POL - More DeLay stuff today

[Flasch186]

Birds of a feather...

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=14&u=/ap/20050427/ap_on_go_co/delay_lobbyist

Records Show DeLay, Lobbyist Daily Contact



By SHARON THEIMER, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Over two years, Rep. Tom DeLay (news, bio, voting record) had at least two dozen discussions with a lobbyist working to keep a U.S. territory's factories free from new labor laws. The lobbyist contributed to the House leader's campaigns and arranged travel for him.



Records show that DeLay's staff spoke with the lobbyist, Jack Abramoff, or his team almost daily during this period.

DeLay's office kept Abramoff, now under criminal investigation, routinely apprised of congressional efforts to block new regulations on his client, the Northern Mariana Islands.

Questions have been raised about whether Abramoff himself paid for some of DeLay's foreign trips in violation of House rules. DeLay maintains they were properly financed by trip sponsors.

Abramoff's firm reported it drafted legislative materials for DeLay, and Abramoff boasted to island leaders he could use his close ties to Republican leaders to block legislation from receiving a House vote.

"Getting the bill off the schedule for next week, however, should enable us to use our connections within the Leadership to ensure that ... it will not come to the floor," Abramoff wrote the islands in September 1996.

The Northern Marianas billing and correspondence records of Abramoff's former lobbying firm, Preston Gates, were obtained by The Associated Press under an open records request approved by the island government

They provide a day-by-day account of the lobbyist's campaign of fundraising, trip-providing and schmoozing with lawmakers in both parties aimed at, among other things, getting Congress to block Clinton administration efforts to regulate alleged "sweatshop" garment factories in the Northern Marianas. Those rules were never enacted.

DeLay, R-Texas, is now the House majority leader, but back then he was the No. 3 official in the House. His job as majority whip involved counting the way lawmakers intended to vote, which often influenced when legislation would come to a vote in the GOP-led Congress. Though Abramoff billed the island for contacts with dozens of lawmakers, DeLay's office was among the most frequently listed in the billing records.

An Abramoff spokesman said Tuesday the records confirm the lobbyist earned his pay. "Mr. Abramoff and his team worked tirelessly on behalf of the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands and achieved tremendous results," Andrew Blum said.

DeLay's office said Tuesday he made decisions on the merits, not because of Abramoff's largesse or lobbying. "People know that Majority Leader DeLay stands on principles and bases his voting decisions on the merits," spokesman Dan Allen said.

The documents show that Abramoff's firm and the House Ethics Committee began having concerns as early as 1996 about Abramoff's arrangement of numerous trips for congressional members to the Pacific islands and how they were being paid for.

Abramoff billed numerous trips to his personal credit card or the firm, the records state, and then he later pressed the islands to reimburse him to avoid violating the new ban on lobbyists giving gifts to House members.

"I am under pressure here since the firm, under the gift ban rules, is not allowed to be out of pocket too long on the costs of congressional member and staff travel," Abramoff wrote in November 1996.

Though a tiny set of U.S. territorial islands in the Pacific Ocean with a population of about 80,000, Abramoff's client received constant attention — often numerous contacts in a week — from DeLay's staff in the mid- to late 1990s, the records show.

DeLay himself met or talked with Abramoff at least two dozen times in 1996 and 1997, when Abramoff's work for the islands got under way, the records show.

DeLay aides were in far more frequent contact, often talking day to day with Abramoff and his team of lobbyists, which charged the Northern Marianas $3 million in lobbying fees between October 1996 and October 1997.



On one trip that Abramoff arranged for DeLay and his staff to take to Russia in August 1997, the lobbyist billed the Northern Marianas for 20 hours of interactions with DeLay and his staff even though the trip was supposed to focus on Russian affairs, the records show.

Legislative dealings with DeLay's office were frequently sandwiched around campaign contributions, golf outings or trips provided or arranged by Abramoff for lawmakers, including some for DeLay.

For instance, the lobbyist and his wife gave maximum $5,000 donations each to DeLay's leadership political action committee on Jan. 14, 1997, about two months before DeLay met with the island's governor during a Washington visit and gave a glowing speech about the islands.

One of DeLay's top congressional aides at the time, Tony Rudy, e-mailed Abramoff a copy of remarks DeLay made to the full House on March 19, 1997, praising the islands as a "model of reform."

