GOP Chief, Abramoff Linked In New Government Report

[MADem]

...As the chairman of the Republican National Committee attempts to distance himself and his party from the Jack Abramoff corruption scandal, a new government report suggests that the GOP leader used his previous White House post to aid the disgraced lobbyist.

Since allegations first surfaced in 2004 that Abramoff had bilked Indian tribes out of millions of dollars and bribed lawmakers and government officials, many prominent Republicans, including President Bush, have maintained that they barely knew the well-connected lobbyist. Earlier this year, RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman described Abramoff as "someone who we don't know a lot about." But a new report by the Justice Department's Office of the Inspector General, which investigated Abramoff's role in the removal of an interim U.S. attorney in Guam, indicates that Mehlman, Bush's former White House political director and campaign manager, helped ensure that the lobbyist had a direct pipeline of information from the administration.

...The new report — which concluded that Abramoff had no hand in the removal of Guam's previous top prosecutor, after the official called for an investigation into the lobbyist's conduct — comes as Mehlman heads his party's effort to maintain control of Congress in November's midterm elections. Some Democratic activists are predicting that information linking Mehlman and Abramoff could undermine the RNC chairman's attempts to both offset the effects of multiple scandals and reverse his party's flagging political prospects. It could hamper Mehlman's ability to stump for embattled Republican lawmakers who have been directly linked to Abramoff, they said.

..."The report that Ken Mehlman may have used his White House position to channel inside information to Jack Abramoff is an important window into the Republican culture of corruption in Washington," Democratic National Committee spokesman Damien LaVera said. "Now that this report has come to light," the DNC spokesman added, "Mehlman needs to come clean about his and the White House's relationship with Abramoff."....Earlier that same week, during an appearance on the late-night political talk show "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart," Mehlman found himself addressing Republican misdeeds. Asked by Stewart why Republicans no longer were "the straight talkers, the adults," Mehlman replied, "I think greed, cynicism, all of those things caused us to do it."


http://www.forward.com/articles/8064

[Eugene]

1. Related: Report: Abramoff Had FBI Data (LAT)

Report: Abramoff Had FBI Data
The lobbyist improperly got and acted on a secret file about the Marianas,
an inspector general says.
By Walter F. Roche Jr., Times Staff Writer
July 1, 2006

WASHINGTON — Convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff improperly obtained a top-secret
FBI document and tried to use the information to aid his clients in the Pacific
Island territories, according to a report released Friday by the Justice
Department's inspector general.

The lobbyist feared information in the document could be damaging to his clients'
interests, the inspector general said, and he used his knowledge of its contents
to warn them and to devise a counterattack.

<snip>

The FBI report, which focused on security concerns in the Pacific, warned of possible
terrorist threats against U.S. military assets on Guam and the Northern Marianas.
It was completed in spring 2002 and recently made public.

Abramoff, according to e-mails cited by the inspector general, worried the FBI report
would prompt Congress to restrict immigration in the Northern Marianas — cutting off
a supply of low-wage labor for garment manufacturers who had hired Abramoff to protect
their interests.

<snip>

Leonard Rodriguez, a Bush aide, told the inspector general's office that then-White
House political director Ken Mehlman "recommended or suggested that I reach out
to make Jack aware" on Guam issues.

<snip>

Full article: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/la-na-abramoff1jul01,1,1365138.story

Bush & Co. not only sold the White House, they sold the out the whole USA too.

[MADem]

5. Ya gotta ask yerself, WHY was he not charged with unlawful

possession of classified material? They go after journalists who hear info from confidential files third-hand, and this guy has his paws on secret docs??? This is entirely outrageous:

Abramoff, the report said, told investigators that the two came up with a plan to smear Black by releasing copies of a letter Gutierrez had written in 1995 to President Clinton. The letter referred to Black as "a good Democrat" and recommended he be reappointed as U.S. attorney. Black was originally appointed as acting U.S. attorney by President George H.W. Bush in 1991.

In one e-mail to Abramoff, Gutierrez referred to Black as "a total commie…. We need to get this guy sniped out of there."

In another e-mail, Abramoff wrote: "We are opposed to Black. He has been screwing us for years…. So this is good payback. I don't care if they appoint Bozo the clown, we need to get rid of Fred Black."

Although the inspector general's report said Abramoff had nothing to do with Black's ouster, it did find that the lobbyist had a pipeline into the White House through which he learned of Rapadas' impending nomination and other matters involving Guam.

[acmejack]

2. Think what it would have been like if they had known a lot about him!

My god, what a scandal this should be!

[MADem]

6. But instead, they're telling us about scary terra and NYC tunnels

Why today, ya gotta ask yourself? It's not like they haven't known about the tunnel boys for weeks...but they wanted to eat up the news cycle, and booga-booga-booga beats a cheating bum at the head of the RNC when you have several stories and only so much time in your news day.

[Mnemosyne]

3. K and R Bastards. n/t

[gratuitous]

4. And yet, Mehlman continues to chair the national party

Now, I know that the Democrats don't have any power to do anything like issue subpoenas, but what's the excuse for the media? Are they so wrapped up in the World Cup that they can't ask a few questions?

Will anyone dare to ask about this at George W. Bush's "full scale" press conference today, or will George spend the entire time giving the local Chicago reporters cute nicknames while they stumble and fumble all over themselves because they get to ask the President of These Here United States what his favorite color is?

[MADem]

7. The White House has forced the Feebs to drag out tunnel bombers

who are conveniently in custody in far-off Lebanon, and have a dramatic press conference about what they intended to do to us.

Quick, look over here...shiny object, PRETTY!!! Pay no attention to the corrupt RNC chair behind the curtain!!!!!