Delay and Bush

[one-eyed-fatman]

Delay's running scared now. He just gave back 57,000.00 dollars he wrongfully received. Bush returning funds linked to Abramoff as well.

[one-eyed-fatman]

So Bush is returning funds now too. The plot thickens.

[jdavionic]

Funny, so has Reid.

[jdavionic]

One last comment on the whole damn thing - I hope any of those suited scumbags that played the bribe for favors game get a nice cell with gay Bubba. Wishful thinking, I'm sure. If you or I participated in such acts, we'd do some serious time. I really despise crooked politicians. These folks get the trust of the people, then betray them for their own personal gain. Unfortunately I think they're in the majority in Washington, DC.

[bd]

Originally Posted by one-eyed-fatman

So Bush is returning funds now too. The plot thickens.

Abramoff was one of Bush's fundraising "Pioneers" a designation given to individuals that raised and contributed $100,000.00 or more to the Bush campaign.

Bush and co. said they would donate everything Abramoff gave them to the American Heart Assoc.

Did you happen to notice how much the Bush people donated to charity saying this was what Abramoff gave them?

$6,000.00

bd

[NewXD40fun]

Originally Posted by jdavionic

Funny, so has Reid.

Looks like Democrat Reid changed his mind and wants to keep the money from Abramoff.

From WashingtonPost.Com
All but three of the 24 politicians giving up the funds are Republicans. The three Democrats -- Sens. Max Baucus (Mont.), Richard J. Durbin (Ill.) and Byron L. Dorgan (N.D.) -- have pledged to shed a total of $97,000 in contributions. A spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) said Reid has no intention of shedding the $47,000 he has received from Abramoff's lobbying team and tribal clients.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...ail/components



Tom

[bd]

Incoming
By William Rivers Pitt
t r u t h o u t | Perspective

Thursday 05 January 2006

"It is not our job to seek peaceful coexistence with the Left. Our job is to remove them from power permanently."

- Jack A. Abramoff
All of official Washington is at this moment waiting with bated breath for the avalanche. Jack Abramoff, the disgraced super-lobbyist, has made a plea agreement in the massive prosecution against him and his cronies. Every talking head who has spoken on the subject has stated bluntly that the fallout from this plea deal will almost certainly result in the largest scandal to hit the capital in decades.

The questions, of course, are straightforward: Who is involved? Who took money from this guy? Who is on his pad? Most significantly, who did Abramoff name when he decided to sing to the prosecutors?

Republicans, nervous about the bad noise to come, have attempted to paint this as an equal-opportunity crime. To wit, the Democrats are into Abramoff as deeply as the GOP. The facts, however, do not bear this out. According to campaign donation information gathered by the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics, the following officeholders and candidates have received political donations from Abramoff since 2000:

Tom DeLay (R-Texas). John Ashcroft (R-Mo.). Frank A. LoBiondo (R-NJ). Eric Cantor (R-Va.). Arlen Specter (R-Pa.). John Ensign (R-Nev.). Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.). Charles H. Taylor (R-NC). Chris Cannon (R-Utah). Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa). Mark Foley (R-Fla.). Richard Pombo (R-Calif.). Christopher S. "Kit" Bond (R-Mo.). Curt Weldon (R-Pa.). Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.). Doug Ose (R-Calif.). Ernest J. Istook (R-Okla.). George R. Nethercutt Jr. (R-Wash.). Jim Bunning (R-Ky.). Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.). Tom Feeney (R-Fla.). Dan Burton (R-Ind.). Eric Cantor (R-Va.). Suzanne Terrell (R-La.). Rob Simmons (R-Conn.). Charles W. "Chip" Pickering Jr. (R-Miss.). Connie Morella (R-Md.). Gordon H. Smith (R-Ore.). James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.). James M. Talent (R-Mo.). John T. Doolittle (R-Calif.). John Thune (R-SD). Tim Hutchinson (R-Ark.). Bob Smith (R-Fla.). Bob Ney (R-Ohio). CL. "Butch" Otter (R-Idaho). Carolyn W. Grant (R-NC). Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.). Elizabeth Dole (R-NC). Heather Wilson (R-NM). J. Randy Forbes (R-Va.). Jack Kingston (R-Ga.). James V. Hansen (R-Utah). John Cornyn (R-Texas). Kimo Kaloi (R-Hawaii). Marilyn Musgrave (R-Colo.). Mike Ferguson (R-NJ). Mike Simpson (R-Idaho). Ralph Regula (R-Ohio). Ric Keller (R-Fla.). Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.). Ted Stevens (R-Alaska). Thad Cochran (R-Miss.). Dave Camp (R-Mich.). Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.). Tom Young (R-Ala.). Bill Janklow (R-SD). Craig Thomas (R-Wyo.). Spencer Abraham (R-Mich.). William L. Gormley (R-NJ). Bill McCollum (R-Fla.). Bill Redmond (R-NM). Bob Riley (R-Ala.). Claude B. Hutchison Jr. (R-Calif.). Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.). Francis E. Flotron (R-Mo.). George Allen (R-Va.). Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.). Walter B. Jones Jr. (R-NC). Paul Ryan (R-Wis.). Bob Smith (R-Fla.). Joe Pitts (R-PA). Charles H. Taylor (R-NC). Bob Ehrlich (R-Md.). Charles R. Gerow (R-Pa.). Ed Royce (R-Calif.). Elia Vincent Pirozzi (R-Calif.). Jerry Weller (R-Ill.). Mark Emerson (R-Utah). Tom Davis (R-Va.). Van Hilleary (R-Tenn.).

