RKMBs Forums .::Important::. Politics and Current Events Abramoff sings the GOP blues

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WASHINGTON - The plea deal worked out by Jack Abramoff could send seismic waves across the political landscape in this congressional election year. The Republicans, who control Congress and the White House, are likely to take the biggest hits.

The GOP has more seats to lose and has closer ties with the former lobbyist. But some Democrats with links to Abramoff and his associates are also expected to be snagged in the influence-peddling net.

While the full dimensions of the corruption probe are not yet clear, some political consultants and analysts are already comparing its damage potential to the 1992 House banking scandal that led to the retirement or ouster of 77 lawmakers.

"You don't have to be a political genius to sniff the smell of blood in the water," said GOP consultant Rich Galen.

Galen said even lawmakers in seemingly safe districts, and those "who don't have a reputation for being fast and loose with the rules," could be vulnerable if voters rise up in reproach "and everybody drops five or six points" in this year's midterm contests.

Abramoff, a former $100,000-plus fundraiser for President Bush with close ties to former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to conspiracy, tax evasion and mail fraud. That cleared the way for his cooperation with federal prosecutors in bringing charges against former business and political associates.

The investigation is believed to involve up to 20 members of Congress and aides and possibly several administration officials.

The timing couldn't be worse, politically, especially for Republicans. Lawmakers who may be indicted could find themselves coming to trial this summer, just ahead of the midterm elections. Around the same time, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, is expected to stand trial in the CIA leak case. ...

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The '06 elections could be very interesting indeed Yahoo

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Matter-eater Man said:The Democrats have given up trying to win on ideas. Let's hope we can arrest our opponents.

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush's re-election campaign will give to charity several thousand dollars in contributions linked to lobbyist Jack Abramoff, the White House said on Wednesday.

Abramoff pleaded guilty to fraud charges on Tuesday and agreed to help U.S. prosecutors in a corruption probe that could involve several top Republican lawmakers, including former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the money, for which he did not have a precise figure, came from either Abramoff, his wife or American Indian tribal interests that Abramoff represented.

The Bush-Cheney '04 campaign will give the money to the American Heart Association, said McClellan. He said giving the money to charity was consistent with past practice by the Bush-Cheney '04 campaign with campaign contributions from controversial individuals.

Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean on Tuesday called on Bush to return to donors what he said was more than $100,000 in campaign contributions raised by Abramoff, whom he described as a major fund-raiser for the president's 2004 re-election bid.

Republican and Democratic lawmakers seeking to distance themselves from Abramoff and his clients have returned more than $200,000 in campaign contributions in recent weeks.

McClellan said Abramoff attended three Hannukah receptions at the White House over the past several years. ...

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wannabuyamonkey said:
You think Dems will come out of this looking clean?

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the G-man said:
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Any one else find it..intersting...that the Republicans are returning/donating the tainted money to charity but at least one Democrat is insisting on keeping the money?

And, despite this fact, we are supposed to believe this is a "republican" scandal?

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Reid has collected a total of $67,400 from Abramoff-connected clients between 2001 to 2004.

Reid, alone among the Nevada delegation, received a donation very quickly after writing his letter: The very next day, in fact. And claiming it's simply a coincidence that an Indian tribe would have given Reid $5,000 less than 24 hours after he'd written a letter that benefited the tribe is a storyline that's going to be hard to swallow.

...the close proximity in time between the writing of the checks and the sending of the letters, the intrusion into the executive branch decision making and the flimsiness of any policy explanation for the involvement of many of these legislators presents a particular odiferous instance of the ways in which money talks in Washington. Unless, that is, you believe it's all a coincidence.

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Matter-eater Man said:

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the G-man said:
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Any one else find it..intersting...that the Republicans are returning/donating the tainted money to charity but at least one Democrat is insisting on keeping the money?

And, despite this fact, we are supposed to believe this is a "republican" scandal?

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As I understand it Abramoff had nothing to do with that money. So saying it's tainted is deceptive at best. I wouldn't argue that it's purely a Republican scandal but since he mostly did business with the GOP it's going to probably hurt them more then the Dems just going by the numbers.

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"It's not enough to say that Congressman X got this contribution and then voted this way. You need to show a specific link or agreement," says Randall Eliason, a law professor at American University.

"It's not enough to take a campaign contribution," says Mr. Brand. "What's criminal is accepting the contribution in return for an express agreement to perform an official act. Beyond campaign contributions, one can't accept bribes or gratuities of any kind in return for official acts." Members of the executive branch may also be implicated in the investigation, he says.

"The line between a bribe and a legal contribution is very thin, but it is that line that keeps you out of jail," says Larry Noble, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics. "The critical element is whether there was an understanding or agreement to take specific action in return for the money."

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wannabuyamonkey said:
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You'd be right if your premise was true.

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How is it untrue???

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MEM is correct that Republicans collected more money for Abramoff and his clients.

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So to clarify, when MEM sees something wherein 90% of Dems hold a position and 2% of Reps do, then it's bi-partisan, but if the guilty parties consist of 54% Rep and 46% Dems then all of a sudden it's "mostly" Republican guilt. I'd say it's a bi-partisan scandle

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Matter-eater Man said:As I understand it Abramoff had nothing to do with that money. So saying it's tainted is deceptive at best. I wouldn't argue that it's purely a Republican scandal but since he mostly did business with the GOP it's going to probably hurt them more then the Dems just going by the numbers.

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Glad you guys decided I'm right.

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the G-man said:
If you truly felt that way, you'd stop captioning this thread "the GOP blues."

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the G-man said:
Only because the media is ignoring the Democratic involvement.

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Furthermore, as noted above, using your own previously cited definition of "bi-partisan," the fact that more republicans might be implicated doesn't make this a GOP scandal.
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...Among those calling for change within the Republican Party was Vin Weber, a GOP lobbyist and former House member from Minnesota with close ties to the Bush administration. "If they don't take fairly dramatic action and reclaim the mantle of reform, [Republicans] are going to lose the House," Weber said.

And former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) said he thought DeLay was no longer in a position to be House leader. "They have to elect a new majority leader," Gingrich said. "My bet is they will."

Under GOP House rules, DeLay gave up his leadership position when he was indicted late last year in Texas on money-laundering charges. DeLay has expressed confidence he will be cleared of the charges and has sought a speedy trial. But so far, his lawyers have been unable to expedite his case.

"At some point it goes 'Tilt,' " Gingrich said. "You don't have to say Tom is guilty of anything to say they need a new majority leader. A very significant number of House members said to me [Wednesday] morning that the entire world has changed in the last few days" because of the Abramoff scandal.

If House Republicans decide to choose a permanent replacement for DeLay, many Republicans expect Blunt to be challenged by Rep. John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), chairman of the House Education Committee.

Don Seymour Jr., Boehner's press secretary, denied reports that the lawmaker had begun calling colleagues to line up support. "Some members have approached him, but he isn't approaching them," Seymour said. "He hasn't asked for a single vote."

In the Senate, Frist said that after consulting with members, he would "examine and act on any necessary changes to improve transparency and accountability for our body when it comes to lobbying."
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US Republicans calling for elections to replace DeLay

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - About two dozen Republicans have promised to sign a petition calling for elections to permanently replace Rep. Tom DeLay as majority leader in the U.S. House of Representatives, aides said on Friday.

"We have commitments for about 25 signatures. The letter calls for a leadership election for a permanent majority leader," said Matthew Specht, a spokesman for Rep. Jeff Flake, a conservative Arizona Republican.

Fifty House Republican signatures are needed to call elections, which would occur after the House reconvenes on January 31.

A source close to House Republicans, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters that the signatures were being collected from conservative and moderate Republicans. The source said Rep. Charles Bass, a New Hampshire moderate, was working closely with Flake.

DeLay, a Texas Republican, was forced to resign as House majority leader, the number-two leadership job, in September after he was indicted in Texas on money laundering and conspiracy charges.

At the time, DeLay said the move was temporary and that he would return to the majority leader job after he believed he would be cleared of the accusations. DeLay said the felony charges were engineered by Democratic opponents in Texas.

But more recently, DeLay's political future has been further clouded by his association with convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

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Controversial lobbyist had close contact with Bush team
WASHINGTON (AP) — In President Bush's first 10 months, GOP fundraiser Jack Abramoff and his lobbying team logged nearly 200 contacts with the new administration as they pressed for friendly hires at federal agencies and sought to keep the Northern Mariana Islands exempt from the minimum wage and other laws, records show.
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The reception Abramoff's team received from the Bush administration was in stark contrast to the chilly relations of the Clinton years. Abramoff, then at the Preston Gates firm, scored few meetings with Clinton aides and the lobbyist and the islands vehemently opposed White House attempts to extend U.S. labor laws to the territory's clothing factories.

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wannabuyamonkey said:
A Republican lobbyist recieved a better reception from a Republican administration than from Aa Democrat? GASP! This is an outrage!

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Matter-eater Man said:No the true outrage would be scum like Abramoff getting any reception from anyone.

