/Tom DeLay

20080706
Don Young - Ted Stevens - Tom DeLay - Federal - Investigation - Legislative - Politics - 2008 Election - Alaska - Texas - Virginia - Florida - Transportation - Construction
"When Alaska's Young needed help, lobbyists ponied up." ... "Facing bad publicity and a dwindling campaign account, [United States Alaska Republican Representative] U.S. Rep. Don Young last year turned to the "AK Wolfpack," a group of more than 20 lobbyists, including former Young staffers and retired former congressmen, with close ties to the Alaska Republican." ... "Young's chief of staff, Mike Anderson, sent the Wolfpack an e-mail to tell them that national Democrats planned aggressive fundraising and claims of misconduct by Young to topple the 35-year incumbent congressman and his fellow Alaska Republican [Senator], U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens." ... "If they succeed, Anderson warned, "you and your clients will be impacted."" ... "They include Rick Alcalde, the lobbyist at the heart of a Young earmark that is under federal investigation. They also include lobbyists Colin Chapman, Anderson's immediate predecessor as Young's chief of staff, and Randy DeLay, the brother of former Republican House Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas. Randy DeLay lobbied on a Virginia highway project before Young's transportation committee." ... "Anderson e-mailed his note a day after The New York Times ran a front-page story about Young's earmarking $10 million to study a Florida interchange that would benefit a developer who had raised money for an earlier Young campaign. The paper described the earmark as an "obvious" trade of campaign contributions for legislative favors." -By Sean Cockerham and Erika Bolstad -McClatchyDC.com

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20080225
• John McCain - Jack Abramoff - Bob Riley - Tom DeLay - Bob Ney - Money - Politics- Investigation - Law - EMail - Alabama - Louisiana - Mississippi - Arizona - Texas - Ohio - History - 2002 Election - 2006 Election - 2008 Election - "McCain Withheld Controversial Abramoff Email." ... "In the 2006 Senate report concerning [Republican Lobbyist Jack] Abramoff's activities, which [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate John] McCain spearheaded, the Arizona Republican conspicuously left out information detailing how Alabama [Republican Governor] Gov. Bob Riley was targeted by Abramoff's influence peddling scheme. Riley, a Republican, won election in November 2002, and was reelected in 2006." ... "In a December 2002 email [PDF] obtained by the Huffington Post -- which McCain and his staff had access to prior to the issuance of his report -- Abramoff explains to an aide what he would like to see Riley do in return for the "help" he received from Abramoff's tribal clients." ... "An official with the Mississippi Choctaws "definitely wants Riley to shut down the Poarch Creek operation," Abramoff wrote, "including his announcing that anyone caught gambling there can't qualify for a state contract or something like that."" ... "The note showed not only the reach of Abramoff, but raised questions about Riley's victory in what was the closest gubernatorial election in Alabama history." ... "And yet, despite the implications of the information, McCain and the Senate Indian Affairs Committee sat on the controversial portion of the email. According to an official familiar with the investigation, McCain also subsequently refused to make the email public after the report was released." ... "There was a brief footnote in the report that quoted William Worfel, former vice chairman of the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana, saying that Abramoff told the chief of a Mississippi tribe to spend $13 million "to get the governor of Alabama elected to keep gaming out of Alabama so it wouldn't hurt ... his market in Mississippi."" ... "But Riley's name and the details of what was being asked of him were not mentioned once in the 373-page document." ... "Indeed, as the Associated Press noted in 2006, McCain stayed deliberately agnostic as to Riley's involvement." ... ""Although Sen. McCain has long bragged of his role in the Abramoff investigation, he let [former Texas Republican Representative] Tom DeLay and the other members of Congress who were doing Abramoff's bidding completely off the hook. The sole exception was [former Ohio Republican Representative] Rep. Bob Ney, who served time in prison," Melanie Sloan, Executive Director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics In Washington told the Huffington Post recently. "Sen. McCain knew what his colleagues were up to, he chose to take the easier path and give them a free pass."" -By Sam Stein -HuffingtonPost.com

