CHAIRMAN HOWARD DEAN, MEET YOUR ABRAMOFF DEMOCRATS

RNC Research ^ | January 30, 2006 | RNC Research Briefing

[CyberAnt]

Democrats Do Have A "Big" Abramoff Problem

"Chairman Dean set a new standard for Abramoff Democrats today and it's clear that Sen. Reid did not make the cut. Dean specifically stated it was 'a big problem' if any Democrats wrote letters on behalf of Abramoff Indian tribes, which is exactly what Harry Reid and other Democrats did. Howard Dean has displayed a stunning level of hypocrisy on this issue, however it now appears that he may be interested in holding his fellow Democrats accountable."

- RNC Communications Director Brian Jones

DNC Chair Dean: If Any Dems Wrote Letters On Behalf Of Indian Tribes Jack Abramoff Represented "That's A Big Problem":

Fox News' Chris Wallace: "[I]f We Find That There Were Some Democrats Who Wrote Letters On Behalf Of Some Of The Indian Tribes That Abramoff Represented, Then What Do You Say, Sir?" (Fox News' "Fox News Sunday," 1/29/06)

DNC Chair Howard Dean: "That's A Big Problem, And Those Democrats Are In Trouble, And They Should Be In Trouble, And Our Party, If The American People Will Put Us Back In Power In '06, We Will Have On The President's Desk Things That Outlaw All Those Kinds Of Behaviors." (Fox News' "Fox News Sunday," 1/29/06)

FACT: Democrat Leaders Did Write Letters On Behalf Of Indian Tribes Jack Abramoff Represented:

Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV): "Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid Of Nevada Sent A Letter To [Interior Secretary Gale] Norton On March 5, 2002 ... The Next Day, The Coushattas [An Indian Tribe Represented By Abramoff] Issued A $5,000 Check To Reid's Tax-Exempt Political Group, The Searchlight Leadership Fund." (John Solomon, "Lawmakers Pressured Interior While Getting Large Donations," The Associated Press, 11/18/05)

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA): "Harkin Wrote At Least Three Letters In 2003 Pressing The Government To Release Federal Money To Help The Sac & Fox Tribe In His State Cope With The Temporary Closing Of Its Casino Due To A Tribal Dispute, According To Interior Department Documents Obtained By The Associated Press And Records Provided By Harkin's Office." (Sharon Theimer, "Lobbyist Helped Sen. Write Tribal Pleas," The Associated Press, 12/3/05)

"[Team Abramoff Lobbyist Michael D.] Smith Met With The Senator And Also Offered Suggestions For The Letters, Harkin Spokeswoman Allison Dobson Said. 'Absolutely, He Did Contribute To Those Letters,' Dobson Said, Adding That She Wasn't Sure What Smith's Suggestions Were." (Sharon Theimer, "Lobbyist Helped Sen. Write Tribal Pleas," The Associated Press, 12/3/05)

"The Letters To The Interior Department And National Indian Gaming Commission Between June And November 2003 Came As Harkin's Campaign And Political Action Committee Harvested Donations From Smith And Greenberg Traurig Tribal Clients." (Sharon Theimer, "Lobbyist Helped Sen. Write Tribal Pleas," The Associated Press, 12/3/05)

"Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., Who Was Engaged In A Tight Re-Election Race In 2002, Sent Her Letter March 6, 2002. That Same Day, The Coushattas Sent $2,000 To Her Campaign And She Received $5,000 More By The End Of That Month. By Year's End, The Total Had Grown To At Least $24,000." (John Solomon, "Lawmakers Pressured Interior While Getting Large Donations," The Associated Press, 11/18/05)

Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI): "[There Were] Half-Dozen Letters Written Or Signed By 14 Lawmakers On Behalf Of The Tribes. One Was Written Jan. 23, 2003 By [Democrat Sen.] ... Debbie Stabenow ... On The Saginaw's Behalf." (Sharon Theimer, "Lawmakers Helped Abramoff Tribes Get Federal Money, Collected Donations," The Associated Press, 11/25/05)

"Stabenow Got $2,000 From The Saginaw In March 2002, Around The Time [Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT)] Sent His First Letter Requested By The Michigan Lawmakers. She Later Thanked Burns In A Senate Speech For His Help. She Received $2,000 More From The Saginaw About Six Months After Her 2003 Letter." (Sharon Theimer, "Lawmakers Helped Abramoff Tribes Get Federal Money, Collected Donations," The Associated Press, 11/25/05)

Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI): "[There Were] Half-Dozen Letters Written Or Signed By 14 Lawmakers On Behalf Of The Tribes. One Was Written Jan. 23, 2003 By [Democrat Sen.] Carl Levin ... On The Saginaw's Behalf." (Sharon Theimer, "Lawmakers Helped Abramoff Tribes Get Federal Money, Collected Donations," The Associated Press, 11/25/05)

DNC Chair Dean Falsely Claims No Democrats Have Been Accused Of Delivering Anything For Jack Abramoff:

