesn't understand the difference?

Oh, so you don't have a problem with your party being Soros' bitch?

I'll remember that.

[Traveler]

WASHINGTON — The Democrat helping to lead the Senate investigation into Jack Abramoff's Indian lobbying had his own connections to the controversial lobbyist's team and clients, including using his sports arena skybox to raise money.

Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., acknowledges he got Congress in fall 2003 to press government regulators to decide, after decades of delay, whether the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe of Massachusetts deserved federal recognition.

(more..)

http://www.ajc.com/news/content/shared-gen/ap/US_Congress/Tribes_Letters__Dollars.html

Damn! Let's see what happens now. Not good even if there is no wrong doing on Dorgans part. But if this admin can do it, guess Dorgan can too.

[bendog]

Oh, so you don't have a problem with your party being Soros' b****?

I'll remember that.
What's wrong with Soros?

[W*GS]

What's wrong with Soros?

He used his tremendous wealth to get the McCain-Feingold campaign finance "reform" bill passed, and then he used its provisions to steathily support the Democratic Party to the tune of tens of millions of his own funds.

Look him up at opensecrets.org - he and his ultrarich buddies rigged the system in their favor. You'll never hear a peep from LABF about it, because it exposes him (in yet another way) as the rank hypocrite he is.

[bendog]

OMG!!! A rich guy giving money!!! Call the cops!!!

Jesus Wags, you just proved the hypocrite pt there, man. LOL

[W*GS]

OMG!!! A rich guy giving money!!! Call the cops!!!

It's not just that - it's that Soros and his cabal rigged the system via McCain-Feingold to get around the prior limits on "contributions". McCain-Feingold set up "527" committees, which Soros et.al. promptly exploited - MoveOn.org, ACT, etc., etc.

For all the piffle we hear from LABF about "The Rich" wrecking the political system in this country, he has been deadly silent about this particular aspect of the issue. Clearly, he doesn't mind "The Rich" mangling things so long as his party is the beneficiary.

[bendog]

The gop will without a doubt continue to spend more money than the dems. The real impact of McCain Feingold is there is a bit more transparency to where the money comes from and where it goes. But regardless of whther the law is good or bad, you continue to be blind to the pt that there is a distinction, in both parties, between spending money to push the issues one likes or doesn't like, and what Duke Cunningham ... and the Dem from Philly ... did.

[W*GS]

The gop will without a doubt continue to spend more money than the dems.

Depends on how one counts the money.

But regardless of whther the law is good or bad, you continue to be blind to the pt that there is a distinction, in both parties, between spending money to push the issues one likes or doesn't like, and what Duke Cunningham ... and the Dem from Philly ... did.

There's not as much difference as you'd like to believe. Soros' spending of millions to get McCain-Feingold passed so he could spend tens of millions more to attempt to unseat Bush is no less loathsome than what Cunningham did. Soros has made the Democratic Party his personal plaything; do we really want a political system set up like that?

Soros and his pals manipulated the system toward their own ends via McCain-Feingold - that alone is enough to decide it's a bad law, aside from all its censorious and incumbent-protecting provisions. The day Bush signed that bill is one of the darker days in the history of American democracy.

[bendog]

You really think the gop is too stupid to play the game? Wags, I've come to the conclusion that people are right about you. You play a libertarian game, but at heart you are simply a hating goper.

[W*GS]

You really think the gop is too stupid to play the game?

Certainly not - but we've often heard that the GOP is nothing more than the party of the rich elite, so we'd expect them to hoover up millions. But when you look at opensecrets, you see that Soros and his pals have put more than enough into the Dems - more than any other single GOP donor. And, if it's true that the GOP gets more money overall than the Dems, that tells me that it's the Democratic Party that is truly the party of special interests - in that they receive far more proportionately from a small group of donors than the GOP does.

Wags, I've come to the conclusion that people are right about you. You play a libertarian game, but at heart you are simply a hating goper.

I won't apologize for setting the facts straight. If something I post is interpreted as exonerating the GOP in some way, that has more to do with the prejudices and biases of those who read my stuff rather than any bias on my part.

Let me make it clear - I detest the GOP and most of what they claim to believe. Same applies to the Democrats. However, the facts are what they are, and with Soros' support of McCain-Feingold and his later use of its provisions to dump tens of millions into the system to manipulate it to his own ends makes a joke of the whole thing.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

OMG!!! A rich guy giving money!!! Call the cops!!!

Jesus Wags, you just proved the hypocrite pt there, man. LOL

As usual.

When he sees a thread title like "Corruption Inquiry Threatens to Ensnare GOP Lawmakers," W*GS' knows it's time to change the subject to Clinton's wiener or Soros' stock portfolio.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

You really think the gop is too stupid to play the game? Wags, I've come to the conclusion that people are right about you. You play a libertarian game, but at heart you are simply a hating goper.

And the only person on this board who doesn't see it is The O'W*GS Factor himself.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

WASHINGTON — The Democrat helping to lead the Senate investigation into Jack Abramoff's Indian lobbying had his own connections to the controversial lobbyist's team and clients, including using his sports arena skybox to raise money.

Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., acknowledges he got Congress in fall 2003 to press government regulators to decide, after decades of delay, whether the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe of Massachusetts deserved federal recognition.

(more..)

http://www.ajc.com/news/content/shared-gen/ap/US_Congress/Tribes_Letters__Dollars.html

Damn! Let's see what happens now. Not good even if there is no wrong doing on Dorgans part. But if this admin can do it, guess Dorgan can too.

If this is true, then it's disgusting, and he should be thrown in the slam with all these other a$$holes.

[W*GS]

When he sees a thread title like "Corruption Inquiry Threatens to Ensnare GOP Lawmakers," W*GS' knows it's time to change the subject to Clinton's wiener or Soros' stock portfolio.

If anyone here is obsessed with Clinton's genitalia, it's you, LABF.

As for Soros, how is it that you allow him to make your party his be-atch?

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Dueling Quotes

"I want to assure my constituents that I have acted honorably."

- Randy "Duke" Cunningham, last July

http://villagevoice.com/blogs/bushbeat

"I broke the law, concealed my conduct and disgraced my high office."

- Randy "Duke" Cunningham, November 2005

http://villagevoice.com/blogs/bushbeat

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

"Duke" heads to the pokey

http://www.bartcop.com/randy-Cunningham-crying.jpg
"Boo hoo - I got caught..."

http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?itemid=20027

For a crude bully who used to bray about lining up Democrats and anti-war protesters to be “shot,” Randy (Duke) Cunningham cried like a little baby the other day when he finally admitted taking millions in bribes from defense contractors. During his career on Capitol Hill, Mr. Cunningham's style was loud, mindlessly reactionary and full of flag-waving bluster. He once described Bill Clinton as a “traitor” and compared Senator John Kerry to Jane Fonda on the House floor. This hyper-patriotic scoundrel also turned out to be avaricious, deceptive and as eager to sell himself as a male escort. He misused his authority to steer federal contracts to the contractors who bribed him, and he doesn't seem to have hesitated to damage the national interest if his personal interests were served."

This sick bastard lived in an $8M mansion - on a salary of $150K?

He drove a Rolls Royce and partied on his private yacht?

...and the American whore press stayed silent to protect him because he was a Republican.

They allowed him to direct defense contracts to companies who paid him the most. That's f-ing treason and we'll never know how many men died so "The Duke" could live like a king.

Cunningham Corruption Put Troops at Risk

http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=12844

Cunningham’s Washington meant launching biting partisan attacks and questioning the patriotism of his foes, all based on ostensible fealty to what was best for the troops, while in reality putting his own enrichment as his top priority. A look back at some of his most scathing denunciations of fellow veteran John Kerry last year shows that some of them came on the same days he was getting checks for as much as $500,000 in bribe money.

Cunningham has now confessed that he steered defense contracts because of that bribe money “and not because using Coconspirators Nos. 1 and 2 was in the best interest of the country.”

Considering one of those contracts was to find better ways to protect American troops from roadside bombs in Iraq, that alone is an admission that would bring shame to Cunningham. But there are many more admissions in that document — enough to catapult him, amazingly, to the top of the historical list for corruption in Congress.


...yet they calll Clinton "corrupt" because he had a girlfriend.

[Orange4ever]

"Duke" heads to the pokey

http://www.bartcop.com/randy-Cunningham-crying.jpg
"Boo hoo - I got caught..."

http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?itemid=20027


...yet they calll Clinton "corrupt" because he had a girlfriend.

No, we called him corrupt because he purjered himself, was impeached, waged an illegal war in Bosnia to cover domestic problems, arranged the "suicide" of Vince Foster, arranged the "plane crash" that killed Ron Brown who was going to tesify before congress, raped countless women and the cherry to top it all off, obtained money from the Chinese to finance his illegal re-election! Now that my liberal friend is corruption made into an art form!!

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

No, we called him corrupt because he purjered(sic) himself, was impeached, waged an illegal war in Bosnia to cover domestic problems, arranged the "suicide" of Vince Foster, arranged the "plane crash" that killed Ron Brown who was going to tesify before congress, raped countless women and the cherry to top it all off, obtained money from the Chinese to finance his illegal re-election! Now that my liberal friend is corruption made into an art form!!

rofl

Orange4ever with the standard Rehab Rush edition of right-wing fairy tales.

The only true statement is that Clinton was impeached.

However, this is something of a half-truth insofar as Clinton was impeached for lying about a personal matter (as opposed to lying about the reasons for taking the nation to war) and was acquitted by the U.S. Senate.