Also:

Americans for a Republican Majority, Leadership PAC of Tom DeLay (R-Texas). Republican Majority Fund, Leadership PAC of Don Nickles (R-Okla.). Keep Our Majority PAC, Leadership PAC of Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.). Leadership PAC, Leadership PAC of Michael G. Oxley (R-Ohio). Rely on Your Beliefs, Leadership PAC of Roy Blunt (R-Mo.). Friends of the Big Sky, Leadership PAC of Conrad Burns (R-Mont.). Senate Victory Fund, Leadership PAC of Thad Cochran (R-Miss.). American Liberty PAC, Leadership PAC of Bob Ney (R-Ohio). Battle Born PAC, Leadership PAC of John Ensign (R-Nev.). Fund for a Free Market America, Leadership PAC of Phil Crane (R-Ill.). Team PAC, Leadership PAC of J.D. Hayworth (R-Ariz.). The Republican Party of New Jersey.

Also:

George W. Bush (R).

Notice anything similar? Each and every name listed, each and every PAC, has an (R) after it. The Center for Responsive Politics does not have one Democrat - not one - listed as having received a donation from Jack Abramoff. The amounts given to the Republicans listed above amounts to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

In extremis, Republicans have taken to bandying about the name of Byron Dorgan, Democratic Senator from North Dakota, as evidence that this Abramoff thing is a two-party scandal. Dorgan received $67,000 from Native American tribes represented by Abramoff - not from Abramoff himself - and has since returned the money. Furthermore, he got the money before the tribes had any dealings with Abramoff. In short, Dorgan's so-called involvement in the matter is a red herring.

As for Mr. Bush, he has given the Abramoff money he received to charity, according to the White House. DNC Chairman Howard Dean pegged the total amount Bush received from Abramoff at $100,000. Abramoff attended three Hannukah receptions at the Bush White House - Hannukah? What happened to fighting the War on Christmas? - but Bush denies knowing him. "The president does not know him and does not recall meeting him," said White House spokesman Scott McClellan. "It is possible that he could have met him at a holiday reception or some other widely attended event."

Heh. Sounds like what we heard from Bush about Kenny "Boy" Lay.

It is going to be an interesting year.

*********

bd

[Brickboy240]

Ahh yes...truthout...a great, unbiased news source. The Fox News of the left.

Not a peep from truthout about the Dems that are not giving back the money they got from this crook. Hmmm.

- Brickboy240

[Mark S.]

To set the record straight, the Los Angeles Times published the list of legislators that have returned or donated Abramoff donations to charity. The list includes both Democrats and Republicans; however, the Republicans substantially outnumber the Democrats. This is to be expected because Abramoff was a Republican operative and lobbyist, and the Democrats were out of power during the period he was operating in Washington.