Abramoff also arranged for DeLay and his wife to visit the Mariana Islands during the 1997 Christmas break. Earlier that month, two DeLay staffers went to the islands as well, the records show.

In April, 1996, two donors from the islands gave $2,000 each to DeLay's campaign. In June 6, 1996, Abramoff gave a $2,000 donation in the name of DeLay's office to a charity golf tournament.

And a month after Abramoff wrote the islands about getting legislation they opposed blocked in the House, the political action committee for Abramoff's firm donated $500 to DeLay's campaign in October 1996.

The records show Abramoff's lobbying team sometimes billed the client to attend Republican fundraisers, such as one in August 1996 for Sen. Rick Santorum (news, bio, voting record), R-Pa.

In June 1997, he reported to the islands that he went to the U.S. Open golf tournament "with a number of our congressional staffer friends."

He credited the numerous trips he arranged to the islands with fending off the new labor rules the Clinton administration and some congressional Democrats were seeking.

"There is no doubt that trips to the CNMI (islands) are one of the most effective ways to build permanent friends on the Hill," the firm wrote the island government in a lobbying plan in February 1998.

Some of the lawmakers Abramoff arranged to travel to the islands included Reps. Dana Rohrabacher and Brian Bilbray, both California Republicans, and Ralph Hall, a Texas Democrat.

[st.cronin]

NO WAY
Tom Delay met with a professional lobbyist...

[CamEdwards]

a lobbyist had daily contact with the staff of a congressman?

Shocking.

[Honolulu_Blue]

a lobbyist had daily contact with the staff of a congressman?

Shocking.
That's right. Just ignore all the facts presented in the article. Such as, that this lobbyist is now under Criminal investigation, his main purpose behind lobbying appears to be an attempt to keep sweatshops running on the Island, and that he and DeLay appear to have violated a ban on lobbysits giving gifts to House representatives.

Republicans ignoring facts when they don't please them.

Shocking.

[st.cronin]

That's right. Just ignore all the facts presented in the article. Such as, that this lobbyist is now under Criminal investigation, his main purpose behind lobbying appears to be an attempt to keep sweatshops running on the Island, and that he and DeLay appear to have violated a ban on lobbysits giving gifts to House representatives.

Republicans ignoring facts when they don't please them.

Shocking.

I am *not* a Republican and my distaste for Tom Delay runs deep. But this article is pure shit.

[Blackadar]

That's right. Just ignore all the facts presented in the article. Such as, that this lobbyist is now under Criminal investigation, his main purpose behind lobbying appears to be an attempt to keep sweatshops running on the Island, and that he and DeLay appear to have violated a ban on lobbysits giving gifts to House representatives.

Republicans ignoring facts when they don't please them.

Shocking.

I friggin' hate DeLay. If I saw him crossing the street, I sure wouldn't slow down. But there are very few *facts* in the article. There's a whole lot of innuendo.

[Honolulu_Blue]

I am *not* a Republican and my distaste for Tom Delay runs deep. But this article is pure shit.
Eh, fair point.

[Flasch186]

it still should be out there, to be read...

I dont think it's great that a congressman, especially one of the leaders of the congressmen, hangs out with lobbyists and has to be involved in their investigations. It probably better PR to steer clear of this....but in all honesty I think all would agree Delay hasnt been real good with PR.

[st.cronin]

Flasch, ALL congressmen hang out with lobbyists. It's how they raise money and keep their jobs.

[Klinglerware]

Ignoring the whole lobbyist angle for a moment (which I think is kind of a red herring, since lobbyists in Washington are par for the course regardless of party affiliation), the whole sweatshop labor issue seems worthy of examination.

For example, should apparel be allowed to sport the "Made in the USA" label, if it was produced by sweatshop labor in one of our pacific colonies rather than in a state of the union? I'm kind of on the fence on this one--"Made in the USA" is technically legitimate, but people should be aware that does not necessarily mean the goods were produced by voting/tax-paying citizens of the United States...

[st.cronin]

Ignoring the whole lobbyist angle for a moment (which I think is kind of a red herring, since lobbyists in Washington are par for the course regardless of party affiliation), the whole sweatshop labor issue seems worthy of examination.

For example, should apparel be allowed to sport the "Made in the USA" label, if it was produced by sweatshop labor in one of our pacific colonies rather than in a state of the union? I'm kind of on the fence on this one--"Made in the USA" is technically legitimate, but people should be aware that does not necessarily mean the goods were produced by voting/tax-paying citizens of the United States...

God forbid we actually debate policy in one of these threads!

[Arles]

Records show that DeLay's staff spoke with the lobbyist, Jack Abramoff, or his team almost daily during this period.
OK, staff talking with a lobbyist almost daily...

Questions have been raised about whether Abramoff himself paid for some of DeLay's foreign trips in violation of House rules. DeLay maintains they were properly financed by trip sponsors.
Perfect instance to provide proof that this occured, yet there is none provided.

Abramoff's firm reported it drafted legislative materials for DeLay, and Abramoff boasted to island leaders he could use his close ties to Republican leaders to block legislation from receiving a House vote.
Lobbyist's firm providing informative materials to a congressman's staff. Still waiting for the point of this article.

"Getting the bill off the schedule for next week, however, should enable us to use our connections within the Leadership to ensure that ... it will not come to the floor," Abramoff wrote the islands in September 1996.
So, lobbyist tries to convince the group he is lobbying for that he is doing a good job.

They provide a day-by-day account of the lobbyist's campaign of fundraising, trip-providing and schmoozing with lawmakers in both parties aimed at, among other things, getting Congress to block Clinton administration efforts to regulate alleged "sweatshop" garment factories in the Northern Marianas.
I think it's time the writer of this story looks up the definition of a lobbyist (from the dictionary):
"someone who tries to persuade legislators to vote for bills that the lobbyists favor."

DeLay, R-Texas, is now the House majority leader, but back then he was the No. 3 official in the House. His job as majority whip involved counting the way lawmakers intended to vote, which often influenced when legislation would come to a vote in the GOP-led Congress. Though Abramoff billed the island for contacts with dozens of lawmakers, DeLay's office was among the most frequently listed in the billing records.
So, they say how DeLay was one of the more influential congressmen in regards to getting a bill to the floor, then act stunned when it turns out he was the one who got the most attention from the lobbyist.


Abramoff billed numerous trips to his personal credit card or the firm, the records state, and then he later pressed the islands to reimburse him to avoid violating the new ban on lobbyists giving gifts to House members.
OK so now, after 10 paragraphs of innuendo on DeLay and house laws, we finally find that there was no law broken.

DeLay aides were in far more frequent contact, often talking day to day with Abramoff and his team of lobbyists, which charged the Northern Marianas $3 million in lobbying fees between October 1996 and October 1997.
So, a congressman's staff talked with a lobbyist and that lobbyist actually billed the group he was representing for his time. My, the scandal in all this.


For instance, the lobbyist and his wife gave maximum $5,000 donations each to DeLay's leadership political action committee on Jan. 14, 1997, about two months before DeLay met with the island's governor during a Washington visit and gave a glowing speech about the islands.
Wow, a legal personal donation to a congressman's campaign. How is this not front page news!

In April, 1996, two donors from the islands gave $2,000 each to DeLay's campaign. In June 6, 1996, Abramoff gave a $2,000 donation in the name of DeLay's office to a charity golf tournament.
More legal donations - when will it all end?!

The records show Abramoff's lobbying team sometimes billed the client to attend Republican fundraisers, such as one in August 1996 for Sen. Rick Santorum (news, bio, voting record), R-Pa.
Now this lobbyist attended a different republican fundraiser? You'd think he was actually trying to do his job and lobby for his supported legislation. The horror of it all.

He credited the numerous trips he arranged to the islands with fending off the new labor rules the Clinton administration and some congressional Democrats were seeking.
Yet another way of stating no one did anything illegal here, or anything that was out of the ordinary.

This may be the biggest hackjob reporting on capital politics every completed by a reporter. Either this person is incredibly ignorant to the role of lobbyists and congressmen, or he knew he was writing complete garbage but did it anyway in the hopes not everyone would see through it. And, based on the fact someone posted in this forum, it looks like he was successful in attaining that goal.

