printer friendly version
Opinion: Lobbying scandal cloaked in religion
Monday, April 18, 2005
'A candal is like any other melodrama: It can't be a crowd pleaser unless the audience can follow the plot. That's why Monica Lewinsky trumped Whitewater, and that's why of all the story lines ensnaring Tom DeLay, the one with legs is the one with the craps tables. It's not just easy to follow, but it also has a combustive cultural element that makes it as representative of its political era as Monicagate was of the Clinton years. As the lies and subterfuge of the go-go 1990's coalesced around sex, so the scandal of our new "moral values" decade comes cloaked in religion. The hair shirt is the new thong.
This time the plot begins with money. Two K Street fixers, a lobbyist named Jack Abramoff and a flack named Michael Scanlon, managed to snooker six American Indian tribes into handing over $82 million in exchange for furthering their casino interests. According to The Washington Post, some of their tribal takings, cycled through a nonprofit center for "public policy research," helped send Mr. DeLay golfing in Scotland. The pious congressman, a gambling foe, says he had no idea of his trip's sinful provenance. Never mind that Mr. DeLay was joined abroad by Mr. Abramoff, whom he has described as one of his "closest and dearest friends," or that Mr. Scanlon had once been his spokesman. Mr. DeLay was as innocent of the goings-on around him as a piano player in a brothel."
Get the Story:
Frank Rich: Get Tom DeLay to the Church on Time
(The New York Times 4/17)
Username:
indianzcom, Password:
indianzcom
Related Stories:
Pombo asked again to investigate Abramoff
(4/15)
DeLay's ties to Abramoff a
focus of federal probe (4/13)
Opinion:
Abramoff is DeLay's Monica Lewinsky (4/13)
'Where the hell were you when we were poor?'
(4/12)
Column: Treatment of tribes by
lobbyists an outrage (4/12)
Newsweek:
Abramoff offered to expose DeLay, others (4/11)
Assessment: The Abramoff/DeLay scandal
(4/8)
Salon: Abramoff sold DeLay to
desperate tribes (4/8)
Opinion: When
ripping off Indians is acceptable (4/8)
GOP rallies to DeLay's defense amid new reports
(4/7)
Abramoff helped secure funding for
3rd DeLay trip (4/6)
Burns says Michigan
delegation backed school funds (04/04)
Editorial: Burns has chance to restore Indian
funds (03/31)
GOP letter to Norton came
after Abramoff sent checks (03/30)
Abramoff previously questioned over billing
(03/30)
Ralph Reed says he too was
'deceived' by Abramoff (3/28)
Both sides
fighting tribe have ties to Abramoff (03/25)
Column: Abramoff, Scanlon had help scamming
tribes (03/22)
Jena Choctaw Band back in
spotlight in Louisiana (03/22)
McCain
plans to finish hearings on lobbyist scandal (3/21)
Opinion: Ralph Reed did work for casinos, not the
Lord (3/21)
Coushatta Tribe hires law
firm linked to DeLay (3/18)
Chairman:
Montana tribes support Senator Burns (3/18)
Senate Finance Committee investigates Abramoff
(3/17)
Vitter won't say why he OKed
Abramoff fundraiser (3/17)
DeLay denies
wrongdoing on trip linked to tribe (3/16)
Vitter responsible for anti-tribal appropriations
rider (3/16)
Hayworth predicts DeLay
will weather ethics storm (3/15)
Column:
Strange bedfellows in Abramoff scandal (3/15)
Editorial: Investigate overseas trip paid by
Abramoff (3/15)
Griles fought casino
opposed by Abramoff client (3/14)
Tribe
gave $75K to group founded by Norton (3/14)
Tribe, gambling firm funded DeLay's overseas trip
(3/14)
Editorial: Facts don't look good
for Senator Burns (3/14)
DOI
investigates contacts with group started by Norton (03/03)
Vitter denies helping Abramoff's former client
(03/02)
Report: Former Norton organization
subpoenaed (3/1)
Tribes gave $175K to
group founded by Norton (2/28)
Tribal
lobbying scandal hurts ex-Abramoff firm (02/17)
Tigua Tribe settles dispute over Abramoff fees
(02/14)
Sag Chip recall targets
anti-Abramoff tribal leaders (2/11)
Editorial: Washington 'sharks' ate tribe for
lunch (02/08)
Donations funneled through
Abramoff unaccounted (2/7)
Commentary:
Tighten up lobbyist rules (01/18)
Commentary: Tribal lobbyist scandal is familiar
tale (1/13)
Probe sought of Congressman
linked to lobbyists (01/07)
Editorial:
'Shameful' dealings of Washington lobbyists (1/6)
Abramoff and Scanlon scandal won't go away
(12/20)
Editorial: Ney's judgment
'clouded' by Abramoff (12/20)
Ney to
meet with ethics panel over Abramoff ties (12/16)
Congressman subject of inquiry for Abramoff ties
(12/15)
Lobbyists say Abramoff probe has
run its course (12/13)
Congressman
questioned during lobbyist probe (12/10)
Editorial: Ney not exactly a victim in Tigua
case (12/03)
Abramoff 'totally in bed'
with anti-gaming forces (11/29)
McCain
eyes reform of lobbying disclosure laws (11/24)
Order freezing Abramoff's assets lifted in lawsuit
(11/24)
Mississippi Choctaw lawyer
referred Abramoff (11/22)
Former Ney
chief of staff worked with Abramoff (11/19)
High-priced lobbyist scam linked to lawmakers
(11/18)
Coushatta Tribe sues ex-lobbyists
for $32M (11/17)
Tigua Tribe to testify
at Senate lobbying hearing (11/16)
Abramoff's assets frozen in employee case
(11/15)
Vitter 'conned' by group
opposing tribe (11/12)
GOP critic of
McCain received tribal donations (11/08)
Author: Abramoff, Scanlon likely to be indicted
(10/28)
Senate panel asks Coushatta Tribe
for tapes (10/27)
Ralph Reed paid $4.1M
to oppose tribes (10/26)
Two more
lawyers linked to lobbyist scandal (10/21)
Online Chat: Abramoff 'close friend' of DeLay
(10/20)
Christian Coalition still after
Poarch Creeks (10/19)
Congressman denies
knowing of tribe's backing (10/18)
Opinion: Lobbyist scandal goes all the way to Bush
(10/15)
Congressman's anti-gaming push
backed by tribe (10/15)
Tigua Tribe mum
on Washington lobbyists (10/12)
House
Resources asked to investigate lobbyists (10/8)
Another tribe considers lawsuit against lobbyists
(10/7)
DeLay rebuked yet again for
flaunting influence (10/7)
Coushatta
Tribe to sue lobbyists for $32M (10/4)
Lobbyist scandal reaches to top levels of GOP
(10/4)
Choctaw Tribe's lobbying
documents kept secret (10/4)
Documents
detail lobbyists' role in tribal elections (10/4)
Salon: Tom DeLay allowed tribes to be 'slickered'
(10/4)
Pueblo leader says lobbyists'
high fees not worth it (10/1)
Texas AG
asked to investigate Abramoff, Scanlon (10/1)
DeLay rebuked for trading influence on House floor
(10/1)
Ex-tribal lobbyists slammed in
Senate hearing (9/30)
Abramoff mum at
hearing while Scanlon a no-show (9/30)
Column: Lobbyists lurked in 'cesspool of greed'
(9/30)
Washington lobbyists called before
Senate panel (9/29)
Editorial: Send
lobbyist hogs to the slaughterhouse (9/29)
Tigua Tribe outraged over being played as 'moronic'
(9/28)
Tribes told to donate to
lobbyists' foundation (9/28)
Editorial:
Actions of tribal lobbyists 'loathsome' (9/28)
Lobbyists worked for, against 'moronic' Tiguas
(9/27)
Group opposing Poarch Creeks tied
to tribal lobbyists (09/16)
Coushattas
used lobbyists to spy on tribes, critics (09/13)
Bush strategist now knows source of tribal
funds (09/01)
Bush strategist claims no
knowledge of funds (8/31)
Bush-GOP
strategist admits taking tribal money (8/30)
Senate hearing on tribal lobbying probe set
(8/26)
Coushatta member threatened over
recall effort (08/09)
Coushatta Tribe's
lobbying records subpoenaed (07/23)
Hearing on high lobbying fees expected in
September (07/16)
GOP strategist denies
secretly taking tribal money (7/15)
Tribal money secretly funneled to GOP
strategist (06/25)
Busy Indian Affairs
Committee hits snag on big issues (06/17)
Indian Affairs Committee activity this week
(6/15)
Saginaw Chippewa leader who paid
lobbyists ousted (06/04)
Indian Country
awaits outcome of lobbying probe (05/18)
Tribal chairman says $120K fee to Abramoff worth
it (05/18)
Republican governors
report biggest donor in 2002 (05/04)
Saginaw Chippewa Tribe wonders where $14M
went (04/20)
McCain demands documents
from lobbyist, PR exec (04/12)
Coushatta treasurer accuses NIGC of lax
oversight (04/12)
Choctaw chief
Martin defends embattled GOP lobbyist (04/09)
McCain pushing Choctaw tribe to cooperate with
probe (4/8)
Coushatta leaders used
tribal money to pay lobbyists (4/8)
Coushatta Tribe paid $32M to lobbyist Jack
Abramoff (4/6)
McCain aggressive in
pursuing lobbyist records (4/5)
McCain demands documents for tribal lobbyist's
work (3/30)
Embattled lobbyist signs
deal with another firm (03/25)
Embattled tribal lobbyist gave to Conn.
Congressman (03/10)
Saginaw Chippewa
Tribe hires new lobbying firm (3/9)
McCain begins investigation into high tribal
fees (3/4)
Pueblo governor says $1M
fee to PR firm not worth it (3/3)
McCain calls for investigation into tribal
spending (2/27)
Four tribes spent
$45M on lobbying and PR firms (2/23)
GOP lobbyist scores big with tribes
(04/03)
Embattled tribe gets has
new lobbyist (12/13)
Copyright © 2000-2005 Indianz.Com
