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Jack Abramoff

The Republican Summer Olympics of 2009

Gary Cohan | Posted 06.29.2009 | Politics

Read More: Corruption, Mark Sanford, Ted Stevens, Jack Abramoff, Ann Coulter, Olympics, Lobbyists, Blue States, Larry Craig, Eliot Spitzer, Dick Cheney, Adultery, Condoleezza Rice, John Edwards, Michael Savage, Gop, Newt Gingrich, Manchurian Candidate, Constitution, Republican Party, Bob Ney, Randy "Duke" Cunningham, Jim McGreevey, Mark Foley, Bill Clinton, John McCain, Social Conservatives, Ted Haggard, Rush Limbaugh, Lobbying, Scandal, Barack Obama, Red States, Homosexuality, John Ensign, Sean Hannity, Oxycontin, Neocons, Hypocrisy, Homophobia, New York Times, Neoconservatives, Alberto Gonzales, Bill O'Reilly, David Vitter, Conspiracy, Contract With America, Prostitution, Mail-Fraud, Big Tent, Tax Evasion, Michele Bachmann, Sarah Palin, Tom Delay, Teenage Pregnancy, Divorce, Internet Porn, Fox News, Phil Gramm, Hal Turner, Al Gore, Summer Olympics, Pilonidal Cyst, Vietnam Draft-Dodger, Draft-Dodging, Vietnam War, Politics News
Gary Cohan

Republicans' private embraces are often in complete contradistinction with their own oft-trumpeted, Biblically-mandated "moral" guidelines for the rest of us.

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The Fraud of Honest-Services Fraud

Gary S. Chafetz | Posted 06.22.2009 | Politics

Read More: Mortgage Brokers, Tribal Casinos, Salvatore DiMasi, Michael Scanlon, Lawyers, John McCain, Jack Abramoff, Referral Fee, Lobbying, Congressional Record, Quid Pro Quo, Antonin Scalia, Native Americans, Bribery, Suborning Perjury, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Plea Deal, Kickback Scheme, Orthopedic Surgeons, Public Relations, Tom Delay, Honest-Services Fraud, Title Insurance, Constitutional Law Professors, Defense Attorneys, Politics News
Gary S. Chafetz

Essentially, honest-services fraud makes prosecutors omnipotent, because they can charge anybody they want with a federal felony.

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Taken With a Grain of Salt

Gary S. Chafetz | Posted 05.22.2009 | Home

Read More: The Nature Conservancy, Michael Scanlon, Jack Abramoff, The Red Cross, Senate Indian Affairs Committee, Irs, Sen. John McCain, Charitable Organizations, Help Hospitalized Veterans, Honest-Services Fraud, Tom Delay, The Department of Justice, Restitution, Tax Refund, The Coalition to Support American Heroes, Indian Country, The Washington Post, Home News
Gary S. Chafetz

What one reads in the newspapers is often oversimplified and distorted so much so that it borders on fiction--a lesson we need to be reminded of const...

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Slots for Tots 2009

Tom Cosgrove | Posted 05.18.2009 | Media

Read More: Massachusetts, Mccain-Indian-Gaming, Jack Abramoff, Slot Machines, Predatory Gambling, Teacher Unions, Media News
Tom Cosgrove

In America the Internet provides an important platform of dissent for the "little guy."

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Selective Prosecution

Gary S. Chafetz | Posted 05.05.2009 | Home

Read More: Jack Abramoff, Red Scorpion, Lobbying, Congressional Record, Making False Statements, Justice Department, Sen. John McCain, Bureau of Prisons, Kevin Spacey, Prosecutorial Misconduct, Dolph Lundgren, George Hickenlooper, Earmarks, Department of Justice, Honest-Services Fraud, The Washington Post, Wire Fraud, Suncruz, Riders, Home News
Gary S. Chafetz

Two-time Oscar winning actor Kevin Spacey and director George Hickenlooper may have committed a felony last week by visiting convicted felon Jack Abra...

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The GOP Deserves Its Current State of Isolation

Joseph A. Palermo | Posted 05.05.2009 | Politics

Read More: Gop, Joe Mccarthy, Jack Abramoff, Mitch McConnell, John Boehner, President Barack Obama, Steven Griles, George W. Bush, Newt Gingrich, Clinton Administration, Eric Cantor, Clinton, President Bill Clinton, Republican Leadership, Tom Delay, Adlai Stevenson, K-Street Project, Republicans, Grand Old Party, Republican Party, Ike Eisenhower, Politics News
Joseph A. Palermo

A loyal opposition would be a great thing; an opposition that added constructive ideas to the nation's political debate. But that's not where the GOP is today.

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Kevin Spacey Visits Jack Abramoff In Jail

deadlinehollywooddaily.com | Posted 04.24.2009 | Entertainment

Read More: Film, Jack Abramoff, Kevin Spacey, Entertainment News

My sources tell me that 2-time Academy Award winner Kevin Spacey and film director George Hickenlooper (Factory Girl, Hearts of Darkness) are right no...