[Blackadar]

Arles, the dissection was unnecessary. Even us heathen radical godless terrorist tax-and-spend liberals said the article was a hack job. :)

[Arles]

Arles, the dissection was unnecessary. Even us heathen radical godless terrorist tax-and-spend liberals said the article was a hack job. :)
Yeah, it was probably a little overkill. I was quite amazed at the article's lack of any evidence or even a coherant point. I couldn't resist, I need more self control ;)

[I. J. Reilly]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/04/23/AR2005042301509.html

Those documents the Post found seem pretty damning to me. The bottom line is he used public office for personal gain. Nothing new for Washington, but not real good for your image.
But who really cares? The success of the American experiment has been the ability to minimize the importance of politicians. 20 years from now will Tom Delay have had any more say in the course of the nation then Paris Hilton did? Not really, he just provides a higher class of gossip fodder.

[Klinglerware]

Arles, the dissection was unnecessary. Even us heathen radical godless terrorist tax-and-spend liberals said the article was a hack job. :)

Yes, in the zeal to tar DeLay the article ends up obscuring legitimate issues such as labor practices and what "Made in America" really means. The labor issue isn't a mere "tweaking" of labor laws--the labor laws probably need an overhaul since many garment workers in our colonies, most notably Saipan, are working in indentured servitude. These labor practices would be illegal in the 50 states + DC.

Most Americans don't realize that in many cases, they are not really protecting American workers when they buy apparel that says "Made in USA", since a lot of this apparel is made in American dependencies outside the 50 states.

[Dutch]

Discrediting the articles, sucks. We have a great opportunity to tar and feather a Republican, let's not lose our spines now. "He's a witch! Burn 'em!"

[-Mojo Jojo-]

Flasch, ALL congressmen hang out with lobbyists. It's how they raise money and keep their jobs.

Heaven forbid we call them out on it. Are we supposed to be happy with this state of affairs?

The happy fallout of this whole affair: Congressmen start taking ethics rules seriously (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/04/25/AR2005042501414.html)

I have no problem making some examples on this, and if Republicans can make good on their threats to drag down Pelosi and other Democrats for influence peddling, more power to them.. My distaste for scummy politics overrides my political preferences.

[Flasch186]

Flasch, ALL congressmen hang out with lobbyists. It's how they raise money and keep their jobs.


And again, like the tax funding of "town Halls" that arent, Im against it on all sides of the aisle. Lobbyists, should not be able to spend money on personal shit for congressman. To me its close to bribing, and neither dem nor rep. should be ok with it.

Regardless of whether the story is hack or not....DeLay, or any congressman, should watch their PR. If I hang out with a drug dealer ona street corner, what are people going to think?

[Glengoyne]

Discrediting the articles, sucks. We have a great opportunity to tar and feather a Republican, let's not lose our spines now. "He's a witch! Burn 'em!" Not a witch, but he does stand out as crooked and slimey among a whole bunch of other crooked and slimey politicians. He just takes slime to the next level. The above article is more of the same stuff that has come out lately, it is garbage. Change the name and cause of the lobbyist, and substitute Nancy Pelosi(or any House Member) for DeLay, and you could write almost the same article.

I did hear today that Hastert is backing the Party away from DeLay somewhat. I think they are going to repeal the rules changes that were there to shield DeLay(and others) from internal investigation.

[st.cronin]

And again, like the tax funding of "town Halls" that arent, Im against it on all sides of the aisle. Lobbyists, should not be able to spend money on personal shit for congressman. To me its close to bribing, and neither dem nor rep. should be ok with it.

Regardless of whether the story is hack or not....DeLay, or any congressman, should watch their PR. If I hang out with a drug dealer ona street corner, what are people going to think?

Meeting with a lobbyist is like meeting with drug dealers???? I think I just felt myself getting stupider ...

[Flasch186]

Meeting with a lobbyist is like meeting with drug dealers???? I think I just felt myself getting stupider ...

CC'mon Mo, if you hang out with BAD people what do you think people will think of you. Because of my slant you can't see meat in anything I say, can you? At least Glen is open minded and even Arles will see my point if I'm even handed, but you dont understand that "Birds of a feather..."?

[Buccaneer]

I think someone should arrange for Flasch to spend a week in Washington DC. Maybe he'll learn what everyone else knows?

Would it be fair to say that 99% of all legislation and committee work are lobbyist-driven? Seems like it has been that way for decades - it's a by-product of an apathetic populace and voters demanding everything to be fixed.

