Abramoff pleads guilty -- DeLay next?

[Sayhey]

It's official.

G.O.P. Lobbyist Pleads Guilty in Deal With Prosecutors

By ANNE E. KORNBLUT
Published: January 3, 2006
WASHINGTON, Jan. 3 - Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty to three felony counts in Washington today as part of a settlement with federal prosecutors, ending an intense, months-long negotiation over whether the Republican lobbyist would testify against his former colleagues, people involved with the case said.

Mr. Abramoff, 46, pleaded guilty to conspiracy, fraud, and tax evasion, setting the stage for prosecutors to begin using him as a cooperating witness against his former business and political colleagues. In exchange, Mr. Abramoff faces a maximum of about 10 years in prison in the Washington case. The conspiracy charge included Mr. Abramoff's effort to influence at least one member of Congress and a Congressional staff member.

After entering his guilty plea in United States District Court in Washington, Mr. Abramoff was expected to announce a plea agreement in a related Florida case, in which he was indicted last year. In that case, he is expected to plead guilty to fraud and conspiracy in connection with his purchase of the SunCruz casino boat line, and will face a maximum of about seven years' prison time....New York Times (http://nytimes.com/2006/01/03/politics/03cnd-abramoff.html?hp&ex=1136350800&en=7c71b0ec003f73a8&ei=5094&partner=homepage)

[Dont Hurt Me]

Hip Hip Hooray! Lets hope he takes down a bunch of corrupt Republicans with him!

[IJ Reilly]

This is going to be the political story of 2006.

[iDM]

Let the rich, corrupt, republican dominoes fall.................

[Dont Hurt Me]

But look at the damage all these guys have done to our country, our reputation.
Wasnt Delay another draft dodger? if so lets hope he goes down. It just kills me how many Republicans in Power were draft dodgers, Bush,Cheney,Hastert,Libby,Rowe, not sure about Delay but the pattern seems to fit, most likely another dodger.

[Thanatoast]

But outside of this forum, how many Americans would recognize the name "Abramoff"? Not enough, I would imagine, to make this story anything more than a two-minute armchair pundit diversion the evening "news" magazines.

[iDM]

But look at the damage all these guys have done to our country, our reputation.
Wasnt Delay another draft dodger? if so lets hope he goes down. It just kills me how many Republicans in Power were draft dodgers, Bush,Cheney,Hastert,Libby,Rowe, not sure about Delay but the pattern seems to fit, most likely another dodger.

I agree that all of the corruption and spying and patriot act stuff has been damaging to the worlds view of the U.S. The thing that scares me though is how scandals that involve Democrats(i.e. Blow-J***) can ruin the publics view of the party, yet people who squander money, break laws, spy on people, lie, and take us to war all the while smearing the names of reporters who release bad press about their motives on going to war, continue to have their party be viewed as the more moral of the two.

I can only hope the more draft dodging, money stealing, law breaking republicans that get caught and brought to the publics attention will start to make the neo-conservative, evangelical christian people in the bible belt and the mid-west come to their senses.

[Dont Hurt Me]

Did a look up and guess what? Abramoffs buddy Delay was you guess it! Another Draft Dodger. So ironic that all these chickenhawks who wouldnt serve during Vietnam found it so easy to get us into Iraq and send others to die for stupid policy. This is the tip of the iceberg but i dont think the fed should give him & republican croonies 45 days so they can all come up with the same story. (edit) on a side note why isnt fox promoting this story?

[iDM]

Did a look up and guess what? Abramoffs buddy Delay was you guess it! Another Draft Dodger. So ironic that all these chickenhawks who wouldnt serve during Vietnam found it so easy to get us into Iraq and send others to die for stupid policy. This is the tip of the iceberg but i dont think the fed should give him & republican croonies 45 days so they can all come up with the same story. (edit) on a side note why isnt fox promoting this story?