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20080110
• John McCain - Law - Investigation - Ralph Reed - Jack Abramoff - Grover Norquist - Tom DeLay - Secret - Corporate - Religion - History - Georgia - New Hampshire - 2008 Election - Television - Politics - Opinion - "Ralph Reed's New Role." ... "Eighteen months ago, the political career of Christian right golden boy [Republican] Ralph Reed came crashing down, a casualty of his role in the [Republican] Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal. This week, Reed has found a new calling. He appeared on CNN during its New Hampshire primary coverage and again last night, labeled as a "GOP [Grand Old Party=Republican] political analyst."" ... "Reed sounded none too bullish about [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain's prospects going forward despite his big New Hampshire win. That's perhaps not surprising, given the long history between the two." ... "McCain, as chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, launched an investigation of Abramoff's tribal lobbying that turned up a mountain of e-mails, including some between Reed and Abramoff." ... "The e-mails revealed Abramoff's corrupt dealings with politicians, as well as conservative religious and advocacy groups. Reed often participated in Abramoff's business schemes, telling him in a 1998 e-mail after stepping down as head of the Christian Coalition: "I need to start humping in corporate accounts!"" ... "E-mails and testimony before McCain's panel showed that Reed, who once branded gambling a "cancer" on society, reaped millions of dollars in tribal casino proceeds that Abramoff secretly routed to him through various non-profit front groups. Abramoff, a lobbyist for the tribes, paid Reed to whip up "grassroots" Christian opposition to prevent rival tribes from opening casinos." ... "Abramoff sometimes routed his money to Reed through a group called Americans for Tax Reform, run by conservative anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist. Norquist lately has been attacking McCain's record on taxes, placing robo calls to voters in New Hampshire." ... "Reed's much-publicized role in the Abramoff scandal cost him the 2006 Republican primary for Georgia lieutenant governor--the first rung on what was widely expected to be a climb into national politics." ... "Former House majority leader [Republican] Tom DeLay, who left Congress and is still under investigation by the Justice Department in connection with the Abramoff probe, predicted to MSNBC's Chris Matthews that McCain won't fare well with conservatives in the South." -By Susan Schmidt -WashingtonPost

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20071018
• Randy "Duke" Cunningham - Brent Wilkes - Jerry Lewis - Duncan Hunter - Tom DeLay - Roy Blunt - Dennis Hastert - Money - Politics - Lawmakers - Travel - Flying - Government - Military - Intelligence - San Diego - California - Texas - Missouri - Hawaii - Florida - Nevada - Idaho - Illinois - "Witness: Contractor Gave Lawmaker Perks." ... "[Former California Republican Representative Randy "Duke"] Cunningham, a San Diego Republican who held seats on the powerful House intelligence and defense appropriations committees, was elected to eight terms before resigning in 2005. He pleaded guilty that year to accepting $2.4 million in bribes from [Brent] Wilkes and others and is serving an eight-year prison sentence." ... "[Wilkes nephew and employee Joel] Combs testified Wednesday that his uncle communicated with other prominent lawmakers, including California Republicans Jerry Lewis and Duncan Hunter, former House Majority Leader [Republican] Tom DeLay of Texas, Republican Whip [Missouri Representative] Roy Blunt, and Sen. Daniel Inouye, a Hawaii Democrat." ... "But the relationship with Cunningham was at the center of Wilkes' success in Washington, and Combs said his uncle worked to keep the lawmaker happy - efforts that included staking his nephew money to purposely lose in poker games with the lawmaker." ... "Combs recalled dinners at Washington's fancy Capital Grille restaurant, shooting lessons, and trips to Florida, Las Vegas [Nevada] and Idaho provided by Wilkes for the congressman from 1998 until 2002. During that period, Cunningham made calls to Pentagon officials on Wilkes' behalf and helped secure about $90 million in federal contracts for Wilkes' company." ... "The perks included a $20,000 stay in a private villa at a resort in Hawaii, where Wilkes, Combs and the congressman went diving - an expedition captured in an underwater video that was played for jurors. Combs said he also hired women from an escort service for his uncle and the congressman." ... "Wilkes also paid to fly Cunningham and former House Speaker [Illinois Republican Representative] Dennis Hastert from a golf outing in Palm Springs [California] to San Diego [California] for a reception and then back to Washington on private jets, Combs testified." -By Allison Hoffman -AP via -Guardian.co.uk 

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20070907
• Craig - Vitter - Stevens - DeLay - Ney - Cunningham - Sherwood - Renzi - Doolittle - Jefferson - Politicians - Lawmakers - Homosexual - Idaho - Louisiana - Alaska - Texas - Ohio - California - Pennsylvania - Arizona - 2008 Election - "House G.O.P.'s History Could Repeat in Senate." ... "The embarrassing [Idaho Republican Senator] Larry Craig episode combined sex and the justice system – always a potent political mix and one reason the Republican leadership moved so swiftly to jettison Mr. Craig." ... "Already, Mr. Craig is the star of a Web video from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee featuring a lineup of recent Republican scandals being shown to the tune of the “Bad Boys” theme song from the television show “Cops.” It seeks to ridicule Republican claims to hold the moral high ground." ... "Mr. Craig’s guilty plea to a sexually related disorderly conduct charge only served to remind people about Mr. [Louisiana Republican Senator] Vitter’s [alleged prostitution] case – and prompt accusations of a double standard since Republicans took no action against the Louisiana lawmaker for his heterosexual incident compared to Mr. Craig’s homosexual one." ... "Republicans can point to the indictment of Louisiana Democrat[ic Representative] William Jefferson, but Democrats can counter with the names of Senators Craig, Vitter and [Alaska Republican Senator Ted] Stevens not to mention those of former Representatives [Texas Republican] Tom DeLay, [Ohio Republican] Bob Ney, [California Republican] Duke Cunningham and [Pennsylvania Republican] Don Sherwood." ... "Representative Rick Renzi of Arizona, another Republican under investigation, has already announced he will not seek re-election [in 2008] and top aides to [Republican] Representative John Doolittle of California, a former member of the Republican leadership, were called before a grand jury this week." -By Carl Hulse -NYTimes 

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20070814
• J Dennis Hastert - DeLay - Foley - Cunningham - Ney - Legislation - History - Illinois - Texas - Ga - La - Florida - California - Ohio - "Hastert Planning to Retire at End of 2008, GOP Sources Say." ... "After less than a year as a rank-and-file House member, former Speaker [Illinois Republican Representative] J. Dennis Hastert is expected to call an end to a political career that made him the longest serving Republican Speaker in the history of the House of Representatives." ... "Hastert, 65, was first elected to Congress in 1986 after GOP [Illinois Republican Representative] Rep. John E. Grotberg retired. He quietly worked his way up the ranks in the House, propelled into the Republican leadership in 1994 by then-Rep. [Texas Republican Representative] Tom DeLay, R-Texas." ... "Hastert ran DeLay’s successful upstart campaign for majority whip after Republicans captured control of Congress, and DeLay in turn named Hastert as his chief deputy. Four years later, in 1998, DeLay helped to elevate Hastert to Speaker after [Georgia Republican Representative] Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., stepped down following the loss of GOP seats in that year’s elections and [Louisiana Republican Representative] Robert L. Livingston, R-La., withdrew abruptly from contention after acknowledging an extramarital affair." ... "Throughout his time as Speaker, Hastert was personally popular with rank-and-file Republicans, who never saw him as part of the ethics problems that plagued DeLay and former [Florida Republican Representative] Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla. (1995-2006), or the criminal misdeeds of former [California Republican Representative] Reps. Randy “Duke” Cunningham, R-Calif. (1991-2005) and [Ohio Republican Representative] Bob Ney, R-Ohio (1995-2006)." ... "He also set a standard for the GOP majority by only allowing legislation on the floor of the House that was backed by the “majority of the majority,” [of Republicans] an approach that all but denied Democrats a chance to help shape legislation." ... "The minority party had little say in conferences with the Senate during Hastert’s tenure, because conference committees became an after-the-fact formality that rubber-stamped deals worked out by a handful of House and Senate Republican members who operated under the thumb of party leaders." -By Jonathan Allen with contributions by Alan K. Ota, Martin Kady II, and David Nathe -CQPolitics.com 

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20070719
• John Doolittle - Jack Abramoff - Tom DeLay - US - Northern Mariana Islands - Calif - Money - Politics - "Marianas governor and Doolittle ally says cooperating in probe." ... "The governor of the Northern Mariana Islands said Thursday he's cooperating with the Justice Department's corruption investigation around jailed GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff, which is focused in part on GOP [California Republican Representative] Rep. John Doolittle of Rocklin, Calif." ... "The tiny U.S. commonwealth also is still trying to get back some of the millions it paid Abramoff's firms over the years, said [Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Governor] Gov. Benigno R. Fitial, a one-time Abramoff ally who counted Doolittle among his congressional supporters." ... ""When I have a friend that friend always remains a friend," said Fitial, who became House speaker of the Marianas in 2000 after intervention from two former aides to former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. After becoming speaker Fitial pushed for Abramoff's contract to continue." -By Erica Werner -NCTimes.com 

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20070418
• US - Korea -  John Doolittle - Brent Wilkes - Abramoff - Buckham - DeLay - Politician - Lawmaker - Government - Military - Money - Sports - Virginia - Calif - Texas - "FBI searches Republican lawmaker’s home." ... "The FBI searched the Virginia home of [California Republican Representative] Rep. John Doolittle (R-Calif.) last Friday in its investigation into ties between the congressman and his wife, Julie, and disgraced former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, according to law enforcement and other Congressional and K Street sources." ... "Doolittle used Abramoff’s luxury sports box for a fundraiser without initially reporting it to the Federal Election Commission." ... "Doolittle also has been under fire for paying his wife’s company, Sierra Dominion Financial Solutions, a 15 percent commission on all contributions that the company raised for Doolittle’s campaign committee and leadership PAC. Her only other clients were Abramoff’s former firm, Greenberg Traurig; Abramoff’s former restaurant Signatures; and the Korea-U.S. Exchange Council, which Ed Buckham, a former chief of staff to ex-Majority Leader [Texas Republican Representative] Tom DeLay (R-Texas), created." ... "Doolittle also received contributions from indicted defense contractor Brent Wilkes and his associates, and investigators are probing whether those contributions are linked to any official action Doolittle took to help Wilkes’ company obtain millions of dollars in government earmarks." -By Mike Soraghan and Susan Crabtree -TheHill.com 

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20070401
BobPerry - Tom DeLay - Secret - Money - Politics - Advertising - Television - 2006 Election - 2004 Election - 2002 Election - People - Colorado - Virginia - Texas - Homebuilder - Immigration - Law - Military - Social Security
"Bob Perry Needs a Hug." ... "Like many election campaigns last fall the [2006 Election] race in Colorado's Seventh Congressional District between Democrat Ed Perlmutter and Republican Rick O'Donnell was a bruising affair. Personal attacks and negative advertising were the order of the day. According to Perlmutter, O'Donnell was a right-winger with dangerous ideas who wanted to privatize Social Security, while pro-O'Donnell ads attacked Perlmutter for being soft on immigration. One such thirty-second spot was especially pointed, claiming that, as state senator, "Ed Perlmutter sponsored legislation giving taxpayer money to illegal immigrants."" ... "On its face, this ad seemed typical, one of thousands run last fall in an unusually hostile political season. Closer inspection, however, revealed that the ad was, on just about every level one can imagine, not what it seemed. For one thing, it wasn't true. The legislation that Perlmutter sponsored did concern taxpayer-funded benefits, but they were for legal immigrants, not illegal ones. The casual viewer might also have assumed that the advertisement had been produced by or in cooperation with O'Donnell's campaign. But his staff had nothing to do with its content, nor was it produced or financed within a thousand miles of Colorado. The ad's genesis, in fact, was a sort of miracle of remote control. Reporters who dug into the story found that funding for the ad had come from a 527 group called Americans for Honesty on Issues (AFHOI). The past several election cycles have seen a large number of these so-called 527's, which are named after the section of the federal tax code that exempts certain political groups from paying taxes." ... "Normal campaign finance limits in raising and spending money do not apply to 527's, a loophole through which millions of dollars have flowed. Due in part to this lack of oversight, 527's have developed a reputation for being shadowy, and AFHOI was no exception. In 2006 the group produced adversarial television ads in nine congressional races across seven states, but when the press started probing, it seemed to vanish into thin air. Its address was a post office box in a UPS store in Alexandria, Virginia; its "contact" was a conservative political consultant in Houston [Texas] named Sue Walden who didn't return calls.Reporters studying the story were unable to determine exactly who had come up with the idea for the ads, who had produced them, or how the Perlmutter-O'Donnell race had been targeted in the first place." ... "The one thing they did find out was the identity of the man who had pumped $3 million into AFHOI and was its sole benefactor: a wealthy Houston homebuilder named Bob Perry. Perry is the nation's largest individual political donor. In 2004 and 2006 he gave a total of $29 million to state and federal races. Last year, more than $9 million of that was channeled through three 527's that aggressively targeted races for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. In spite of such a massive political presence, Perry is as mysterious as some of the groups he funds. He never talks to the press, rarely appears in public, and remains an inscrutable figure even to people to whom he has given hundreds of thousands of dollars. He might have maintained this relatively low profile indefinitely, except that in [the Election of] 2004 he was the largest funder of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth [that attacked the military service of 2004 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate John Kerry], the controversial 527 that many people credit with derailing John Kerry's presidential campaign. Almost overnight, Perry became a poster boy for the notion that a cabal of wealthy donors, shady consultants, and unaccountable 527's was taking over American politics." ... "Perry first appeared as a real force in Texas politics in 2002, when he dropped $3.8 million into [2002 Election] campaigns, most of it aimed at taking over the state legislature and ultimately recarving Texas into Republican-friendly congressional districts—a gambit coordinated by then-House majority leader [and Texas Republican Representative] Tom DeLay and also heavily funded by San Antonio [Texas] doctor James Leininger and other wealthy Republican donors. He later became the largest single contributor to [Republican] Governor Rick Perry's reelection campaign." ... "[Bob] Perry ultimately contributed $4.5 million to the effort [of the Swift Boat attacks on military veteran John Kerry]." (1, 2, 3, 4) -By S. C. Gwynne -TexasMonthly.com

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20061002
• Foley - Hastert - Cunningham - DeLay - Ney - Children - Lawmakers - Politics - 2006 Election - Florida - Illinois - California - Texas - Ohio - "FBI looks at [Florida Republican] Foley's e-mails to teens." ... "[Illinois Republican] House Speaker Dennis Hastert asked the Justice Department on Sunday to investigate former [Florida Republican] congressman Mark Foley's communications with teenage boys who worked as House pages." ... "Hastert has said he knew about non-sexual e-mails that Foley, 52, a Florida Republican, sent to a 16-year-old former page, first reported by ABC News on Thursday." ... "Foley is the fourth House Republican forced out by ethics problems. [Republican] Randy "Duke" Cunningham of California resigned in November after pleading guilty to accepting $2.4 million in bribes. Former majority leader [Republican] Tom DeLay of Texas was indicted on state campaign finance violations and resigned in June. [Republican] Rep. Bob Ney of Ohio has agreed to plead guilty to charges of corruption and is not seeking re-election [in 2006]." ... "House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi [from California] called on the House ethics committee Sunday to question GOP leaders under oath. "They chose to cover it up rather than to protect these children," she said." -By Richard Wolf and Kevin Johnson with contributions by Kathy Kiely, Jill Lawrence, Matt Kelley, and Wendy Koc -USATODAY

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