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MERITS AND DEMERITS OF JOURNALISM

Gary S. Chafetz | Posted 04.01.2009 | Home

Read More: El Paso, Indian Gaming, Columbia School of Journalism, Jack Abramoff, Casinos, Lobbying, Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas, Senate Indian Affairs Commitee, Private Honest-Services Fraud, Houston, The Pulitzer Prize, Tigua, The Washington Post, The Goldsmith Prize, Sen. John McCain, Home News
Gary S. Chafetz

A longstanding, exemplary priest will be defrocked, prosecuted, and imprisoned if on one occasion long ago he molested a 10-year-old altar boy. A high...

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Capitol Hill: Parties All the Time

Harry Hanbury | Posted 03.20.2009 | Politics

Read More: Abramoff, Capitol Hill, Federal Election Commission, Fundraising Events, Fundraising, Capitol Hill Party, Jack Abramoff, Politics News
Harry Hanbury

You do not show up to a Congressional fundraiser with a video crew and ask to speak to a member of Congress or their staff. Even just for two minutes. But that's what I did.

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Why Not Talk to Bin Laden

Gary S. Chafetz | Posted 03.15.2009 | Home

Read More: Zionism, The Taliban, Al Qaeda, War on Terrorism, Jack Abramoff, President Obama, American Foreign Policy, 9/11, Afghanistan, Osama Bin Laden, Home News
Gary S. Chafetz

WHY NOT TALK TO BIN LADEN President Obama wisely believes in the value of engaging in dialogue with those whose viewpoints differ radically from his-...

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Sunday Roundup

Arianna Huffington | Posted 03.07.2009 | Politics

Read More: John Conyers, US Attorneys Scandal, Jack Abramoff, Karl Rove, Greg Craig, George W. Bush, Bush Memos, Valerie Plame, House Judiciary Committee, Barack Obama, Politics News
Arianna Huffington

Despite Karl Rove's concerns that his appearance before the House Judiciary Committee could become a "show trial," the deal he cut assures that his testimony, at least initially, will be conducted in private. John Conyers promises to get to the bottom of Rove's role in the US Attorneys scandal, but will Bush's Brain be asked about the outing of Valerie Plame? The prosecution of Don Siegelman? His cozy relationship with Jack Abramoff? The Rove deal allows Obama to sidestep weighing in on Bush's very broad claims of executive privilege. White House Counsel Greg Craig says Obama is "very sympathetic to those who want to find out what happened," but doesn't want to "do anything that would... weaken the institution of the presidency." After reading the chilling secret Bush memos released this week, the idea of a less unbridled executive branch doesn't seem like such a bad thing.

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Gaming The System

Gary S. Chafetz | Posted 03.03.2009 | Politics

Read More: First Amendment, Jack Abramoff, Lobbying, The New York Times, Political Corruption, Lobbying Reform, Department of Justice, The Right to Petition Congress, Political-Action-Committees, The Washington Post, Politics News
Gary S. Chafetz

The New York Times (in editorials on February 22 and March 2, 2009), along with so many others, including most Democrats and many Republicans, lament ...

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LOBBYING REFORM

Gary S. Chafetz | Posted 02.21.2009 | Home

Read More: Lobbying Reform, New York Times, Jack Abramoff, John McCain, Vicki Iseman, Lobbyists, Bob Ney, Home News
Gary S. Chafetz

In Friday's New York Times (February 20, 2009), there were two intriguing items on lobbying. One was an editorial, decrying the insidious nexus betwee...

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Ex-Senate Aide Charged In Abramoff Scandal

AP | NEDRA PICKLER | Posted 02.20.2009 | Politics

Read More: Ann Copland, Thad Cochran, Jack Abramoff, Abramoff Scandal, Politics News

WASHINGTON — A longtime former aide to Mississippi Sen. Thad Cochran has been charged in the Jack Abramoff corruption scandal, accused of accept...

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Talking to the Enemy is not Appeasement

Gary S. Chafetz | Posted 02.09.2009 | Politics

Read More: 9/11, Jack Abramoff, President Ahmadinejad, Appeasement, American Foreign Policy, Israeli Lobby, Osama Bin Laden, Politics News
Gary S. Chafetz

Many conservatives equate talking to the enemy with appeasement. They cite Neville Chamberlain's simplistic, naïve appeasement of Adolph Hitler and P...

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Former Gregg Aide Caught Up In Lobbying Scandal

AP | DEVLIN BARRETT and ERICA WERNER | Posted 02.04.2009 | Politics

Read More: Judd Gregg, Obama Judd Gregg, Jack Abramoff, Abramoff Scandal, Staffer F, Kevin Koonce, Bob Ney, Bob Ney Scandal, Politics News

WASHINGTON — An ex-aide to Commerce Secretary nominee Judd Gregg is under investigation for allegedly taking baseball and hockey tickets from a ...

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Cantor: People in Glass Houses...

