Rawstory developing a story about Abramoff's firm

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Exclusive: Abramoff's firm knew about multimillion-
dollar payments from ex-DeLay aide long before
it broke in the Washington Post... Developing hard...

http://www.rawstory.com/

[Sydnie]

1. I'm sorry, but you've lost me here

Which payment are we discussing? There have been so many ...

[Ernesto]

2. I think Huffington beat them to it......

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/30/AR2005123001480_pf.html

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3. Updated

Officials at the lawfirm that employed indicted conservative lobbyist Jack Abramoff lied about what they knew about his role in a massive lobbying scandal and when they knew it, former Abramoff associates say. Greenberg Traurig’s Connecticut Avenue offices in Washington provided the stables for a coterie of aggressive lobbyists who wooed members of Congress with lavish donations, skybox suites and Scottish golfing jaunts. The firm said they first learned of Abramoff’s misadventures when they appeared in the pages of The Washington Post. Those familiar with the sequence of events say this is a lie. They maintain the company’s top executives learned of Abramoff’s financial relationship with Rep. Tom DeLay’s (R-TX) former aide Michael Scanlon when they represented Abramoff in a bankruptcy trial.


Greenberg Traurig attorneys took up Abramoff’s defense when he was sued by lenders in after a fleet of riverboat casinos he purchased went bankrupt. As part of the SunCruz casino bankruptcy suit, lawyers at the firm obtained copies of Abramoff’s tax returns, former associates tell RAW STORY. They say the returns showed he had received tens of millions of dollars from Scanlon—money investigators later said had been bilked from Indian tribes. The firm took no public action. On Feb. 22, 2005, the Washington Post reported that Abramoff and Scanlon had received at least $45 million from Indian tribes.

Five days later, a Greenberg Traurig statement asserted Abramoff had resigned after he "disclosed to the firm for the first time personal transactions and related conduct which are unacceptable to the firm.” Jill Perry, a spokeswoman for Greenberg Traurig, did not return a phone call or email seeking comment. Andrew Blum, Abramoff’s spokesman, and Stephen Braga, Scanlon’s attorney, did not return requests for comment Monday.

Abramoff was indicted for wire fraud and conspiracy in connection with his purchase of the riverboat casinos in August 2005. He is expected to reach a plea agreement this week to testify against members of Congress and their staff relating to legislative favors he got in exchange for campaign donations and other gifts. Scanlon pled guilty in November and is cooperating with prosecutors. One former associate said the firm knew long in advance that Abramoff had received large sums of money from Scanlon. The individual doesn’t believe the firm knew the payments might be considered evidence of wrongdoing, and added that many individuals working at Greenberg held outside business interests. “It was common knowledge that shareholders in the firm had outside business interests,” the former Abramoff associate said. A second former associate questioned whether the firm would have taken action against Abramoff had the story not made it into the Post.

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Firm_knew_of_Abramoffs_relationship_with_0102.html

[Sydnie]

4. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm ....

<snip>
He is expected to reach a plea agreement this week to testify against members of Congress and their staff relating to legislative favors he got in exchange for campaign donations and other gifts.
<snip>

Perhaps the delay to come back to Washington is not just for Delay's benefit. Perhaps there are some legislators looking for some good criminal defense lawyers about now?

It will get interesting IF he tells the whole truth, but I doubt that will happen without alot of wrangling.