Haha because if the republicans fail fox will never have any B.S. positive news to report

[rdowns]

Just reading the chapter about Abramoff in Franken's new book. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy. OK, it could happen to Delay.

[rdowns]

on a side note why isnt fox promoting this story?

We report, you decide.
We don't report, you can't decide??????

[Dont Hurt Me]

We report, you decide.
We don't report, you can't decide??????Fair and balanced! How you doing tonight.

[rdowns]

Fair and balanced! How you doing tonight.

Doing pretty good, you?

On second thought, after watching the news, I'm doing great.

No flash floods here.
No wildfires.
No one trapped in a mine.
No friends or family in Abramoff's circle.

What more can one ask?

[Dont Hurt Me]

Crappy day for me, starter went out in the truck and the new one doesnt want to fit. SNAFU! other then that im great.................but you do have that cold cold weather and i dont:D 65 degrees in S.C. today.

[zimv20]

Hip Hip Hooray! Lets hope he takes down a bunch of corrupt Republicans with him!
dems are on that list, too. i can't wait to see how the GOP exploits that.

[Dont Hurt Me]

dems are on that list, too. i can't wait to see how the GOP exploits that.
True, but its really a republican problem. Ralph Reed,Hastert,Delay all tied to this guy. Lobbiest allways work with both sides making sure that special interest bill gets passed and we all get a little more shaft.

[zimv20]

True, but its really a republican problem.
i don't think so. unless there are zero dems on his list (that's not the case, there are some), it's not a republican-only problem.

i'm guessing that much of the media on this will be dedicated non-proportionally to which dems are on the list. as if it's expected the (R)'s are, but surprising which (D)'s are. it'll be the dems who provide the "staring at the auto wreck" aspect to this story.

[aquajet]

True, but its really a republican problem...

It's everybody's problem, and ultimately, it's the American people that are getting screwed.

Time to clean the house (no pun intended)

[solvs]

Dems are guilty too, but I'll bet he takes some neocons down with him. People are used to some corruption from politicians (which is kinda sad), but he's made a deal with the prosecutor, which means maybe he's probably rolled on some people. I have no doubt people like Rush, Hannity, and O'Reily will focus on the Dems. But I'm sure Al Franken will focus on the Repubs.

[Sayhey]

Anyone interested in reading Abramoff's plea agreement can do so at Talking Points Memo's web page (http://talkingpointsmemo.com/docs/abramoff-plea-deal1.html). Great site for those who aren't already familiar with it.

[OnceUGoMac]

Hip Hip Hooray! Lets hope he takes down a bunch of corrupt Republicans with him!

Don't forget the corrupt Dems. They're out there, too.;)

[Dont Hurt Me]

I think the US would be better served if we had a random drawing for all three branches. Im sure anyone could do as well as Bush and most folks arent as corrupt as the millionaire club that run congress.

[skunk]

I think the US would be better served if we had a random drawing for all three branches. And a random hanging and quartering, too.

[pseudobrit]

Speaking strictly for the part of me that gets intense satisfaction from irony, I think it would be hilarious if the prosecution allowed him to exlusively rat out the naughty Democrats, leaving his bestest buddies unscathed.

I would laugh my head off.

[FoxyKaye]

Anybody else here think that given the amount of money Abramoff is tied to on both sides of the aisle in Congress, that he's going to get whacked? Or, at the very least suddenly suffer some sort of mysterious, debilitating/lethal medical condition?

[aquajet]

Anybody else here think that given the amount of money Abramoff is tied to on both sides of the aisle in Congress, that he's going to get whacked? Or, at the very least suddenly suffer some sort of mysterious, debilitating/lethal medical condition?

Considering the entire political landscape in the US these days, I wouldn't be at all surprised.

