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Title: Who's the Next Target in the Abramoff Probe?
Source:
Time/CNN
URL Source: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1535551,00.html
Published: Sep 15, 2006
Author: ADAM ZAGORIN
Post Date: 2006-09-15 18:06:35 by Eoghan
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Keywords: None
Views: 137
Comments: 3
Former Ohio Congressman Bob Ney has admitted his role in Washington's influence peddling scandal, but prosecutors still have other politicians in their sights After months of defiant protestations of innocence about his role in the Jack Abramoff influence-peddling scandal, Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, has pleaded guilty to making false statements, to conspiracy to commit fraud and violating post-employment restrictions for former congressional aides. But the probe into the lobbying scandal is far from wrapped up. A source close to the investigation told TIME that scores of US prosecutors and FBI agents continue to examine the activities of other sitting members of Congress and prominent individuals who could face prosecution, though not necessarily before the November 7 election. The source confirmed previous public reports that particular scrutiny is being paid to Sen. Conrad Burns, a Montana Republican who faces a tough campaign for reelection. "A lot of the conduct to which Ney has pleaded guilty is similar to the alleged conduct of Senator Conrad Burns and his staff," points out Melanie Sloan, Executive Director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a non-profit watch dog group. "Abramoff has said that Burns and his staff used Signatures (Abramoff's restaurant) like their cafeteria. And Burns took a number of legislative actions on Abramoff's behalf, even as members of his staff went on trip to the 2001 Super Bowl on private jet and visited Sun Cruise gambling ships, which were partly owned by Abramoff." Abramoff himself said in an interview earlier this year that, "Every appropriation we wanted (from Burns's committee) we got. Our staffs were as close as they could be. They practically used Signatures as their cafeteria. I mean, it's a little difficult for him to run from that record." But Erik Iverson, a senior advisor to Sen. Burns campaign in Montana told TIME: "There is no federal investigation. Certainly no one has ever told us there is, or contacted us. And there is absolutely no similarity between what's happening to Mr. Ney and Mr. Burns. That is all just politics." As a matter of policy, the Justice Dept. does not comment on possible targets of its investigations. Ney, 52, is the first member of Congress to admit wrongdoing in the federal probe. Prosecutors are likely to insist that he spend as much as 27 months in prison, although a judge could impose up to 10 years, though that stiff a sentence is considered unlikely. His plea agreement lacks language that would require him to testify or to cooperate in other federal prosecutions — in contrast to earlier plea agreements of Ney's longtime chief of staff, Neil Volz, as well as Abramoff himself. The absence of such language suggests that Ney was able to provide little information beyond the scope of his own activity. By the same token, some observers had predicted prosecutors would insist that Ney plead guilty to bribery, which carries a possible 15 year sentence, in part because Abramoff and another defendant admitted bribing a public official who has been identified as Ney. Right up until his guilty plea, Ney had always denied wrongdoing, even after his former chief of staff pleaded guilty in May. That aide, Neil Volz, confessed to conspiring to corrupt the congressman and others. After leaving the congressional payroll Volz went into business with Abramoff. Court papers detail Ney's acknowledgment of exchanging official acts for benefits, including an August 2002 golf trip to Scotland, paid for by Abramoff and his clients. The junket, which included a White House procurement official as well as Ney's then chief of staff, cost in excess of $160,000, according to the papers. Ney also asked for and received trips to Lake George, N.Y. and New Orleans as well food and drink costing thousands of dollars at Abramoff's swanky Washington restaurant, not to mention concert and sports tickets and thousands of dollars more in campaign contributions, the government said. In return, Ney achnowleded in the plea, he took actions to benefit Abramoff clients. The Congressman also also admitted receiving gambling chips worth thousands of dollars from a foreign businessman. "Congressman Ney and his co-conspirators engaged in a long-term pattern of defrauding the public of his unbiased, honest services as an elected official," Alice Fisher, assistant attorney general, said in a statement. "Congressman Ney admits that he corruptly solicited and accepted a stream of benefits, valued at tens of thousands of dollars, in exchange for agreement to perform, and performing, a series of official acts. He also admitted deceiving the public and the U.S. House of Representatives about his actions." Ney occupied a special role as chairman of the committee with jurisdiction over internal workings of the 435-member House of Representatives. But GOP Speaker Dennis Hastert demanded that Ney surrender his chairmanship earlier this year, and Ney then withdrew his candidacy for reelection in his Ohio district. This week, the Congressman's office indicated he had entered residential treatment for alcohol dependence. In a statement, he said, "I have made serious mistakes and am sorry for them. I am very sorry for the pain I have caused to my family, my constituents in Ohio and my colleagues." FBI Assistant Director Chip Burrus, head of the Criminal Investigative Division put the Ney plea deal in context, stressing that it is just part of a much wider federal crackdown on corruption. "The FBI is deeply committed to tackling corruption anywhere we find it—this is our promise to the American people, and corruption is the FBIs top criminal priority," he said. "We have more than 600 agents and dozens of analysts working more than 2200 investigations in all 56 field offices right now. Nationwide indictments are up 40 percent. In the past year alone, we have had over 950 arrests, 700 convictions, over 300 million dollars in restitution and over 15 million dollars in fines. The FBI participates in over 30 public corruption task forces and over 100 public corruption working groups." With that kind of tough talk, no one on Capitol Hill remotely linked to Abramoff will be breathing easy for quite some time.