DNC Chair Howard Dean: "[B]ut The Point Is That Not One Democrat Either Knew It Or Acted On It. Nobody Got Anything Out Of The Democrats From Jack Abramoff. No Democrat Delivered Anything And There's No Accusation And No Investigation That Any Democrat Ever Delivered Anything To Jack Abramoff, And That's Not True Of The Republicans." (Fox News' "Fox News Sunday," 1/29/06)

FACT: Dems Have Been Repeatedly Implicated In The Abramoff Investigation:

"Law-Enforcement Authorities And Others Said The Investigation's Opening Phase Is Scrutinizing ... Byron L. Dorgan, North Dakota Democrat; And Minority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat ..." (Jerry Seper and Audrey Hudson, "Abramoff-Linked Probe Focuses On 5 Lawmakers," The Washington Times, 1/11/06)

"Democrats Have Taken A Special Interest In [Team Abramoff Lobbyist And Former Reid Staffer Eddie] Ayoob's Clients. Of The Eight Tribes Ayoob Represented When He Was With Greenberg Traurig, Reid Acted In Behalf Of Or Moved Legislation Benefiting Six." (Rebecca Adams, "The Game's The Thing: Reid Has Been A Ready Ally To Abramoff-Linked Interests," Congressional Quarterly Weekly, 1/16/06)

Larry Noble, Executive Director And General Counsel For The Non-Partisan Center For Responsive Politics: "I Would Say, Broadly Defined As A Question Of The Tribes' Buying Influence In Washington, It Includes Democrats." (Donald Lambro, "Dean Denies Party Ties To Abramoff," The Washington Times, 1/11/06)

CNN's Ed Henry: "I Want To Underline Again, There Are Democrats Implicated In [The Abramoff Scandal] As Well. So [Democrats'] Argument About A Culture Of Corruption May Not Resonate With People Across The Country." (CNN's "CNN Live Today," 1/3/06)

Henry: "[D]emocrats Like Byron Dorgan Of North Dakota ... [Are] Returning The [Campaign] Money Because They've Been Implicated At Least Generally In This Investigation ..." (CNN's "CNN Live Today," 1/3/06)

DNC Chair Dean Falsely Claims Dems "Pretty Clean" On Abramoff Affiliated Money:

Fox News' Chris Wallace: "[I]t Is Certainly True That Republicans Got Twice As Much Money From Abramoff-Related Contributions Than Democrats Did, But Democrats Aren't Clean In This Area Either, Are They?" (Fox News' "Fox News Sunday," 1/29/06)< /P>

DNC Chair Howard Dean: "Yeah, They Are Pretty Clean, Chris. And I'll Tell You Why." (Fox News' "Fox News Sunday," 1/29/06)

FACT: Democrat Campaign Committees Received Over $1.2 Million In Abramoff Affiliated Contributions:

"[A]bramoff Was Careful To Add At Least Two Democratic Lobbyists To His Group During His Five Years At Greenberg Traurig. By The End, Seven Of His Lobbyists Were Democrats." (Jeffrey H. Birnbaum and Derek Willis, "Democrats Also Got Tribal Donations," The Washington Post, 6/3/05)

"According To Documents And Tribal Officials Familiar With The Abramoff Team's Methods, The Lobbyists Devised Lengthy Lists Of Lawmakers To Whom The Tribes Should Donate And Then Delivered The Lists To The Tribes. The Tribes, In Turn, Wrote Checks To The Recommended Campaign Committees And In The Amounts The Lobbyists Prescribed." (Jeffrey H. Birnbaum and Derek Willis, "Democrats Also Got Tribal Donations," The Washington Post, 6/3/05)

DNC Has Received $177,273 In Abramoff Affiliated Money. (Political Money Line Website, www.tray.com, Accessed 1/4/06)

DNC Has Received $112,073 From Abramoff Affiliated Lobbying Firms. (Political Money Line Website, www.tray.com, Accessed 1/4/06)

DNC Has Received $65,200 From Abramoff Affiliated Indian Tribes. (Political Money Line Website, www.tray.com, Accessed 1/4/06)

DCCC Has Received $629,246 In Abramoff Affiliated Money. (Political Money Line Website, www.tray.com, Accessed 1/4/06)

DCCC Has Received $103,746 From Abramoff Affiliated Lobbying Firms. (Political Money Line Website, www.tray.com, Accessed 1/4/06)

DCCC Has Received $525,500 From Abramoff Affiliated Indian Tribes. (Political Money Line Website, www.tray.com, Accessed 1/4/06)

DSCC Has Received $434,123 In Abramoff Affiliated Money. (Political Money Line Website, www.tray.com, Accessed 1/4/06)

DSCC Has Received $111,143 From Abramoff Affiliated Lobbying Firms. (Political Money Line Website, www.tray.com, Accessed 1/4/06)

DSCC Has Received $322,980 From Abramoff Affiliated Indian Tribes. (Political Money Line Website, www.tray.com, Accessed 1/4/06)

** NOTE: The Jack Abramoff Affiliated Indian Tribes Are The Agua Caliente Band Of Cahuilla Indians, Chitimacha Tribe Of Louisiana, Mississippi Band Of Choctaw Indians, Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe Of Michigan And The Tigua Indian Reservation From 1997 To 2004. Abramoff Affiliated Lobbying Firms Are Preston Gates From 1997-2000, And Greenberg Traurig From 2001-2004. **

A Product Of The RNC Research Department

[Liz]

Named by the NRSC as the worst examples of "Democrat hypocrisy" for taking money from Abramoff and his associates are:
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), who received at least $68,941;
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), who received at least $45,750;
Sen. Byron Dorgan, (D-N.D.) who received at least $79,300, and,
Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), who received at least $6,250

ABRAMOFF'S DELAWARE CONNECTION: The names of Delaware Sens Joe Biden (of Judiciary anti-Alito fame) and Tom Carper surfaced on lists of federal lawmakers who received money, from the ubiquitous super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff at the center of the largest ever public corruption involving Congress and its staff members.

In brief, Abramoff and his cronies, including his aide, former Rehoboth Beach, Del lifeguard Mike Scanlon, ripped off Indian tribes seeking federal gambling licenses by playing them off each other and charging both sides millions for legal services. Carper showed up on a list produced by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, which has so far tracked almost $4.5 million in contributions to some 240 lawmakers. Carper's staff found about $7,000 in campaign money linked to Abramoff, which the senator first thought he'd keep because he's never met Abramoff or his partners.

Biden received only $1,250 (that we know of), which was a straight-up individual campaign contribution. The Biden money came from one of 1,500 lawyers -- yes, that's one thousand five hundred, a scary number -- who work at Greenberg Traurig LLP, Abramoff's old law firm. G-T LLP has offices in London, Amsterdam, Atlanta, Brussels, Chicago, New York, Zurich, Los Angeles. And, of course, Wilmington, Del.

Here's how to follow through:
Sen Biden
PHONE: 1-202-224-5042
FAX: 1-202-224-0139
E-MAIL: senator@biden.senate.gov

[Republic Rocker]

Deanie Weenies!

[Buffettfan]

Oh my! How will Dean try and spin this now? A secret plot by Karl Rove to set up these dems? :)

[McGruff]

Dam, I hope they don't figure out he's working for us!

[jazusamo]

Dean was trying to put on a brave front on FNS but Chris Wallace nailed him.

[weps4ret]

And Bill Clinton will be in. IMHO Just my twisted sense of things.

[kcbc2001]

I've known for a while that both my Democratic Senators took Abramoff money, but to see this list makes my day!

[Names Ash Housewares]

oh, when do silly little things like facts bother democrats?

[StAnDeliver]

"He will be out as chairman by weeks end. Book it."

And let him out the back door with the e-mail list in hand? Not a chance. They are stuck with Howard the Duck through 2006. Bank on it.

[roamincadillac]

Lord, I hope they don't cut this clown loose. I enjoy listening to him make a fool of himself and his party. He's boosting republican registration the way 9/11 boosted military recruitment.

[clawrence3]

Good post (as I'm sure you are aware, the Dems are clinging to the fact that neither Jack nor his wife PERSONALLY gave them money - of course, the "scandal" is not about those contributions, but they type you posted - which is why Chris Matthews keeps referring to it as "bi-partisan", further enraging the DUmmies ; )

[b4its2late]

Howard Dean has displayed a stunning level of hypocrisy on this issue,

That's giving Dean way too much credit. Instead of hypocrisy, it appears to be stupidity.

[NavVet]

There must be some mistake, Dean claimed about 20 times on the today show that Democrats had not taken "ONE DIME" of Abramoff's money.

[MNJohnnie]

HAAAAAA! THANK YOU! This is going to be SO much fun! The way the Dims melted down when the Wash Po writer mentioned the Dems involvement is going to PALE to insigifnicane when this hits the Talk Radio air waves!

[Lunatic Fringe]

Why Does Every Word In This Article Start Off With A Capital Letter?

[clawrence3]

Dean was probably referring to PERSONAL campaign contributions from Jack Abramof and his wife.

[CyberAnt]

Hey there! How are you!

Thanks for the comment, but I can only take credit for posting the email.

It's nice to see the RNC letting it fly! Their reserach is just great! And .. this has to remind us that just a few years ago .. we did not have this info available to us because the old media would not print it.

[CyberAnt]

LOL! That's why I addressed my comment to "Deaniacs" .. I was hoping it would cause a meltdown at DU.

[Lancey Howard]

The Democrats got tons of Abramoff money and they cannot hide it.

Twenty years ago - - fifteen years ago, even - - the Democrats could have issued their lying denials, proclaimed their wide-eyed innocence, and been secure in the knowledge that their allies in the socialist "mainstream" liberal newsrooms would take the hint, spike any hint of Democrat involvement, and angrily bury the Republicans.

But that strategy just doesn't work anymore, and the floundering Democrats are in a tantrum over it. They STILL have not been able to digest the cold, hard fact that the days when they held a monopoly on the selection, spin, and dissemination of the news are OVER.

Thank GOD for the new media.

[CyberAnt]

"... Abortocrats only took good money and the Republicans only took bad money."


Now .. how did you know that .. my gosh .. 8^)