From the Los Angeles Times
Returning or Donating Contributions
Los Angeles Times, Associated Press

January 5, 2006

President Bush and many lawmakers have announced that they are refunding or giving to charity some or all of the donations they or their political action committees received from once-powerful lobbyist Jack Abramoff, his associates or clients. President Bush, $6,000 from Abramoff, his wife and the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan for the Bush-Cheney 2004 reelection campaign is being donated to the American Heart Assn. Abramoff raised at least $100,000 for the campaign.

House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.). A spokesman would not say how much money Hastert received or planned to donate.

House Majority Leader Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), $8,500 to charity.

Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas), $15,000 to charities in suburban Houston.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), $2,000 will be returned to the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe.

Senate Minority Whip Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), $11,000 to the American Indian Center of Chicago and the American Indian Health Service of Chicago.

Senate Republicans:

Christopher S. Bond of Missouri, $12,500 to the Salvation Army.

Thad Cochran of Mississippi, $8,000 to Mississippi Hurricane Recovery Fund.

Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina, $1,000 to charity.

Michael B. Enzi of Wyoming, $1,000 to charity.

Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, $12,000 to Marguerite's Place.

Jon Kyl of Arizona, refunding $4,000 to three Indian tribes.

Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, $2,000 to charity.

Gordon H. Smith of Oregon, $8,500 to be refunded or donated to charity.

John E. Sununu of New Hampshire, $3,000 to charity.

Craig Thomas of Wyoming, $8,000 to victims of the 2005 tornado in Wright, Wyo.

John Thune of South Dakota, $2,000 to White Buffalo Calf Woman Society.

Senate Democrats:

Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, $2,000 to charity.

Tim Johnson of South Dakota, $8,250 to Billy Mills — Running Strong for American Indian Youth.

Barbara A. Mikulski of Maryland, $5,000 to the American Indian College Fund.

House Republicans:

Eric Cantor of Virginia, about $10,000 to the William Byrd Community House.

Barbara Cubin of Wyoming, $250 to charity.

Kay Granger of Texas, $2,000 to Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Fort Worth.

Melissa A. Hart of Pennsylvania, $2,000 to two women's shelters.

J.D. Hayworth of Arizona, $2,250 to the Salvation Army Katrina Disaster Fund.

Walter B. Jones of North Carolina, $1,000 to charity.

Donald Manzullo of Illinois, $1,500 to be returned to the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians.

Marilyn N. Musgrave of Colorado, $1,000 to Crossroads Safehouse.

Bob Ney of Ohio, $9,000 to charity.

Charles W. "Chip" Pickering of Mississippi, at least $2,500 to the Mississippi Hurricane Recovery Fund.

Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin, $949 to Operation Phone Home.

Bill Shuster of Pennsylvania, $1,000 to charity.

John E. Sweeney of New York, $2,000 to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Curt Weldon of Pennsylvania, 2,000 to charity.

Jerry Weller of Illinois, at least $500 to charity.

Roger Wicker of Mississippi, $250 to Mississippi Hurricane Recovery Fund.

Heather A. Wilson of New Mexico, $1,000 to the Great Southwest Council of the Boy Scouts of America.

House Democrats:

Henry Cuellar of Texas, $500 to be returned to the Tigua Tribe of El Paso.

Eliot L. Engel of New York, $1,000 to be returned to the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe.

Lane Evans of Illinois, $2,000 to Community Caring Conference.

Tim Holden of Pennsylvania, $1,000 to an animal shelter.

Nita M. Lowey of New York, $2,000 to be refunded.

Earl Pomeroy of North Dakota, $6,950 to be refunded.

December 2005:

Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), $18,892 to seven tribal colleges.

Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), $42,000 to charity.

Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.), about $150,000 donated to Native American charities and refunded.

Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), $3,750 to North Dakota's tribal colleges.

Sen. Byron L. Dorgan (D-N.D.), $67,000 refunded.

Rep. Ernest Istook (R-Okla.), $6,000 to the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation.

Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.), $19,900 given to charity.

[Old School]

This "scandal" touches both parties equally. If you have an Indian tribe in your state, and if you are a Senator, you butt will soon be in a sling.

BTW, I would be shocked if any elected official would be willing to lose their job and integrity over $1000 donation. Delay gave the money back, so will others. In the end, the courts will pick the winners and losers. The American Tax Payer will flip the bill for this. Sad.