Subpoenas hunt Abramoff, DeLay fundraising ties

[Judi Lynn]

Jan. 3, 2006, 11:51PM
Subpoenas hunt Abramoff, DeLay fundraising ties
Congressman's lawyer says probe may 'clear the air'


By JANET ELLIOTT
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau

AUSTIN - The Travis County district attorney issued four subpoenas Tuesday in an attempt to find any links between discredited Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff and Congressman Tom DeLay's 2002 Texas fundraising.

The subpoenas were issued soon after Abramoff pleaded guilty in federal court in Washington to conspiracy, tax evasion and fraud charges. They seek records from two law firms at which Abramoff worked, a Mississippi Indian tribe he represented and a California tribe.

The law firms are Greenberg Traurig and Preston Gates Ellis & Rouvelas Meeds. Preston Gates contributed $25,000 to DeLay's Texans for a Republican Majority political action committee in 2002. The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians contributed $1,000 in 2001 and the Barona Band of Mission Indians gave $5,000 in 2002.

Prosecutor Ronnie Earle is seeking correspondence among a number of parties, including DeLay, other TRMPAC officials, Abramoff and Ralph Reed, a political consultant and former Christian Coalition director.
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http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/3563736.html
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[Judi Lynn]

1. Spotlight now falls on former DeLay aides

Jan. 3, 2006, 11:34PM
Spotlight now falls on former DeLay aides
Federal probe could turn to their dealings with Abramoff

By BENNETT ROTH
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON - Former aides to Rep. Tom DeLay figure significantly in the federal corruption probe involving lobbyist Jack Abramoff, whose guilty plea could spell more trouble for the embattled Republican lawmaker from Sugar Land.

The wide Justice Department investigation, which could spotlight several members of Congress and their staffs, has made no known, improper links between DeLay and Abramoff.

But over the years, Abramoff cultivated political relationships with DeLay and his aides, took foreign trips with the congressman, boasted of his influence with the lawmaker and lured several DeLay staffers into his lucrative lobbying business.

A key accomplice of Abramoff's was former DeLay deputy chief of staff Tony Rudy, according to papers filed by the Justice Department in the Abramoff plea deal.
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http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/politics/3563741.html
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[Judi Lynn]

2. DeLay May Face New Jeopardy as Abramoff Probers Target Ex-Aide

DeLay May Face New Jeopardy as Abramoff Probers Target Ex-Aide

Jan. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Jack Abramoff's guilty plea yesterday pushed the federal investigation of the lobbyist deep into the office of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay by implicating one of his top ex-staffers.

People close to the investigation identified the ``Staffer A'' mentioned on page 13 of Abramoff's 15-page plea agreement as DeLay's former deputy chief of staff, Tony Rudy. While a member of DeLay's staff, Rudy helped Abramoff stop a measure that would have prohibited Internet gambling, according to the government. In return, Rudy's wife was paid $50,000 through a non-profit group, the government says. DeLay himself isn't named in the agreement.

The link to DeLay is at least the third to emerge in a 20- month investigation of Abramoff's ties with lawmakers, and it comes as DeLay, 58, fights separate money-laundering charges in Texas that forced him to step down as House majority leader.
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``If I were DeLay, I would be very concerned,'' said Bill Mateja, a white-collar criminal-defense lawyer with Fish & Richardson PC in Dallas and formerly a senior counsel in the Justice Department's corporate criminal task force. ``A staffer is certainly a subject of the investigation. Whether it takes them all the way to DeLay, we'll have to wait and see.''
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