'Corruption Scheme'

Washington Post ^ | Monday, November 28, 2005; A20

[Jean S]

Scanlon and Lobbyist A would offer and provide things of value to federal public officials, including trips, campaign contributions, meals and entertainment in exchange for agreements that the public officials would use their official positions and influence to benefit Scanlon's and Lobbyist A's clients and Lobbyist A's businesses."

-- Criminal information, filed Nov. 18,

against public relations executive

Michael Scanlon .

IN THE dispassionate language of criminal law, the scandal of the rapacious duo of Jack Abramoff (Lobbyist A) and Michael Scanlon reached a new -- and for at least one member of Congress -- ominous level last week. Mr. Scanlon pleaded guilty on Monday to a conspiracy to bribe public officials and defraud his Indian tribal clients; he agreed to pay $19 million in restitution to the tribes -- the size of the kickbacks he gave to Mr. Abramoff -- and he faces up to five years in prison.

With his promise to cooperate with prosecutors, Mr. Scanlon may also be the most dangerous man in Washington right now -- certainly to Rep. Robert W. Ney (R-Ohio), identified in the information as Representative #1, and possibly to others as well.

In September, in the first criminal charges arising from the federal investigation into Mr. Abramoff's lobbying activities, the administration's former chief procurement officer, David H. Safavian, was accused of lying about his dealings with the lobbyist. Now, with the Scanlon guilty plea, the attention has shifted back to Congress, where Mr. Abramoff and Mr. Scanlon, a former aide to Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Tex.), did most of their business.

[dsc]

"the administration's former chief procurement officer, David H. Safavian, was accused of lying about his dealings with the lobbyist."

Just like "recounting till we win," the demonrats have discovered that if you question someone long enough, you can come up with *something* to call a lie.

"Washington players walk a blurry line between bribery and business as usual."

Well, they shouldn't. They shouldn't be within a hundred miles of that line, especially with the demonrats prancing about yelling, "Liners are in. Liners are in."

"But if the lobbyists' favors are conditioned on an understanding that legislative favors have been or will be performed, that would transform the transaction from quotidian to criminal."

So a senator is going to bet his job on a jury full of crack-huffing grade-school dropouts? How stupid is that?

What we need is a constitutional amendment barring public officials from accepting anything at all from anyone--except possibly gifts worth $5 or less from their spouses and children, on birthdays, anniversaries, and at Christmas only.

They're in a restaurant, somebody gives them a toothpick, and wham: Sing-Sing, baby.

They're in a bar and somebody buys a round: cuff'em, it's hard time.

[The Duke]

All the Republicans need to do is to make noises about opening an investigation into the loss of nuclear secrets to China during the Clinton administration.

I suspect all investigations initiated by the Democrats would vaporize overnight.

[p23185]

the MSM hasn't held the Dems to the same standards. I think we need to open the books on the Dems also, as scandal is a two-way street

Man are you right on. The journalists (WaPo, NYT, LAT, et. al.) should start investigating some of the Dims dealings - isn't that a joke -HA HA.