WP: Senate Report: Grover Norquist, "Perpetrated a Fraud"(laundering)

[RedEarth]

Five conservative nonprofit organizations, including one run by prominent Republican Grover Norquist, "perpetrated a fraud" on taxpayers by selling their clout to lobbyist Jack Abramoff, Senate investigators said in a report issued today.

The report includes previously unreleased e-mails between the now-disgraced lobbyist and officers of the nonprofit groups, showing that Abramoff routed money from his clients to the groups. In exchange the groups, among other things, produced ostensibly independent newspaper op-ed columns or press releases that favored the clients' positions.

Officers of the groups "were generally available to carry out Mr. Abramoff's requests for help with his clients in exchange for cash payments," said the report, issued by the Democratic members of the Senate Finance Committee after a one-year investigation.

Abramoff has pleaded guilty to fraud and conspiracy and is cooperating with federal investigators in the ongoing influence-peddling probe that has resulted in seven guilty pleas and convictions.

The report states that the groups probably violated their tax-exempt status "by laundering payments and then disbursing funds at Mr. Abramoff's direction; taking payments in exchange or writing newspaper columns or press releases that put Mr. Abramoff's clients in a favorable light; introducing Mr. Abramoff's clients to government officials in exchange for payment; and agreeing to act as a front organization for congressional trips paid for by Mr. Abramoff's clients."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/20...

[Change has come]

1. More pieces fall into place

K & f'n R

[Old and In the Way]

2. Waterboard the terrorist bastard in a small bathtub.

Another con artist that needs to meet Bubba in a maximum security environment.

[aquart]

4. It's very wrong of me to like that idea so much.

Very, very wrong.

[tblue]

11. No it's not. Remember Abramoff's buddy Scanlon said

"this whole thing about not kicking someone when they're down. You kick him until he passes out, then hit him over the head with a baseball bat, then roll him up in an old rug, throw him off a cliff, and pound the surf below!!!!!"

[SammyWinstonJack]

16. !

Why are pugs so violence prone?

[aquart]

18. Uh huh. I blame his mother.

Some vital thing has been left out of that man's education. Where is Mr. Scanlon these days?

[Skidmore]

3. Oh, please, please, please....

indict Norquist and put his skanky butt in prison for the rest of his worthless life.

[formercia]

6. If anyone deserves it, it's Grover. n/t

[AlCzervik]

7. and you know if he ever has to do the perp walk he'll be bawling while

being led away. He deserves far worse.

[OzarkDem]

19. You're reading my mind

I'll never forget his remarks a few years ago that Ohio Governor Bob Taft was one of the most corrupt governors in the country. It seemed so far fetched at the time, but it seems old Grover knows where all the bodies are buried.

Grover's perp walk, won't that be fun!

[formercia]

5. Some fair and due process is overdue

for Grover. He will do well in prison.

[Straight Shooter]

8. Hey, Grover, want to make more jokes about neutered barnyard animals?

We're going to drown your career in a bathtub.

[malaise]

15. LOL

[Mr_Spock]

9. I hope Grover get's ground up and made into cookies for the Cookie Monster

This son of a bitch needs to go down hard. These people are really pushing the limits of civility in this country.

[mr_hat]

10. Grover was on some NPR show today

repeating ad nauseam the phrase "the politics of hate and envy."

Because if it weren't for that, see, we wouldn't have to pay taxes.

[KittyWampus]

12. Dear God, please clearly implicate Dobson in all this.

[Blackhatjack]

13. What is Ironic in all this is ....

The rightwing fundamentalist conservatives thought they had "bought" Republicans when it came to passing laws on their agenda. And because of their support and money raised for Repubs they did not expect to be dragged out in public as part of a dirty operation.

However, this corrupt Republican Administration thought they could do anything they wanted because they had the backing of the rightwing fundamentalist conservatives by professing to carry out their wishes, but doing very little to fulfill the fundies' wish list.

In truth, each had their own agenda, really did not like each other, and the Repubs made fun of the fundies behind their backs.

They each deserve each other, and they each deserve the punishment they should get for trying to subvert our democracy by "acting under the table" to get what they wanted. And soon people will see them for who they really are.

[starroute]

14. I am *so* thrilled to see that NCPPR is one of them

Ever since the series of threads here two years ago about NCPPR's sending out exploitative fund-raising letters to little old ladies through Response Dynamics (along with the College Republicans and Reverend Moon lieutenant Gary Jarmin), I've been waiting and hoping for them to get onto somebody's radar.

NCPPR is led by Amy Ridenour, another one of the Abramoff-Norquist-Reed gang from back in their College Republican days. It's gotten some notice for serving as a front group for several of Abramoff's overseas junkets, but up to this point, Ridenour seemed to be getting away with claiming she was taken advantage of.

Most of the groups named in that article may have been involved in other funny business besides their Abramoff connections. For example, Norquist's organization seems to have helped launder political donations that would be illegal under local state laws. I hope that these investigations will cast as wide a net over their dealings as possible.

[burythehatchet]

17. I love it when my hate is vindicated.