History on Siegelman's Opponent Bob Riley from ALABAMA...

[Jeffersons Ghost]

This was written before the last Alabama Gubernatorial Election. Does ANYONE know what became of other crooked Republicans featured in this article? If so, please report on their current status.

CORRUPTION CAFÉ: a trendy place for Republican feasting,
an editorial by Patrick Lancaster, 17 January 2006

Perhaps the ever-unraveling Jack Abramoff scandal will scare or disgust Congress so badly that elected leaders will clamor for complete openness and finally report all sources of campaign funding. The sordid story unfolds like a dirty napkin, as freewheeling lobbyists spread tainted Abramoff money around Washington DC thicker than bar-b-que sauce on a pork sandwich from a greasy-spoon diner.

Like hungry restaurant customers, Republicans at all levels of government, never even bothered to consider if taking funds extracted using threats and other intimidation tactics was ethical or just. They just bellied up to the bar and put on feedbags under a "No Refunds" sign. According to CNN online, the most recent customer to leave the feeding-trough in shame is Bob Ney who gave up his prime chair position on the House Administration Committee on Sunday January 15, 2006. Like other Republican leaders, Ney gave the cash to "charity," instead of returning it to defrauded tribes.

Even Republican Governor Riley, while claiming to have never actually met Abramoff, will donate his share of the loot to a favorite charity instead of returning the funds to original contributors but you can bet the southern meat truck does not stop with him. US Senator Richard Shelby (R-Tuscaloosa) also admits to a contribution that began with Abramoff in 2003. Tracing a rump-roast from hog parlor to lunch counter is easier than following the hidden political money trails, slithering through pork-barrel politics, unless you catch them with napkins in place - ready to munch.

Is it the fault of Congress? In many cases, representatives may not want to know where funds come from, which brings the phrase ignorance is bliss to new depths. Certainly, when elected officials have plenty to hide, it is necessary to keep the public from knowing sources of dirty money: but can we blame Republicans who deliberately remain ignorant?

It is certainly not fair to blame tribes, since primarily non-Native casino investors or developers made most of the original donations. These same investors have been gambling mainstays in Las Vegas, Atlantic City and Biloxi, for a very long time and do not represent the views of tribal councils. In many cases, these gambling cohorts were the very culprits that threatened or otherwise coerced their Native partners in the first place.

Gov. Bob Riley claims he was in the dark about the exact manner in which lobbyists, under the cover of U.S. Family Network, received gambling money to finance him and others in elections. It is now important to be as fair to him and other Republicans, as they are to Native Americans.

As a congressional representative in the late 1990s, Gov. Bob Riley signed a fund-raising letter for a nonprofit group closely tied to clients of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, according to a recent report in The Washington Post. The letter, written on behalf of the U.S. Family Network, announces a petition to block the Atmore Poarch Band of Creeks from building a casino in Alabama.

In all fairness to the governor, no one will call Riley totally ignorant of Native needs, after he wrote a letter that also hints at near local connection to the Choctaw Band of Abramoff victims. Is it fair for non-Native Casino partners to threaten tribes in Mississippi and Louisiana with big economic losses, while promising that their participation will reduce competition, which keeps Alabama money flowing into their casinos?

With some contributions as small as $1,000, it seems unfair that Alabama Republicans got such slim slices of pork from the Mississippi Choctaw gambling partners, since the casino gave $250,000 to the U.S. Family Network. Instead of tricking him into taking a piece of poisonous pie, this network should thank Bob Riley for his kind letter and welcome him into the family.

It also seems unfair to keep the governor ignorant about this bitter buffet of bribery and extortion because Michael Scanlon was press secretary for Riley during his first term in Congress. Old friends should be more considerate and give the guy some warning, before feeding him tainted cash. After leaving the Riley post, Scanlon moved on to the meat market of recently resigned House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) and then finally joined the lobbying operation of Jack Abramoff. Headwaiter Scanlon of this fast-cash café also recently pled guilty to bribing public officials (including congressional representatives) and defrauding tribes, under the guise of lobbying.

The southern take-out counter is indeed small potatoes, compared to the all-you-can grab buffet Native gambling concerns served up under duress across America. The Senate Indian Affairs Committee reports that in 2004, Mr. Abramoff and Michael Scanlon charged 6 tribes at least $66 million. There are, however, no refunds at the Republican buffet, as most officials opt, like Riley to give these ill-gotten gains to their favorite charities. Do political campaigns of other Republicans represent "charities?"

Maybe the most unfair aspect of all is allowing Scanlon, Abramoff and DeLay to pick up the tab, since so many enjoyed stuffing their coffers, at political take-out windows during the Republican feeding frenzy.

[hootinholler]

1. Here's a k&r to hopefully find out. n/t

[Jeffersons Ghost]

2. I guess it's just a few of those things we're supposed to forget...

I DO remember hearing about DeLay firing a couple of judges presiding over him, during his criminal prosecution but nothing else. Can we fire our judges - like DeLay - if we get arrested for felonies?

[L. Coyote]

3. "Let's give the check to Ken Mehlman at the White House," PLUS "massages, hookers, whatever."

L. Coyote - Jun-10-07 - http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1023111#1083359
34. "Let's give the check to Ken Mehlman at the White House," PLUS "massages, hookers, whatever."

Displease a Lobbyist, Get Fired
Ken Mehlman doz a favor for Jack Abramoff
Oct 16 2006 - http://smirkingchimp.com/thread/1834

Displease a Lobbyist, Get Fired
E-mails show Jack Abramoff's ability to influence White House staffing decisions through his highly placed friends.
By Peter Wallsten, Times Staff Writer
October 15, 2006

... e-mails disclosed in the House report showed that Mehlman was involved in a variety of matters of interest to Abramoff, one of which bore fruit for the lobbyist after he discussed delivering campaign contributions to GOP causes.

