January 4, 2006
White House Keeping More Than $100,000 in Abramoff-Raised Cash
A BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT
News from the DNC:
Washington, DC - Only after GOP super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty to three federal crimes yesterday, did the Bush White House decide to return a meager $6,000 in tainted campaign cash. In another sign that the Republican culture of corruption is still the norm among Washington Republicans, the Administration is keeping $100,000 that Abramoff personally and directly raised for the President's re-election. [AP, 1/4/06]
Democratic National Committee Communications Director Karen Finney issued the following release:
"As a Bush Pioneer, Jack Abramoff personally raised $100,000 for Bush's re-election campaign, and later bragged about the influence he held at the White House. Abramoff is just the tip of the iceberg in the culture of corruption that Republicans like Tom DeLay, Duke Cunningham, David Safavian and others have brought to Washington, which is why we need ethics reform and honest leadership.
"Abramoff used his Republican contacts to create an extensive pay-to-play system with Republican members of Congress in which political money was exchanged for policy outcomes. In every case, Republicans acted as willing partners and only Republicans have been indicted and are reported as being under investigation by the Department of Justice.
"The ethical cloud over the White House is growing. President Bush should have no hesitation about returning the more than $100,000 directly raised for his re-election campaign by an admitted felon."
Abramoff Boasted About Being A Bush Pioneer. "'Everyone in town is trying to be a Pioneer or Ranger,' said Jack Abramoff, a top Republican lobbyist here, using the campaign's terms for the most elite levels of money collectors. 'But the only way to do it is to have contacts outside of D.C., which fortunately I do. So far I've raised about $120,000, and I haven't even really started making calls." [International Herald Tribune, 7/22/03]
Abramoff Was A Republican Insider and Who Had Strong Pull With Bush White House. Those close to Abramoff boast that he is a phone call away from the President. "Jack has a relationship with the President," Abramoff's former spokesman and fellow lobbyist Michael Scanlon once said. "He doesn't have a bat phone or anything, but if he wanted an appointment, he would have one." Scanlon has since pleaded guilty to conspiring to bribe a congressman and other public officials. [New Times Broward-Palm Beach, 2/22/01; Washington Post, 11/29/05]
A BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT