Controversial lobbyist had close contact with Bush team -195 visits

[stop the bleeding]

I hope that this is not a dupe..

WASHINGTON (AP) — In President Bush's first 10 months, GOP fundraiser Jack Abramoff and his lobbying team logged nearly 200 contacts with the new administration as they pressed for friendly hires at federal agencies and sought to keep the Northern Mariana Islands exempt from the minimum wage and other laws, records show.

The meetings between Abramoff's lobbying team and the administration ranged from Attorney General John Ashcroft to policy advisers in Vice President Dick Cheney's office, according to his lobbying firm billing records.

Abramoff, a $100,000-plus fundraiser for Bush, is now under criminal investigation for some of his lobbying work. His firm boasted its lobbying team helped revise a section of the Republican Party's 2000 platform to make it favorable to its island client.

In addition, two of Abramoff's lobbying colleagues on the Marianas won political appointments inside federal agencies.

Read more here….
Controversial lobbyist had close contact with Bush team - Associated Press - usatoday.com

[wakeme2008]

1. As a $100,000-plus person

he would have had his picture taken with *.... :)

[formercia]

2. The pictures are disappearing fast

Fearless Leader has ordered that all pictures of him with Abramoff are to be rounded up. If I were an incumbent in 2006, I would be concerned too.

[wordpix]

51. link, please? not that I doubt * wants the pix destroyed

[stop the bleeding]

60. I hope this is what you were looking for

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Bush_trying_to_round_up_all_0108.html

[SillyGoose]

3. This is one hell of an article. This part is a jaw-dropper...

Money also flowed from the Marianas to Bush's re-election campaign: It took in at least $36,000 from island donors, much of it from members of the Tan family, whose clothing factories were a routine stop for lawmakers and their aides visiting the islands on Abramoff-organized trips.

Two Tan family companies gave $25,000 each to the National Republican Senatorial Committee for the 2002 elections. Greenberg Traurig, too, was a big GOP giver. Its donations included $20,000 to the Republican National Committee for the 2000 elections and $25,000 each to the GOP's House and Senate fundraising committees in 2000 and again in 2002.

The Marianas' lobbying paid off — it fended off proposals in 2001 to extend the U.S. minimum wage to island workers and gained at least $2 million more in federal aid from the administration.

Abramoff's team bragged to the cash-strapped Marianas government that the taxpayer money would cover its lobbying bill: "We believe that this additional funding — along with other funds we expect to secure by the end of the year — will make clear to even our biggest critics that we pay for ourselves," Abramoff teammate Kevin Ring wrote in October 2001, copying in Abramoff.

[stop the bleeding]

5. thanks for posting that part, I didn't want to infringe on copyright rules

I have a feeling that we are going to be hearing about the Marianas government more and more.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

8. I did a Google search on "Delay Marianas Tan" and got some rather....

...interesting results:

<http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Delay+Marianas+Tan&btnG=Google+Search>

...read a few of these links....very interesting!

[SillyGoose]

11. OMG...I knew Delay killed labor regs for the Marianas but had no idea

he wanted to set up freaking sweatshops here. OMG.

:wow:

Returning last month from his fact-finding trip, a mission on which he took his wife and daughter and got in two rounds of golf at the first-class Lao Loa Bay Golf Resort, DeLay blasted critics of what he called Saipan's "free market success." He went on to explain how he wants to use a set of Chinese-owned sweatshops on a far-off U.S. territory--factories manned by low-paid Chinese or Sri Lankan indentured servants living in squalor--as a model for Mexican labor camps here on the mainland.

He told a reporter for the Guam-based Pacific Daily News that the workers' barracks "by some U.S. standards could be criticized," but the garment factories he toured were air-conditioned and clean.

"I didn't see anyone sweating," DeLay said, reportedly with a laugh.
http://www.tylwythteg.com/enemies/Armey/news2.html

Thanks for these links, Media_Lies_Daily

[stop the bleeding]

12. yes all of these Google revelations have been just under the radar in the

last week, of course DU and other blogs were the first ones to point this stuff out hence my response in up thread.

This is going to get very interesting indeed - stocking up on popcorn

[SillyGoose]

13. I wish the MSM would report this stuff. This is just so incredible.

2006 looks like its going to be one heckuva year.

[Pirate Smile]

17. The Marianas is one of the most despicable schemes of theirs and

I sincerely hope it blows up all over their faces.

Most people don't know about all of this horrible maneuvering - Truly Disgusting!

[Maine-ah]

24. read Franken's new book

has a great chapter on this.

