Update [2006-5-25 0:40:54 by BooMan]: Raw Story says ABC is sticking by their story despite Hastert’s demands that they retract it.
There has been a big hole in the culture of corruption. We’ve seen the Vice-President’s chief-of-staff indicted. The President’s Deputy Chief-of-Staff might already be indicted, or could be indicted any day. Bill Frist is under investigation by the FEC for insider trading. The number #1 and #3 men at the CIA have resigned. Rep. Duke Cunningham has been indicted and Rep. Bob Ney and Sen. Conrad Burns have been implicated in the corruption of Jack Abramoff, the most influential GOP lobbyist in the District of Columbia. The Bush administration’s top federal procurement official, David Safavian, was indicted. Bush’s domestic policy adviser Claude Allen was “charged with theft for allegedly receiving phony refunds at department stores.” But so far, the Speaker of the House has not been implicated in anything (that is, no one has alleged anything other than the muzzled Sibel Edmonds). So, it is with a great sense of relief and completion that I read ABC’s Brian Ross:
Federal officials say the Congressional bribery investigation now includes Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, based on information from convicted lobbyists who are now cooperating with the government.
Part of the investigation involves a letter Hastert wrote three years ago, urging the Secretary of the Interior to block a casino on an Indian reservation that would have competed with other tribes.
The other tribes were represented by convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff who reportedly has provided details of his dealings with Hastert as part of his plea agreement with the government.
The letter was written shortly after a fund-raiser for Hastert at a restaurant owned by Abramoff. Abramoff and his clients contributed more than $26,000 at the time.
The day Abramoff was indicted, Hastert denied any unlawful connection and said he would donate to charity any campaign contribution he had received from Abramoff and his clients.
A spokesman for Speaker Hastert told ABC News, “We are not aware of this. The Speaker has a long history and a well-documented record of opposing Indian Reservation shopping for casino gaming purposes.”
I hope the FBI will soon arrest Dennis Hastert and Bill Frist, along with Karl Rove. I will not rest until they are all frog-marched out.