[Dont Hurt Me]

I didnt know it but it turns out Abramoff and his business partner bought a cruise line in Miami, i think it was santa cruz but anyways with phoney documents. Then the guy they bought it from wasnt happy with some of dealings and money involved and after a argument with Abramoffs business partner he turns up dead and the guys who did it just happen to work for Abramoff and his business partner! These guys are all crooks and by the way he also managed to come up with $100,000 for Bush and gang last election. Bush now is giving back $6000 of that money to a charity.:rolleyes: Congressman are scrambling now trying to give back money they took from this crook. I have no confidence in Congress,this president and all the draft dodgers he is surrounded by. All Scum no wonder the world hates the U.S.Govt these days.

These are only a few of the reasons i gave up on the republican party a long time ago.

[mactastic]

True, but its really a republican problem. Ralph Reed,Hastert,Delay all tied to this guy. Lobbiest allways work with both sides making sure that special interest bill gets passed and we all get a little more shaft.
:D Well said. And exactly what I would have said, as well.

However, to add and to address zim's point..

No one's claiming it's exclusively a Republican problem, there will be Democrats tied into this. But you can bet your candy ass that any Democrats will represent a small fraction of the money Abramoff collected and distributed, not to mention kept for himself. And that makes it a Republican problem. No way DeLay gets his leadership post back now. He'll be lucky if he doesn't wind up in the dock along with Abramoff, whom DeLay once described as 'one of my best friends'. Bob Ney is ****ed. And it all ties in to the separate legal problems of DeLay in the House, Frist in the Senate, Bush in the WH for spying on Americans, along with Rove for Valerie Plame. And let's not forget the blubbering Duke Cunningham.

It's overwhelming in it's scope, which is what it takes to get General Public to notice. Eventually 'culture of corruption' and 'borrow and spend' will sink in. And the most damaging will be the real small-government conservatives who supported Bush twice even who will be so turned off that they would rather stay home than vote. Given the small governing margin Rove has carved out, losing even a few percentage points of that core Republican-voting group could tip things dramatically.

[zimv20]

But you can bet your candy ass that any Democrats will represent a small fraction of the money Abramoff collected and distributed, not to mention kept for himself. And that makes it a Republican problem.
i'll see your candyass and raise you... ummm... i don't know where to go from there.

yes, i believe this scandal will predominately be GOP, numbers-wise. but i think by the time the rightwing spinsters and "liberal" MSM get done w/ it, it'll be perceived equally a GOP and dem problem.

[mactastic]

i'll see your candyass and raise you... ummm... i don't know where to go from there.

yes, i believe this scandal will predominately be GOP, numbers-wise. but i think by the time the rightwing spinsters and "liberal" MSM get done w/ it, it'll be perceived equally a GOP and dem problem.
It'll be both, but it won't be equal. There will be no escaping the constant references to the 'K' Street project, the GOP gatherings at Signatures -- and we have yet to see who gets indicted or forced from office as a result of this. I'm guessing that neither Bob Ney nor Tom DeLay will be returning to Congress in '06. Whether they go to jail or not is still to be determined, but I'd say it's a possibility. The GOP will be lucky to do more than wing a Democratic Congresscritter. They certainly wouldn't want to let any of 'the enemy' in on all the dough.

And then you have the 'party in power' perception that hurt the Dems so badly in '94. A lot of protest votes go to 'the other guy'. Granted, things have changed a little, districts are safer and Dems are pretty despised as well... but I think a lot of people are going to want to protest the direction of the country come '06.

[mactastic]

No link yet, but the 'Breaking News' thingy is telling me that, in what appears to be fallout from the JackOff scandal, Tom DeLay will give up his leadership post. Voluntarily, I'm sure. ;)

Now lets see who gets elected in his stead. Will the GOP choose a DeLay protege, or will the move to distance themselves from the scandal and find one of the (few) Republicans without big ties to either DeLay or Abramoff that has the votes to take power.

Good thing the HoR gave itself an extra-long winter recess... or is that a Christmas recess? Hmmm...

