Posted on 03/02/2006 3:54:17 PM PST by wjersey
The paper trail seems so obvious it makes you wonder whether anyone ever worried about getting caught. When Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas) and his wife flew from Houston to a golf resort in Scotland in June 2000, the first-class airfare cost $14,001, a big-ticket item for a public servant. But someone else paid.
The American Express bills of lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who pleaded guilty to fraud charges in January, show he footed the bill for the tickets, in an apparent violation of House ethics rules.
"The source of the travel expenses may not be ... a registered lobbyist," according to the House rules. Abramoff was a registered lobbyist at the time.
DeLay's attorney told The Washington Post last year that DeLay was unaware of the "logistics" of bill payments and did not believe Abramoff paid for the tickets.
"This is a classic example of why the ethics rules have to be reformed," said Fred Wertheimer of Democracy 21, a nonprofit watchdog group. "The Scotland trip was a trip to play golf, pure and simple, and private interests should not be allowed to finance those kinds of trips and gain influence with members in return."
Abramoff pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiracy, honest-services mail fraud and tax evasion. Officials said Abramoff had brought corruption to a new level at the Capitol.
"The corruption scheme with Mr. Abramoff was very extensive, and the investigation continues," said Alice Fisher, the head of the Department of Justice's criminal division.
One aspect of Abramoff's corruption scheme was the free trips he provided to politicians to the Super Bowl, a golf resort in Scotland and to the northern Mariana Islands in the South Pacific.
An ABC News hidden camera recorded Abramoff greeting and hugging DeLay as he arrived in the northern Marianas.
DeLay, the former House majority leader, was only one congressman out of dozens who accepted the lobbyist's trips and campaign contributions.
"There are many members of Congress who will not sleep well tonight," said Wertheimer at the time of the investigation. "This is a blockbuster of an investigation that will reach deep inside the power structure."
Federal authorities told ABC News that Abramoff began providing details of his dealings with DeLay and pinpointing a long list of senators and representatives more than a year ago.
At least nine have since returned Abramoff's campaign contributions, and all, including DeLay, have denied any wrongdoing.
Officials told ABC News that the first congressman to be indicted for bribery is expected to be Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio.
Looking in the article to see how much Harry Reid's trips cost...
What a waste of money........
how many Democrat voters could you buy with that?
Answer.....depends on the price of cigarettes in November.
I think anyone would be aware of the "logistics" of how a $14,000 travel fee was financed.
This isn't new to the events as they unfold. The info has been in the public arena for sometime. But by the same token being public doesn't make it right nor excuse the intent of any of the parties involved.
Oh man, please!
Please, please, please, please, please let's extend this argument to anything Abramoff (or any lobbyist) ever paid for on their credit card for a candidate.
Please!!! I want to see all of the Dems go down in one swoop.
How about leaking some of the RATS "gifts" so at least we can have balance. Don't forget to leak all the refunds by RATS. They were willing to accept these payoffs at the time, and no refund makes it right.
I think Congressmen have grown complacent over the years regarding ethical lapses. The lack of oversight and enforcement of ethics rules led to the acceptance of favors.
Democrats are loony if they think this will play into their hands. Much of the problematic behavior extends far back to the days when they were in power, and has been slow to change. Both sides are guilty of ethical lapses, though I'm sure my bias is guilty of believing that while Republicans may be guilty of superficial ethical lapses, Democrats are probably guilty of accepting outright bribes.
Then again, I've seen some very fishy voting on both sides of the aisle. But, I don't have a Republican representative to worry about. I live in Hawaii, after all.
So, is this an example of your humor?...as stated in your profile...
"I do (clean) stand-up comedy for any type of social/ploitical [your typo, not mine] event."
Strong evidence of the corruption of leading politicians, especially if the corruption's both widespread and bipartisan, will result in... the redefinition of corruption.
Uh huh...the Tooth Fairy paid for it.
I was not being the least bit funny.
I might buy the $14,000 1st Class ticket if it was on British Air's Concorde [and I'm sure it's NOT!] but there is no way a round trip ticket FOR ONE PERSON would cost $14,000.
Isn't ABC News some of the Commie idiots who are out there whining that their genitals hurt because the NSA is "spying" on them?
You are right - you're not the least bit funny!
Whatever, harpo.
Yea, the problem can't be fixed afterall they were offered a deal they just couldn't refuse. Mafia should be the new term for our Congress folks and I am going to say it is all inclusive and diverse. Great call.
Exactly! DeLay's defense of his actions is wearing thin. His arrogance got him IMHO -- he didn't figure that any of this would ever come out.
I don't care if it is a Republican or Democrat -- when they break the law, they should suffer the consequences. There is absolutely too much smoke here not to be fire with DeLay and it has been going on for years. He would have been better to keep his mouth shut on Abramoff instead of saying he wasn't aware of "logistics." If he didn't know the "logistics" for such an expensive trip, I would bet there are more. What a lame excuse!
http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:41_DetOVDecJ:www.la.utexas.edu/~fackler/gov370/the_money_men/b.pdf+Stonebridge+Internal,+Madeline+Albright,+Tom+Daschle&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1
Some interesting facts(?) about Lobbyist at this site. Several articles by Jeff Birnbaum.
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