Oh, add in the obligatory "DeLay is a scum" except they all are, some worse than others.

[st.cronin]

The idea that all lobbyists (or even some lobbyists) are *bad* is insane. If anything, this story makes the LOBBYIST look bad by associating with Delay... ugh, never mind. Further proof that Plato was right. Democracy doesn't work.

[Flasch186]

I think someone should arrange for Flasch to spend a week in Washington DC. Maybe he'll learn what everyone else knows?

Would it be fair to say that 99% of all legislation and committee work are lobbyist-driven? Seems like it has been that way for decades - it's a by-product of an apathetic populace and voters demanding everything to be fixed.

Oh, add in the obligatory "DeLay is a scum" except they all are, some worse than others.


But that doesnt mean its right and should be accepted.

NOT all lobbyists are bad but the guy above is just about bottom of the barrel, it would seem, would you agree? So DeLay hangs out with the bottom feeder and he should be teflon to it, c'mon.

[Buccaneer]

I didn't say any lobbyists were bad in the post above. You saying that this is the "bottom of the barrel" assumes that you have some knowledge of the whole process - which obviously you don't. Accept it? No, I don't accept a majority of anything that have gone on with the federal govt; I just understand the nature of the beast and know that it is a power game that is played. For us regular folks, we love our sound bites and shrill journalism for we don't care to know anything more than that.

[Flasch186]

I didn't say any lobbyists were bad in the post above. You saying that this is the "bottom of the barrel" assumes that you have some knowledge of the whole process - which obviously you don't. Accept it? No, I don't accept a majority of anything that have gone on with the federal govt; I just understand the nature of the beast and know that it is a power game that is played. For us regular folks, we love our sound bites and shrill journalism for we don't care to know anything more than that.

Im NOT ok with the special interest infestation in our govt. and it's lobbyists. This guy, Abramoff, seems to be more scurilous than most, so bottom of the barrel seems apropos. We should not be ok with this....

When Clinton was in office the right was not ok with this because there was fear that foreign gov'ts. could take advantage of this to trya nd "control" or govt. (manchurian like)....but why not still be upset now?

[st.cronin]

I think someone should arrange for Flasch to spend a week in Washington DC. Maybe he'll learn what everyone else knows?

Would it be fair to say that 99% of all legislation and committee work are lobbyist-driven? Seems like it has been that way for decades - it's a by-product of an apathetic populace and voters demanding everything to be fixed.

Oh, add in the obligatory "DeLay is a scum" except they all are, some worse than others.

More like 100 percent...

[st.cronin]

Im NOT ok with the special interest infestation in our govt. and it's lobbyists. This guy, Abramoff, seems to be more scurilous than most, so bottom of the barrel seems apropos. We should not be ok with this....

When Clinton was in office the right was not ok with this because there was fear that foreign gov'ts. could take advantage of this to trya nd "control" or govt. (manchurian like)....but why not still be upset now?

Just because some people acted insane when a Democrat was president doesn't mean that now that a Republican is president it's your turn to act like a loon.

[Flasch186]

Just because some people acted insane when a Democrat was president doesn't mean that now that a Republican is president it's your turn to act like a loon.

and vice-versa, but that didnt stop it. I didnt change my tune and neither should you or anyone else. Whats right is right and whats wrong is wrong and apathy, to stand by and go, "thats just the way it is." is weak. I am not a hypocrite...no matter the party if its wrong its wrong and being owned by special interests or lobbyists and NOT your constituents is wrong (with some exceptions)

[Blackadar]

The plot thickens:

(from Time):

Lobbyist Jack Abramoff gave expensive gifts to key members of then-House Majority Whip Tom DeLay's staff, which the aides accepted in apparent violation of House ethics rules, according to two sources who worked at Abramoff's law firm at the time Abramoff made the gifts. The gifts included high-end golf equipment, tickets to sporting events and concerts and, in the case of one high-ranking DeLay staff member, a weekend getaway paid for by Abramoff's own frequent flyer and hotel points, two sources who had direct knowledge of the transactions tell TIME.