[Roland99]

25. Ayup. You can blame your lack of knowledge on the liberal media.

;)

[Itchinjim]

37. Who's sweating now Tommy Boy?

"I didn't see anyone sweating," DeLay said, reportedly with a laugh

[stop the bleeding]

39. more like his ass is "seriesly" leaking LOL

:hurts:

[Pirate Smile]

21. Clinton v. Bush

"The reception Abramoff's team received from the Bush administration was in stark contrast to the chilly relations of the Clinton years. Abramoff, then at the Preston Gates firm, scored few meetings with Clinton aides and the lobbyist and the islands vehemently opposed White House attempts to extend U.S. labor laws to the territory's clothing factories.

The records from Abramoff's firm, obtained by The Associated Press from the Marianas under an open records request, chronicle Abramoff's careful cultivation of relations with Bush's political team as far back as 1997.

In that year, Abramoff charged the Marianas for getting then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush to write a letter expressing support for the Pacific territory's school choice proposal, his billing records show.

"I hope you will keep my office informed on the progress of this initiative," Bush wrote in a July 18, 1997, letter praising the islands' school plan and copying in an Abramoff deputy."

[wordpix]

52. if * had ties to Abramoff in '97, those ties grew stronger thru years of *

running for pres and Abramoff contributing to his winning or rather, being selected by SCOTUS judges and Deibold machines.

[SpiralHawk]

4. Republicans have whored our nation out for money

Shame on them and their whole stinking culture of corruption.

[DemonFighterLives]

6. This may be more trips than Jeffy Gannon

What was going on in that whorehouse?
:shrug:

[quiet.american]

9. Aye, with the same result -- somebody got screwed. n/t

[DemonFighterLives]

45. Right you are!

:rofl:

[quiet.american]

64. :) n/t

[SpiralHawk]

10. According to the official Secret Service records, male prostitute

Jeff Gannon visited George W. Bush's White House 202 times -- some visits strangely appear to be overnight.

Thus, we can conclude that male prostitute Jeff Gannon was more popular (by 7 visits) at the Bush-Republican White House than corrupt bag man Republican Jack Abramoff, who was doling out Ruski Big Bucks Payola to corrupt Republican office holders, and perverting America in his own kinky way.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Gannon

[BR_Parkway]

16. Maybe Gannon was part of the payola - in lieu of cash n/t

[DemonFighterLives]

46. Thanks for the stats

Jeff was preferred. Abramoff was denied though and Jeff was never denied as far as I know, just not talked about. Damn dirty whitehouse either way.
;)

[formercia]

7. self delete, dupe

the server is responding slowly.

[Ernesto]

14. UNION KICK!

[theHandpuppet]

15. The national disgrace of the No. Mariana Island's slave labor camps!

PLEASE READ: http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/24/017.html

[LizW]

28. My story about the Marianas:

Back before the Marianas became a household word (to progressives, anyway), my husband bought some t-shirts. He is just getting into conscious buying, and he brought them home proudly, showing me that they were "Made in USA". He was so happy.

Then he looked at the tag and said, "By the way, where are the Mariana Islands?" I didn't know, but we both had a bad feeling and we looked up the Marianas on the Internet. Well, hell.

I'll never forget my husband's dismayed face. He said, "Aw, shit! It's a Sweatshop Nation!"

And that is why my husband has an extreme and very personal animosity toward the jackals who have allowed the Marianas sweat shops to falsely use the "Made in USA" logo.

[louis-t]

35. 15 years ago I vowed never to set foot in Wal-Mart

for the exact same reason. There was an expose on tv (back in the days when exposes uncovered corruption) about a "Made in USA" promotion that Wally World had. Every clothing rack in the store had a "Made in USA" sign on it. Except that the clothing was all made in Malaysia or some other 3rd world country. An ambitious reporter went to one of the factories that supplied Wal-Mart and pretended to be a buyer. He had a hidden camera. There were children "living" in the back of the factory. They were paid very little and then charged for food and "lodging". The manager of the factory told the "buyer" he could put whatever label the guy wanted in the clothes. If he wanted the label to say "Made in USA", he would do it. That did it for me. I have never set foot in a Wal-Mart and never will.

[mzteris]

34. another good article about Marianas

http://www.texasobserver.org/showArticle.asp?ArticleID=1743


Also highlights Abramoff connections - Tom DeLay & Ken Lay

[stop the bleeding]

36. WOW! -Great article - Has all of the corruption neatly tied together -

great article and thank you for posting, I have read a lot on this, but had not seen this article yet. Very thorough!

[wordpix]

53. don't forget that other Texas connection, Junior the Chimp

[zann725]

18. Almost as many visits at WH as Gannon/Guckert. Did Abramoff have a "pass?"

n/t

[DoYouEverWonder]

19. These aren't visits - the article says contacts

That could be via phone, in person or elsewhere.

[stop the bleeding]

20. You're right - I goofed - should have said meetings as stated in 2nd

paragraph of article. Oh well I don't think it really underscores the point that article is making.

[stepnw1f]

22. Post This on the Abramoff Research Forum

This is good info.

[stop the bleeding]

27. Done it's there n/t

[alfredo]

23. Can we link jack's visits with Presidential Orders or other

presidential actions?

[underpants]

26. So, there it is almost 200 visits to the Clinton White House

See we all knew that that was where this was going.

:sarcasm:

[Ian David]

33. Abramoff's "chilly relations of the Clinton years..."

<snip>

The reception Abramoff's team received from the Bush administration was in stark contrast to the chilly relations of the Clinton years. Abramoff, then at the Preston Gates firm, scored few meetings with Clinton aides and the lobbyist and the islands vehemently opposed {Clinton} White House attempts to extend U.S. labor laws to the territory's clothing factories.

<snip>

In 2000, Abramoff and his team were connected enough to both political parties to boast of obtaining early drafts of the platforms each adopted at its presidential nominating convention.

"In the case of the Republican platform, the team reviewed and commented on sections dealing with insular territories to ensure appropriately positive treatment. This was successful," the Preston Gates firm wrote to Marianas.

"In the case of the Democratic Party platform, the team assisted in drafting early versions of neutral language relating to the territories," the firm wrote. "However, heavy intervention by the {Clinton} White House eventually deleted positive references to the CNMI."

More:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-05-06-abramoff-bush_x.htm

[redqueen]

41. *sigh* Can we elect some more DEMOCRATS, please?

When will these idiots ever learn?

If they had adopted US labor laws I wonder how many more jobs we'd still have here?

[Glimmer of Hope]

29. Has anyone obtained the Secret Service gate records for Abramoff?

It would be nice to have something that looked like this:

[Ian David]

31. Wouldn't it be sweet if there was overlap between Guckert and Abramoff?

Was Jack Abramoff paying for James Gannon's services as a favor to political patrons? Folks are asking.

[stop the bleeding]

32. would make the Clinton thing seem kinda like small potatoes n/t

[StClone]

61. Big story in that log, but here is the focus of the Liberal Media

From the Des Moines Register April 5, 2005.


...But here's how the Internet can feed a rumor until a bunch of people actually believe it.

The Gannon-Gosch conspiracy theory first appeared on the message board of a liberal political site called The Democratic Underground on Feb. 26. A site regular, using the name TwoSparkles, speculated that Jeff Gannon was victimized by a government-organized child pornography ring.

Then he foreshadowed the future with this note: "I found this picture of Johnny Gosch. I looked at it and almost thought it looked like Gannon! It must be getting late." The image was a school picture of Gosch taken in the 1980s and later enhanced...




http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050405/LIFE04/504050376/1039/LIFE

[Ian David]

30. Edited: I think I was duped by photoshop

Abramoff in USA Today article:

Controversial lobbyist had close contact with Bush team
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-05-06-abramoff-bush_x.htm


Abramoff in OfficialWire article:

Bush Wants Abramoff Photos Back. President denies he knows big donor
http://news.baou.com/main.php?action=recent&rid=20729


Did they crop Bush out of the photo in an article about Bush's ties to Abramoff?

Or do I have it backwards, and the one with Bush and Abramoff together has been photo-shopped?

On edit: In the first picture, Abramoff's head is in the foreground. In the second picture, Bush's head is in the foreground. I think the second picture has been photo-shopped.

[oneold1-4u]

59. Photoshopping

This is where I like to step away from this type if they be democrat, and declare their stupidity to be even lower than the lowest republican chicanery.

[Botany]

38. Read it and weep!

<In all, the records show at least 195 contacts between Abramoff's Marianas lobbying team and the Bush administration from February through November 2001.

At least two people who worked on Abramoff's team at Preston Gates wound up with Bush administration jobs: Patrick Pizzella, named an assistant secretary of labor by Bush; and David Safavian, chosen by Bush to oversee federal procurement policy in the Office of Management and Budget.>

Bush is toast

beside Rove's Personal Assistant Susan Ralston worked for Abramoff.

[bostonbabs]

48. is that 195 visits in 270 days?...

[Botany]

54. works out to about 1 visit per work day.

Abramoff or his people were probably @ the White House more than bush

[Mithras61]

40. "Controversial"? Try "CRIMINAL" for a better fit...

There is quite a bit more criminal than controversial about JACK abramOFF and the AP knew/should have known that when this article was submitted (hey, he had been indicted and pled guilty. There's no acceptable excuse for this). Just more MSM whoring for the Repukes...

