Bob Ney can't wash off the Abramoff stink.

by Kagro X

This morning's Stakeholder (man, I'm loving that blog -- even without comments) sticks it to Bob Ney (R-OH) once again, noting a Roll Call (subscription only) report entitled, "Ney Omitted '03 Tribal Donation":

House Administration Chairman Bob Ney (R-Ohio) failed to declare that an American Indian tribe hosted a February 2003 fundraising event for his re-election campaign, a potential violation of federal election law. Ney’s campaign scrambled to correct the omission this week. Ney held a fundraiser on Feb. 4, 2003, in a luxury suite at the MCI Center leased to the Morongo Band of Mission Indians of Banning, Calif. Ney's re-election committee never reimbursed the tribe for the cost of hosting the event, as is required by law.

No biggie, though, right?

After all:

"This is nothing more than an honest mistake,” said Brian Walsh, Ney’s spokesman. “It has just been discovered.”

But is that all it is?

Ney has already attracted scrutiny for his relationship with former GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff and American Indian tribes.

How anxious would you be to make sure every detail of your fundraising deals with Indian tribes were accurately reported, in this atmosphere? Well, probably a lot less so if you think people also remember this Washington Post story:

For most politicians, fundraising is a dreaded chore. But until recently, Rep. John T. Doolittle of California and other members of the House Republican leadership had adopted a painless solution: fundraising events in luxury sports boxes leased largely with the money of Indian gaming tribes, where supporters snacked on catered fare in plush surroundings as they watched the Wizards, Caps, Redskins or Orioles.

Doolitle, a Mormon, is an ardent opponent of casino gambling, so it is somewhat ironic that he would invite supporters to watch the Wizards play the Sacramento Kings from an MCI Center suite paid for by casino-rich Indian tribes. But the plaque at the door to Suite 204 did not say Chitimacha or Choctaw. It said "Jack Abramoff," a name synonymous with largesse and influence in the GOP-controlled Congress

So how about it, Bob? Was that '03 bash in Suite 204? Inquiring minds want to know. And one day soon, they may be able to find out. The WaPo continues:

A list of skybox fundraising events maintained by Abramoff at his former law firm, Greenberg Traurig, lists 72 events for members of Congress between 1999 and 2003. All but eight were put on for Republicans, many of them members of the House leadership. Some of the fundraising events, including Doolittle's, were not reported as required under federal election laws.

Even if Senator McCain's not interested, the Indian tribes should be. Is Abramoff taking additional profits from leasing his suites at FedEx Field, the MCI Center, and Camden Yards to his clients, who in turn are supposed to be reimbursed by the campaigns for which they sponsor fundraisers?

If that's not enough to set the tribes off, how about this scheme, again from the Post?

A few blocks from MCI Center, Abramoff also wined and dined politicians and their aides at Signatures, his expensive Pennsylvania Avenue restaurant, billing tribal clients for hundreds of thousands of dollars in meals there, sources familiar with the billings said. The Agua Caliente tribe of California, for example, paid Greenberg Traurig as much as $20,000 a month in lobbyists' expenses, much of it for meals at Signatures, a person who has examined the bills said. In some months the tribe was billed for more than 20 luncheon and dinner events.

Is this what it's come to in DC? Kickbacks from campaigns to lobbyists? You've got to hand it to Abramoff, though. He's taken vertical integration into new and previously unexploited markets.

Additional note: Raw Story says Abramoff can bilk you at lunch, too, as the owner of Stacks kosher deli, which apparently shared a kitchen with Signatures (originally named Archives in its pre-opening phase). Or at least, he once could. The Forward story that RS cites is going on two years old, and the deli has apparently since closed its doors. (To reveal the super secret text in this link, right-click your mouse and scroll over the seemingly empty screen that greets you. Don't ask me why.)

Comments

[DHinMI]

One of the things I'm loving about all this scandal related to Indian tribes is that it involves a Republican lobbyist, the most powerful Republican member of Congress, and probably some more Republicans like Nye and Doolittle, yet Native Americans are one of the most reliably Democratic constituencies in the country.

And yeah, Abramoff is pretty damn clever in getting his clients to essentially pay him more than once for the same events, that much I'll give the guy.

[Kagro X]

True. And that's a function of the "success" of the "K Street Project." Ultimately, if there's any justice in the world -- and that's a big "if" -- K Street lobbying scandals should net far more Republicans than Democrats, precisely because of DeLay's aggressive program of forcing lobbying firms to replace Democrats with Republicans.

Scandal's always going to center around money. If you surround the money with Republicans, well...

Thankfully, from their perspective, you can always dismiss the reality of it by claiming that the focus on Republicans is liberal media bias.

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