Reply #20: Unexplained edit

[PhilipShore]

This new topic is awaiting edits. It was started by Peter Frank.



A Google search links Abramoff--possibly--to Tom DeLay, Richard DeVos, Ralph Reed, Mohammad Atta, Oregon State University, George W. Bush, Contras, Mobutu Sese Seko, Council for National Policy, The Mafia, David Safavian, Apartheid, Adam Kidan, Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy, Michael Scanlon,Bob Ney?

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Geov Parrish
The Abramoff primer
WorkingForChange.com
12.12.05

http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?ItemID=20051

Four scandals, 25 players, one sad episode for American democracy

The ever-widening scandal surrounding Republican super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff threatens to take down at least a half-dozen Congressmen in 2006, more of their aides, Executive Branch employees, and untold numbers of other members of the Republican Beltway hierarchy...

Appallingly, it's hard to tell with many of Abramoff's activities whether they are crimes, D.C. business as usual, or both. Here, then, compiled from the Washington Post and other sources, is a summary in alphabetical order of 25 of the key players involved...

JACK ABRAMOFF
EDWARD AYOOB
EDWIN BUCKHAM
SEN. CONRAD BURNS
REP. TOM DELAY
REP. JOHN DOOLITTLE
SEN. BYRON DORGAN
ITALLIA FEDERICI
TIMOTHY FLANAGAN
STEVEN GRILES
REP. DENNIS HASTERT
REP. DOC HASTINGS
ADAM KIDAN
RABBI DANIEL LAPIN
ED MILLER
REP. ROBERT NEY
GROVER NORQUIST
PATRICK PIZZELLA
REP. RICHARD POMBO
RALPH REED
SEN. HARRY REID
TONY RUDY
DAVID SAFAVIAN
MICHAEL SCANLON
NEIL VOLZ

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

In Hollywood

Abramoff...spent ten years in Hollywood, producing such movies as Red Scorpion, an anti-communist film...

____

College years

In college, Abramoff organized Massachusetts campuses for Reagan's presidential campaign in 1980. A year later, he graduated from Brandeis University and the Georgetown University Law Center.

Abramoff was soon elected chairman of the College Republican National Committee with the campaign being managed by Grover Norquist and aided by Ralph E. Reed, Jr.. "It is not our job to seek peaceful coexistence with the Left," Abramoff was quoted as saying in the group's 1983 annual report, "Our job is to remove them from power permanently".

Abramoff "changed the direction of the committee and made it more activist and conservative than ever before," notes the CNRC. <3>

At the CRNC in the 1980s, Abramoff developed political alliances with College Republican chapter presidents across the nation, many of whom now have gone on to graduate to significant national influence in American politics and business. Some of these long-standing alliances are the subject of various federal investigations into Abramoff and his political and business dealings.

http://www.politicalfriendster.com/showPerson.php?id=1917&name=Jack-Abramoff
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Abramoff
http://www.firedupmissouri.com/abramoff_skybox

________________________________

Bloomberg
Scanlon Pleads Guilty, Cooperates in Abramoff Probe (Update2)
Nov. 21

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=aM0MEONh7DpE&refer=us

``They're using Scanlon to get everybody,'' said Melanie Sloan, a former federal prosecutor who now heads Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, an advocacy group. ``That's how it works. You keep rolling people. I'm sure Tom DeLay is unhappy today to hear Michael Scanlon has made a deal.''


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Bloomberg
Scanlon Plea May Help Prosecutors Clear Constitutional Hurdle
Nov. 22

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=aWh2N_pjMHwE&refer=us

Nov. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Former lobbyist Michael Scanlon's cooperation with U.S. Justice Department lawyers in a conspiracy investigation may help them clear a constitutional hurdle that protects lawmakers from prosecution over official acts.

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Washington Post/AP
Bob Ney is poster boy in bribe probe
Pete Yost
Nov. 23, 2005

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/23/AR2005112300154.html

WASHINGTON - Identified in new court documents as "Representative No. 1," Republican Rep. Bob Ney of Ohio has become the poster boy in the Jack Abramoff bribery probe, a beneficiary of trips, tickets and campaign donations, allegedly in exchange for official acts.

_____________________________________________


Miami Herald
Casino buyer pleads guilty to fraud
Jay Weaver and Wanda J. Demarzo
Dec. 16, 2005

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/13419048.htm

New York businessman Adam Kidan pleaded guilty Thursday to defrauding lenders of more than $20 million in the purchase of SunCruz Casinos -- a deal that police believe is linked to the mob-style slaying of former SunCruz owner Gus Boulis.

Kidan agreed to help prosecutors build their fraud case against his former partner Jack Abramoff, a once-influential Washington lobbyist.

With the Abramoff case likely to reveal much more about the seamy side of Republican machinations, it would be helpful to compile all available info in a central spot.

Let's see how much material is out there, and watch as the entire picture takes shape. Peter Frank

There's a lot of material at this website: http://www.madcowprod.com/
I don't know if it would be considered a kosher source of information, however. AntiFascist.

See this DailyKos diary for some real meat:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/10/17/122311/72


Abramoff seems to be the spider at the center of much of the web of criminal influence peddling that have funneled money into the GOP during the past decade, creating ties between the Republican White House and terrorist-linked Persian Gulf bankers.


and this comment:


And people need to realize that the reason that the 9/11 attacks were never fully investigated was not for tinfoil reasons like "CIA planned it," but because too many al-Qaeda players have too many suspicious links to the president, members of the Bush Administration and to prominent Republicans.

The 9/11 trail leads directly back to rich Saudis who are playing an extremely complicated game of their own on their home turf, waging a proxy war with extremists, etc., etc., etc.

The problem that the Bush Administration has is that the whole lot of them are up to their neck in influence from the send Saudis who pumped and continue to pump money into Islamic extremism around the world.

The Abramoff story is chapter 1,342 of the book.


and more Abramoff diaries here:

http://www.dailykos.com/user/dengre

AHA!

He was Executive Director of "Citizens for America" a Reagan White House "citizen lobbying" effort that helped Ollie North organize the Contra speaking tours (that helped break open the Iran-Contra scandal).

In 1985 Jack went to Jamba, Angola to meet with and organize a US lobbying effort for Nicaraguan contras, the Afghan Mujahedeen and Laotian hill tribes.


AntiFascist

Hi all,

It occurs to be that Mr. Abramoff is at the center of so many different criminal acts that perhaps this research topic should be subdivided. I suggest starting with the following:

Abramoff ripping off Indian tribes
Abramoff's influence on the Department of the Interior (including CREA)
The murder of Gus Boulis and the fraudulent acquisition of SunCruz
Abramoff and the GSA (David Safavian)
Abramoff and Israel (faking his Orthodox credentials, the sniper school, the Eshkol Academy)
Abramoff and the 9/11 terrorists
The Scotland golf trip
Abramoff and Congress
Abramoff and the College Republicans
Abramoff and Signatures restaraunt
Abramoff and the skybox tickets
Abramoff and the Marianas Islands
Abramoff and the Philippines

I fully realize that every single one of these topics bleeds into others. For example, David Safavian was on the Scotland golf trip and also greenlighted the sale of GSA land for the Eshkol Academy. With each parallel reference, it might be practicable to add a parenthetical (e.g. see "Section X for more on the Eshkol Academy").

Critical to this endeavor should be the collection of as many publicly released references to primary documents, particularly the thousands of emails which are often quoted only in part in the press.

sofa king

The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs has released new documents from the 11/17/05 hearing:

http://indian.senate.gov/2005hrgs/111705hrg/111705exhibits.pdf

And also from the 11/02/05 hearing:

http://indian.senate.gov/2005hrgs/110205hrg/110205exhibits.pdf

Many of these emails are poorly redacted, which will allow the diligent researcher to draw good guesses about players who are currently being protected.


How a Lobbyist Stacked the Deck
Abramoff Used DeLay Aide, Attacks On Allies to Defeat Anti-Gambling Bill

By Susan Schmidt and James V. Grimaldi
Washington Post Staff Writers
Sunday, October 16, 2005; Page A01

<snip>

Abramoff quietly arranged for eLottery to pay conservative, anti-gambling activists to help in the firm's $2 million pro-gambling campaign, including Ralph Reed, former head of the Christian Coalition, and the Rev. Louis P. Sheldon of the Traditional Values Coalition. Both kept in close contact with Abramoff about the arrangement, e-mails show. Abramoff also turned to prominent anti-tax conservative Grover Norquist, arranging to route some of eLottery's money for Reed through Norquist's group, Americans for Tax Reform.

More:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/15/AR2005101501539.html


Also:

October 17, 2005
TVC's Sheldon Accepted Big Bucks to Support Gambling, Mislead Followers

The Washington Post reported Oct. 16 that the Rev. Louis P. Sheldon, head of the Traditional Values Coalition, accepted at least $25,000 in direct funds, and perhaps thousands more in indirect support, from an online gambling company and indicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff in a 2000 campaign to block federal legislation that would have banned online gambling.

Furthermore, former Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed reportedly acted as a financial, political and marketing go-between, channeling (laundering) funds in a $2 million pro-gambling campaign involving former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's office, the gambling industry, and Christian rightists allied with Reed and Sheldon who were willing to accept money without knowing its source; shoot down antigambling legislation without concern for the facts; and battle fellow Christian rightists.

When the campaign briefly went sour, and Sheldon's lying was exposed, Sheldon diverted attention with an attack on homosexuals.

As XGW noted last week, Sheldon continues to exploit homosexuals to divert attention from his own unethical behavior.

<snip>

In June 2000, according to checks and e-mails obtained by the Post, gambling company eLottery paid Sheldon $25,000 directly, and $80,000 to Reed that was laundered through Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) and Virginia Beach, Va.-based Faith and Family Alliance. (Robin Vanderwall, head of the FFA, was a former Regent University Law School student and Republican operative later convicted of soliciting sex with minors.) Reed's company then collected a stake for itself and further laundered funds to Christian conservative and marketing outfits, according to the Post.

Vanderwall admits laundering money under instruction from Reed: "I was operating as a shell," Vanderwall said, adding that he was never told how the money was spent. He said: "I regret having had anything to do with it."

More:
http://www.exgaywatch.com/blog/archives/2005/10/tvcs_sheldon_ac.html



Meet the Lapin Brothers
Rabbis Daniel and David both count superlobbyist Jack Abramoff as a friend, and both now are turning up in news coverage of the Tom DeLay scandal.

by Rick Anderson

Daniel Lapin appears to be in overdrive these days. "I gave him your message," says a spokesperson for the Mercer Island rabbi, the Seattle talk-radio host, and the field commander in the religious right's war to reunite church and state. "He's just a busy guy," too busy to come to the phone and chat about Jack Abramoff, the dethroned D.C. superlobbyist and board member of Lapin's Mercer Island Judeo Christian charity.

More:
http://www.seattleweekly.com/features/0519/050511_news_lapin.php


Queer allies
By Evan Gahr

The little-noticed alliance between gay marriage opponents and alleged terrorist sympathizers
http://www.jewishworldreview.com

The Massachusetts Supreme Court decision to legalize homosexual marriage in the Bay state re-ignited the culture wars. The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, perhaps the preeminent liberal Jewish organization in Washington, DC, applauded the ruling. Religious-minded conservatives, however, were horrified. They are determined to stop the gay rights movement in its tracks. At what price?

<snip>

But they sounded not like religious figures but rather crass politicians who lack any kind of moral compass. Rabbi Barry Freundel, of the Rabbinical Council of America, who wouldn't say much publicly, remained on the board. Father Richard John Neuhaus, editor of First Things magazine and head of the Institute on Religion and Public Life, simply dismissed the AMC connection as the nature of alliances. So did Rabbi Daniel Lapin of Toward Tradition, which seeks to unite Jews and Christians.

"What I see is that I am supporting an idea and if others with whom I don't agree on a variety of other topics also support the idea," Rabbi Lapin told the Forward after the original expose was published on JewishWorldReview.com, "then they are supporting my idea. I'm not supporting theirs . . . When America allied itself with Russia to defeat Nazi Germany in no way was America endorsing the contemptible politics of the Soviet Union."

About six weeks later, a bunch of young men killed 3000 innocent civilians when they plowed highjacked planes into the Pentagon and the World Trade Center.

More:
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/1203/marriage_terrorists.php3


"Alliance for Marriage claims to represent several of the largest black denominations and millions of Latinos, Orientals, Jews and Muslims. Its board of advisers includes Bishop George McKinney of the huge Church of God in Christ, a black denomination; Patricia DeVeaux of the African Methodist Episcopal Church; and Vernon Shannon of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church.

"Other members include Sayyid Sayeed, secretary-general of Islamic Society of North America; the Rev. Richard John Neuhaus, president of Institute on Religion and Public Life; Diane Knippers, president of Institute on Religion and Democracy; Episcopal Bishops Peter Beckwith of Illinois and Stephen Jecko of Florida; Catholic Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Centre; Steve Chin of Boston Chinese Evangelical Church; Grand Rabbi Y.A. Korff, and Rabbi Daniel Lapin."

More:
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2002/5/14/150134.shtml



Jack Abramoff
The friend Tom DeLay can't shake.
By James Harding
Posted Thursday, April 7, 2005, at 6:36 PM ET

<snip>

Abramoff is an orthodox Jew and DeLay is a committed Christian; their relationship is rooted in their parallel faiths. They were introduced more than a decade ago by Rabbi Daniel Lapin, the South African-born radio talk-show host who established Toward Tradition, a nonprofit coalition of Jews and Christians that aims to advance the agenda of the devout. Since Abramoff's troubles began, he and DeLay have sought to distance themselves from the other. But DeLay can't shake Abramoff loose so easily?not after their trips abroad, the major role Abramoff played in DeLay's well-financed and successful run for whip, the public praise DeLay heaped on Abramoff for helping bring Native Americans into the Republican fold. Abramoff has hired a number of ex-DeLay staffers, worked closely with the congressman on trade issues, and was partly responsible for DeLay's trips to Britain and Russia. And he has contributed tens of thousands of dollars to DeLay's various political organizations. Given the unfolding details of Abramoff's extraordinary three-ring circus of lobbying, political fund-raising, and supposed nonprofit work, the danger for the House majority leader is that the Abramoff story has only just begun to come out.

More:
http://www.slate.com/id/2116389/


Posted on Wed, Jun. 22, 2005
Senators accuse lobbyist of `outright fraud'
BY ALLEN PUSEY
The Dallas Morning News

<snip>

In an e-mail to Rabbi David Lapin, a West Coast talk show host, Abramoff lamented that the club had members with Nobel prizes but he had no awards to speak of. He asked if the rabbi's organization, Toward Tradition, could concoct one for him: "Perhaps something like Scholar of Talmudic Studies?"

"Indeed, it would be better if it were possible that I received these in years past, if you know what I mean," Abramoff said in an e-mail.

More:
http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/politics/11960477.htm





Commentary
Jack Abramoff, cinematic genius? He shoulda stayed in Hollywood
By Peter Carlson
The Washington Post


<snip>

Before Abramoff was a powerful Washington lobbyist and Republican fund raiser, before he was indicted on fraud charges, before he became the target of a Justice Department investigation of his alleged rip-off of casino-rich Indian tribes, before he was summoned to a Senate hearing where he took the Fifth Amendment and refused to testify, Jack Abramoff was a Hollywood producer.

<snip>

When "Red Scorpion" was released, it was picketed by anti-apartheid protesters angry that Abramoff had shot the movie in territory controlled by South Africa's white supremacist government, using soldiers and military equipment lent by the South Africans. The protesters would have been even angrier if they'd known that the International Freedom Foundation, a right-wing group founded by Abramoff, was secretly bankrolled by the South African army ? but that wasn't known until a South African colonel revealed it in 1995.

Ironically, Abramoff's e-mails contain better dialogue than Abramoff's movies. The man's a natural. And he'd be the perfect screenwriter for a blockbuster about influence peddling in Washington.

Hey, it could happen. Peter Mirijanian, a Washington PR man, says his friend Abramoff is actively pursuing several movie ideas: "He is in discussion, and he is moving forward on a couple of projects."

More:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/artsentertainment/2002648615_abramoff28.html

Abramoff associate Daniel Lapin (anti-gay, anti-recycling rabbi) wrote a letter to support Rabbi Mordecai Tendler-- accused of sexual harassment.
Exclusive: Rabbi Mordechai Tendler gets public letter of support from friend Rabbi Daniel Lapin. Could Towards Tradition be RMT's next home?
http://jewishwhistleblower.blogspot.com/2005/07/exclusive-rabbi-mordechai-tendler-gets.html#comments

Also:

Case of Rabbi Mordecai Tendler
(AKA: Mordechai Tendler)
http://www.theawarenesscenter.org/Tendler_Mordecai.html