Posted on 01/04/2006 7:05:21 AM PST by LouAvul
WASHINGTON - President Bush's re-election campaign will give the American Heart Association thousands of dollars in campaign contributions connected to lobbyist Jack Abramoff, the White House said Wednesday, as the government pressed forward with a broad-ranging corruption investigation.
White House press secretary Scott McClellan said Wednesday that Abramoff, his wife and the tribal associates that he helped win influence on Capitol Hill donated thousands to the Bush-Cheney '04 campaign. Donations to charities has been the policy in similar situations in the past, McClellan said.
Abramoff raised at least $100,000 for President Bush's 2004 re-election effort, earning the honorary title "pioneer" from the campaign. It was unclear how much exactly the campaign would be giving to charity since McClellan referred questions about the matter to the Republican National Committee, which did not immediately return phone calls about it.
McClellan said Bush does not know Abramoff personally, although it's possible that the two met at holiday receptions. Abramoff attended three Hanukkah receptions at the White House, the spokesman said.
In a plea agreement with government prosecutors Tuesday, Abramoff has agreed to tell the FBI about alleged bribes to lawmakers and their aides on issues ranging from Internet gambling to wireless phone service in the House.
The full extent of the investigation is not yet known, but Justice Department officials said they intended to make use of the trove of e-mails and other material in Abramoff's possession as part of a probe that is believed to be focusing on as many as 20 members of Congress and aides.
"The corruption scheme with Mr. Abramoff is very extensive and we will continue to follow it wherever it leads," said Assistant Attorney General Alice Fisher, head of the Justice Department's criminal division.
Court papers in Abramoff's case refer to an aide to then-House Majority Leader Tom DeLay who helped stop anti-gambling legislation regarding the Internet. Abramoff, the papers state, paid the staffer's wife $50,000 from clients that benefited from the actions of the staffer, identified by a person close to the investigation as Tony Rudy, DeLay's former deputy chief of staff.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the probe is ongoing. Rudy did not return a phone call Tuesday at his lobbying firm.
DeLay, R-Texas, voted against his party on the Internet anti-gambling legislation which was designed to make it easier for authorities to stop online gambling sites.
DeLay attorney Richard Cullen said he believes that when the investigation is completed and the truth is known that the Justice Department will conclude that his client, who had risen to House majority leader before stepping down from the post last year, did nothing wrong.
Abramoff pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiracy, mail fraud and tax evasion, with his conduct outlined in court papers that refers to "a stream of things of value to public officials in exchange for a series of official acts and influence."
On Wednesday, Abramoff was to plead guilty in Miami to criminal charges stemming from Abramoff's 2000 purchase of SunCruz Casinos, a case that touches on Rep. Bob Ney (news, bio, voting record), R-Ohio.
The political ramifications of the Abramoff probe were apparent, with minority Democrats intending to make ethics a campaign issue in this election year. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said Abramoff's confession in court was "not a surprise because this Republican Congress is the most corrupt in history and the American people are paying the price."
Some political consultants and analysts are comparing potential damage from the Abramoff investigation to the 1992 House banking scandal that led to the retirement or ouster of 77 lawmakers.
Abramoff's cooperation has made lawmakers nervous.
House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., became the most recent addition to the roster of politicians announcing plans to donate Abramoff's campaign contributions to charity.
The court papers in the Washington case refer to Ney, saying that regarding SunCruz, the congressman placed a statement drafted by Abramoff partner Michael Scanlon in the Congressional Record. The statement, the court papers say, was calculated to pressure the owner of SunCruz to sell on terms favorable to Abramoff.
Ney denies wrongdoing, saying that "at the time I dealt with Jack Abramoff, I obviously did not know, and had no way of knowing, the self-serving and fraudulent nature of Abramoff's activities."
Abramoff and his former partner, Adam Kidan, are charged with concocting a false $23 million wire transfer making it appear they contributed a sizable stake of their own cash into the $147.5 million purchase of cruise ships.
The court papers released Tuesday in Washington raised questions about Ney's former chief of staff, Neil Volz. The documents say the ex-staffer contacted the congressman on behalf of an Abramoff client that won a lucrative deal from Ney to improve cell phone reception in House buildings.
Volz contacted his ex-boss within one year of leaving the congressman's staff, the court papers say, a possible violation of federal conflict of interest laws which impose a one-year lobbying ban.
Volz referred questions to his attorney, who was not immediately available for comment.
Abramoff was once a well-connected lobbyist able to command almost unimaginable fees: A Louisiana tribe once paid Scanlon and him more than $30 million over 26 months. Now facing up to 11 years in prison, Abramoff apologized after pleading guilty.
"Words will not ever be able to express my sorrow and my profound regret for all my actions and mistakes," Abramoff said. "I hope I can merit forgiveness from the Almighty and those I've wronged or caused to suffer."
Does Bush hear something creeping up on him????
Nancy Pelosi makes me ill. I can't stand to watch her. I really wish someone would find something on her - and soon!
Does simply 'donating' away the bribe money from a scumbag make it all OK? I don't care who it is Republican, Dim, or 'Independent', if you take a bribe, you go down. Now, proving that it was a bribe....that's another story.
I'm afraid this Abramoff thing is just starting. The Dems are going to exploit this to the hilt, I'm sure, in this election year.
The question is: How can the GOP effectively counter the bad publicity that's going to be generated? I'm afraid a few folks are going to have to fall on their swords and withdraw.
There is no difference, and that's what's going to bite the Dems on the behind. DC's in need of a good cleansing, though, so here's to open season on both parties.
"Does simply 'donating' away the bribe money from a scumbag make it all OK?"
Sure. It does if there is no way the person receiving the money could have known that it was donated in exchange for some positive action on some matter.
This is going to lead to a close look at the dates of the donations and any votes or other actions favorable to the donor.
If you have a donation, followed by a vote in favor of whatever the donor was advocating, then it's likely to cause a real problem for the person accepting the donation.
This story is going to have long, long legs in this election year.
To my thinking, they are angling for bigger fish.
Let the scumbags fall where they may. There will be Democrats in the bunch. Just watch.
Soros implicates mostly Dems. Therefore the MSM doesn't cover it.
"To my thinking, they are angling for bigger fish."
No doubt. We'll be hearing more about this in the months to come, probably culminating in some indictments and other ugly things close to the election in November.
It's not going to be pretty, and it may be that some fairly large names take a major hit over this stuff.
For me, it's just another indication of the corruption of the entire lobbying process. I've never liked the influence that lobbyists have on Capitol Hill. Perhaps this will all lead to some rule changes. I hope so.
"Let the scumbags fall where they may. There will be Democrats in the bunch. Just watch."
There will be a few, I'm sure. However, Abramoff's history would seem to indicate that he targeted GOP lawmakers more often than Democrats. We'll see.
The TRUTH about Abramof is that members of both parties took his donations (see for example Dorgan, Byron). This is really going to be a battle of the dinosaur media vs. the new media. The Dino media is already reporting this as being solely a Republican problem. We all know that is completely and totally FALSE. The question is, will Ms. Plastic Face be able to get away with it? Regardless of the questions she is asked, she just spouts the "Culture of Corruption" talking point. The Republicans had better have the "Culture of Hypocrisy" talking point ready to scream from the rooftops.
A whole lot of donating went on. But which "donations" were actually an illegal bribe?
They will try to claim that anyone who received a dollar from this joker is tainted, but if they had no knowledge or malice aforethought, how can they be tainted?
I expect this story will disappear from the headlines when it becomes clear how many democrats are up to their hips in it.
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