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#1. To: Eoghan (#0)
And the sheep keep re-electing these ass-wipes at a 98% clip. Maybe, we do deserve them.
Social Network Diagram for Jack Abramoff Click on a name for a new proximity search:
* Covert Action Information Bulletin 1988-#30 (63)
ACKERMAN RAYMOND
* Bellant,R. Old Nazis. 1989 (64)
ADAMS JAMES (SUNDAY TIMES)
* Lobster Magazine (Britain) 1988-#16 (19)
ADERHOLT HARRY C (HEINIE)
* Washington Post 1985-08-11 (17)
AIR COMMANDO ASSOCIATION
* Washington Post 1985-08-11 (17)
AMERICAN OPPORTUNITY FOUNDATION
* Washington Post 1984-10-04 (32)
AMERICAN SECURITY COUNCIL
* Bellant,R. Old Nazis. 1989 (64-65)
* Herman,E. O'Sullivan,G. The Terrorism Industry. 1989 (103)
ASTORGA NORA
* Washington Post 1984-10-04 (1)
ATKINSON MAURICE
* Wall Street Journal 2006-04-20 (4)
BALDWIN STEVE
* Washington Post 1984-10-04 (32)
BARBOUR HALEY
* Wall Street Journal 2006-04-20 (4)
BARON LISA
* New York Times 2005-04-18 (14)
BENSON IVOR
* Bellant,R. Old Nazis. 1989 (65)
BLACKBURN BEN B
* Top Secret (Germany) 1993-F (21)
BLACKWELL MORTON C
* Washington Post 1985-08-11 (17)
BUCKHAM EDWIN
* New York Times 2005-04-29 (21)
CAGLE CASEY
* New York Times 2005-04-18 (14)
* Wall Street Journal 2006-04-20 (4)
CANARIS WILHELM FRANZ
* Lobster Magazine (Britain) 2006-#51 (42)
CARTO WILLIS ALLISON
* Bellant,R. Old Nazis. 1989 (65)
CENTURY STRATEGIES
* New York Times 2005-04-18 (14)
CHAMBLISS SAXBY
* New York Times 2005-04-18 (14)
CHITUNDA JEREMIAS
* Bellant,R. Old Nazis. 1989 (64)
CHRISTIAN COALITION
* New York Times 2005-04-18 (1 14)
CITIZENS FOR AMERICA
* Covert Action Information Bulletin 1989-#31 (62-63)
* Washington Post 1985-07-27 (10)
* Washington Post 1985-08-11 (17)
CLELAND MAX
* New York Times 2005-04-18 (14)
COALITION CONSTITUTIONAL JUSTICE SECURITY
* Bellant,R. Old Nazis. 1989 (64)
COMMITTEE FREE AFGHANISTAN
* Covert Action Information Bulletin 1988-#30 (63)
CONSERVATIVE CAUCUS
* Bellant,R. Old Nazis. 1989 (65)
* Covert Action Information Bulletin 1988-#30 (63)
COORS JOSEPH SR
* Bellant,R. Old Nazis. 1989 (65)
* Covert Action Information Bulletin 1989-#31 (62)
CORNYN JOHN
* New York Times 2005-04-18 (14)
COUNCIL NATIONAL POLICY
* Bellant,R. Old Nazis. 1989 (65)
CRANE PHILIP M (R-IL)
* Lobster Magazine (Britain) 1988-#16 (19)
CRYSTAL RUSSELL
* Covert Action Information Bulletin 1989-#31 (63)
* Covert Action Quarterly 1993-#45 (8)
* Top Secret (Germany) 1993-F (21)
DAUBUISSON ROBERTO
* Herman,E. O'Sullivan,G. The Terrorism Industry. 1989 (103)
DAVIES-WEBB WARWICK
* Covert Action Information Bulletin 1989-#31 (63)
* Top Secret (Germany) 1993-F (21)
DE BORCHGRAVE ARNAUD
* Covert Action Information Bulletin 1988-#30 (63)
DE LAY TOM D (R-TX)
* New York Times 2005-04-29 (21)
DERBY-LEWIS CLIVE
* Covert Action Quarterly 1993-#45 (8)
DICKENS SAMUEL T
* Herman,E. O'Sullivan,G. The Terrorism Industry. 1989 (103)
DOBSON JAMES C
* New York Times 2005-04-18 (14)
* Wall Street Journal 2006-04-20 (4)
DOLE ROBERT J (R-KS)
* Bellant,R. Old Nazis. 1989 (64)
DOUGLAS BOB
* Top Secret (Germany) 1993-F (21)
DREIFACH KENNETH M
