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Politics : GOPwinger Lies/Distortions/Omissions/Perversions of Truth -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: American Spirit who wrote (70229)	6/23/2006 1:22:32 PM
From: Skywatcher	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 173976

Congressional Report on Abramoff Exposes Ney and Reed By Mark Sherman The Associated Press Thursday 22 June 2006 Washington - Rep. Bob Ney told Senate investigators he made no effort to help a client of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, despite extensive evidence to the contrary, a congressional report said Thursday. Ney said he was not even familiar with the Tigua tribe of El Paso, Texas, which was seeking legislation that would allow it to reopen its shuttered casino, according to the Senate Indian Affairs Committee report on the massive lobbying fraud perpetrated on Indian tribes by Abramoff and others. Yet the report says Ney assured tribal leaders of his support for the legislation on two occasions in 2002, once in person and once via telephone. The section of the 373-page report that focuses on Ney is a fresh sign of potential legal trouble for the Ohio Republican who has become ensnared in a wide-ranging criminal probe of influence peddling in Washington. The report also highlighted the work of former Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed on behalf of Indian gambling interests. Reed, seeking the GOP nomination for lieutenant governor in Georgia, was paid more than $4 million by two tribes between March 2001 and February 2002, the report said. The money was sent through intermediaries to satisfy Reed's concern that he not be linked to Indian casinos, the report said. Reed, a longtime friend of Abramoff, received the bulk of the credit for shutting down the Tigua's casino, a campaign carried out to benefit another Abramoff client's gambling operations. In a statement, Reed said, "The report confirms that I have not been accused of any wrongdoing." Reed said he was assured he would not be paid with money derived from gambling. "While I believed at the time that those assurances were sufficient, it is now clear with the benefit of hindsight that this is a piece of business I should have declined," Reed said. AHAHAHHAAHHA...ask BOB BENNETT The committee said the Tigua's plight showcased the aggressive efforts of Abramoff and Michael Scanlon, a former aide to then-Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas. Abramoff and Scanlon helped close the Tigua casino "only to pitch their services for millions of dollars to help that same, now desperate tribe reopen its casino," the committee reported. The lobbyists' scheme sucked tens of millions of dollars from Indian tribes. "Without doubt, the depth and breadth of their misconduct was astonishing," the report said. Still, the report said existing laws are sufficient to deal with the fraud it described. The committee report was entitled "Gimme Five," a reference to what Abramoff and Scanlon called their secret fee-splitting arrangement. The committee approved the report's release Thursday by a 13-0 vote. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the committee chairman, told reporters after the vote that the report "speaks for itself." But Democratic Sen. Kent Conrad of North Dakota said the conduct described in the report reflected "the worst case of greed in my 20 years in the Senate." Abramoff and Scanlon have pleaded guilty in the extensive influence peddling probe and are cooperating with the Justice Department. Two other congressional aides turned lobbyists, Tony Rudy and Neil Volz, also have pleaded guilty and are cooperating. A federal jury on Tuesday convicted former White House official David Safavian of covering up details of his relationship with Abramoff from committee investigators and others. An ongoing federal investigation is looking into the actions of several members of Congress, their aides and former administration officials in connection with Abramoff. Recent Justice Department court papers say Ney engaged in 16 actions on behalf of Abramoff at the same time the congressman and his staff were accepting gifts from the lobbyist. Ney's office has blamed his problems on "the lies and deception of Jack Abramoff." The congressman "has never, at any point, engaged in any improper, unethical or illegal activity," his office said Tuesday, after the Safavian verdict. Another person under federal investigation who also is mentioned in the report is former deputy Interior Secretary Steven Griles, who has denied giving Abramoff or his clients preferential treatment. The Interior Department is involved in granting casino approvals through its Bureau of Indian Affairs. The committee was "unable to arrive at any definitive conclusions as to the veracity of Griles' testimony," the report said. The report outlined possible misuses of tax-exempt organizations headed by prominent Washington tax-cut advocate Grover Norquist, another old Abramoff friend, and others. Nonprofit organizations appeared to be involved in activities unrelated to their mission as described to the Internal Revenue Service, the report said. "The committee observed that a number of nonprofit organizations were used as instruments to channel money from one entity to another in an effort to obscure the source of funds, the eventual use of funds, and to evade tax liability on funds," the report concluded. "The committee also observed tax exempt organizations apparently serving as or being used as extensions of for-profit lobbying operations." The committee recommended that Indian tribes adopt their own laws "to help prevent a similar tragedy." The tribes hired Abramoff and Scanlon to deal with casino gambling issues. The Senate report said tribal contracting should adopt the principles of openness and competition.