bttt this when things get crazy

http://tinyurl.com/e3t38

[Edited on November 20, 2005 at 8:27 PM. Reason : .]

11/20/2005 8:26:52 PM

Quote :

""I think this has the potential to be the biggest scandal in Congress in over a century," said Thomas E. Mann, a Congressional specialist at the Brookings Institution. "I've been around Washington for 35 years, watching Congress, and I've never seen anything approaching Abramoff for cynicism and chutzpah in proposing quid pro quos to members of Congress.""

To quote Dick Vitale: "They're warmin' up the bus, baby!"

11/20/2005 9:50:48 PM

This scandal could bring down as many as 60 republicans in Congress. 2006 will be a banner year for Democrats!

First, Republicans will be re-districted out of existence, and then Bush-Cheney will be impeached. Followed by another 40 year reign for the Dems

11/28/2005 8:32:26 AM

I honestly wouldn't mind that happening - as long as alito gets confirmed, the republicans can go to hell.

11/28/2005 8:44:50 AM

Quote :

"Marble chunk falls from top of Supreme Court Mon Nov 28, 2005 11:47 AM ET WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A chunk of marble fell from near the roof of the U.S. Supreme Court onto the stairs in the front of the building but no one was injured, a court spokeswoman said on Monday."

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2005-11-28T164743Z_01_SIB856755_RTRUKOC_0_US-COURT-ROOF.xml&archived=False

God believes in a separation of Church and State.

11/28/2005 12:20:05 PM

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/21/politics/21abramoff.html

Quote :

"WASHINGTON, Dec. 20 - Jack Abramoff, the Republican lobbyist under criminal investigation, has been discussing with prosecutors a deal that would grant him a reduced sentence in exchange for testimony against former political and business associates, people with detailed knowledge of the case say. Mr. Abramoff is believed to have extensive knowledge of what prosecutors suspect is a wider pattern of corruption among lawmakers and Congressional staff members. One participant in the case who insisted on anonymity because of the sensitivity of the negotiations described him as a "unique resource.""

ashes, ashes, they all fall down

12/21/2005 9:23:05 AM

Quote :

"I honestly wouldn't mind that happening - as long as alito gets confirmed, the republicans can go to hell."

12/21/2005 10:31:13 AM

Quote :

"WASHINGTON (AP) — Lobbyist Jack Abramoff will plead guilty to federal charges in Washington and Miami, clearing the way for him to cooperate in a massive government investigation of influence peddling involving members of Congress, lawyers said Tuesday."

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-01-03-Abramoff_x.htm?POE=NEWISVA

Quote :

"Any such plea agreement likely would secure the Republican lobbyist's testimony against several members of Congress who received favors from him or his clients. The Justice Department is believed to be focusing on as many as 20 lawmakers and aides."

1/3/2006 10:48:03 AM

this is gonna be gooooooooooooooooooooooooood

1/3/2006 10:51:25 AM

Place your bets on the number of politicians convicted and/or forced from office.

I say 2 at most...

1/3/2006 11:04:39 AM

indictments.....5-10

kicked out....2-3

1/3/2006 11:09:59 AM

should be smoothed over and forgotten by st patrick's day

1/3/2006 11:28:57 AM

omg let's narc

1/3/2006 11:58:26 AM

It might be time for some politicians to pull a Vince Foster on Mr. A.

1/3/2006 12:47:17 PM

lobbyists are scum

1/3/2006 1:22:58 PM

I don't know why you Dems are getting so happy. This is a bipartisan scandal.

Harry Reid looks pretty stupid for calling this a Republican problem when he accepted $66,000 from Abramoff.