Ira Forman | Posted 02.02.2009 | Politics

Read More: Pickle Gate, Politics News, National Jewish Democratic Council, Jack Abramoff, Eric Cantor, Tom Daschle, Politics News
Ira Forman

At the House GOP retreat this weekend Minority Whip Eric Cantor made the following crack about Health and Human Services designee, Tom Daschle. "It's...

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An Open Letter to George W. Bush

Gary S. Chafetz | Posted 01.19.2009 | Politics

Read More: John Mccain Abramoff, George Bush, Pardons, John McCain, Jack Abramoff, American Indians, Criminal Activity, Crime, Native Americans, Mccain Jack Abramoff, McCain Abramoff, Pulitzer Prize, Abramoff, Presidential Pardons, Abramoff Scandal, Jack Abramoff Scandal, Bush Pardons, George Bush Pardons, Politics News
Gary S. Chafetz

After conducting an investigation, I concluded that Jack Abramoff did not defraud his tribal clients, did not bribe any elected or appointed federal officials, and did not corrupt the political process.

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Bush's Magical Mystery Tour

Joseph A. Palermo | Posted 01.14.2009 | Politics

Read More: Jack Abramoff, Elaine Chao, Karl Rove, Brownie, Margaret Spellings, Steven Griles, Michael Mukasey, George W. Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, Christopher Cox, Victoria Clarke, Dirk Kempthorne, Bradley Scholzman, Karen Hughes, Harvey Pitt, Alberto Gonzales, Condi Rice, Dick Cheney, Rummy, Bush Legacy, Politics News
Joseph A. Palermo

To the bitter end, George W. Bush is proving to anybody willing to listen that he is not only the worst president in United States history but also just a horrible human being.

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Hope + Lessig = Change

Sarah Newman | Posted 01.13.2009 | Politics

Read More: Sarah's Social Action Snapshot, Ted Stevens, Jack Abramoff, Citizen Lobbyist, Michele Bachman, Casino Jack, Congress, change.org, Charlie Rangel, Interior Department Staff's Drug Use and Sex Scandal, Barack Obama, Lawrence Lessig, McCain-Feingold Act, Government Accountability, Rod Blagojevich, Takepart, Open Government, Ethics, Change Congress, New York Times, Campaign Finance Reform, Citizen Voices, Don Young, Politics News
Sarah Newman

Lawrence Lessig, through his group, Change Congress, has already done some of the important legwork to get us involved in removing the influence of special interests in Congress.

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Bush Urges GOP to Be Inclusive. Texan Please.

Andy Ostroy | Posted 01.12.2009 | Politics

Read More: Gop, Al Qaeda, Jack Abramoff, Karl Rove, Alberto Gonzalez, 9-11 Attacks, Donald Rumsfeld, Condoleeza Rice, Brit Hume, Barack Obama, Dick Cheney, Paul Wolfowitz, John Ashcroft, Fox News, President Bush, Republican Party, Scooter Libby, Politics News
Andy Ostroy

In his chat with Fox News' Brit Hume, Bush took time to pat himself and his Dr. Evil henchman, VP Dick Cheney, on the back for its success both in Iraq and with fighting terrorism.

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GOP Lobbyist Pleads Guilty In Abramoff Scandal

AP | JESSE J. HOLLAND | Posted 12.12.2008 | Politics

Read More: Jack Abramoff, Abramoff Scandal, Jack Abramoff Scandal, James Hirni, Abramoff Hirni, Abramoff Conviction, Abramoff Trial, Politics News

WASHINGTON — A lobbyist with ties to Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty Friday to helping supply congressional aides an all-expenses-paid trip to the ...

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Happy Birthday, Governor Blagojevich!

Giles Slade | Posted 12.11.2008 | Chicago

Read More: Al Gore, Jack Abramoff, Ted Stevens, George Homer Ryan, Rod Blagojevich, George W. Bush, Obama Transition, Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Dick Cheney, Daniel Walker, George Ryan Pardon, President Obama, George Ryan, Global Warming, Chicago News
Giles Slade

Last Tuesday, Al Gore, Barack Obama and Joe Biden were upstaged by Governor Rod Blagojevich who appears destined for the same prison that currently houses his predecessor.

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Nothing About the Prosecution of Don Siegelman Escapes the Taint of Corruption

David Fiderer | Posted 12.04.2008 | Politics

Read More: Alabama Political Prosecutions, Jack Abramoff, Karl Rove, Don Siegelman, US Attorney Scandal, Criminal Justice, Justice Department, Rove Alabama, Politics News
David Fiderer

Louis Franklin's indictment of Siegelman is a recurring stunt that you see over and over in Alabama and elsewhere in the South.

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Scandals Surrounding Don Siegelman's Prosecution: A Quick and Easy Primer, Part I

David Fiderer | Posted 11.26.2008 | Politics

Read More: Alabama Political Prosecutions, Jack Abramoff, Karl Rove, Bill Canary, Rove Siegelman 60 Minutes, Don Siegelman, William Pryor, Justice Department, Rove Alabama, Politics News
David Fiderer

We know, based on definitive evidence, precisely how certain Bush appointees lied and colluded in order to subvert due process in the Siegelman trial.

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