* New York Times 2005-04-29 (21)
DUPREE LOUIS
* Covert Action Information Bulletin 1988-#30 (63)
DYKE JAMES
* Rampton,S. Stauber,J. Banana Republicans. 2004 (103)
EDELMAN BENJAMIN
* New York Times 2005-04-29 (21)
EGGLESTON W NEIL
* New York Times 2005-04-18 (14)
ENRON CORPORATION
* New York Times 2005-04-18 (14)
EVANS DONALD L
* Rampton,S. Stauber,J. Banana Republicans. 2004 (103)
FIELDS SADIE
* Wall Street Journal 2006-04-20 (4)
FINZER DAVID
* Covert Action Information Bulletin 1989-#31 (62)
FISHER JOHN M
* Bellant,R. Old Nazis. 1989 (64)
FITIAL BEN
* New York Times 2005-04-29 (21)
GAILANI PIR SAYED AHMED
* Covert Action Information Bulletin 1988-#30 (63)
GILLESPIE ED
* Rampton,S. Stauber,J. Banana Republicans. 2004 (103)
GINGRICH NEWTON L (R-GA)
* Washington Post 1984-10-04 (32)
GORDON MARC (IFF)
* Lobster Magazine (Britain) 1988-#16 (19)
GOUTTIERRE THOMAS E
* Covert Action Information Bulletin 1988-#30 (63)
GRAHAM DANIEL ORRIN
* Bellant,R. Old Nazis. 1989 (65)
GREENBERG TRAURIG (LAW FIRM)
* New York Times 2005-04-29 (21)
HAIG ALEXANDER M JR
* Bellant,R. Old Nazis. 1989 (64-65)
HANSEN GEORGE V (R-ID)
* Bellant,R. Old Nazis. 1989 (65)
HELMS JESSE A (R-NC)
* Lobster Magazine (Britain) 1988-#16 (19)
HICKS RANDY (GEORGIA FAMILY COUNCIL)
* New York Times 2005-04-18 (14)
HOILES DAVID
* Lobster Magazine (Britain) 1988-#16 (19)
HOLTZMAN MARC L
* Covert Action Information Bulletin 1989-#31 (62-63)
HUME JACK H
* Covert Action Information Bulletin 1989-#31 (62)
HUMPHREY GORDON J (R-NH)
* Covert Action Information Bulletin 1988-#30 (63)
HUNTER DUNCAN L (R-CA)
* Washington Post 1984-10-04 (32)
IHOFE JAMES M
* Covert Action Information Bulletin 1989-#31 (62)
INSTITUTE HISTORICAL REVIEW
* Bellant,R. Old Nazis. 1989 (65)
INSTITUTE STUDY CONFLICT
* Lobster Magazine (Britain) 1988-#16 (19)
INTERMIX MEDIA
* New York Times 2005-04-29 (21)
INTERNATIONAL FREEDOM FOUNDATION
* Covert Action Information Bulletin 1989-#31 (62-63)
* Covert Action Quarterly 1993-#45 (8)
* Lobster Magazine (Britain) 1988-#16 (19)
* Top Secret (Germany) 1993-F (21)
INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL CORPS
* Covert Action Information Bulletin 1988-#30 (63)
ISBY DAVID
* Covert Action Information Bulletin 1988-#30 (63)
JANKE PETER
* Lobster Magazine (Britain) 1988-#16 (19)
JARMIN GARY L
* Covert Action Information Bulletin 1988-#30 (63)
JENKINS LOUIS (WOODY)
* Covert Action Information Bulletin 1989-#31 (62-63)
JOEL ALEX
* Wall Street Journal 2006-04-20 (4)
KIRKPATRICK JEANE J
* Bellant,R. Old Nazis. 1989 (64)
LEHRMAN LEWIS E
* Covert Action Information Bulletin 1988-#30 (63)
* Covert Action Information Bulletin 1989-#31 (62-63)
* Washington Post 1985-07-27 (10)
* Washington Post 1985-08-11 (17)
MCDONALD LAWRENCE PATTON
* Bellant,R. Old Nazis. 1989 (65)
* Lobster Magazine (Britain) 1988-#16 (19)
MORROW COLLEEN
* Covert Action Information Bulletin 1989-#31 (63)
* Top Secret (Germany) 1993-F (21)
NORTH OLIVER L
* Bellant,R. Old Nazis. 1989 (65)
* Washington Post 1985-08-11 (17)
PANDIN JEFFREY L
* Covert Action Information Bulletin 1989-#31 (62)
* Top Secret (Germany) 1993-F (21)