Quote :

"Nearly three dozen members of Congress, including leaders from both parties, pressed the government to block a Louisiana Indian tribe from opening a casino while the lawmakers collected large donations from rival tribes and their lobbyist, Jack Abramoff. Many intervened with letters to Interior Secretary Gale Norton within days of receiving money from tribes represented by Abramoff or using the lobbyist's restaurant for fundraising, an Associated Press review of campaign records, IRS records and congressional correspondence found. House Speaker Dennis Hastert, an Illinois Republican, held a fundraiser at Abramoff's Signatures restaurant in Washington on June 3, 2003, that collected at least $21,500 for his Keep Our Majority political action committee from the lobbyist's firm and tribal clients. Seven days later, Hastert wrote Norton urging her to reject the Jena tribe of Choctaw Indians' request for a new casino. ... Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid sent a letter to Norton on March 5, 2002 ... The next day, the Coushattas issued a $5,000 check to Reid's tax-exempt political group, the Searchlight Leadership Fund. A second Abramoff tribe sent another $5,000 to Reid's group. Reid ultimately received more than $66,000 in Abramoff-related donations between 2001 and 2004. ... Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., the former Senate GOP leader, wrote Norton on March 1, 2002, to "seriously urge" she reject the Jena casino. Lott received $10,000 in donations from Abramoff tribes just before the letter and $55,000 soon after. Lott's office said he sent the letter because his state's Choctaw tribe and a casino company were concerned about losing business. Then-Sen. John Breaux (news, bio, voting record), D-La., wrote Norton on March 1, 2002. Five days later the Coushattas sent $1,000 to his campaign and $10,000 to his library fund, tribal records show. Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., wrote Norton on June 14, 2001, one of the first such letters. Cochran's political committee got $6,000 from Abramoff tribes in the weeks before the letter, and another $71,000 in the three years after. 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. "

1/3/2006 3:00:36 PM

i'm happy because corrupt politicians are going to be outed. I don't care what party they're with.

but most of them WILL be republicans

1/3/2006 3:07:02 PM

Whatever their party, fuck them.

Can we get some of these going on in the state governments as well? I'm sure there's some shady business going on here that could use some tidying up.

1/3/2006 3:25:24 PM

This is why we need public funding of campaigns. It's alot cheaper in the long run than having corporate moguls buying legislators.

Republicans can always break down crying and invoke God for forgiveness.

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2005/11/28.html#a6094

I'm sure Satan cried too.

1/3/2006 3:33:23 PM

Quote :

"i'm happy because corrupt politicians are going to be outed. I don't care what party they're with."

1/3/2006 4:33:43 PM

Quote :

"pryderi: This is why we need public funding of campaigns."

Agreed. Free speech is so over-rated.

1/3/2006 5:44:18 PM

by the way, Number of dollars Jack Abramoff donated to Democrats:

Zero.
http://firedoglake.blogspot.com/2006_01_01_firedoglake_archive.html#113631635821774149

his clients donated money to democrats, but he didn't. By the way, did you guys know that abramoff produced the anti-communist flick "Red Scorpion?"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Abramoff#Early_years

Abramoff spent ten years in Hollywood, producing such movies as Red Scorpion, an anti-communist film made just after his term with the College Republicans ended. This movie was filmed in territory controlled by South Africa's white supremacist government, and it's been alleged to have been funded by the South African army; which lead to protests from anti-apartheid groups.

http://www.salon.com/ent/feature/2005/08/17/abramoff/

Finally, if you want some really entertaining reading about who's likely to be squealed on by abramoff, check out this slate article: http://www.slate.com/id/2133666/nav/tap1/

Some highlights:

Quote :

"Ralph Reed—The former executive director of the Christian Coalition is running for lieutenant governor of Georgia and sprinting away from Abramoff. Reed received millions from Jack and his partner in order to wage "grass-roots" anti-gambling campaigns. The problem for Reed is that his work against the evil money-rollers was paid for by other gambling interests eager to get rid their competition. Reed said he didn't know he was being paid by gambling interests. E-mails suggest that he did. http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,1122014,00.html"

Quote :

"Grover Norquist—The president of Americans for Tax Reform and longtime Abramoff friend, Norquist donated $1 million in ATR funds to an anti-lottery and gaming coalition, a portion of which supported Ralph Reed's phony grass-roots organizing for Abramoff. Norquist also arranged White House meetings for Abramoff's tribal client. Congressional investigators suspect that Norquist, whose organization receives money from Indian tribes Abramoff represented, may have been laundering funds for Abramoff. But Norquist was never interviewed or called to testify before Sen. John McCain's Indian affairs committee. Norquist has not yet talked to investigators in the Abramoff probe and says the White House meeting with Indian leaders was unconnected—merely a reward for tribes that had passed resolutions supporting the president's policies."

Quote :

"David Safavian—The Bush administration's former chief procurement official has already been charged with obstruction and making false statements to federal investigators and Senate aides investigating Abramoff. He allegedly claimed Abramoff had no business before GSA when he accompanied the lobbyist on a lavish golf trip to Scotland, along with Ney. Prosecutors say Safavian was actively helping Abramoff obtain a lease on the Old Post Office building for one of his Indian tribal clients and leasing other government property for the private school he founded. Now that Jack is talking, Safavian will no longer have to wonder who the government's chief witness against him will be."

Quote :

"Rep. Robert Ney—"If I were in Bob Ney's office I would be heading for the exits," e-mailed one top Republican staffer on Capitol Hill after Abramoff's plea agreement was announced. Ney, who has already been subpoenaed, traveled on a Jack-backed golf trip to Scotland. He previously had proposed legislation to help a tribe that then donated to his campaign and entered comments in the Congressional Record against a man standing in the way of an Abramoff project. The congressman has denied wrongdoing, saying Abramoff and his partner duped him in both cases. Ney's former aide Neil Volz, whom Abramoff hired, is also under investigation. The betting in Washington is that Ney will get indicted—he is believed to be the "Representative #1" described in court papers filed today. "They didn't make a deal with Abramoff to nab another lobbyist," says one veteran Republican. "They did it to get a member of Congress.""

[Edited on January 4, 2006 at 10:51 AM. Reason : ,]

1/4/2006 10:45:43 AM

Quote :

"by the way, Number of dollars Jack Abramoff donated to Democrats: Zero."

From what I saw on that blog, I wouldn't give the Democrats a clean bill of health yet. The federal records show that only $127,000 was given to Republicans and $0 to Democrats officially. However, that doesn't mean that he didn't do anything for the Democrats through other channels. Most of the stuff he's been tagged for has been through more "creative" financial means than official donations ($127,000 doesn't carry the same weight on Capitol Hill, and I HIGHLY doubt that he was able to corrupt so many Republican officials with such a puny sum). Just because the official records show that Abramoff didn't give money officially to the Democrats doesn't mean he didn't slide something under the table.

That being said, I don't believe that the Democrats are involved in this enough to make it a bipartisan issue; this is a Republican problem, not a general Congressional one.

1/4/2006 10:56:44 AM

however, let it not be said that democratic congressmen are corrupt. this guy, however, is a republican. he's always been a party-line republican, he's always been a reaganite, and I'd imagine that even being friends with a democrat is something he'd only do if he had something to gain from it

1/4/2006 11:09:53 AM

the fark link said "abramoff seen walking towards fan with bag of stinky stuff"

this is going to be fun to watch

1/4/2006 11:12:36 AM

These coppers won't take me alive, see?

1/4/2006 11:25:47 AM

he looks like he has plumped up

ps

narc

1/4/2006 11:27:08 AM

1/4/2006 11:28:59 AM

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

Quote :

"How they got caught: After lobbyist broke off engagement, ex-fiancee told of illicit dealings to FBI 01/03/2006 @ 7:03 am Filed by Jason Leopold Michael Scanlon found himself at the center of one of the biggest political scandals in Washington history as a result of cheating and lying—but not the type involving the numerous clients he was paid to lobby Congress for, former coworkers and friends of his ex-fiancee say. Advertisement Scanlon was implicated in the Abramoff scandal by his former thirtysomething fiancee, Emily J. Miller, whom he met in the late 1990s while working as communications director for former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX), three former associates who worked with Scanlon at DeLay’s office said. Colleagues say Miller went to the FBI after Scanlon broke off their engagement and announced his intention to marry another woman. Miller did not return a call seeking comment. Scanlon’s attorney, Stephen Braga, did not respond to phone calls or emails seeking comment. Former coworkers of Scanlon and Miller at DeLay’s office and of Miller at the State Department would speak only under condition of anonymity, saying they did not want to be called as witnesses in a trial. Miller was DeLay’s young press secretary and as communications director, Scanlon was her boss. The two began a secretive office romance and Scanlon eventually proposed marriage, associates say."

1/4/2006 12:23:56 PM

Quote :

"Jack Abramoff"

another j00

do you think they'll send him to one of those country-club "prisons" for a few months, like Martha Stewart?

1/4/2006 12:38:33 PM

the democratic party is just a lobby for big citizen. or did i just blow your mind?

[Edited on January 4, 2006 at 12:39 PM. Reason : ^thought you were suspended]

1/4/2006 12:38:38 PM

Just suspend him again.

1/4/2006 12:43:11 PM

Quote :

"do you think they'll send him to one of those country-club "prisons" for a few months, like Martha Stewart"

depends on who he helps reel in

the bigger his prey
the smaller his sentence

1/4/2006 12:49:05 PM

i hope whoever was doing illegal, underhanded, corrupt stuff goes down, regardless of party.

and I hope that the GOP takes this as an opportunity to police their own. It's the right thing to do, and it would be good PR (amazing how those two things are juxtaposed).

1/4/2006 1:22:20 PM

i wonder if jerry fallwell and pat robertson are going to criticize these dishonest and immoral practices

1/4/2006 1:43:22 PM

^No, they'll probably forgive him and ask for this judge's seat to suddenly become a "vacancy," as well as wish for a plague or something along those lines.

Quote :

"These coppers won't take me alive, see?"

Would it surprise anyone if he was found dead anytime soon?

1/4/2006 1:58:47 PM

Lets just rid Congress of all Republicans and Democrats. The world would be such a better place.

1/4/2006 1:58:49 PM

Quote :

"He [Abramoff] ran for student council president at the Hawthorne School, a Beverly Hills elementary and middle school, in 1972. Heading into a runoff election, Abramoff was disqualified for exceeding the spending limit. The principal, Herbert recalled, penalized Abramoff for holding a party, stating it amounted to a campaign expenditure that pushed him over the limit."

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-lobbyist4jan04,0,7317400.story?coll=la-home-headlines

1/4/2006 1:59:52 PM

Quote :

"Would it surprise anyone if he was found dead anytime soon?"

that would be THE SHIT

because it would provide such a moral high ground

"NOT ONLY ARE THEY CROOKED, THEY'RE MURDERERS"

1/4/2006 2:08:01 PM

Have you heard of Konstantinos "Gus" Boulis, Anthony Moscatiello, Anthony Ferrari or James Fiorillo?

1/4/2006 2:38:23 PM

Quote :

"and I hope that the GOP takes this as an opportunity to police their own"

No way in hell that either party is up for that. Remember Rostinkowski and Weinberger?

1/4/2006 2:39:02 PM

yeah, i don't really expect it to happen.

maybe it'll run that way someday when I'm running the show.

1/4/2006 2:44:36 PM

Dare to Dream brother. Dare to dream.

1/4/2006 3:15:14 PM

Vote for Duke in 2026, and we'll see what happens.

1/4/2006 3:18:18 PM

david duke will be like 80 then, man!

1/4/2006 3:18:54 PM

see now this is the sort of thing that democrats should rightfully be screaming their heads off about... unfortunately they've diluted the significance of their "outrage"

1/4/2006 3:44:49 PM

^Why do you say that?

1/4/2006 3:56:10 PM

because its true.

you guys express maximum outrage at everything the administration does and now nobody knows when you're "outraged" because you simply disagree or if you're outraged at something real, like this.

i think its funny. have fun convincing that public that, really, you're really really really double-plus really outraged about abramoff

1/4/2006 3:59:02 PM

Any conservative worth their salt should be up in arms about this as well. Pity that the republican party has run off most of those guys.

There's plenty of slime to go around in this. The GOP is hip deep in the muck, and the Dems only a bit less so. In the end, I don't expect alot to come out of this besides some bad publicity and a few lower-level heads to roll. Politicans have been bought and sold, and neither party is going to lead the charge into the underbelly of their operations.

1/4/2006 4:16:42 PM

Wait for it...

1/4/2006 5:12:28 PM