Turning up the Heat on DeLay.

Lawmakers ask for widened inquiry into lobbyist's activities

By Philip Shenon

The New York Times


"The request about the investigation of lobbyist Jack Abramoff was made in a letter last week to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales from the Republican chairman and the senior Democrat of the House Resources Committee.

That letter, dated June 30, cited a flurry of accusations of wrongdoing involving Abramoff's multimillion-dollar lobbying on behalf of the Northern Mariana Islands, a small American commonwealth in the Pacific, and said that "any allegations of criminal matters of this sort are best addressed to the Department of Justice."

The Justice Department has refused to discuss details of its investigation of Abramoff, which began more than a year ago. Congressional officials who are trying to monitor the investigation say it has focused until now on accusations that Abramoff defrauded American Indian tribes who paid him millions of dollars in lobbying fees on behalf of their gambling operations.

The Committee request could suggest new scrutiny for DeLay, R-Sugar Land, because he worked closely with Abramoff for years to block Washington from imposing the federal minimum wage on large clothing factories in the Northern Marianas."

www.dfw.com...

She just released several "late" filings for junkets from a couple years ago. Turns out that some of them were paid for by foreign lobbyists - including one from Taiwan - which is a crime in the U.S.

Let's have a level playing field on this. So, where's the outrage about Pelosi? BTW, Pelosi is one of the wealthiest people in Congress and hardly needs to have her trips paid for by foreign lobbyists.

Pelosi article

Excerpt:

The unreported trip was a week-long 1999 visit to Taiwan, paid for by the Chinese National Association of Industry and Commerce, for "meetings with government, military and business officials," according to a filing Pelosi signed June 30. The flights cost $3,400 each for Pelosi and her husband. The hotel cost was $940. The sponsor, which has picked up trips for leaders of both parties, paid $300 for meals.


[edit on 7/6/2005 by centurion1211]

When he sells nuclear and delivery system secrets to the Chinese, come tell me about it. It's very hard to top that, so this little penny-ante crap doesn't even register on my desensitized radar anymore.

Originally posted by Thomas Crowne
When he sells nuclear and delivery system secrets to the Chinese, come tell me about it. It's very hard to top that, so this little penny-ante crap doesn't even register on my desensitized radar anymore.

and where was the republicans, or americans for that matter when this was going on? oh ya!!! they were entwined in that great love sega called monicagate!!

I'm waiting for them to hit the k-street scandel, that one's a good one.....

don't hire anyone but republicans, or you won't be heard in my house!!!

can a representative of the house legally advise employers to desciminate on the basis of political affiliations legally?



[edit on 6-7-2005 by dawnstar]

Yeah, the Pelosi stuff from 1999 is especially penny-ante. $4 grand? That could have been my bar tab for a week's travel in 1999. And I'd have had no reservations about turning it in either. That's business.

But the owner of the Washington Times and mainstay backer of every Republican President since Nixon has $71 BILLION in a North Korean plant proliferating WMD's?

Nah. Let's worry about Pelosi and DeLay. Really, we know DeLay is corrupt as hell, and only worry about Pelosi to be "fair & balanced."

How about we get the actual evil people for a change? We could sieze the Moonies money legally and pay off the Iraq war, which we're supposedly waging to STOP the proliferation of WMD's. :shk:

Or... we could bicker.

Just remember to look round and see what's really going on when they point at small-time crap like DeLay. Who knows what news source we'll have to get the big story from.

Originally posted by RANT
Yeah, the Pelosi stuff from 1999 is especially penny-ante. $4 grand? That could have been my bar tab for a week's travel in 1999. And I'd have had no reservations about turning it in either. That's business.

Four grand? It's still a crime and not what I'd like to see out of the leader of either of America's two major political parties. But I forgot, criminal activity is a relative thing for the liberals and their defenders.

Instead of offering mealy-mouthed defenses, why not call all crooked politicians to task for their crimes.

Well, centurion, I do call for the conviction of all wrong-doers. If you did something illegal then you should pay. Simple as that. And crookedness and illegal business is conducted by both sides. It is not inherent in a certain party; it is inherent in the business.

wow, a triple post...

[edit on 7/6/2005 by OXmanK]

wow....somehow i got a triple post...

[edit on 7/6/2005 by OXmanK]