More Abramoff fall out

[lala_rawraw]

http://rawstory.com/news/2006/Nonprofit_think_tank_wrot...
<snip>

Magazine Publishers of America

In May 2000, Amy Ridenour published a National Policy Analysis entitled “Proposed 15% postal rate increase would hurt everyone.” The article decried the effect such a “draconian” increase would have on the magazine publishing industry. According to Ridenour’s footnotes, some of the information she used was gathered from an interview with the Magazine Publishers of America.

The Magazine Publishers of America was a client of Abramoff’s. The association paid Abramoff’s firm, Preston Gates, $240,000 in 2000. Abramoff was also a member of NCPPR’s board of directors at the time.

<snip>

Channel One

In December 1998, Abramoff’s lobbying team signed Channel One, a for-profit entity which delivers educational programming to schoolchildren alongside commercials. Channel One paid Preston Gates over a million dollars for their efforts.

The following May, Ridenour defended Channel One’s use of commercials after Ralph Nader’s Commercial Alert urged Congress to investigate the practice. Ridenour said Nader’s charge was spurious.

<snip>
SPI Spirits Ltd.

Perhaps the most glaring of Ridenour’s efforts to aid Abramoff’s clients was her crusade for Stoli Spirits Limited, the makers of Stoli vodka. In 2002, SPI Spirits paid $200,000 to Abramoff’s second firm, Greenberg Traurig, to lobby Congress on “trade with Russia and intellectual property rights.”

<snip>
Amy Ridenour did not return calls and email messages seeking comment. Nor did her lawyer, Noland MacKenzie Canter III, who served RAW STORY with a cease and desist order after an article revealing that Ridenour had helped Abramoff’s Malaysian client.

[FreedomAngel82]

1. This guy is all over the place

Wow. I remember Channel One from when I was in junior high school.

[electropop]

2. She's a RW columnist and think tanker, right?

Is it a surprise she's taking evil positions?

[lala_rawraw]

3. no, but that the money trail exposed her for what she is

should be heard around the nation, given that this organization produced and partnered with such visible folks as Ken Blackwell, Justice pube, and Tom Delay

[starroute]

4. The "surprise" isn't that her positions are evil

If she had a few free-trade hobbyhourses -- like, say, environmental deregulation -- and rode them hard, you might say she was just expressing her own opinions.

But instead, her columns show a pattern of bringing something up completely out of left field, becoming an instant expert on it for a column or two (with footnotes directly attributing Abramoff's clients for the information), and then dropping it again just as suddenly.

*That's* what creates the impression she might just possibly be a paid hack.

[annabanana]

5. here's the letter RS published

(which prompted the cease and desist...) a scary scam of seniors.. extorting money to "save social security"



horrid bastards..

[stop the bleeding]

6. According to RS reporting Amy there is pretty tight with ole Abramoff

I wonder if she has lawyer? I wonder if the prosecution would like to talk to her? I wonder what that conversation would be like.


Kick !!!

[stop the bleeding]

9. yep

kick

[leveymg]

10. The whole scam was being run out of a big GOP law firm,

Greenberg & Traurig, along with Abramoff's Islamic bankers shakedown. See, http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/1/3/10145/56290

LaLa - Who's the law firm whose coming after you guys? - Mark

[TayTay]

7. Kick!

Nice work Larisa.

[Octafish]

8. Gee. Why does the truth hurt some people so bad?

Could it be they're crooked?

Hey, Ridenour! Save it for the jury.

[DemReadingDU]

11. Is there anyone honest in the Bush administration?

K&R

[Pacifist Patriot]

13. Sure, here's a list of honest people in the Bush administration.

[RazzleDazzle]

12. Question, lala --

who served RAW STORY with a cease and desist order

Forgive my lack of knowledge here, but is this ceasae and desist order a real thing, like signed by a judge, and requiring Raw Story to actually cease and desist? Can you give us further details?

Good work, you guys.

[Patsy Stone]

14. Any mob family worth their salt

needs some mouthpieces.

K&R.