Abramoff

[yeahwho]

Abramoff, 46, admitted that he did not disclose receiving kickbacks on payments from Native American tribes to a partner's public relations firm.

He also acknowledged that some of his money did not go to charities, as he had reported, but paid for a golf trip to Scotland


"Words can never express my sorrow and profound regret," Abramoff told U.S. District Court Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle.

"Nor can they express my sadness and regret for my conduct," he added. " I ask for forgiveness and redemption from (the) Almighty."

Kickback scheme detailed (http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/01/03/abramoff.plea/index.html)

[kaiser soze]

he looked like a mobster walking out of the courtroom

fuck all these thieving thugs...the dominos are falling!

[marsdaddy]

Say it with me now, SCAPEGOAT!

[Documad]

he looked like a mobster walking out of the courtroom

fuck all these thieving thugs...the dominos are falling!
Yeah, that was an unfortunate choice of hat and coat. :)

So it looks like he's going to cooperate with the prosecution, and he has incentive to do so because if he does, they will recommend a reduction in his sentence? I'm not sure how that works, but I can't wait to hear what he has to say.

[Ali]

Oh, look, another white criminal.

And I thought that it was only black people who broke the law, according to some.

[Ali]

Bush, DeLay give back Abramoff funds
Hastert also joins list of politicians seeking distance from scandal
By Michael Kranish, Globe Staff | January 5, 2006 (http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2006/01/05/bush_delay_give_back_abramoff_funds?mode=PF)

WASHINGTON -- House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, Representative Tom DeLay, and President Bush yesterday joined the growing list of powerful politicians rushing to give back campaign contributions they received through influential lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

But their attempts to distance themselves from Abramoff have brought new attention to letters some of them wrote on behalf of his principal clients -- Native American tribes with casino gambling interests.

Hastert, who received $69,000 over a four-year period, wrote a letter to Interior Secretary Gale Norton three years ago, urging her to side with Abramoff's clients in an Indian casino-gambling dispute.

The letters to Norton, whose department has jurisdiction in the matter, urged an outcome that matched the wishes of two of Abramoff's tribal clients who wanted to stop competition from the proposed casino.

The Senate minority leader, Harry Reid, who wrote a similar letter to Norton, said through his spokesman yesterday that he would not return the $30,500 that he received from Abramoff's clients. Reid's spokesman, Jim Manley, said the Democrat did nothing wrong, and sought to keep the focus on the GOP, saying, ''This is a Republican scandal."

The involvement of the top House Republican and the top Senate Democrat in matters relating to Abramoff's clients underscores the potential breadth of the investigation into the lobbyists activities, a probe that has sent shock waves across Capitol Hill.

Known as a top Washington lobbyist, Abramoff had vast influence and gave generously to Democrats and Republicans alike, but federal prosecutors say he used his deep pockets and political connections to bribe lawmakers and to swindle his tribal clients. Abramoff pleaded guilty in Washington on Tuesday to charges of tax evasion, fraud, and conspiracy. Yesterday he pleaded guilty in Miami to financial fraud in connection with the purchase of a Miami cruise line. Political observers say it is possible some members of Congress will be swept into the ongoing corruption investigation.

So far, however, the government has officially referred to just one unnamed lawmaker who allegedly received bribes from Abramoff; Representative Bob W. Ney, an Ohio Republican, has identified himself as that congressman and has denied wrongdoing. The other prominent politician frequently mentioned in the scandal is DeLay, a Texas Republican and former House majority leader who often worked closely with Abramoff.

Though several lawmakers wrote letters supporting Abramoff's clients, former House counsel Stanley Brand said ''not everyone who signed the letters is guilty of a crime, [but] everyone who signed the letters will get looked at" by Justice Department investigators. ''I have no doubt that the department, by the time it is over, will have looked at dozens of members."

There's no evidence that Bush is personally involved in the scandal, but Abramoff was a top fund-raiser for the president, collecting more than $100,000 for Bush's 2004 reelection and earning premier status within the campaign. The White House said yesterday that the $6,000 Abramoff personally donated to Bush's 2000 and 2004 campaigns will be donated to the American Heart Association.

Over a four-year period, Hastert and his committee received $69,000 from Abramoff and his tribal clients, including a personal donation of $2,500 from Abramoff. In June 3, 2003, Hastert attended a fund-raiser at Abramoff's restaurant, Signatures, collecting $21,500 for Keep Our Majority, his political action committee.

A week later, Hastert wrote to Norton, urging her to reject the plans of the Jena tribe of the Choctaw Indians to build a casino in Louisiana. That proposal had stirred opposition among several of Abramoff's clients, including the Mississippi band of the Choctaws and the Coushatta tribe of Louisiana, neither of which wanted the competition. The letter told Norton that approving the new casino would ''run counter to congressional intent."

Abramoff frequently made his money by helping tribes already in the gambling industry to quash any competing interests, even if they were other tribes.