* Washington Post 1984-10-04 (32)
PHILLIPS HOWARD
* Bellant,R. Old Nazis. 1989 (65)
* Covert Action Information Bulletin 1988-#30 (63)
* Covert Action Information Bulletin 1989-#31 (62-63)
REED RALPH E JR
* New York Times 2005-04-18 (1 14)
* Wall Street Journal 2006-04-20 (4)
* Washington Post 1984-10-04 (32)
ROBERTSON PAT (EVANGELIST)
* New York Times 2005-04-18 (1 14)
SAVIMBI JONAS MALHEIRO
* Bellant,R. Old Nazis. 1989 (64)
* Covert Action Information Bulletin 1988-#30 (63)
SCANLON MICHAEL
* Lobster Magazine (Britain) 2006-#51 (42)
* New York Times 2005-04-18 (14)
* New York Times 2005-04-29 (21)
SELLARS DUNCAN W
* Covert Action Information Bulletin 1989-#31 (63)
* Top Secret (Germany) 1993-F (21)
SINGLAUB JOHN K
* Bellant,R. Old Nazis. 1989 (65)
* Covert Action Information Bulletin 1988-#30 (63)
* Covert Action Quarterly 1993-#45 (8)
USA FOUNDATION
* Washington Post 1984-10-04 (1 32)
WESTERN GOALS FOUNDATION
* Covert Action Quarterly 1993-#45 (8)
* Lobster Magazine (Britain) 1988-#16 (19)
WORLD ANTI-COMMUNIST LEAGUE
* Covert Action Information Bulletin 1988-#30 (63)
* Covert Action Quarterly 1993-#45 (8)
WORLD LEAGUE FREEDOM DEMOCRACY
* Covert Action Quarterly 1993-#45 (8)
YUILL MARTIN
* Covert Action Information Bulletin 1989-#31 (62)
* Top Secret (Germany) 1993-F (21) That's some chart! Not to worry, Jackoff's doing fine. Attends synagogue every week and is eating kosher everyday. Something that's always been very important to Jack: http://www.jewishjournal.com/home/searchview.php?id=15327 “What hurts the most is the way my co-religionists want to cut my head off,” Abramoff says. http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2005/09/abramoff.html IN THE HEAT OF A LOS ANGELES summer afternoon, the 13-year-old set off from home and began walking the five miles to synagogue. He was hungry and thirsty. It was the Jewish holy day of Tisha B'Av, when observers are not allowed to consume food or water for 24 hours. Grasping for his own interpretation of the law, the boy had convinced himself that he wasn't supposed to ride in a car or even wear shoes. He walked along the fence of the Los Angeles Country Club, an institution that historically excluded Jews. The pavement was hot and full of small stones, and his stocking feet began to blister. But when a member of the synagogue offered him a ride, he refused. To young Jack Abramoff, the religion of his ancestors was perilously close to fading away in his generation. He wasn't going to fail it.
"If there’s another 9/11 or a major war in the Middle-East involving a U.S. attack on Iran, I have no doubt that there will be, the day after or within days an equivalent of a Reichstag fire decree that will involve massive detentions in this country." - Daniel Ellsberg Author, Pentagon Papers The FBI participates in over 30 public corruption task forces and over 100 public corruption working groups.
#2. To: Eoghan (#0)
ABBOTT TED
* Top Secret (Germany) 1993-F (21)
"Take him to the tree of Wobegon." -- Thulsa Doomshowitz
#3. To: Tauzero (#2)
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