[LynneSin]

42. The most powerful paragraph from the article - Keep this one handy!!!

The reception Abramoff's team received from the Bush administration was in stark contrast to the chilly relations of the Clinton years. Abramoff, then at the Preston Gates firm, scored few meetings with Clinton aides and the lobbyist and the islands vehemently opposed White House attempts to extend U.S. labor laws to the territory's clothing factories.

Yeah, try and blame Clinton for that one!

[tishaLA]

43. The article is from May, 2005

Is this LBN?!

[stop the bleeding]

44. Oh Noooo - I accessed this through Raw Story and thought it was new news

I hope that this does not mess things up.

I feel like the BIGGEST idiot right now.:blush::blush::blush::blush::blush::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead:

[symbolman]

47. Excuse me for saying so

but it appears you do the "Oops, gee, I feel like an idiot" routine every time you are called on posting Raw Story news that is outdated in LBN - I've been noticing it, so are you being sarcastic because I know I've seent his happen at least three times, and by your hands?

This is not an attack, merely an observation. Why do you do this? DO you work for them? Are you that big of a fan? Ever heard of the General Discussion area?

I'm not saying the information is not important, I'm just saying, How about cutting the crap and posting properly like the rest of us.

[stop the bleeding]

49. I screwed up plain and simple and if you have been following my posts

then you know that I do post in the GD as well as many other forums on a regular basis. How about you cutting the antagonistic vernacular when all I am trying to do is help out. Also as soon as this was brought to my attention I emailed the moderators and asked them to move it the GD. Sooooo if you got anything else that is bothering you - then bring it. Seems like you have way too much time to be going around acting like a 2 year old.

In case you haven't notice people make mistakes. Even you have "seent his happen at least three times by my own hands - see you can not even post without a spelling mistake just like a lot of other people here, myself included.

For someone who makes an "observation" this sure feels like an attack.:shrug:

So unless you have something nice to say then don't bother me with your trivial "observations" oops I mean "attacks".

Lastly you are excused.

Have a great day and remember we all are on the same team here. :toast:

[TankLV]

62. It's news to me - if I didn't see it here I probably still wouldn't know

of it.

Thanks for the heads up.

I'd much rather have the story/info posted than worry about where it's placed.

The moderators will eventually decide and do the right thing, no harm done.

Maybe we should be checking your spelling and grammar, too - don't know how many minds THAT would "corrupt"! Oh, the HORROR!

[Ian David]

50. He wouldn't be the first to get all excited and jump the gun, especially

based on RawStory articles.

People get excited and caught-up in the moment and stuff and make mistakes.

I, for example, am wrong 1/12 of the time.

It's true.

I admit it.

Anyway, can we please cut the guy some slack?

[rainbow4321]

55. How's chimp going to explain his people going to dinners w/ the lobbyists?

http://nationaljournal.com/about/njweekly/stories/2005/1001nj1.htm

About once a month since 2001, Grover Norquist has invited a top Bush administration official or a Republican congressional leader to dine with him and some 20 or 30 corporate lobbyists who help subsidize Americans for Tax Reform, the anti-tax group that Norquist heads.

The dinners at Norquist's Washington, D.C., home aren't cheap: The lobbyists pay ATR between $10,000 and $25,000 a year for the privilege of attending several of the intimate get-togethers, which have featured the likes of White House political guru Karl Rove and Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, according to several lobbyists who have attended.

ATR also boosted the interests of another big Abramoff client -- the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The government of the Marianas, a chain of Pacific Ocean islands that is a U.S. territory, has long fought against efforts by congressional Democrats to impose American minimum-wage and labor rules on the island nation's garment industry. According to sources familiar with ATR finances, the group sent Marianas officials a bill for $10,000 at least once in the mid-1990s for attendance at Norquist's tax policy dinners.

"The Marianas became a great cause celebre at the Wednesday meetings shortly after the Republicans took power," recalled Marshall Wittman, a onetime Christian Coalition lobbyist who now works for the centrist Democratic Leadership Council.

[ClintonTyree]

56. Ah yes, the wonderful Marianas where the sweatshop owners force abortion..

on the young girls working there. If they become pregnant while working in the sweatshops they are forced to have abortions (how's THAT for family values, huh?) and the Republican leadership doesn't say one stinking word about it? :wtf: What happened to family values? I guess they only apply in the United States, not one of it's protectorates.

This amounts to slave labor, all with the blessing of the Republican party! :wow: There's some moral clarity for you there!

These fucking hypocritical pigs make me sick. How can any decent, moral American vote for one of these disgusting swine? :grr:

[anotherdrew]

57. impeach. convict. jail for life. it's the only way.

[corky44]

58. I wonder if the WH thought to

cut Abramoff off after the Gus Boulis hit?
How many visits before the hit and how many after?

[wordpix]

63. maybe WH was responsible for the hit--Atta is rumored to have visited Sun

Cruz right before 9-11.