Posted on 01/25/2006 12:39:20 PM PST by flattorney
Edited on 03/20/2006 4:27:34 AM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
Propietary article removed. Material is from a paid subscription site.
(Excerpt) Read more at nativetimes.com ...
Who ever blamed the Indian Tribes. The Tribes were duped by that scum Abramoff.
I notice that Timmeh submitted his piece to the Native American Times, rather than a broad-based newspaper with a large readership in his home state. You think he's worried about appearing too cozy with the Native American tribes if anyone else sees that he's defending them?
"While I did not receive any money from Jack Abramoff, I did receive legal contributions from tribes he represented."
It would have been easier for him to just say "I'm guilty"...along with Harry Reid.
Frankly, I have been wondering when they will address the Indian gaming aspect of this. I read that some people who wanted to get into the casino biz have actually revived defunct tribes to do it. I think they could look at the indians who are not really indians aspect. Also Indians are exempt from campign finance. I don't thnk that people spending millions to get a campaign advantage deserve a pass.
"It would have been easier for him to just say "I'm guilty"...along with Harry Reid."
If we're going to indict everyone in Congress who got money from Abramoff's Indian clients, we're going to be indicting a lot of Republicans too -- just remember that.
I'm just saying the Dems should not pretend to be the party of angels.
"I'm just saying the Dems should not pretend to be the party of angels."
I agree. But ask yourself: are you saying the Dems and Reps who took money from Indians are guilty, or not guilty? Those are different arguments.
If they took money as some sort of quid pro quo to get specific legislation passed then I'd say they have a problem...Repub or Dem.
>>>Who ever blamed the Indian Tribes. The Tribes were duped by that scum Abramoff.<<<
No actually some of the tribes also have clear criminal liability in this scandal. And more importantly, moral liability for what they were/are doing to other tribes using their superior financial position to bribe lobbyists and Congressional members, to increase their tribe’s power. Further, Indian tribes and their members have a loophole in the ‘02 Campaign Finance Reform (actually an FEC ruling created it) that allows them to pour $millions of donations into the Federal political system.
Did this Abramoff Group scandal (14 Abramoff lawyer/lobbyists were major Democrats) slow down some of the worst offending tribes. Hell no, they just followed Abramoff Group lobbyists to the new law Firms they joined and have kept pouring millions into lobbyists to buy D.C. influence. Or, they replaced Abramoff Group lobbyists with Democrat lobbyists.
I don't have my Abramoff Scandal files at my desk, but one of Abramoff's top kickbacks for political influence tribes, (The Saginaw Chippewa tribe, an EXTREMELY wealthy tribe) replaced Abramoff’s Group last year with Democrat Larry Rosenthal. Rosenthal worked 11 years for Dem House Rep Dale Kildee (D-MI) as his top congressional aide and Legislative Director. Rosenthal also served as Chief-of-Staff of the National Indian Gaming Commission, the federal agency responsible for the regulation of the $14 billion gaming industry. Dem Kildee is the Ranking Democrat Minority Co-Chair on the House Congressional Native American Caucus. Kildee got $19,000 in Abramoff scandal cash. Now, Kildee is setup to get a lot more tribe cash, for political kickbacks, with his man replacing Abramoff’s Group's lobbyists.
According to an Oct 2005 article in the “The Hill”. The Saginaw Chippewa tribe plans to spend more than $300,000, on one political donations venture, in the 2006 fiscal year, based on a leaked Sept. 27, 2005 memo by Tribal dissidents. These tribal dissidents are pissed that their leaders will not stop their corruption with lobbyists and Congress, after all their Abramoff Group dealings have been well exposed to the public and other tribes they injured.
The leaked $300,000 memo was written by the Tribe's current lobbyist, Larry Rosenthal, and a new Tribe employee, Aurene Martin. The Saginaw Chippewa tribe hired Former Bureau of Indian Affairs official Aurene Martin, in October 2005, to strengthen their political interests and position in DC. Martin and Rosenthal are working in joint to “guide” the tribe's lobbying strategy.
So Abramoff Group is not the problem here. The corrupt Federal political system is the problem here, and some of these wealthy Tribes using it to their advantage.
The whole problem is Indian Casino gambling is a $14 billion a year business, and that invites a lot of corruption on all sides of the fence. Particularly with American Indian tribes’ campaign finance reform loophole they have. Further, this whole whistle blowing adventure by the Democrat-Soros~Shadow Party Mob is not about Jack Abramoff and his Group bilking some poor destitute American Indians. Yes, Jack and some others, committed a number of serious criminal offenses, and they will go to a Federal prison for their crimes….talking a few Congressional members with them.
But what is really going on here is a Mob turf war between the Dems against the Republicans, as the Dems try to recapture some of their very lucrative Indian tribal donation base, lost to the GOP, going into the ‘06 and ‘08 election cycle. THIS IS THE REAL STORY
"I'm not guilty because I'm a Democrat and I say I'm not guilty"
This SOB should last one to talk. There is an Indian woman sitting in prison because she got caught delivering 1500 fraudulent votes to this bum a few years ago when he cheated John Thune out of his victory. I hope they put this phony bastard in prison.
Wow, you get the best post of the week! I have never heard that one. Wonder if the NRSC knows the dirt on this. We'll do some digging also. Yes, based on our Abramoff Group Scandal investigation, Johnson’s article in the Native American Times really pissed us off. And more, it’s a Dems “party line” article since Johnson is not up for re-election this year. He’s just trying to cover for his loser Dem buddies Byron Dorgan and Harry Reid who are under Abramoff Scandal DOJ investigation. It’s the same ol’ garbage with the Abramoff Group tied Dems, and it’s not going to work.
Speaking of corrupt elections, the '04 Senate race of Tom Coburn (R-OK) against Brad Carson (D-OK), who is a registered Cherokee, was one of the dirtiest and illegal elections I, and others, have ever seen. George Soros personally, Soros immediate family, Soro~Shadow Party key organizations, (MoveOn.org was a top 10 donor), the DSCC, and the DCCC were backing Carson to the hilt with major money, and real dirty, along with outright fraudulent, attack ads and press against Coburn. There was an open seat on the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and the Dems-Soros Mob spared no expense and gutter politics to get it for Carson. Carson ended up losing, but Coburn (who is an M.D.) said he would never run again because of it. I don’t know if that is still true.
In addition to Soros and his Mob, there was a big time totally corrupt Oklahoma Democrat Senator, Gene Stipes, who’s law firm was Carson’s largest campaign donor. Stipes and his law firm are the most corrupt in Oklahoma. Been that way for 45 years. These damn guys don’t even try to hide their corruption, like they were major mafia members, and owned the Okla Courts. Stipes has been Federally indicted 3 times and resigned his Ok Senate seat in ’03, because of it. Three members in his law firm have been nailed by the Feds on felony campaign corruption charges for other Democratic candidates, etc. etc.
Here's that deal on Gene Stipe I was talking about. HUGE fines, and the Feds have not nailed him yet for his Dem Brad Carson '04 involvement for the Dems-George Soros Mob.
# # # #
July 01, 2004 - FEC levies big fines in Oklahoma
After an investigation that lasted more than five years and implicated dozens of people connected to Gene Stipe and his former law firm, the Federal Election Commission announced Thursday that it had levied $569,500 in fines against those most involved in illegally funneling Stipe's money to Walt Roberts' 1998 congressional campaign.
Stipe, who resigned his state Senate seat and gave up his law license last year after being charged criminally in the case, paid the largest fine, $267,000.
Combined with his fine in the criminal case, Stipe paid $1,002,567 to the federal government for his schemes to get around the federal limits on campaign contributions.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.