Nonprofits laundered cash for Abramoff: Senate panel

[Sparkly]

By Andy Sullivan Fri Oct 13, 1:07 AM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Five conservative nonprofit groups laundered money and wrote opinion pieces for disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and sold their influence with U.S. government officials, according to a Senate report.

The Senate Finance Committee said in the report released on Thursday that the five groups probably violated their tax-exempt status by working closely with Abramoff, the lobbyist at the center of a growing corruption scandal.

"These tax-exempt organizations engaged in what amounted to profit-seeking and private benefit behavior inconsistent with their tax-exempt status," said the report, which was prepared by the Democratic committee staff and approved by its Republican chairman, Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley.

(snip)

The five groups named in the report are Americans for Tax Reform, headed by influential conservative activist Grover Norquist; the Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy, which was founded by Gale Norton before she became Secretary of the Interior; Citizens Against Government Waste, which fights "pork barrel" spending; the National Center for Public Policy Research, a think tank; and Toward Tradition, a religious group.

According to the report, some of the groups laundered money from Abramoff's lobbying clients and took payments to write newspaper opinion pieces. Some took payments from Abramoff's lobbying clients in return for introducing them to prominent Bush administration officials, while others underwrote trips for members of Congress that were actually paid for with money from Abramoff lobbying clients.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061013/pl_nm/congress_abramoff_dc

Anybody here familiar with any of these groups?

[formercia]

1. Poppy Bush used the same MO back in the 80's

It was also people connected to the CNP that were involved. The CNP keeps rearing their head again.

[Sparkly]

2. Could I just kick this for the night crowd?

Has it already been kicked around too much?

I think it's potentially significant.

:kick:

[FrenchieCat]

3. Looks like "drown Government in the Bathtub" norquist has got a

problemo!

Boy this makes me feel good! :thumbsup:

[calimary]

4. I did the happy dance when I saw his ugly mug flash across the

TV screen - norquist in trouble. YES!!!!!!!!!!!!! This ass deserves to be kicked back to the 13th century (where he belongs). Stingey schmuck.