The two sources say that one recipient of the gifts, including the weekend trip and expensive golf clubs, was Tony C. Rudy, who worked for DeLay for five years and served at various times as DeLay's press secretary, policy director, general counsel and deputy chief of staff when DeLay was House Majority Whip. When Rudy left DeLay's office in 2000, he joined Abramoff at the law firm Greenberg Traurig. Since 2002, Rudy has worked at Alexander Strategy Group, a lobbying firm headed by former DeLay Chief of Staff Ed Buckham.

A spokesman for Abramoff said he is unavailable for comment. Rudy has not returned repeated calls requesting comment.

DeLay's current chief of staff, Tim Berry, told TIME that he recalls Abramoff giving him a golf club while they were playing golf in the late 1990s, or possibly as late as 2000, when Berry was a floor assistant to DeLay. Berry said he found the situation awkward, and "got rid of it" a few days later, and added that in the current environment, he now wishes he had simply given back the gift to Abramoff. Berry could not recall the make of the club, which he believes was a wood, and said he does not know whether its value would have exceeded the gift limit under the House rules.

Rudy was one of two staff members who joined DeLay on a trip to Scotland and England in 2000—a trip in which the airfare was paid for by Abramoff's credit card, the Washington Post revealed earlier this week. House rules prohibit lobbyists from paying for the travel of members and their staffs, even if they are subsequently reimbursed by others. DeLay's office maintains that he believed and continues to believe that the trip was sponsored and paid for by a non-profit public policy institute, the National Center for Public Policy Research, which would have been allowable under House rules. At the time, Abramoff served on the NCPPR board.

Under House ethics rules, no member or employee of the House may accept a gift valued at more than $50, or a series of gifts worth more than $100 over the course of a year. The rules stipulate that gifts covered under the limit include "services, training, transportation, lodging and meals, whether provided in kind, by purchase of a ticket, payment in advance or reimbursement after the expense has been incurred." Republicans tightened the rules considerably after they took control of the House in 1995, having been elected in part on their promise to clean up the chamber's ethical standards. The previous rule allowed members and their staff to accept gifts from a single source up to a cumulative value of $250 over the course of a year.

The revelation comes at a time when the House ethics committee, which would normally be the body that would investigate such matters, has ceased to function. Democrats on the committee object to rules changes that they say were designed to protect DeLay by making it more difficult to launch an investigation. The new rules would require a majority vote—which means support from at least one Republican on the panel—for the committee to begin a probe. But now, House Republican leaders, realizing that the rule change has been a political disaster for them, are scrambling to find a way to repeal it.

Rudy's biography on the firm's website boasts that he was once ranked on one of Capitol Hill's top 50 staff members by Roll Call newspaper. "As Deputy Chief of Staff to the House Majority Whip, Tony had extraordinary access and influence in the legislative process," his biography claims. "He ran DeLay's well-known member services operation that enabled Tony to develop personal relationships with dozens of House members including current members of the House Leadership, Committee Chairman (sic) and members of key committees including the Appropriations Committee, Commerce Committee, the Ways and Means Committee and the Financial Services Committee. Tony also has extensive contacts with hundreds of key staff members in Congress."
--------------------

[Flasch186]

and this is not ok, IMO

[Klinglerware]

The idea that all lobbyists (or even some lobbyists) are *bad* is insane.

But this Abramoff guy does seem like a bad apple:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7615249/site/newsweek/

May 2 issue - The pitch from superlobbyist Jack Abramoff was hard to resist: a good way to get access on Capitol Hill, he told his clients a few years ago, was to contribute to a worthy charity he and his wife had just started up. The charity, called the Capital Athletic Foundation, was supposed to provide sports programs and teach "leadership skills" to city youth. Donating to it also had a side benefit, Abramoff told his clients: it was a favored cause of Rep. Tom DeLay.

The pitch worked especially well among a group of Indian tribes who, having opened up lucrative gaming casinos, had hired Abramoff to protect their interests in Washington. In 2002 alone, records show, three Indian tribes donated nearly $1.1 million to the Capital Athletic Foundation. But now, NEWSWEEK has learned, investigators probing Abramoff's finances have found some of the money meant for inner-city kids went instead to fight the Palestinian intifada. More than $140,000 of foundation funds were actually sent to the Israeli West Bank where they were used by a Jewish settler to mobilize against the Palestinian uprising. Among the expenditures: purchases of camouflage suits, sniper scopes, night-vision binoculars, a thermal imager and other material described in foundation records as "security" equipment. The FBI, sources tell NEWSWEEK, is now examining these payments as part of a larger investigation to determine if Abramoff defrauded his Indian tribe clients. The tribal donors are outraged. "This is almost like outer-limits bizarre," says Henry Buffalo, a lawyer for the Saginaw Chippewa Indians who contributed $25,000 to the Capital Athletic Foundation at Abramoff's urging. "The tribe would never have given money for this."

