Watchdog Asks, What about Abramoff?

[hang a left]

Watchdog Asks, What about Abramoff?
By Paul Kiel - March 21, 2007, 12:00 PM

As former U.S. Attorney Bud Cummins has written, "Once the public detects partisanship in one important decision, they will follow the natural inclination to question every decision made, whether there is a connection or not."

Today, the nonpartisan congressional watchdog Democracy 21 sent a letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty asking whether there had been political interference in the investigation and prosecution of Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

"Based on issues that have been raised in the firing of the eight U.S Attorneys , we're all in a position to want some assurance that there hasn't been political interference in the case," Fred Wertheimer, Democracy 21's president, told me. "This still remains the worse congressional corruption scandal in 30 years. There are lesser players who have been convicted. But there are still big players here, including sitting and former members of Congress whose cases apparently have not yet been resolved. "

Citing concerns about the slow pace of the investigation and high turnover of prosecutors and supervisors working on the case, Wertheimer also asks Gonzales what resources the Justice Department has committed to the investigation.

snip>

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/002833.php

[napi21]

1. Yes, What ABOUT Abramoff? I haven't heard his name mentioned for

weeks now! Last I remember, he was still talking to the Feds. I would love to know what progress is being made on THAT mess!

[CJCRANE]

2. Bushco is 100% "political interference" n/t

[leveymg]

3. Abramoff was just one prong in the GOP foreign influence peddling scheme.

Here are other scandals coming to light now:

Former Appropriations Chair Jerry Lewis (R-CA) - distributed hundreds of thousands to favored GOP lawmakers through his own PAC. That money was provided by corrupt defense contractors, MZM and ADCS (Wade, Wilkes), and a huge Israeli-controlled global hedge fund, Cerberus-Gabriel. Two US Attorneys investigated. One, Carol Lam, was fired. The other, Debra Wong Yang, accepted a $1.7 million signing bonus to go to work for the LA Law form that's defending Lewis. See, http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/3/10/21556/5045

In addition, a major California GOP fundraiser, Gerry Parsky, headed the "Parsky Commission" that picked the replacements for fired US Attorneys. Parsky was a partner in that same LA Law Firm, and runs his own "vulture capital"/defense contracting company that's selling off key US defense companies to foreign investors. See, http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/3/10/21543/2678