Speaker Largely Silent Amid Scandal

[spindrifter]

By Jonathan Weisman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 17, 2006

With his affable demeanor and his open-door policy, House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert remains unchallenged in the most powerful post in Congress, even as a growing corruption scandal roils the Republican leadership and more Congress-watchers say the speaker bears some responsibility for the troubles that have developed on his watch.

<snip>

Although Hastert's job appears safe for now, there are rumblings among some lawmakers and aides that he waited too long to act -- and that his prior conduct has eluded close inspection, even when the speaker himself rubbed elbows with disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his clients.

<snip>

...some watchdog organizations have said Hastert deserves scrutiny. After all, they note, Hastert signed a letter to the interior secretary in 2003 on behalf of one of Abramoff's Indian tribe clients days after a fundraiser for Hastert at Abramoff's posh Washington restaurant, Signatures.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/16/AR2006011600997.html

++++++++++++

Undoubtedly, there will be more lines written on this in the coming months. Maybe more verses of the Blame Game?

[madfloridian]

1. Can you say Vanity Fair Sept 05 issue?

In the article by Sibel Edmunds call "Inconvenient Patriot."?

I think it is online somewhere now. Something about Turkish officials. Will find it.

[Tiggeroshii]

2. Lets see the man go down in smoke.

Along with every other republican Congressperson with anything more than a 4 year tenure.

[madfloridian]

3. Here you go,...more about Hastert...

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article9774.htm

"It may be more than another embarrassing security scandal. One counter-intelligence official familiar with Edmonds’s case has told Vanity Fair that the F.B.I. opened an investigation into covert activities by Turkish nationals in the late 1990’s. That inquiry found evidence, mainly via wiretaps, of attempts to corrupt senior American politicians in at least two major cities—Washington and Chicago. Toward the end of 2001, Edmonds was asked to translate some of the thousands of calls that had been recorded by this operation, some dating back to 1997.

Edmonds has given confidential testimony inside a secure Sensitive Compartmented Information facility on several occasions: to congressional staffers, to investigators from the O.I.G., and to the staff from the 9/11 commission. Sources familiar with this testimony say that, in addition to her allegations about the Dickersons, she reported hearing Turkish wiretap targets boast that they had a covert relationship with a very senior politician indeed—Dennis Hastert, Republican congressman from Illinois and Speaker of the House since 1999. The targets reportedly discussed giving Hastert tens of thousands of dollars in surreptitious payments in exchange for political favors and information. “The Dickersons,” says one official familiar with the case, “are only the tip of the iceberg.”"

Just quoting Rose and Sibel Edmunds.