[Sayhey]

I find the "bipartisan" nature of the scandal being pushed by the GOP to be quite funny. Money given to Dems by Indian tribes, sure; money from Abramoff to Dems, zero. This guy was tied to DeLay and his cronies at the hip and there is no separating him. The Republicans had better get used to the Pelosi inspired meme about their "Culture of Corruption" because it is going to be echoed in every House and Senate race till November.

[Sayhey]

No link yet, but the 'Breaking News' thingy is telling me that, in what appears to be fallout from the JackOff scandal, Tom DeLay will give up his leadership post. Voluntarily, I'm sure. ;)

Now lets see who gets elected in his stead. Will the GOP choose a DeLay protege, or will the move to distance themselves from the scandal and find one of the (few) Republicans without big ties to either DeLay or Abramoff that has the votes to take power.

Good thing the HoR gave itself an extra-long winter recess... or is that a Christmas recess? Hmmm...

Here's an LA Times story on DeLay's statement.


Delay Will Quit House Leadership Post
Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- Embattled Rep. Tom DeLay today abandoned his bid to remain as House majority leader, clearing the way for leadership elections among Republicans eager to shed the taint of scandal.

In a letter to rank-and-file Republicans, DeLay said, "I have always acted in an ethical manner."

At the same time, "I cannot allow our adversaries to divide and distract our attention," the Texas Republican wrote.

DeLay is battling campaign finance charges in Texas and was forced to step aside temporarily as majority leader last fall after he was charged in his home state. He has been trying to clear his name and, until Saturday, resume his leadership role.

In a separate letter to Speaker Dennis Hastert, DeLay said he intends to seek re-election to his House seat in November "while I work to clear my name of the baseless charges leveled against me."

DeLay's about-face came amid growing pressure from fellow Republicans who were concerned about their own political futures in the wake of this past week's guilty pleas by lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

DeLay's defiant, take-no-prisoners style had won him the admiration and respect of fellow Republicans, but his mounting problems cast a shadow over the entire House.... LA Times (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-010706delay_wr,0,4207257.story?coll=la-home-headlines)

[Sayhey]

Sorry for the triple post, but this is interesting.

Officials Focus on a 2nd Firm Tied to DeLay
By ANNE E. KORNBLUT and GLEN JUSTICE
Published: January 8, 2006
WASHINGTON, Jan. 7 - Having secured a guilty plea from the lobbyist Jack Abramoff, prosecutors are entering a new phase of the corruption investigation in Washington and are focusing on a lobbying firm that may hold the key to whether Tom DeLay or other lawmakers will face criminal charges in the case.

The firm, Alexander Strategy Group, is of particular interest to investigators because it was founded by Edwin A. Buckham, a close personal friend of Mr. DeLay's and his former chief of staff, and has been a lucrative landing spot for several former members of the DeLay staff, people who are directly involved in the case have said.

Although the firm's name has circulated in connection with the case for many months, prosecutors' questions about Mr. Buckham and Alexander Strategy - which did not respond to requests for comment - have intensified recently, participants in the case said.

The firm openly promoted the idea that it could deliver access to Representative DeLay, the former majority leader. The firm paid Mr. DeLay's wife $115,000 in consulting fees, while conducting business with Mr. Abramoff's firm. Mr. Abramoff helped Mr. Buckham set up his firm.

In overseas trips and domestic meetings, Mr. Buckham and at least one member of his firm worked with clients who, prosecutors suspect, helped funnel money and perks to Mr. DeLay, his fund-raising operations and other lawmakers in ways intended to curry favor with the Republican leadership and could have directly led to "official action" in Congress, a potentially criminal act.

Mr. DeLay has denied any wrongdoing.

At one time, Americans for a Republican Majority, or Armpac, the leadership committee that raised money for Mr. DeLay, was run out of the offices of Alexander Strategy.

But its web of contacts on Capitol Hill reach well beyond Mr. DeLay, and in ways that prosecutors suspect could have criminal implications for other lawmakers. Alexander also did lobbying work for a defense firm tied to former Representative Randy Cunningham, Republican of California, in a separate corruption investigation, putting the firm in the crosshairs of two grand jury probes.

For years, Alexander Strategy was one of the crown jewels of the so-called "K Street project," an effort Republicans began after taking control of Congress in 1994 to dominate the lobbying industry. The hope, exemplified by Mr. Buckham's company, was for Republican lobbyists to harness the power of their corporate clients to help keep the party in power for years to come.

The successful history of Alexander Strategy since its founding in the late 1990's offers a window into the nexus of Mr. Abramoff, Mr. DeLay and the lobbying world over the last decade or so of Republican control of Congress.

As Mr. DeLay grew more powerful in Congress, the lobbying firm rose in prominence on K Street, building an impressive roster of clients for such a young company and earning, according to records, about $8.8 million lobbying in 2004. That ranked it in the middle of the pack among Washington's largest lobbying firms, but its client list - including Microsoft Corp., United Parcel Service, Time Warner, BellSouth, Freddie Mac, Eli Lilly & Co. and Amgen Inc. - suggests what was, at least at one time, a powerful and well-connected operation.

And Mr. DeLay, so intertwined with the lobbying world that his extensive web of allies and former aides scattered throughout town is nicknamed "DeLay, Inc.," responded more quickly to calls from Alexander Strategy than any other firm, former aides of his said.... New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/08/politics/08alexander.html) emphasis added

[zimv20]

yes, i believe this scandal will predominately be GOP, numbers-wise. but i think by the time the rightwing spinsters and "liberal" MSM get done w/ it, it'll be perceived equally a GOP and dem problem.
it begins (http://mediamatters.org/items/200601070003)


Summary: On Hardball, host Chris Matthews repeatedly mentioned Sen. Hillary Clinton's (D-NY) decision to donate to charity $2,000 in campaign contributions received from American Indian tribes represented by lobbyist and felon Jack Abramoff, yet virtually ignored the $6,000 and $69,000 in campaign contributions received from Abramoff and his clients by President Bush and House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-IL), respectively -- contributions both have also pledged to donate to charity.

[solvs]

it begins (http://mediamatters.org/items/200601070003)
That's because Chris might be involved in this as well. http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/1/4/1137/26232 Too bad, I had kinda high hopes for him after the whole thing with Zell. Plus he called Abramoff Satan at one point. But he's been defending the administration and the neocons a lot lately and attacking the Dems. Weird.

[mactastic]

it begins (http://mediamatters.org/items/200601070003)
Oh don't doubt that they will try like hell to make it a 'bipartisan problem'. A better indicator of their success will be the public's response. I'm guessing on this one the public isn't going to be fooled. The most recent 'generic D v R' poll I saw (taken as JackOff was pleading guilty) gave the Dems something like a 12-point lead in who the public would prefer to have in Congress now.

And, as Solvs notes, Mathews is potentially involved in this as well, having been a part of one of JackOff's 'charity' fundraisers. Not the best source of unbiased opinion on this one.

[Dont Hurt Me]

I tell you if the Democrats can discover the American worker they could turn it around but i dont think they will. They will stumble because of the special interest that corrupt them and we will have a split power govt.:) At least i hope. Both partys suck and both have sold this country out over and over and over............etc. At the moment though anything would be better then the republicans.

[mactastic]

I tell you if the Democrats can discover the American worker they could turn it around but i dont think they will. They will stumble because of the special interest that corrupt them and we will have a split power govt.:) At least i hope. Both partys suck and both have sold this country out over and over and over............etc. At the moment though anything would be better then the republicans.
Such is the decline of the unions and the rise of the religious right. Of course the Democrats have helped by ignoring the needs of the average person in exchange for some of those big campaign donations... not to mention their obsession with gun control for a decade or so.

Hope is on the way thought. Mark Schweitzer of Montana is a near-perfect example of what a Western Democrat should be. Tim Kaine talked about his faith in Virgina and won. Jean Schmidt ("Cowards cut and run, Marines stay and fight") barely beat out Paul Hackett in one of Ohio's most conservative districts. Edwards talked eloquently about 'Two Americas' to rave reviews by the common folk.

Hopefully these lessons are sinking in. And the spinal implant gets done in time. ;)

[IJ Reilly]

The common denominator is, as always, the money. If the big money could be taken out of the system, then our government could be rescued from the brink of complete and utter ruin from the corrupting influence of special interests. The hope coming from the high-profile nature of the Abramoff scandal is that it will renew the momentum towards real (as opposed to symbolic) campaign finance reform. Both parties have to come realize that they can't exercise the power they may have achieved at the ballot box for long with a seemingly never-ending series of scandals nipping at their heals. They need to decide on a unilateral disarmament. Not that I have much hope of this happening, but the next few months leading up to the 2006 election, will tell.

[mactastic]

Oh you starry-eyed dreamer...

[IJ Reilly]

Oh you starry-eyed dreamer...

More a cynical optimist, I'd prefer to think -- but thanks anyway. ;)

[Dont Hurt Me]

Such is the decline of the unions and the rise of the religious right. Of course the Democrats have helped by ignoring the needs of the average person in exchange for some of those big campaign donations... not to mention their obsession with gun control for a decade or so.

Hope is on the way thought. Mark Schweitzer of Montana is a near-perfect example of what a Western Democrat should be. Tim Kaine talked about his faith in Virgina and won. Jean Schmidt ("Cowards cut and run, Marines stay and fight") barely beat out Paul Hackett in one of Ohio's most conservative districts. Edwards talked eloquently about 'Two Americas' to rave reviews by the common folk.

Hopefully these lessons are sinking in. And the spinal implant gets done in time. ;)Edwards 2 Americas is really true if you think about it, the rich are the ones who avoided Nam, poor folks went in droves. In the courts its the same scenario,rich people seem to do much better in the courts. Also rich people have access to those schools while others may not. Factories being shipped overseas allows for that Ceo making big bucks on that Chineese factory. Edwards is correct but half of America doesnt want to hear it.
On Gun Control the Democrats have gone crazy, People do crime not objects but the liberal courts like to blame those objects which is silly at best.

[mactastic]

On Gun Control the Democrats have gone crazy, People do crime not objects but the liberal courts like to blame those objects which is silly at best.
In all fairness, that largely stems from the fact that Democrats tend to represent the cities, and there's a big disconnect between city and country on the issue. And you can only blame a politician so much for representing their constituents' views. But thankfully the gun control issue is raised less and less these days. Presumably the Democrats have realized that it's a political loser, and one of the biggest single-issue voter blocs out there besides the religious fundies.

[Sayhey]

Edwards 2 Americas is really true if you think about it, the rich are the ones who avoided Nam, poor folks went in droves. In the courts its the same scenario,rich people seem to do much better in the courts. Also rich people have access to those schools while others may not. Factories being shipped overseas allows for that Ceo making big bucks on that Chineese factory. Edwards is correct but half of America doesnt want to hear it.
On Gun Control the Democrats have gone crazy, People do crime not objects but the liberal courts like to blame those objects which is silly at best.

DHM, be careful or you'll be advocating class warfare next. ;)

I'm glad Edwards injected his 2 Americas theme into the last election because he was an articulate spokesman pointing out realities that have suddenly become taboo to talk about in order for Democrats to compete with Republicans for corporate cash.

On gun control, I think people on both sides like to make caricatures of their opponents. You seem to have fallen into that trap, because no serious advocate of gun control really thinks guns are responsible for gun violence. It is rather a question of restricting access to weapons so that violent people don't have the ability to so easily kill others. You obviously disagree, but distorting opponents arguments never really is a good idea.