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Matter-eater Man said:
It was what Abramoff was lobbying for that made him scum (at that point anyway) Forced Abortions & Sweatshops: A Look at Jack Abramoff's Ties to the South Pacific Island of Saipan & How Tom DeLay Became An Advocate for Sweatshop Factory Owners

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The Abramoff Scandal (R., Beltway)
It’s the Republicans, stupid.

Republicans are looking for "their" John McCain. The popular Arizona maverick is already a Republican, of course. But the GOP needs a McCain in the "Keating Five" sense. Back in 1990, Senate Democrats roped McCain into the scandal over savings and loan kingpin Charles Keating on tenuous grounds, just so not all the senators involved would be Democrats.

  The GOP now craves such bipartisan cover in the Jack Abramoff scandal. Republicans trumpet every Democratic connection to Abramoff in the hope that something resonates. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.), took more than $60,000 from Abramoff clients! North Dakota Democratic Sen. Byron Dorgan used Abramoff's skybox! It is true that any Washington influence peddler is going to spread cash and favors as widely as possible, and 210 members of Congress have received Abramoff-connected dollars. But this is, in its essence, a Republican scandal, and any attempt to portray it otherwise is a misdirection.
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Matter-eater Man said:
It was what Abramoff was lobbying for that made him scum (at that point anyway) Forced Abortions & Sweatshops: A Look at Jack Abramoff's Ties to the South Pacific Island of Saipan & How Tom DeLay Became An Advocate for Sweatshop Factory Owners

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Democrats' plan might ban all lobbyist gifts

Democrats in the House and Senate are floating a plan that would essentially ban all gifts from lobbyists - including event tickets, meals, flights and other commonplace gifts - according to Thursday's edition of Roll Call.

Aides to Democratic leaders Harry Reid (D-NV) and Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) report that the two are considering both an outright ban on all gifts, and a partial ban with strict reporting provisions.

Excerpts from the Roll Call story follow:

Pelosi, at a press conference Wednesday, gave her full support to a complete prohibition of all gifts. While endorsing a ban on all travel paid for by non-government sources, Pelosi signaled her intent to push for the complete gift ban, saying of the travel restrictions, "that’s only the beginning."

A handful of Senate aides said that Reid is also on board with an outright ban on gifts, but noted that no final decisions had been made and that Senators were still being briefed on the proposals and their input was still being sought.
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The emerging Democratic proposal would, so far, create the most dramatic change in day-to-day life for lobbyists and staff, who have been operating in a world where the current $50 limit on gifts is used as the predicate for a night of NBA games or fine dining that often far exceeds $50 in total value.

Some Democratic aides were pushing to ban sports and entertainment tickets, while allowing for other gifts including meals, but requiring disclosure of such gifts on lobbying disclosure forms. However, the tide is running in favor of a much more politically explainable, total prohibition of all gifts, according to top aides.

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Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, is under pressure to resign his House leadership post.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- House Speaker Dennis Hastert is making moves to push fellow Republican Rep. Bob Ney from his post as chairman of the House Administration Committee, Republican sources said Friday.

Hastert, who voiced his support for Ney just days ago, is under pressure from his own caucus to take a stand against ethical misconduct, the sources said.

Ney is linked in documents to the investigation of lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who recently pleaded guilty to fraud, conspiracy and tax-evasion charges stemming from an influence-peddling scheme. (Full story)

The Ohio congressman could be ousted from his post as early as next week, the sources said.

"There have been ongoing discussions between Speaker Hastert and Representative Ney about his role as chairman," said Ron Bojean, a spokesman for Hastert, R-Illinois.
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Jack Abramoff's $10,000 Question
By ADAM ZAGORIN, MASSIMO CALABRESI

Lobbyist Jack Abramoff's Oct. 23, 2000, e-mail to his business partner Michael Scanlon was, as usual, not subtle. "Would 10K for NRCC from Suncruz for Ney help?" Scanlon shot back: "Yes, alot [sic]! But would have to give them a definate [sic] answer--and they need it this week ..."

That electronic exchange, a record of which was reviewed by TIME, is among the evidence that Republican Congressman Bob Ney of Ohio accepted favors from Abramoff and Scanlon as part of an alleged quid pro quo--a charge to which the business partners each recently confessed in larger plea deals. While the plea agreements spell out various gifts, campaign donations and junkets that Abramoff and Scanlon say they provided to Ney in return for "official acts," the e-mails present in one place the specific elements of a swap that Abramoff has told investigators was prearranged and explicitly reciprocal, according to a source close to the Justice Department probe. To wit: a $10,000 donation to the Republicans just days before Ney inserted into the Congressional Record a statement praising an Abramoff business partner. Ney's lawyer, Mark Tuohey, calls the accusations "totally false."
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