Jack Abramoff's Ties Ran Deep at the DOJ

[babylonsister]

Jack Abramoff's Ties Ran Deep at the DOJ
Submitted by davidswanson on Tue, 2008-04-29 00:36.

By Joe Palazzolo and Pedro Ruz Gutierrez, Legal Times


Kevin Ring was exuberant. It was Feb. 4, 2002, and Ring, a young member of Jack Abramoff's lobbying team at Greenberg Traurig, was laying plans to attend a Dave Matthews Band concert at the MCI Center. It was to be a celebration.

"I have the suite filling up with DOJ staffers that just got our clients $16 million," he gushed in an e-mail to his colleague, Padgett Wilson. "Come to the show, baby."

"Are there any tickets left?" asked Wilson, now director of governmental affairs for Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue (R). He then submitted: "And as for those DOJ staffers, those guys should get anything they want for the rest of the time they are in office - opening day tickets, Skins v. Giants, oriental massages, hookers, whatever."

Last week, one of those staffers, Robert Coughlin II, 36, pleaded guilty to criminal conflict of interest, becoming the first Justice Department official charged in the 4-year-old influence-peddling investigation.

But court documents filed in Coughlin's case and e-mails released through congressional investigations are explicit about Team Abramoff's line into the Justice Department: Coughlin was but one of many "friendlies," as they are identified in Coughlin's statement of offense.

A source familiar with the Abramoff probe says the Justice Department is continuing to investigate other former Justice officials. Coughlin and at least two other unnamed Justice officials helped secure a $16.3 million grant for Ring's client, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, court documents say. A deputy assistant attorney general had previously approved $9 million for the tribe. One unanswered question is which official at the department overruled that decision, giving the tribe the full amount.

more...

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/33083

[KharmaTrain]

1. The Best Crooks Work Within The Police Department

This regime was selling out all parts of the federal government the moment they walked in the door. Virtually every agency was turned over to the people who they were supposed to regulate, others were loaded up with patronage foot soldiers and still others were ideologues designed to infest places like the DOJ to "further the agenda" by carrying out "selective justice" and selling it to friends like Abramoff.

The toughest job for the next Democratic administartion will be a thorough housecleaning of all the Monica Goodling clones, Abramoff plants and industry-paid for hacks...a total top to bottom housecleaning of virtually every agency.

[annabanana]

2. It will be a huge job... and we'll have to keep their feet to the fire on it.

There will be media blowback for every plant that gets uprooted too.

[Bobbieo]

4. Just about every facet of the federal gov't is contolled by the Bush admin -

That is why Bush is doing anything he wants to do and NO One is stopping him. We Demos sure have a job ahead of us to clean up this mess.

[L. Coyote]

6. Abramoff was on the transistion team installing the Pay-to-Play felons

[hootinholler]

3. US Atty Black in Guam was the first indication of Abramoff's reach

He was fired in Guam in 2001 I think.

-Hoot

[tanyev]

5. Work at the DOJ, get free hookers! Woo-hoo!

That's what winning elections is all about!

[Octafish]

7. Department of Just-Us

The Norquist-Abramoff Circle



Liar. Thief. Gangster. Pervert. Mass-murderer. Warmonger. Traitor.

[Cerridwen]

8. Kick. n/t