Disclaimer: If you do not like a lot of detail and complications in your political corruption sagas, I can guarantee that the Abramoff "story" is no the one for you. I want this to be the thread where members can post new developments concerning the Abramoff related investigations, and political commentary and opinion. This could be the biggest web of interwined corrupt political relationships of the new century in Washington.
It's time for a thread devoted ti indictments related to lobbyist Jack Abramoff's criminal activities, because there is a potential that there will be a lot of them, and Abramoff had very close ties to republican politicians; (and to some democrats) Tom Delay, Bob Ney, Bush appointees Karl Rove, Susan Ralston, and even some dealings involving Bush, himself. Republican activist Grover Norquist and christian coalition founder Ralph Reed teamed to collect and process money thrown off from Abramoff's lobbying for indian tribes, and a senate committee headed by John McCain has unearthed Abramoff ties to a former undersecretary in the dept. of Interior, the federal department that administers native American affairs. The white house chief procurement officer, James Savarin, was already indicted in the same investigation in september.
There is plenty of background from my research here:
http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showpos...27&postcount=3
The most interesting thing is the story that Susan Ralston screened all of Karl Roves calls and pre-submitted all new callers to Grover Norquist. If Norquist approved, a caller was permitted to talk to Karl. Norquist is a republican operative who holds no elected office or political appointment. Susan Ralston, before coming to the white house in 2001, was a key assistant to Jank Abramoff.
Here is the Nov. 18, 2005 indictment:
Quote:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...801428_pf.html
Scanlon Charged With Conspiracy to Defraud
By PETE YOST
The Associated Press
Friday, November 18, 2005; 4:20 PM
WASHINGTON -- In a widening scandal on Capitol Hill, the government charged a partner of lobbyist Jack Abramoff on Friday with defrauding Indian tribes of millions of dollars in a scheme that lavished golf trips, meals and campaign donations on a member of Congress.
Michael Scanlon, an ex-aide to former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, is headed for federal court Monday on a conspiracy count contained in a criminal information, which typically is a prelude to a guilty plea and full cooperation with government investigators.
The eight-page information says Scanlon and a person identified only as "Lobbyist A" provided "a stream of things of value" to a member of Congress, identified only as "Representative No. 1," to aid their effort to pass legislation.
It has been a matter of public record for more than a year that Scanlon and Abramoff had a fee-splitting arrangement and represented several Indian tribes.
Among the people subpoenaed in the Scanlon and Abramoff investigation was Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, whose name surfaced almost a year ago in a Senate Indian Affairs Committee investigation as having extensive dealings with the two lobbyists and their tribal clients.
Ney early this month started a legal defense fund. He has denied any wrongdoing and says he was duped into backing Abramoff's clients and into taking a golf trip paid for by Abramoff.
Court papers filed by prosecutors say that Scanlon and the lobbyist "sought and received Representative No. 1's agreement to perform a series of official acts."
The acts, said the court papers, included "agreements to support and pass legislation, agreements to place statements into the Congressional Record, meeting with Lobbyist A and Scanlon's clients, and advancing the application of Lobbyist A for a license to install wireless telephone infrastructure in the House of Representatives."
Justice Department spokesman Bryan Sierra confirmed that a hearing has been scheduled for Monday in Scanlon's case, but would provide no details.
Scanlon was once a top aide to DeLay, who stepped down from his leadership post after being charged with violating campaign finance law in Texas. DeLay has denied those charges.
The Senate Indian Affairs Committee is investigating Abramoff and Scanlon and the more than $80 million they were paid between 2001 and 2004 by six Indian tribes with casinos.
In another investigation, Abramoff has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Florida on charges of fraud and conspiracy stemming from his role in the 2000 purchase of a fleet of gambling boats. He has pleaded innocent.
Charges outlined in documents filed Friday allege that Lobbyist A solicited an Indian tribe in Mississippi in 1995 to provide lobbying services on taxes and other issues relating to tribal sovereignty.
The lobbyist then allegedly recommended that the tribe hire Scanlon's company, Capital Campaign Strategies, while concealing the fact the Lobbyist A would receive 50 percent of the profits from the tribe's payment to Scanlon.
The Mississippi tribe paid Scanlon's firm $14.8 million from June 2001 through April 2004, while Scanlon concealed from the tribe that 50 percent of the profit "was kicked back to Lobbyist A pursuant to their secret arrangement."
The court papers detailing the conspiracy charge say that Scanlon and Lobbyist A had identical kickback arrangements for tribes in Louisiana, Texas and Michigan.
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By the way....Patrick Fitzgerald will present evidence in the CIA leak investigation to a second grand jury, it was learned today.....
Quote:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...top_world_news
Fitzgerald to Give 2nd Grand Jury CIA Leak Evidence (Update1)
Nov. 18 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said he will present evidence to a second grand jury in his investigation into who leaked the identity of Central Intelligence Agency operative Valerie Plame.
The disclosure, contained in court papers and also announced at a court hearing today in Washington, suggests there may be new charges in the two-year probe............
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