Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

(Former Sen. Conrad) Burns no longer part of Abramoff probe
AP on Yahoo ^ | 1/2/08 | Mary Clare Jalonick - ap

Posted on 01/02/2008 8:58:21 PM PST by NormsRevenge

WASHINGTON - Former Sen. Conrad Burns is no longer part of a federal investigation of jailed lobbyist Jack Abramoff, the Justice Department said Wednesday.

Burns, R-Mont., narrowly lost re-election to a fourth term in 2006 after Democrats made his relationship with Abramoff a central issue. Abramoff is the key figure in a corruption investigation that has led to convictions of a former congressman, legislative aides, lobbyists and officials in the Bush administration.

Burns said in a statement that he "never doubted that the baseless and politically motivated charges leveled against me would be found to be without merit."

"My family has paid a great price during this three-year period and we are thankful it is now over," he said.

Ralph Caccia, who has represented Burns in the political corruption probe, said the Justice Department had notified him of Burns' status in the investigation. Justice Department spokesman Peter Carr confirmed that Burns was no longer part of it.

Abramoff's sentencing in the Capitol Hill influence peddling case has repeatedly been delayed because he is helping prosecutors. He is serving prison time for an unrelated fraudulent casino deal.

Burns had accepted about $150,000 in contributions from Abramoff, his clients and associates. He later gave that money away after Democrats criticized his connections to the lobbyist.

Some of Burns' staff also had connections to Abramoff. His former chief of staff, Will Brooke, left Burns' office to work for the lobbyist's firm after taking a trip to the 2001 Super Bowl in Abramoff's jet. Another employee worked for Abramoff before and after he worked for Burns' Senate office.

In the statement, Burns said he made nearly 10 years of records from his Senate office available to the government for review, including all electronic records. He said he was never interviewed as part of the investigation.

Burns works for Gage, a lobbying firm founded by his former chief of staff Leo A. Giacometto.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Government; Politics/Elections; US: Montana
KEYWORDS: 1109th; 110th; abramoff; abuseofpower; conradburns; cultureofcorruption; democrattakeover; dncmediacollusion; howtostealanelection; judicialtyrrany; nifongism; partisanwitchhunt; probe

1 posted on 01/02/2008 8:58:23 PM PST by NormsRevenge
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: NormsRevenge

So just where the hell does Conrad go to get his reputation back?


2 posted on 01/02/2008 9:02:03 PM PST by jwalsh07
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NormsRevenge

War is Hell.


3 posted on 01/02/2008 9:03:44 PM PST by Mad_Tom_Rackham (Elections have consequences.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SierraWasp

Never mind.

4 posted on 01/02/2008 9:09:30 PM PST by ElkGroveDan (I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired of all the politics in politics.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NormsRevenge

5 posted on 01/02/2008 9:14:27 PM PST by JennysCool (Happy New Year!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: jwalsh07
That is what I would like to know. It is a true shame that we have no mechanism whereby politicians can sue for damages those who make scurrilous, unfounded accusations. The dim Dems would be bankrupt in no time.
6 posted on 01/02/2008 9:19:46 PM PST by singfreedom ("Victory at all costs,.....for without victory there is no survival." Winston Churchill)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: NormsRevenge

We’re still stuck with Jon Tester, the Baucus/Schweitzer wannabee the lib PACs paid for. So far, he’s an unbroken voting record of the usual schlock, posturing and preening for a spot on the fence. Burns had a bunch of loonies mad at him for shooting from the hip, but he was and is an honest man who did a lot of good. I work for the state of Montana, among the Liberalissimos, and it has not been a happy transition.


7 posted on 01/02/2008 9:25:07 PM PST by holly go-rightly
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NormsRevenge

He was accused by Dhims so, of course, he’s guilty.
One the other hand, Sen. Reid (D-NV), lobbied for Abramoff to prevent an Indian Casino on the gulf coast which would have cut into Reid’s “clients” profits next door....
oh well, damned ndn’s shouldn’t have trusted that ‘white man’ either :D, .... or, Reid’s just another unindicted DhimoRAT Pol who’ll git his in this life.


8 posted on 01/02/2008 9:53:09 PM PST by NDNBill (Take No Prisoners. "Hang'em from a tree,.... for All the people to see.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: singfreedom

The DNC and MSM colluded to paint a picture of a Republican “Culture of Corruption” that resulted in a Democrat takeover of Congress in the 2006 elections.

The charges have proven to be without merit. They hounded Delay and Frist out of office and tanked others re-election bids.

The media acted as if they were shocked by the queer antics of Mark Foley but the DNC and MSM knew more earlier (and it was a Democrat staffer who corresponded and saved the IMs) but they used it to attack the GOP leadership for “knowing (some of the details) and doing nothing” (the media and DNC sat on the matter themselves until they could spring it as an October surprise).

The truth of the matter in these cases (Foley was not molesting aides as was orginally suggested) matters not.

And the Democrat partisan witchhunts will continue. But unlike McCarthyism, Nifongism will never appear in high school text books. Neither will the modern era’s yellow journalism.

The Socialist lies must be refuted. And those who make false allegations as prosecutors should themselves be put on trial and sent to prison for abuse of power.


9 posted on 01/02/2008 11:02:52 PM PST by weegee (End the Bush-Bush-Bush-Clinton/Clinton-Clinton/Clinton-Bush-Bush-Clinton/Clinton Oligarchy in 2008.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: weegee
Like the defective dildo that persecuted Scooter Libby. Ditto. You summed that up really well, weegee! I still feel that individuals, even politicians, wronged in this fashion should have some recourse.
10 posted on 01/02/2008 11:12:01 PM PST by singfreedom ("Victory at all costs,.....for without victory there is no survival." Winston Churchill)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: holly go-rightly

Second that. I went to HS with myron nordquist, his personal attorney. I still grieve over Conrad’s losing by 1729 votes out of 250,000 cast. So, the surge worked and yet we still got schumer’s b*** kisser, but the day of reckoning is coming. And it will be poetic justice if BS gets the same bum’s rush he gave Judy during her farewell speech.


11 posted on 01/03/2008 12:18:02 AM PST by timer (n/0=n=nx0)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: singfreedom

The prosecution of Nifong for his own criminal activities in abusing the power powers of his office are indeed a rarity.

Too often they walk away and history “forgets” the outcome of the scandals.


12 posted on 01/03/2008 8:35:33 AM PST by weegee (End the Bush-Bush-Bush-Clinton/Clinton-Clinton/Clinton-Bush-Bush-Clinton/Clinton Oligarchy in 2008.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: holly go-rightly

Me too! I was furious when I saw the headline on the IR today. Not that there was no wrong doing just the investigation done! Of course after that they had the usual 10 min clip about Tester saying nothing!


13 posted on 01/03/2008 8:39:09 AM PST by LYSandra
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: timer; AuH2ORepublican; Clintonfatigued; Kuksool; JohnnyZ; Clemenza; Galactic Overlord-In-Chief; ...

Just makes you sick. Burns was right all along.


14 posted on 01/03/2008 9:14:42 AM PST by fieldmarshaldj (~~~Jihad Fever -- Catch It !~~~ (Backup tag: "Live Fred or Die"))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: ElkGroveDan

“It’s always somethin!”


15 posted on 01/03/2008 10:40:45 AM PST by SierraWasp (Too much religion mixed with politics just leads the participants into too much hate & discontent!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: fieldmarshaldj

Burns ought to sue the media and John Tester for slander.

The question is should John Dolittle, Don Young, and Ted Stevens be given the benefit of the doub?


16 posted on 01/03/2008 11:17:58 AM PST by Kuksool (Pelosi & Reid have managed the worst Congress ever)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: Kuksool; fieldmarshaldj; Clintonfatigued; JohnnyZ

“The question is should John Dolittle, Don Young, and Ted Stevens be given the benefit of the doubt?”


Not if their names won’t be cleared until after we lose those three safe Republican seats. Doesn’t seem fair, but then again I don’t make the rules.


17 posted on 01/03/2008 3:33:34 PM PST by AuH2ORepublican (Fred Thompson appears human-sized because he is actually standing a million miles away.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: fieldmarshaldj

Burns ought to run against Baucus if for no other reason to shame the Dems for slandering him. Besides, I don’t think we found a top-tier candidate to take on Baucus, anyway.


18 posted on 01/03/2008 3:48:53 PM PST by Galactic Overlord-In-Chief (Groundchuck Hagel and Lindsey Grahamcracker are undesirable menu items in 2008. Make new choices!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

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.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson