Documents show extent of ties between Abramoff and Bush Appointee

[stop the bleeding]

The official, Patrick Pizzella, was an Abramoff lieutenant who lobbied on behalf of at least five clients that are now the subject of investigations: E-Lottery, Naftasib, the Mississippi Band of Choctaws, the Commonwealth of the Marianas Islands and the Saginaw Chippewas. Pizzella paired with Abramoff at Washington lobby shop Preston Gates Ellis and Rouvelas Meeds, working together on more than $11 million in accounts.

Rediscovered records show that Pizzella lobbied on behalf of a Bahamian company the Washington Post revealed to be a front organization for a Russian oil business. They also show that Pizzella arranged numerous trips for conservative activists with Abramoff and another Preston Gates lobbyist, David Safavian, to a U.S. territory in the Pacific, paid for by the territory.

<snip>

A newly discovered Senate lobbying record filed in 1997 (PDF file) lists Pizzella as "Director of Coalitions" for Chelsea Commercial, a purported Bahamas based organization lobbying for Russian trade liberalization. The Washington Post revealed last April that Chelsea Commercial appeared to have been little more than a front group for a Russian oil and gas company, Naftasib.

Chelsea Commercial, according to the Post, underwrote a trip taken by former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) and Pizzella colleague Jack Abramoff by funneling money through a Washington nonprofit. The nonprofit paid for a trip taken by DeLay along with Abramoff and former DeLay aide Ed Buckham during which the lobbyists met with DeLay and key Russian officials.


read full article here:

Documents show extent of ties between Abramoff and Bush appointee-John Byrne, Rawstory

**********

we need find out more about this: Chelsea Commercial and Naftasib

[stop the bleeding]

1. Lots of information located here on Naftasib

http://www.theoildrum.com/story/2005/12/31/11454/451

House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Texas) goes to Russia on a "fact finding" trip bankrolled by influence peddlers tied to Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin. The trip is part of a lobbying effort to promote Chernomyrdin among conservative leaders in Washington, paid for by Chelsea Commercial Enterprises Ltd., headquartered in the Bahamas but whose principals reside in Moscow. Washington lobbying operations are run from Preston Gates Ellis & Rouvelas Meeds, a large law firm registered since February with the clerk of the House as a paid agent of the Bahamian company to "generate support for Russian government's policies" of what it calls "progressive market reforms" and for bilateral trade.

The Moscow portion of the DeLay trip is sponsored by A.O. NaftaSib, a Russian oil company tied to Chernomyrdin. NaftaSib describes itself as "a major shareholder" in Gazprom, and says that two of its "largest clients" have been the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD). According to its promotional literature, "NaftaSib met all of the needs for oil products for the Black Sea Fleet, the Baikal Military district and the 14th Army located in Moldavia from 1992 to 1995." One of the escorts in Moscow is NaftaSib Executive Vice President Marina V. Nevskaya, whose NaftaSib biography describes her as having taught at the Military Diplomatic Academy. The Military Diplomatic Academy is a training school for GRU military intelligence.

*******

And also this interesting part

A further murky corner of where oil politics is leading the US and the UK is given by the brave former UK ambassador to Uzbekistan, Craig Murray who was appalled at the by the behaviour of the US backed Government of Islam Karimov and spoke out to the great displeasure of the UK government.

FYI the site that is linked here in this last part is webmastered by a fellow DU'er named dutchdemocrat

[UpInArms]

5. some info on Naftasib

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A28319-2005Apr5?language=printer

excerpt:

(near the bottom of the page)

The efforts by Naftasib's executives to curry favor among Republicans -- including DeLay -- sowed controversy at the time among conservatives. A journal published by a Washington think tank, the American Foreign Policy Council, claimed within a few days after DeLay's trip ended that it was actually "sponsored" by Naftasib. The journal -- the Russian Reform Monitor -- also highlighted what it characterized as Naftasib's tight connections to the Russian security establishment.

The journal quoted promotional literature for Naftasib that described the firm as a major shareholder in Gazprom, the state-controlled oil and gas giant. The literature also said Natfasib's largest clients were the ministries of defense and internal affairs. The literature also states that Nevskaya was an instructor at a school for Russian military intelligence officers. She declined to address those claims in response to questions from The Post.

Steve Biegun, who was then a senior Russia expert for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and later served as executive secretary to the National Security Council during President Bush's first term, said he deliberately blocked a meeting that Nevskaya sought with Jesse Helms (R-N.C.), then the committee chairman.

