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GeeMack
SFN Regular
USA
1093 Posts |
 Posted - 01/03/2006 : 22:01:10
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The Abramoff case and its associated fallout should provide much interesting reading as the foundations of the sand castles continue to wash away...quote:
Abramoff Pleads Guilty to Fraud...
[Lobbyist Jack] Abramoff pleaded guilty to conspiracy, mail fraud and tax evasion before a federal judge in Washington. He also will plead guilty to conspiracy and wire fraud in a separate case in Miami on Wednesday, his lawyer there said.
The long-expected plea will give prosecutors valuable ammunition as they seek to prove that DeLay of Texas, Republican Rep. Bob Ney (news, bio, voting record) of Ohio and other top lawmakers gave Abramoff and his lobbying clients favorable treatment in return for campaign contributions, Super Bowl tickets and other gifts.
Abramoff will pay over $25 million in restitution and $1.7 million in back taxes. His plea agreements entail a reduction of the potential 30 year prison sentence to about 10 years. Apparently he will be able to reduce that sentence even further by dropping the dime on other participants in the various conspiracies.quote:
A Glance at the Abramoff Case...
Penalties: Up to 30 years in prison and $750,000 in fines, but prosecutors and Abramoff's attorneys agreed to recommend 9 1/2 to 11 years in prison and a fine of $15,000 to $150,000. If he cooperates fully in prosecution of others, the government might recommend an unspecified reduction.
Restitution: Abramoff agreed to pay an estimated $25 million in restitution to his victims and $1.7 million to the Internal Revenue Service for evading taxes during 2001-03.
[...]
Others in Congress: Investigators are believed to be focusing on as many as 20 members of Congress and their aides, but the political fallout in a congressional election year could reach beyond any who are specifically charged. On Tuesday, House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., joined the list of politicians announcing plans to donate campaign contributions he received from Abramoff to charity.
And with no further ado, the dominos start to fall...quote:
DeLay Prosecutor Subpoenas Abramoff Documents...
The prosecutor in a money laundering case against Texas Congressman Tom DeLay is looking at fund-raising and links with lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
District Attorney Ronnie Earle issued the subpoenas Tuesday in Austin.
The move came the same day that Abramoff pleaded guilty in Washington to conspiracy, tax evasion and mail fraud.
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 01/04/2006 : 02:40:46 [Permalink]
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It's little more than the tip of the iceberg with this guy. If what I've read is correct, there might be a murder charge in his future, not to mention that a couple of states with indian casinos might take an intrest in him.
I'd like to know which and how many polititions he owns.
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist! 
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Dr. Mabuse
Septic Fiend
Sweden
9688 Posts |
Posted - 01/04/2006 : 03:53:21 [Permalink]
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Wheee... 
This is going to be interesting!
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Dr. Mabuse - "When the going gets tough, the tough get Duct-tape..."
Dr. Mabuse whisper.mp3
"Equivocation is not just a job, for a creationist it's a way of life..." Dr. Mabuse
Support American Troops in Iraq:
Send them unarmed civilians for target practice..
Collateralmurder. |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 01/04/2006 : 08:48:16 [Permalink]
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From AmericaBlog:
quote:
What was that about Abramoff giving money to Democrats?
by John in DC - 1/04/2006 01:15:00 AM
Here is the list of who Abramoff gave money to, per Michael Petrelis' research:
$172,933 - Republican
$88,985 - special interest
total: $261,918
That's 229 donations and not a DIME to Democrats.
The list of donations is long, but it makes a great visual, so I'm posting it anyway. Next time you hear someone say that this is a bipartisan scandal, whip out this list and laugh.
This comes from Newsmeat.com, they have all the FEC data. I just counted, and I think this list of GOP donors and organizations is around 15 feet long. Someone on our side REALLY needs to print out this list and get in front of a camera. Hell, every single one of our pundits should have this list with them on TV and just roll it out on the table.
Following is a very long list of varied and sundry suckers of the Abramoff tit.
Being the surly, old cynic that I am, I wonder if perhaps a few minor scapegoats might take the fall for others in much higher positions.
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist!
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beskeptigal
SFN Die Hard
USA
3834 Posts |
Posted - 01/04/2006 : 14:16:18 [Permalink]
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These fools should have recognized a guy like Abramoff would sell out his own mother if need be.
I watched Amy Goodman's piece this am (Democracy Now) on the Tom Delay affair in Saipan that she did in 1998. She re-ran it with current update. I knew it, ABC new's Brian Ross reported on it on ABC, everyone who's followed any real news sites knew about all this. And here it is coming to the attention of the general public 7+ years later. Not to mention the fact Tom Delay, aka "my best friend", says Abramoff, has yet to be focused on by the news media for his very close involvement in this corruption.
Bush is going to come to regret his latest big lie, "I don't think I know him but we'll just give that $100,000 campaign contribution from him to the Heart Association anyway". What a crock of shit. Yeah right, we are to believe Bush didn't know a $100,000 donor to his campaign. "Yawn, I get so many contributions I just couldn't possibly keep track of all the $100,000 donors. I had my staff review our donor list and they found it so we acted as soon as we found out." Oh brother!
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Starman
SFN Regular
Sweden
1613 Posts |
Posted - 01/09/2006 : 02:46:06 [Permalink]
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Hoah!
Check out the look on Wolfies face after Dean gives him the smack-down.