Hastert's letter was signed by three of his top deputies in the House: DeLay, Roy Blunt, and Eric Cantor. DeLay received $30,500 from Abramoff and his clients; Blunt got $8,500 from Abramoff's clients; and Cantor received at least $9,000 from Abramoff, according to campaign records. DeLay, Blunt, and Cantor yesterday joined Hastert in promising to return the contributions.

The effort to persuade Norton to oppose the Jena tribe's casino did not pay off. She approved a deal in which the tribe could acquire land for a casino, but Louisiana officials have stalled the proposal.

''Clearly, Abramoff has pleaded guilty to several offenses, so this is the appropriate action to take," said Geoff Embler, Cantor's press secretary.

He said Cantor signed the letter ''consistent with his long-held opposition to casino gambling," and contended that the congressman never met with Abramoff.

Similarly, Reid, the former chief gaming regulator in Nevada, twice joined with Senator John Ensign, Republican of Nevada, to write Norton and ask her to oppose the casino.

Reid, however, said through his spokesman that he sees no reason to return the money Abramoff's clients gave him. ''He has done nothing improper in that he feels that any contributions received by the campaign were part of the course of lawful fund-raising," his spokesman Manley said, adding that Reid never met with Abramoff.

More than two dozen members of Congress have returned Abramoff-related contributions.

Ensign, who received $5,000 from Abramoff, gave the same amount to a charity in October ''based on the controversy surrounding Mr. Abramoff," spokesman Jack Finn said.

[sam i am]

The guy is a piece of shit.

Say goodbye to DeLay...he'll NEVER be majority leader again after this crap.

For an interesting perspective on this (and possible Presidential ambitions), see the attached :

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060105/ap_on_go_pr_wh/abramoff_fallout

AND, for the fact that this crap happens on both sides :

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060105/ap_on_el_se/hillary_clinton_fundraising


The bottom line is that incumbency has become a cancer on the American political body. I'm for independent redistricting so the next generation of politicians has to go out and CAMPAIGN for their ideas instead of just sitting back and accepting their friggin coronations every 2 years.

Who's with me?

[Funkaloyd]

Yeah, I'd say you guys need more democratic democracy in general. Nationwide adoption of instant-runoff or single transferable voting systems would go a long way too.

[sam i am]

Yeah, I'd say you guys need more democratic democracy in general. Nationwide adoption of instant-runoff or single transferable voting systems would go a long way too.

Explain. I'm not familiar with the current system in New Zealand.

Also, keep in mind that the US is a representative democracy, not a parliamentary democracy, like most of the others. It does make a difference when you're talking about the "level" of democracy inherent in the system.

[D_Raay]

All of official Washington is at this moment waiting with bated breath for the avalanche. Jack Abramoff, the disgraced super-lobbyist, has made a plea agreement in the massive prosecution against him and his cronies. Every talking head who has spoken on the subject has stated bluntly that the fallout from this plea deal will almost certainly result in the largest scandal to hit the capital in decades.

The questions, of course, are straightforward: Who is involved? Who took money from this guy? Who is on his pad? Most significantly, who did Abramoff name when he decided to sing to the prosecutors?

Republicans, nervous about the bad noise to come, have attempted to paint this as an equal-opportunity crime. To wit, the Democrats are into Abramoff as deeply as the GOP. The facts, however, do not bear this out. According to campaign donation information gathered by the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics, the following officeholders and candidates have received political donations from Abramoff since 2000:

Tom DeLay (R-Texas). John Ashcroft (R-Mo.). Frank A. LoBiondo (R-NJ). Eric Cantor (R-Va.). Arlen Specter (R-Pa.). John Ensign (R-Nev.). Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.). Charles H. Taylor (R-NC). Chris Cannon (R-Utah). Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa). Mark Foley (R-Fla.). Richard Pombo (R-Calif.). Christopher S. "Kit" Bond (R-Mo.). Curt Weldon (R-Pa.). Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.). Doug Ose (R-Calif.). Ernest J. Istook (R-Okla.). George R. Nethercutt Jr. (R-Wash.). Jim Bunning (R-Ky.). Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.). Tom Feeney (R-Fla.). Dan Burton (R-Ind.). Eric Cantor (R-Va.). Suzanne Terrell (R-La.). Rob Simmons (R-Conn.). Charles W. "Chip" Pickering Jr. (R-Miss.). Connie Morella (R-Md.). Gordon H. Smith (R-Ore.). James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.). James M. Talent (R-Mo.). John T. Doolittle (R-Calif.). John Thune (R-SD). Tim Hutchinson (R-Ark.). Bob Smith (R-Fla.). Bob Ney (R-Ohio). CL. "Butch" Otter (R-Idaho). Carolyn W. Grant (R-NC). Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.). Elizabeth Dole (R-NC). Heather Wilson (R-NM). J. Randy Forbes (R-Va.). Jack Kingston (R-Ga.). James V. Hansen (R-Utah). John Cornyn (R-Texas). Kimo Kaloi (R-Hawaii). Marilyn Musgrave (R-Colo.). Mike Ferguson (R-NJ). Mike Simpson (R-Idaho). Ralph Regula (R-Ohio). Ric Keller (R-Fla.). Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.). Ted Stevens (R-Alaska). Thad Cochran (R-Miss.). Dave Camp (R-Mich.). Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.). Tom Young (R-Ala.). Bill Janklow (R-SD). Craig Thomas (R-Wyo.). Spencer Abraham (R-Mich.). William L. Gormley (R-NJ). Bill McCollum (R-Fla.). Bill Redmond (R-NM). Bob Riley (R-Ala.). Claude B. Hutchison Jr. (R-Calif.). Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.). Francis E. Flotron (R-Mo.). George Allen (R-Va.). Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.). Walter B. Jones Jr. (R-NC). Paul Ryan (R-Wis.). Bob Smith (R-Fla.). Joe Pitts (R-PA). Charles H. Taylor (R-NC). Bob Ehrlich (R-Md.). Charles R. Gerow (R-Pa.). Ed Royce (R-Calif.). Elia Vincent Pirozzi (R-Calif.). Jerry Weller (R-Ill.). Mark Emerson (R-Utah). Tom Davis (R-Va.). Van Hilleary (R-Tenn.).