Tony Rudy, a onetime aide to former Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas), referred to Mehlman on Nov. 9, 2001, as a "rock star" after Mehlman agreed to "take care of" the Choctaws' jail, despite a Justice Department finding that the tribe's existing jail was adequate.

Several days after that meeting, on Nov. 13, Rudy recommended a $15,000 contribution to the Republican National Committee. "Let's give the check to Ken Mehlman at the White House," ... On Nov. 15, campaign finance records show, the tribe gave $10,000 to the RNC ... Justice Department officials relented and released the money for the jail, giddy Abramoff associates planned to host agency officials in a suite at a Dave Matthews concert.

"I have the suite filling up with DOJ staffers who just got our client $16 million," one wrote. Another replied that the agency officials deserve any reward they want, "opening day tickets, Skins v. Giants, oriental massages, hookers, whatever."

Mehlman, meanwhile, also helped Abramoff with another client, Guam, ..............

===========
AP: Records show Scanlon targeted money from gaming for Riley = $75,000

Records show Scanlon targeted money from gaming for Riley
by: The Associated Press
http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096413542


BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - Convicted lobbyist Michael Scanlon's records show he had planned to spend $75,000 from one of his Indian gaming clients to help Bob Riley win the Alabama governor's election in 2002.

Scanlon's company ledger shows over eight days in 2001, Scanlon withdrew $75,000 from his company's account and gave $50,000 to the National Republican Congressional Committee, shortly before the NRCC made a major contribution to Riley's gubernatorial campaign.

The ledger designates .... an expense of $75,000 was for ''Riley'' and that it would be ''per check nrcc,'' ....

The ledger listed the $75,000 under the heading ''Operation Orange,''......

The financial records of Scanlon's company were made public by a U.S. Senate committee that investigated the $66 million Scanlon charged six Native tribes from 2001 to 2003 and deceptions about work that was performed. ..........

[L. Coyote]

4. Gambling, GOP Politics Intertwine =Reed, $1.15 million .... came from Norquist's group

from: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1023111#1023159

========================
June 3, 2005 Boston Globe
Gambling, GOP Politics Intertwine
Casino Payments Seen as Influential
by Michael Kranish - http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0603-08.htm


WASHINGTON -- George W. Bush gave the nation's gambling industry plenty of reason to fear his presidency. .... He wooed religious conservatives by boasting in a presidential debate about his ''strong antigambling record."

But as president, Bush has not spoken out against gambling. .... as Republican lobbyists and activist groups collected tens of millions of dollars from Indian tribes seeking to preserve their casinos. Now those payments are the focus of Senate and Justice Department investigations.

... White House ... annual sessions over a four-year period that were arranged by antitax crusader Grover Norquist ... After Bush dropped his antigambling rhetoric, lobbyists touted their access, and fund-raising from Indian tribes grew exponentially.

...Norquist('s) ... organization received $1.5 million from tribes and fought a tax on Indian casinos; lobbyist Jack Abramoff, a top Bush fund-raiser who earned millions of dollars in fees as a consultant to gaming tribes; and Ralph Reed ... allegedly used some money from Indian gaming tribes to fund his efforts to close down rival casinos and lotteries

.........Bush worked closely with religious conservatives, especially Reed....

..... Tiguas poured tens of thousands of dollars into the campaign of the Democrat running against Bush in 1998 .... Bush redoubled his earlier efforts to shut down the Tigua casino. ... special appropriation ... for the state's attorney general, John Cornyn, now a US senator, to take legal action against the tribe.....

Abramoff, who helped arrange for the rival tribes to give the money to Reed's group, turned around and offered his services to the Tiguas -- for $4.2 million in fees split between himself and a partner

..... Abramoff and his partner in Indian gaming consulting would receive more than $60 million in fees from six different tribes seeking to advance their gambling interests ... Abramoff also told the tribes to give money ... the tribes gave $3 million, two-thirds of it to Republicans

.... Abramoff and Norquist .. worked (for) ... candidate ... following year, Abramoff and Norquist came to Washington together to lead the Republican Party's national effort to recruit college students. Reed soon joined ...


In 1999, Don Siegelman, the Democratic governor of Alabama, proposed a lottery that would have pumped hundreds of millions of dollars into public schools and even provided free college education for most Alabama high school graduates.

Reed, rallying religious conservatives, set out to try to defeat it ... quickly raised $1.15 million .... money came from Norquist's group, Americans for Tax Reform. Norquist ... got the funds from an Indian gaming tribe ...At the time Reed raised the money, he was working for Abramoff ... and Abramoff represented the Mississippi tribe.

Siegelman ..."'I don't know how they can sleep at night taking money from the Indian casinos to deny Alabama schoolchildren...."

.... Abramoff, meanwhile, appears to be the central focus ....Bush has not spoken on the matter.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

5. those posts are valuable additions and much appreciated L. Coyote but...

Who knows what happened to all those Republican crooks that got busted?

[annabanana]

6. Oh, L. Coyote.. Is there any info you CAN'T find?

[Jeffersons Ghost]

7. Looks like he's got a good run-down going to me...

Still, I wonder about the trials of all those Republicans accused of felonies.

[L. Coyote]

11. I have a long list of materials redacted from Americas libraries, collected over a decade

and maintained during the course of visiting most major western university libraries searching for academic articles. That was the 70s and 80s!

[MelissaB]

8. K&R

:kick:

[Jeffersons Ghost]

9. thanks bunches, Melissa...

this old piece I wrote for my local Democratic web-site may make it to the greatest page yet.

[EFerrari]

10. Ya ha it will.

:kick: