Tyco Exec: Abramoff Claimed Ties to Administration (Rove)

[chat_noir]

Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff bragged two years ago that he was in contact with White House political aide Karl Rove on behalf of a large, Bermuda-based corporation that wanted to avoid incurring some taxes and continue receiving federal contracts, according to a written statement by President Bush's nominee to be deputy attorney general.

Timothy E. Flanigan, general counsel for conglomerate Tyco International Ltd., said in a statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee last week that Abramoff's lobbying firm initially boasted that Abramoff could help Tyco fend off a special liability tax because he "had good relationships with members of Congress," including House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.).

Abramoff later said "he had contact with Mr. Karl Rove" about the issue, according to the statement by Flanigan, who oversaw Tyco's dealings with Abramoff and his firm and received reports from Abramoff about progress in the lobbying campaign. Flanigan's statement is the latest indication that Abramoff promoted himself as having ready access to senior officials in the Bush administration.

A White House spokeswoman, Erin Healy, said Rove "has no recollection" of being contacted by Abramoff about Tyco's concerns.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/22/AR2005092202204.html

[jsamuel]

1. just so everyone realizes, this story is from Sept 23rd

but still a goodie

[rox63]

6. In light of recent events

It can be useful to review earlier revelations, and reevaluate them in context of the latest developments.

[bearfan454]

2. Of course he doesn't remember.

Selective abnesia.

[Norquist Nemesis]

13. Maybe Viveca can jog his memory

after he goes through his emails for the 43rd time. ;)

[cantstandbush]

3. Ahhhhh but blaclberries have great memories. n/t

[roguevalley]

4. it just gets better and better every day

[underpants]

17. Ain't it though?

:bounce:

[chat_noir]

5. Jack Abramoff: Tyco

In "a written statement," Timothy E. Flanigan, when nominated by President George W. Bush to be Deputy Attorney General of the United States, said that "Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff bragged two years ago that he was in contact with White House political aide Karl Rove on behalf of a large, Bermuda-based corporation that wanted to avoid incurring some taxes and continue receiving federal contracts," R. Jeffrey Smith wrote (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/22/AR2005092202204.html) in the September 23, 2005, Washington Post.

"To review the highlights of our story," Josh Marshall wrote (http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2005_09_25.php#006629) September 25, 2005, "Timothy Flanigan was appointed Deputy White House Counsel at the beginning of the Bush administration. He later left that job to become General Counsel of Tyco Corporation, which had relocated to Bermuda to avoid paying taxes to the US Treasury. At Tyco, Flanigan hired Abramoff to fend off legislation which would have forced Tyco to pay its taxes. (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-flanigan29jul29,0,2489546.story?track=tothtml) And, in the course of that hiring and work, Abramoff first boasted of his access to DeLay, Rove and others and then later claimed that he had spoken to Rove and enlisted his assistance on Tyco's behalf."

Marshall noted (http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2005_09_18.php#006619) September 23, 2005, that "any suggestion that Abramoff had just fooled Flanigan into believing that he had more access than he had was highly implausible since Flanigan, as Al Gonzales' deputy at the White House, would have gotten a good sense of who Abramoff was and the level of juice he had with Rove and other Republican power-brokers."

"On paper," Marshall said (http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2005_09_25.php#006629) September 25, 2005, "Jack Abramoff was a lobbyist. And he made a great deal of money for himself. But if you think of Jack Abramoff as just a crooked lobbyist most of the facts coming out about what he did don't make a great deal of sense. He was a key player in a very big political machine and he was managing a slush fund."

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Jack_Abramoff:_Tyco

[SmokingJacket]

7. Well this is really cheering me up.

It's nice to see jerks hoist themselves on their own petard.