Also:

Americans for a Republican Majority, Leadership PAC of Tom DeLay (R-Texas). Republican Majority Fund, Leadership PAC of Don Nickles (R-Okla.). Keep Our Majority PAC, Leadership PAC of Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.). Leadership PAC, Leadership PAC of Michael G. Oxley (R-Ohio). Rely on Your Beliefs, Leadership PAC of Roy Blunt (R-Mo.). Friends of the Big Sky, Leadership PAC of Conrad Burns (R-Mont.). Senate Victory Fund, Leadership PAC of Thad Cochran (R-Miss.). American Liberty PAC, Leadership PAC of Bob Ney (R-Ohio). Battle Born PAC, Leadership PAC of John Ensign (R-Nev.). Fund for a Free Market America, Leadership PAC of Phil Crane (R-Ill.). Team PAC, Leadership PAC of J.D. Hayworth (R-Ariz.). The Republican Party of New Jersey.

Also:

George W. Bush (R).

Notice anything similar? Each and every name listed, each and every PAC, has an (R) after it. The Center for Responsive Politics does not have one Democrat - not one - listed as having received a donation from Jack Abramoff. The amounts given to the Republicans listed above amounts to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

In extremis, Republicans have taken to bandying about the name of Byron Dorgan, Democratic Senator from North Dakota, as evidence that this Abramoff thing is a two-party scandal. Dorgan received $67,000 from Native American tribes represented by Abramoff - not from Abramoff himself - and has since returned the money. Furthermore, he got the money before the tribes had any dealings with Abramoff. In short, Dorgan's so-called involvement in the matter is a red herring.

As for Mr. Bush, he has given the Abramoff money he received to charity, according to the White House. DNC Chairman Howard Dean pegged the total amount Bush received from Abramoff at $100,000. Abramoff attended three Hannukah receptions at the Bush White House - Hannukah? What happened to fighting the War on Christmas? - but Bush denies knowing him. "The president does not know him and does not recall meeting him," said White House spokesman Scott McClellan. "It is possible that he could have met him at a holiday reception or some other widely attended event."

Heh. Sounds like what we heard from Bush about Kenny "Boy" Lay.

It is going to be an interesting year.

[sam i am]

If they give the money back or donate it, do you feel they're still "tainted" by the whole Abramoff thing?

Or, do they get off the prosecutorial hook by doing so?

[yeahwho]

If they give the money back or donate it, do you feel they're still "tainted" by the whole Abramoff thing?

Or, do they get off the prosecutorial hook by doing so?

Donating the money to charity is still a tax break. Hopefully it's not being donated to one of the fake charities that Abramoff set up.

[valvano]

I read in the paper here in Richmond that Cantor gave his contribution to one of the local cancer funds here...

Of course, you know its bad when they can get a congressman to wear a wire:

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1146700,00.html

And if you looking for some Democrats who took his money ( or money associated with his clients), here you go:

http://www.noagenda.org/connections/jack_abramoff/


Just proves that they are all crooks, reps, dems, libs, cons, etc.....
get rid of them all and start all over again... (y)

[kaiser soze]

looks like the fuckers took notes from "Animal Farm"

[D_Raay]

I read in the paper here in Richmond that Cantor gave his contribution to one of the local cancer funds here...

Of course, you know its bad when they can get a congressman to wear a wire:

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1146700,00.html

And if you looking for some Democrats who took his money ( or money associated with his clients), here you go:

http://www.noagenda.org/connections/jack_abramoff/


Just proves that they are all crooks, reps, dems, libs, cons, etc.....
get rid of them all and start all over again... (y)
Now you are on me and sam's page val. Really is the only way to go.

[sam i am]

Now you are on me and sam's page val. Really is the only way to go.

True story. If term limits aren't the answer (and I think they derail democracy over helping it, IMO), then independent redistricting to make congressional races more competetive across the board certainly is.

No more "majority black" or "majority white middle class" or "majority hispanic" districts! Redraw and watch the current crop of politicians squirm to finance their campaigns and force them to come up with real agendas and SELL them to those who aren't inherently on their side to begin with.