Not a smoking gun just yet…The Secret Service logs obtained by Judicial Watch reveal only two short White House trips taken by Casino Jack, one in 2001 and one in 2004. “The White House said last week that the Secret Service’s logs documenting Abramoff’s entries into the executive mansion complex might not reveal all meetings. ‘I don’t know exactly what they’ll be providing, but they only have certain records and so I just wouldn’t view it as a complete historical record,’ spokesman Scott McClellan said.” Ok, then, I won’t.
Category: Lobbying Reform
I’d like to buy a Volz.
As the Bunk would say, this is great po-lice work. Prosecutors flip another Casino-Jack-implicated GOP congressional aide in Neil Volz, former chief of staff to Delay/Abramoff flunky Bob Ney, meaning that — despite handily winning his Ohio primary last week — the “Mayor of Capitol Hill” is as good as gone. “Volz…is the fifth cooperating witness, including Abramoff, who has pleaded guilty and agreed to provide evidence against Ney in the ongoing criminal investigation.”
House of Corruption.
“Their bill…is an insult to voters who the GOP apparently believes are dumb enough to be snookered by this feint. The procedures under which it is to be debated, allowing only meaningless amendments to be considered, are an insult also — to the democratic process.” Neverthless, despite the Post‘s pleading yesterday, the House makes a bet that Abramoff won’t stick and passes the GOP’s phantom reform bill 217-213. “Joan Claybrook, president of the liberal group Public Citizen, said the measure is ‘a fraud on the American public.’” A fraud…and hopefully a fatal error for the GOP majority, should Casino Jack’s travails remain front-page fodder from now through November.
Judicial Watches Jack.
“The American people deserve the truth concerning admitted felon Jack Abramoff’s visits and meetings with Bush administration officials in the White House” Once a thorn in the side of the Clinton White House, Judicial Watch shows once again that it’s an equal opportunity executive irritant by forcing the Secret Service to turn over records of Casino Jack’s visits to the White House. “The visitor logs are to be delivered to Judicial Watch by May 10.“
Duke of Desire?
Those many Republicans banking on public inattention to the sordid tales of GOP corruption may not want to pick up today’s Post anytime soon — Sex has entered the equation. “Federal authorities are investigating allegations that a California defense contractor arranged for a Washington area limousine company to provide prostitutes to convicted former congressman Randy ‘Duke’ Cunningham (R-Calif.) and possibly other lawmakers, sources familiar with the probe said yesterday.” Uh, oh…DC just loves a good sex scandal, right, guys? Update: The limousine firm in question denies the allegations.
House for Sale: New Wallpaper, Same Rotting Foundation.
After a deal is reached with irate Republicans on the House Appropriations committee (who were piqued by a rather tame anti-earmarking measure that has since been broadened beyond appropriations bills), the House GOP pass a cosmetic “lobbying reform” bill 216-207 that emphasizes disclosure of donations, gifts, and earmarks rather than outright bans. “A solid phalanx of Democrats and 12 Republicans, including House Judiciary Committee Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (Wis.) and Republicans pushing for stronger measures, cast votes against the legislation…Rep. Christopher Shays (Conn.) said the bill was less than a window dressing and should be rejected. Later, to reporters, he called the bill ‘pathetic.’ On the House floor, he added: ‘We’re losing our moral authority to lead this place.’“
Judge Dread.
“These problems are getting worse, not better, and it’s because the judiciary hasn’t taken some simple steps to make them go away.” A Post report finds ethical violations are rampant among several federal judges, usually of the conflict-of-interest or boondoggle variety. “A second set of ethical lapses involves seminars held at resorts by a Montana-based group, the Foundation for Research on Economics and the Environment (FREE). On at least six occasions from 2002 to 2004, federal judges accepted air travel, food and lodging from the libertarian foundation but did not list the gifts on their annual disclosure reports, as required by law, documents and interviews show.”
Put Rudy in.
Another crack emerges in the DeLay-Abramoff Ring: The Feds flip Tony Rudy, a former top flunky of Boss DeLay’s, which is particularly bad news for the former “Mayor of Capitol Hill,” Bob Ney. “According to papers filed today, Rudy will provide key corroborating information regarding the case prosecutors are building against [Ney], who was taken by Abramoff on a lavish trip to Scotland in 2002.” Update: The Post profiles Rudy. “‘How did Abramoff and Rudy meet, through JDate? No, they met through DeLay,’ Frank said.”
Same Old Senate for Sale.
“I don’t know,’ said Senator Mike DeWine, Republican of Ohio…’People are not really talking to me directly about lobbying. I think they’re concerned about some of the, quote, scandal, but I don’t have anybody come up to me and say there’s a lobbying problem. It doesn’t get that specific.‘” As such, one day after voting down an independent ethics office 67-30, the Senate passes a watered-down “lobbying reform” bill 90-8 that, for all intent and purposes. seems to be merely cosmetic. “The Senate measure toughens disclosure requirements for lobbyists and requires lawmakers to obtain advance approval for the private trips that were a central feature of the Abramoff scandal. But it does not rein in lawmakers’ use of corporate jets, and it fell far short of the sweeping changes, including a ban on privately financed travel, that some lawmakers advocated in January…’It’s very, very weak,’ said Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona.“
Five Republicans and only three measly Democrats voted against the phantom reform bill: McCain, Feingold, Kerry, Graham, DeMint, Inhofe, and the “unlikely duo” of Obama and Coburn. (The West Virginia Dem delegation — Byrd and Rockefeller — abstained.) Still, “Mr. McCain predicted that there would be more indictments growing out of the investigation into political corruption, and said that such a development would lead Congress to revisit the issue again.“
Five and Dime.
In very related news, Casino Jack and his associate Adam Kidan are sentenced to 5 years, 10 months in prison for their roles in the SunCruz casino case. “Although [Judge Paul] Huck opted for the minimum, Abramoff faces the prospect of at least a few additional years in prison when he is sentenced in a separate case in Washington, D.C. However, lawyers said, his overall sentence ultimately could be reduced depending on his cooperation with federal investigators.” In fact, Abramoff will remain out of jail for the time being so he can continue to work with the Feds on congressional corruption.