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/01/08.html#a6627 quote:
There are no Democrats who took money from Jack Abramoff, not one, not one single Democrat. Every person named in this scandal is a Republican. Every person under investigation is a Republican. Every person indicted is a Republican. This is a Republican finance scandal. There is no evidence that Jack Abramoff ever gave any Democrat any money. And we've looked through all of those FEC reports to make sure that's true.
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GeeMack
SFN Regular
USA
1093 Posts |
Posted - 01/09/2006 : 09:18:54 [Permalink]
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Thanks for the link, Starman. 
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marfknox
SFN Die Hard
USA
3739 Posts |
Posted - 01/09/2006 : 14:01:09 [Permalink]
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beskeptical wrote: "Yawn, I get so many contributions I just couldn't possibly keep track of all the $100,000 donors. I had my staff review our donor list and they found it so we acted as soon as we found out." Oh brother!
I'm not discounting your satirical criticism here, but I'm curious - just how many 100K or more contributions does the Bush campaign get. Is it possible that even such a large contribution would be relatively moderate and not stand out? |
"Too much certainty and clarity could lead to cruel intolerance" -Karen Armstrong
Check out my art store: http://www.marfknox.etsy.com
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beskeptigal
SFN Die Hard
USA
3834 Posts |
Posted - 01/09/2006 : 14:09:33 [Permalink]
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I heard the audio and was impressed. But what about the reports of money here and there? In my state one Senator is donating some connected money and the other is keeping hers. I totally agree you can't just say every political donation was tainted but I do want to know why Dean is so certain these are not connected to Abramoff.
Also of note, the guy slated to possibly replace Delay...married a tobacco lobbyist and inserted a late night rider in her favor into some appropriations bill or something. And, his son now has a big income job as a lobbyist for her company, RJ Reynolds. They may have to dig very deep indeed to find anyone in the party that hadn't been involved in this kind of behavior.
Of course there is something stirring about a certain prosecutor that was a Bush recess appointee with the usual lack of experience. I may have the details wrong. I only heard a bit of it. |
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GeeMack
SFN Regular
USA
1093 Posts |
Posted - 09/28/2006 : 19:29:48 [Permalink]
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Thought I'd dust off this old thread with a little update...quote Yahoo! News:
Disgraced Lobbyist Had More White House Ties
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. congressional committee found that disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff had more contacts with top White House officials than Bush administration officials had previously acknowledged, a senior congressional aide said on Thursday.
The aide confirmed a report by ABC News that a study by the House Government Reform Committee, to be released on Friday, found about 450 contacts between Abramoff, who has pleaded guilty to illegal lobbying, and the White House, including nine with Karl Rove, who is President George W. Bush's top political adviser. The aide declined to provide more details.
And of course...
The White House immediately challenged the credibility of the report, saying it could be based on fraudulent data.
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beskeptigal
SFN Die Hard
USA
3834 Posts |
Posted - 09/29/2006 : 02:25:41 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by marfknox
beskeptical wrote: "Yawn, I get so many contributions I just couldn't possibly keep track of all the $100,000 donors. I had my staff review our donor list and they found it so we acted as soon as we found out." Oh brother!
I'm not discounting your satirical criticism here, but I'm curious - just how many 100K or more contributions does the Bush campaign get. Is it possible that even such a large contribution would be relatively moderate and not stand out?
You have a good point so I looked into it.
Abramoff had a few visits with Bush. Doesn't confirm Bush knew him. But Abramoff's close ties with DeLay and lobbying activities suggests Bush at least knew who Abramoff was and was downplaying any relationship they had.
AmericaBlog cites at least 6 Abramoff visits to White House (links to CREW - Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington site which links to the actual document containing the original information.
But, there were indeed enough $100,000 donors to the Bush campaigns that my comment about knowing any 100K donor was incorrect.Who Are The Bush Pioneers & Rangers? Summary & Key Findings: quote:
By the time of Bush's reelection in November 2004, 661 people had become elite Bush contributors who raised at least $100,000 for Bush's campaign in 2000 or 2004. In fact, 127 donors raised $100,000 or more for Bush twice--in 2000 and 2004.
OTOH, those who did donate 100K or more or collected it for Bush certainly seemed to have reaped personal attention  :quote:
* Of the 661 elite donors from Bush's 2000 and/or 2004 campaigns, 152 (23 percent) have had themselves or their spouses appointed to Bush's 2000 transition teams or to one or more federal posts. These big-donor appointees include two cabinet secretaries, 27 ambassadors and 48 transition team members.
* 104 companies that have employed 127 elite Bush donors received federal contracts worth more than $88 billion in fiscal year 2002. Dominating this group is Bush Ranger George David, head of defense giant United Technologies Corp., which had $84 billion in federal contracts.
* President Bush invited family members of 27 elite donors to sleepovers at the White House or Camp David.
* At least 156 elite Bush donors have been involved in corporate scandals or helped run companies involved in them.
* At least 83 elite donors either have been involved in campaign-finance scandals or helped run companies involved in them.
* Forty-one elite Bush donors recently ran or worked for polluting companies.
* Thirty-eight private companies have employed more than one elite Bush donor, with two Wall Street investment banks employing four elite Bush donors apiece.
* Fifteen families produced more than one elite Bush donor, led by the First Family. Three other families bred three elite donors each.
* Thirteen members of Congress are elite Bush donors.
I wonder how this compared to Cl |
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