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A key player in the middle of the ongoing Tom DeLay scandals is a shady Washington lobbyist named Jack Abramoff. Abramoff, currently under investigation by two Senate committees, the Department of the Interior and the Justice Department, is "one of the city's richest and best connected lobbyists." He was the ultimate power player, raking in $750 an hour and pulling in millions of dollars from clients looking to use his power, connections and influence. All that began to change last fall, however, when e-mail messages seized from his computer "told a story of front groups, secret kickbacks, manipulated tribal elections and political payoffs. " Here's a look at the sordid past of a former Washington kingpin and DeLay ally, Jack Abramoff:
MARRIED TO THE MOB: The Washington Post reported this weekend new charges surrounding Abramoff's connection to SunCruz Casinos, a fleet of casino ships with ties to organized crime. Abramoff partnered with the 36-year-old owner of a Dial-a-Mattress franchise, Adam Kidan, to purchase the casinos. The crux of the matter is a faked $23 million wire transfer designed to convince lenders to finance Abramoff's group. Abramoff and Kidan, who allegedly had ties to the Gambino crime family, then refused to pay the fleet's owner, even as they began paying themselves $500,000 a year each from the fleet's profits.
HITTING THE JACKPOT: Abramoff is perhaps best known for hitting the jackpot by working both sides of a get-rich-quick scheme to exploit Indian tribes. (Abramoff "once boasted he had steered more than $10 million in tribal contributions" to his conservative friends and allies.) Abramoff represented the Coushatta Tribe Indians, casino owners who wanted to stop a rival casino from being built in Texas by the Tigua Indians. The Coushatta Tribe paid millions to Abramoff, who worked with Michael Scanlon, a high-priced public relations guru, and Christian Coalition leader-turned-lobbyist Ralph Reed to rally local Texas religious leaders and pastors and shut down the Tigua casino. Once the Tigua casino closed, Abramoff and Scanlon turned around and persuaded the cash-strapped Tigua Indian tribe "to pay $4.2 million to try to get Congress to reopen it." Reed claims not to have known about the double-cross.The New York Times shows others on the Christian right aren't so sure. Uber-right-wing Paul Weyrich has doubts, saying, "I think it's a hard sell that he didn't know any of this."
GETTING THEIR MONEY'S WORTH: Abramoff told Time magazine the Indian tribes got their money's worth, saying,"The return on investment for these tribes…is far better than anything they or we could have imagined." That's a far cry from earlier e-mails he sent, calling the Indians "monkeys," "troglodytes" and "morons." He also said in those earlier e-mails that his partner, Scanlon, took the money from the tribes, "divided the $5 million into three piles: $1 million for actual expenses and $2 million for each of us."
SETTING UP GOOD COVER: In June 2002, Abramoff sent an e-mail to Marc Schwartz, the consultant to the Tigua Indian tribe, asking the tribe to set up a trip for Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH) in return for Ney's support on a bill to reopen their casino. In an e-mail, he told Schwartz: "our friend asked if we could help (as in cover) a Scotland golf trip for him and some staff…for August. The trip will be quite expensive (we did this for another member – you know who) 2 years ago." Schwartz has testified before a Senate committee that "you know who" was Tom DeLay. Records back up the charges – DeLay did travel to Scotland, with Abramoff as well as an entourage including his wife and top two aides, in 2000. In violation of House rules, airfare for the trip was charged to an American Express card issued to Jack Abramoff. DeLay maintains he had "no way of knowing that any lobbyist might have financially supported the trip," but his former Chief of Staff Susan Hirschmann confirms DeLay's congressional office was in direct contact with Abramoff's law firm, Preston Gates, about the trip itinerary before DeLay's departure.
EXPLOITING KIDS FOR FUN AND PROFIT: Abramoff paid for Ney's trip to Scotland by running money through a children's charity, Capital Athletic Foundation, which bills itself as promoting sports-related programs for kids. Instead of blowing cash on T-ball or Pop Warner for underprivileged kids, however, the "charity" spent $150,225 for Abramoff, Ney, Reed, and then-General Services Administration Chief of Staff David Safaviana to take a private jet to go golfing in Scotland. (Abramoff used DeLay's name to rake in cash for the "charity." One Indian tribe told federal investigators "that they made the donations because Abramoff told them it would impress DeLay.") A review of the tax and spending records of the charity reveals that "less than 1 percent of its revenue has been spent on sports-related programs for youths."
It's lies and deception from the top to the bottom ~ the beat goes on !
Allen L Roland
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