I suppose we should thank God that Tom DeLay was so successful in taking over K Street and denying Democrats the fruits of the lobbyists’ dirty money. It looks like some of their more egregious scams are about to come to light and there will be much frog-marching and rejoicing. And, so far, it looks like the Democrats have avoided being caught up in the snare.
Prosecutors have already told one lawmaker, Rep. Robert W. Ney (R-Ohio), and his former chief of staff that they are preparing a possible bribery case against them, according to two sources knowledgeable about the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The 35 to 40 investigators and prosecutors on the Abramoff case are focused on at least half a dozen members of Congress, lawyers and others close to the probe said. The investigators are looking at payments made by Abramoff and his colleagues to the wives of some lawmakers and at actions taken by senior Capitol Hill aides, some of whom went to work for Abramoff at the law firm Greenberg Traurig LLP, lawyers and others familiar with the probe said.
Former House majority leader Tom DeLay (R), now facing separate campaign finance charges in his home state of Texas, is one of the members under scrutiny, the sources said. Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.), Rep. John T. Doolittle (R-Calif.) and other members of Congress involved with Indian affairs, one of Abramoff’s key areas of interest, are also said to be among them.
Prosecutions and plea deals have become more likely, the lawyers said, now that Abramoff’s former partner — public relations executive Michael Scanlon — has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy and to testify about gifts that he and his K Street colleagues showered on lawmakers, allegedly in exchange for official favors.
An attorney for DeLay, whose wife worked for a lobbying firm that received client referrals from Abramoff, said there was no connection between her work and congressional business. A spokesman for Doolittle, whose wife received payments from Abramoff’s lobbying firm, also said there was no connection with her husband’s position. Burns’s office has said his actions were consistent with his support for improving conditions for Indian tribes…
This scandal pretty much has it all. Murder, bribery, gambling, the Mob, paying off people’s wives, junkets, venality… all it needs is some high price call girls or a pederasty ring. At some point good old fashioned middle American rock-solid Republicans are going to wonder why all the people going to jail are white Republicans pretending to represent Christian values.
Right?
