"Fear and Loathing" Among the GOP (Abramoff trial) [View All]

[Robbien]

Publicly, most House Republicans are rallying around embattled Majority Leader Tom DeLay as the Texan struggles to fend off a multifront ethics assault. On Apr. 20, Republicans on the House Ethics Committee said they were willing to end weeks of partisan wrangling with their Democratic counterparts by offering to take a fresh look at allegations that the conservative leader sidestepped the rules of the House of Representatives limiting junkets and otherwise abused his power.

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But even such conservative stalwarts as former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who spent his own time on the ethics griddle, have opined that this "vast, Left-wing conspiracy" approach won't cut it in the absence of a full disclosure of the facts.

CLOUDS OVER A RAINMAKER. The mood among Hill Republicans is edgy, because nobody knows where the ethics wars are heading. Anxiety is palpable in House GOP cloakrooms, where the buzz is of unconfirmed reports that DeLay associate Jack Abramoff might drag key Republicans into a widening influence-peddling imbroglio. Abramoff is a Washington rainmaker enmeshed in a grand jury probe into his lobbying on behalf of Indian tribes grown wealthy on their casino operations.

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"GOING TO GET UGLY." Lowell and his GOP client have kept a relatively low profile, but that's not halting the nail-biting on Capitol Hill. Lawmakers' fears were stoked several weeks ago, when reports surfaced that Abramoff might have information that could -- emphasis on could -- make trouble for some Republicans. Lowell flatly dismisses that idea. "I'm trying to help Jack," he told BusinessWeek Online. "He's a good and decent man, and he has been made into a caricature." Still, the chatter persists. "There's a lot of fear and loathing among those House offices that were dealing with Abramoff," says one GOP lobbyist. "It's going to get ugly."

http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/apr2005/nf20050422_2485_db038.htm

http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/apr2005/nf20050422_2485_db038.htm