Abramoff, a legendary lobbyist particularly close to DeLay, is also a fierce supporter of Israel—"a super-Zionist," one associate says. That may explain why Abramoff's paramilitary gear ended up in the town of Beitar Illit, a sprawling ultra-Orthodox outpost whose residents have occasionally tangled with their Palestinian neighbors. Yitzhak Pindrus, the settlement's mayor, says that several years ago the town was confronting mounting security problems. "They [the Palestinians] were throwing stones, they were throwing Molotov cocktails," Pindrus says. Abramoff's connection to the town was Schmuel Ben-Zvi, an American emigre who, the lobbyist told associates, was an old friend he knew from Los Angeles. Capital Athletic Foundation public tax records make no mention of Ben-Zvi. But they do show payments to "Kollel Ohel Tiferet" in Israel, a group for which there is no public listing and which the town's mayor said he never heard of.

Pindrus says Ben-Zvi was an outspoken proponent of beefing up security and even began organizing his own freelance patrols. "He used to bring in this equipment—night-vision goggles, telescopes," says Pindrus. At least some of the equipment appears to have come from Abramoff's law firm. An August 2002 invoice obtained by NEWSWEEK shows that $773 worth of paramilitary gear—including sniper shooting mats and "hydration tactical tubes"—was shipped to one of Abramoff's aides at the law firm where the lobbyist then worked. Reached last week, Ben-Zvi angrily denied any knowledge of Abramoff or being involved in any efforts to obtain security gear.

The West Bank security payments are not the only foundation expenditure being eyed by investigators. The bulk of the foundation's money, about $4 million, was used for a now-defunct Orthodox Jewish school in suburban Maryland that two of Abramoff's sons attended. Buffalo says his tribe had no idea its donations were being used for this purpose, either. A spokesman for Abramoff vigorously defended all of the expenditures. Abramoff, says spokesman Andrew Blum, "is an especially strong supporter of Israel and has tried to find ways to help Israelis and others to be less susceptible to terrorist attacks." Still, the increasing attention from the news media and investigators is causing even old friends like DeLay to back away. A spokesman last week vigorously disputed that DeLay had anything to do with Abramoff's charity. Although he had been scheduled to attend a planned gala fund-raiser for the foundation two years ago, DeLay never went. As for the security shipments to the West Bank, DeLay knew nothing about it, the spokesman said.

[st.cronin]

That does sound bad. Still, there's nothing anywhere in any of those stories that makes Delay look bad. I'd love it if it were so, but it ain't.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Discrediting the articles, sucks. We have a great opportunity to tar and feather a Republican, let's not lose our spines now. "He's a witch! Burn 'em!"
And the irony meter goes off the charts with this post!

[Klinglerware]

That does sound bad. Still, there's nothing anywhere in any of those stories that makes Delay look bad. I'd love it if it were so, but it ain't.

No, I'm not taking shots at DeLay here--Abramoff seems like a more interesting character. This Abramoff dude does do a disservice to all the other ethical lobbyists out there though, since he confirms the worst stereotypes people have of special interests representatives.

[st.cronin]

No, I'm not taking shots at DeLay here--Abramoff seems like a more interesting character. This Abramoff dude does do a disservice to all the other ethical lobbyists out there though, since he confirms the worst stereotypes people have of special interests representatives.

That was my impression as well - not to mention embarrasing us Israelophiles.

[Flasch186]

Still, there's nothing anywhere in any of those stories that makes Delay look bad. I'd love it if it were so, but it ain't.

:rolleyes:

[Buccaneer]

No, I'm not taking shots at DeLay here--Abramoff seems like a more interesting character. This Abramoff dude does do a disservice to all the other ethical lobbyists out there though, since he confirms the worst stereotypes people have of special interests representatives.
I agree.