More evidence on Delay's ethics violations

[ChicanoPwr]

National Journal to report DeLay violated House ethics rules
RAW STORY
http://rawstory.com/news/2005/printthis.php?p=129

The National Journal’s Peter Stone tore open the DeLay fundraising scandal in a Saturday exclusive printed Friday, RAW STORY has learned.

The prominent lawyer and former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who is being investigated by federal authorities for his lobbying efforts of an Indian tribe and his relations with House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX), paid for DeLay and DeLay’s staff’s stay in an expensive London hotel in mid-2000.

National Journal has obtained a copy of an expense voucher that Abramoff filed the law firm where he was then a leading lobbyist, Stone reports.

“Among the big-ticket expenses that Abramoff listed for reimbursement was a bill for the DeLays at the Four Seasons Hotel in London in the amount of $4,285.35,” Stone writes. “The voucher shows that the total reimbursement for expenses was $13,318.50. For some reason, it shows that both Abramoff and Buckham were owed that amount.

“The voucher shows that Abramoff was accompanied by DeLay and his wife; Hirschmann and her husband; and Ed Buckham, DeLay’s former chief of staff who had also become a lobbyist,” Stone continues.

“Abramoff’s voucher lists the purpose of the trip as “client relations” and names “MS Choctaw” as the client account to which the expenses were allocated,” Stone notes. “At the time, Abramoff and Preston Gates were representing the Mississippi Choctaws, a tribe that runs casinos. “

Stone notes that Abramoff and his wife personally have personally contributed $40,000 to DeLay’s campaigns and his political action committee in the last eight years, citing the Center for Responsive Politics.

House rules stipulate that members or members’ employees cannot accept payment from a registered lobbyist to cover travel costs.

Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi’s office said the Journal piece documents a pattern of behavior by DeLay.

“It just seems another example of inappropriate behavior by Mr. DeLay, Pelosi spokesman Brendan Daly told RAW STORY.

The Journal will also report that a little known conservative thinktank on whose board Abramoff served paid for another facet of the same trip. The Center for National Publicy Policy research picked up a hefty $70,000 tab–including $28,000 for DeLay and his wife, and $28,000 for DeLay’s then-chief of staff.

Stone hammers out a damning quote from a former senior Republican aide.

“To the casual observer, it was a pretty simple deal,” a former House leadership aide told the Journal. “Jack raised money for the pet projects of DeLay and took care of his top staff. In turn, they granted him tremendous access and allowed him to freely trade on DeLay’s name.”

DeLay’s press secretary, Dan Allen, told the Journal the congressman had done nothing improper.

“We did everything we were supposed to do and disclosed the expenses that the national center provided us,” Allen said. “We have no control over what somebody may have done beyond that. This is the first time we are hearing of this expense report.”

Allen did not return a RAW STORY request for comment today.

[Warpy]

1. This is great stuff

so that overstuffed, self important sack of shit got put up at a five star hotel, wined and dined, made full use of the bar and room service, and the tab was picked up by an INDIAN RESERVATION?

I hope they throw that bastard into prison for a very long time.

[ChicanoPwr]

2. Funny thing about the Indian Reservations

The Preston Gates Mates
The venerable Seattle law firm launched key players in the Tom DeLay scandal.
http://seattleweekly.com/features/0508/050223_news_prestongates.php

The nation's political scandal du jour is a strange Republican brew with a strong Washington state flavor. Its leading characters include Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, and Jack Abramoff, a former lobbyist for one of Seattle's most prestigious law firms, Preston Gates & Ellis. DeLay and Abramoff deny wrongdoing, and Abramoff has pleaded the Fifth. A third figure, Mike Scanlon, another ex-employee of Preston Gates, is ducking subpoenas (and is not to be confused with Michael F. Scanlon, no relation, who coincidentally works in the firm's D.C. office). The scandal has at least two fronts—D.C. and Texas, deep in George Bush territory— and revolves around more than $60 million in political giving and taking, mostly corporate and Indian casino money. Another front might open in the House Ethics Committee, where possible charges could be presided over by a Washingtonian— Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Pasco, the incoming chair who has received campaign money from a DeLay political action committee.

-snip-

Abramoff carved out the lucrative casino business for Preston, building on the 1988 law that created and controlled gambling on reservations, turning poor tribes into instant multimillionaires. (U.S. tribal casino revenue last year came to $18.5 billion.) Abramoff depended on the assistance of Delay, who, for example, was instrumental in killing an Indian-casino tax bill. Among Abramoff's clients back then, in the late 1990s, was the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, who paid Preston Gates $7 million over several years and, at Abramoff's urging, gave an estimated $10 million in tribal contributions to conservative causes, according to a 2000 Wall Street Journal report. The Journal suggested that Abramoff was, among other things, "milking naive clients." But Preston continued to embrace him. No one seemed to mind that, as Abramoff put it, he was willing "to do whatever it takes to win."

-snip-

The scandal is great sport for the Democrats, especially the religion/gambling contradiction. Former Christian Coalition leader and now–GOP strategist Ralph Reed, for example, admitted he accepted $1.23 million in Indian-casino consulting fees from Scanlon's firm. Reed claims he never directly worked on behalf of a casino—therefore the fees were "consistent . . . with my beliefs" opposing gambling. Also embarrassing is the Senate revelation of e-mails from Abramoff to Reed. Said one, discussing a casino battle involving the Tigua tribe of Texas: "I wish those moronic Tiguas were smarter in their political contributions. I'd love us to get our mitts on that moolah." Another, from Abramoff to buddy Scanlon regarding their backroom wheeling-dealing, exclaimed: "That "expletive deleted"ing idiot put my name on an e-mail list! What a "expletive deleted"ing moron. He may have blown our cover!" (You can see these and other e-mails at www.indian.senate.gov.)

-snip-

Though Abramoff was let go by his new firm, Greenberg Traurig, in 2004, that didn't keep him from working feverishly for the re-election of the president. Abramoff was one of the Bush campaign's "Pioneers," a title bestowed on those who raise at least $100,000. No matter that, in the midst of the presidential campaign last fall, Abramoff and pal Scanlon were summoned to testify before the Indian Affairs Committee. Only Abramoff showed, and he invoked the Fifth Amendment. Scanlon lay low, eluding service of a subpoena. Senate records indicate that Abramoff and Scanlon split $42 million of a boggling $66 million in fees paid by various casinos, and another $16 million went directly to Greenberg Traurig.
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Hmmmm.....how moral is the moral majority now.

[johncoby2]

3. I am SHOCKED, I tell you, SHOCKED!

Tom DeLay? In an ethics scandal?
What is next? Peter Pan in green tights?

[ChicanoPwr]

4. I was surprised to hear about it too. LOL