[chat_noir]

8. Abramoff: More Trouble Ahead? (Newsweek)

Another possible reason for the Feds' stance: to pressure Abramoff to cooperate in a broader, D.C.-based probe that could touch members of Congress and Bush administration officials. The probe centers on tens of millions in allegedly inflated lobbying fees Abramoff collected from Indian gaming tribes. But that's not all that's under scrutiny. A lawyer for another client, Tyco International, tells NEWSWEEK that it's turned over to Justice evidence alleging Abramoff defrauded it with a lobbying campaign against legislation to bar federal contracts to U.S. companies, like Tyco, headquartered in overseas tax havens. Tyco, based in Bermuda, paid $1.7 million to Abramoff's firm in 2003 and 2004—plus $1.5 million for a "grass roots" campaign to gin up opposition to the effort among Tyco's domestic suppliers. The Tyco official who hired Abramoff is the firm's general counsel, Tim Flanigan, a former White House lawyer nominated by President Bush for deputy attorney general. Tyco lawyer George Terwilliger says the firm "was a victim of a rip-off." Abramoff, he says, recommended the $1.5 million be paid to Grassroots Interactive, a group that allegedly did little work and later diverted funds for other purposes. Grassroots is "controlled" by Abramoff, says Nathan Lewin, a lawyer for Tyco's registered agent. Abramoff's former law firm has agreed "in principle" to repay the $1.5 million, says a source close to Tyco who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter.

Abramoff, who raised more than $100,000 for Bush's re-election, allegedly told Flanigan he'd lobby White House aide Karl Rove on behalf of Tyco, says the source close to the company. Rove, whose secretary formerly worked for Abramoff, has "never spoken to about any of his clients," says a White House spokeswoman. An Abramoff spokesman and his former law firm declined to comment.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8941526/site/newsweek/

[txindy]

14. KKKarl claims he's not involved with Jack? That's good enough for me.

:rofl:

:rofl:

:rofl:

[AlinPA]

9. We may be showing "irrational exhuberance" on this story- remember

the "justice department" is controlled by Bush**-Rove. Unless there is an independent investigation, it could die on the vine.

[chat_noir]

10. Al, we need to keep these issues alive

DU is/should be looked to as a research resource. We have hundreds of active members who compile information that is valuable to Democrats and real patriots.

[stop the bleeding]

16. Have you been to the DU Research Forum???? located here:

DU Research Forum

there are Abramoff threads and resarch there.

[AlinPA]

18. This is great! I have not been paying attention lately (other problems)

Thanks.

[AlinPA]

12. You have to know how cynical I am about those bastards in the WH.

We need to fight for an independent investigation. Look what they have done with the spying program-already turned it into a "kill the messenger" situation because the public was blinded. We have to fight harder to overcome the apathy of the media and public in general.

[tanyev]

11. I'm getting very worried about poor Karl.

...A White House spokeswoman, Erin Healy, said Rove "has no recollection" of being contacted by Abramoff about Tyco's concerns.

WHAT has happened to his legendary photographic memory?

Early on, Rove showed he had the brainpower to go places. His sister remembers that the family used to rely on Rove's photographic memory for evening entertainment. "The game was, 'See if you can stump Karl,'" she says. His older brother Eric would read a passage from a book Karl had read the week before. The challenge was to guess which word his brother had intentionally left out.
http://www.dallasobserver.com/issues/1999-05-13/news/feature_6.html

In politics there is nothing more useful than knowing where the money is, but Rove knew more than that. A voracious student of electoral history--and one of those people possessed of a seemingly eidetic memory for numbers and statistics that bordered on the freakish--Rove always knew where the votes were, too, and could, if you cared to listen, parse them in a dozen different ways on the spot and tell you how to woo each sub-segment of voters.
http://www.citypages.com/databank/25/1216/article12006.asp

Please, somebody, get that man to a doctor!!!! He obviously needs a CAT scan. Either that, or a good lie detector.

[txindy]

15. If Fitzgerald begins tying all of this into his own investigation...

KKKarl will have a long time to work on his memory. Maybe 20-30 years with time off for good behavior - which pretty much ensures there will be no 'time off'. Good behavior? From KKKarl? :rofl:

[Itchinjim]

19. "Rove "has no recollection" of being contacted by Abramoff ...."

Not an outright denial, so that means it did happen. Everybody's on to you by now Karl.

[jazzjunkysue]

20. More cowbell!!!

:rofl:

[TahitiNut]

21. So, Abramoff offers to broker a bribe and Tyco ponies up, huh?

Let's say some fellow comes to me and tells me that he's got a line to the judge who's trying a civil case against my cousin. Let's say he tells me that I can get my cousin off for $50,000. Do I pay?

If I do, I'm paying a bribe. Does that make me a Boy Scout?

In what alternate universe?

[Al-CIAda]

22. .

[Al-CIAda]

23. .