House Committee Chairmen Say Probe of Fired U.S. Attorneys Should Include Abramoff Case

[sabra]

http://www.house.gov/georgemiller/rel031307.html

House Committee Chairmen Say Probe of Fired U.S. Attorneys Should Include Abramoff Case

WASHINGTON – Two House committee chairmen called today for the congressional probe into the firing of eight U.S. Attorneys to be widened to include the case of an acting U.S. Attorney demoted in 2002 after he began investigating the now-convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his dealings with Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).

Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the Education and Labor Committee chairman, and Rep. Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.), the Natural Resources Committee chairman, have repeatedly pressed for a full investigation of Abramoff’s dealings with the CNMI and its sweatshop industry and of the demotion of Fred Black, the then-acting U.S. Attorney for Guam and the CNMI.

Miller and Rahall said that what looked initially to them as another example of Abramoff’s excesses as a corrupt lobbyist exploiting his deep ties to the Bush Administration and the Republican-controlled Congress might in fact be part of a widespread pattern of tampering with the work of U.S. Attorneys.

Press reports and leaked emails indicated that the Bush Administration may have replaced Black because he was conducting a criminal investigation of Abramoff and his clients, and because he favored insular area policies that Abramoff and his clients opposed. Abramoff also reportedly helped to quash a classified Justice Department report that Black requested on security threats posed by CNMI’s immigration policy.

[maddezmom]

1. oh boy

hard to keep up with all the investigations :evilgrin: It was so much easier when the repubs were in charge, since they all sat on their hands and did nothing. :D

[KittyWampus]

8. and yet some DU'ers are bitching about the Democrats not doing anything.

[ProudDad]

19. And some DU'ers are bitching about

"some DU'ers" without posting any proof...

[EstimatedProphet]

21. Here's some proof

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=403086

There's a lot more threads like this one too.

[ProudDad]

24. Aw, c'mon

who ISN'T frustrated with the 110th Congress?

Try again. :hi:

[EstimatedProphet]

25. OK, but this is exactly what you asked for.

:hi: back atcha!

[Beetwasher]

2. Son Of A Bitch!! They Are ON THE BALL!!!

Woohoo!! Go get 'em!!

[EFerrari]

3. Isn't that obstruction again?

:wow:

[spotbird]

4. Well, HOT DOG!!

I like the House better than the senate.

[rodeodance]

5. LOVELY!!-----

[Robbien]

6. Hopefully they will keep pressing the issue

because the GOP will be pressing just as hard to limit the scope.

[sinkingfeeling]

7. I'll drink to that!

[Old and In the Way]

9. I wonder if Jorge will bother to return to Washington?

Maybe he'll just head to Paraguay and get him some nice, big carne.

[underpants]

10. o

a perfect circle

[loveandlight]

11. getting juicy now...

I remember when this happened and it was shoved under the table. I thought they could just get away with anything. and in fact they have. Until now.... :)

Slow but steady drip drip drip... just like Nixon....

Let them all be gone!

[gratuitous]

12. Ruh roh Reorge!

Looks like the Democrats are kind of interested in what's under these rocks they keep turning over, unlike their predecessors in power in Congress. Good job, Rep. Miller; this is why we the people put you in the driver's seat.

Can Washington DC provide offices for all the lawyers these crooks are going to need to defend themselves from the consequences of their corruption?

[bobthedrummer]

13. Yep.

Some helpful links about Mr. Abramoff and his friends
CREW
http://www.jackinthehouse.org/

Nick Turse's former administration officials links via commondreams.org
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0213-26.htm

Fair use cited

[David Zephyr]

14. The days of Gephardt & Daschle's enabling are over. I love this party under Dean.

Go Democrats!

[Joanne98]

17. Me too!

[donkeyotay]

15. Rose Garden, Rose Garden....hmmmm. I'm trying to think where there's a rose garden

Hong Kong's Companies Registry has no record of Rose Garden Holdings; nor does the telephone directory. The apartment listed by Abramoff as Rose Garden's premises has been owned since 1992 by Luen Thai Shipping and Trading, according to the Land Registry.

Luen Thai Holdings and its controlling shareholders, the Tan family, were leading beneficiaries of Abramoff's Washington lobbying.

. . .

According to an investigation published by The Washington Post three weeks ago, records obtained by the newspaper reveal that Saipan garment makers, including Tan, contributed US$500,000 to an organization called the US Family Network between 1996 and 2001. Much of the organization's funding was spent supporting other groups linked to Abramoff or indicted Congressman Tom DeLay.

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=12&art_id=10441&sid=6326812&con_type=3

I wonder if being used is a family value?

[Joanne98]

16. YES!

:woohoo:

[aquart]

18. Wow. Just wow.

YES! Do it!

[loudsue]

20. THIS is what America needs to see! We NEED this kind of investigating

going on, in order to have any faith in our democracy again, and to even have a frikkin' BASIS for our patriotism.

If we're not a nation of laws, then we're no better than Darfur, where there is utter chaos. A strong, just government helps to make a country great, and allows the citizens to be productive and secure. Having criminals at the helm is ALWAYS destructive for the entire country. Abramoff and Delay, and the whole army of their goons, did their "business" like the hit men for the mafia, which is EXACTLY the tone that was set for them by their party leaders (the bush administration).

I say, hunt every damned one of them down, and bring 'em to justice.

:kick::kick::kick:

[antonialee839]

22. "All roads lead to Karl"

No wonder there are new Khalid Sheikh Mohammed revelations every three hours.

[donkeyotay]

23. Subpoenas on the 18th, Black demoted on the 19th

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2005/08/08/bush_removal_ended_guam_investigation/

Bush removal ended Guam investigation
US attorney's demotion halted probe of lobbyist
By Walter F. Roche Jr., Los Angeles Times | August 8, 2005

WASHINGTON -- A US grand jury in Guam opened an investigation of controversial lobbyist Jack Abramoff more than two years ago, but President Bush removed the supervising federal prosecutor, and the probe ended soon after. . . .

The transactions were the target of a grand jury subpoena issued Nov. 18, 2002, according to the subpoena. It demanded that Anthony Sanchez, administrative director of the Guam Superior Court, turn over all records involving the lobbying contract, including bills and payments.

A day later, the chief prosecutor, US Attorney Frederick A. Black, who had launched the investigation, was demoted. A White House news release announced that Bush was replacing Black.

His replacement, Leonardo Rapadas, was confirmed in May 2003 without any debate. Rapadas had been recommended for the job by the Guam Republican Party. Fred Radewagen, a lobbyist who had been under contract to the Gutierrez administration, said he carried that recommendation to top Bush aide Karl Rove in early 2003.