"They were a client of the lobbying firm Preston Gates," said Biegun, who is now a Ford Motor Co. vice president for international governmental affairs. "I made some calls . . . and got enough warning signs" to ensure that Helms avoided dealing with the firm. Biegun said the information he obtained from his sources was "nothing that would stand up in court" but he worried that in this period, "a lot of unsavory figures from Russia were buying their way into meetings and getting their pictures taken, to put on the wall back in Moscow."

...more...

[Ernesto]

2. Does this guy look like a crook or what? n-t

[UpInArms]

3. U.S. Rep Tom DeLay&#8217;s Alleged Link to Russian Lobbyists Under Scrutiny

http://eng.rosbalt.ru/news/871.html

06-04-2005

A six-day trip to Moscow in 1997 by then House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (Texas) was underwritten by business interests lobbying in support of the Russian government, according to four people with firsthand knowledge of the trip arrangements, the New York Times and Washington Post reported Tuesday.

DeLay reported that the trip was sponsored by a Washington-based nonprofit organization. But interviews with those involved in planning DeLay’s trip say the expenses were covered by a mysterious company registered in the Bahamas that also paid for an intensive $440,000 lobbying campaign.

The expense-paid trip by DeLay and four of his staff members cost $57,238, according to records filed by his office. During his six days in Moscow, he played golf, met with Russian church leaders and talked to Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin, a friend of Russian oil and gas executives associated with the lobbying effort.

DeLay also dined with the Russian executives and two Washington-based registered lobbyists for the Bahamian-registered company, sources say. One of those lobbyists was Jack Abramoff, who is now at the center of a federal influence-peddling and corruption probe related to his representation of Indian tribes.

<snip>

In this case, travel funds did not come directly from lobbyists; the money came from a firm, Chelsea Commercial Enterprises Ltd., that funded the lobbying campaign, according to the sources. Chelsea was coordinating the effort with a Russian oil and gas company —- Naftasib —- that has business ties with Russian security institutions, the sources said.

...more...

[Mabus]

4. Chelsea Commercial - "obscure Bahamian-registered company"

excerpt from Progressive Thinking, re: DeLay trips and where the money may have come from:

So where did the NCPPR get the $57K to transport and accommodate our House Leader in the style to which he has become accustomed? (I don't have any particulars on that, but I don't think he stayed in the Motel Sixsky)

Well, according to an inside source, the NCPPR got its money for the trip from an American trust account, set up by an -- unnamed -- law firm.

Hmm.

Unofficially, numerous sources have confirmed that the money came from something called Chelsea Commercial Enterprises, Ltd. -- an "obscure Bahamian-registered company" (read, front company) -- that, when reportedly not acting as DeLay's travel agent, supplied hundreds of thousands of dollars to two big Washington lobbying firms -- Cadwalader Wickersham and Taft LLP and Preston Gates Ellis and Rouvelas Meeds LLP -- targeted primarily towards Republicans who were leaning against efforts to help bail out the Russians in 1997 and 1998.

http://progressivethinking.home.att.net/crime/crim18.htm

From WaPo:

A 3rd DeLay Trip Under Scrutiny
1997 Russia Visit Reportedly Backed by Business Interests
By R. Jeffrey Smith and James V. Grimaldi
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, April 6, 2005; Page A01
****

The expense-paid trip by DeLay and four of his staff members cost $57,238, according to records filed by his office. During his six days in Moscow, he played golf, met with Russian church leaders and talked to Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin, a friend of Russian oil and gas executives associated with the lobbying effort.
****

In this case, travel funds did not come directly from lobbyists; the money came from a firm, Chelsea Commercial Enterprises Ltd., that funded the lobbying campaign, according to the sources. Chelsea was coordinating the effort with a Russian oil and gas company -- Naftasib -- that has business ties with Russian security institutions, the sources said.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28319-2005Apr5.html

edited to add WaPo article snippet.

[Jane Austin]

6. Can you tell us who Pizzella is

so I don't have to open a new page at prehistoric connection speeds?

Thanks.

[stop the bleeding]

7. there is a brief intro in original heading but the more important part

is who/what he represents - which other posters have responded on this thread with research, please read their snippets for clues.

DU copyright rules will not allow for posting more than 4 paragraphs out of an article that is published, unless you are the author - which I am not.

[Jane Austin]

8. Sorry, I meant who is he in connection with the Bush Administration?

Thanks.

[stop the bleeding]

9. here

A newly discovered Senate lobbying record filed in 1997 (PDF file) lists Pizzella as "Director of Coalitions" for Chelsea Commercial, a purported Bahamas based organization lobbying for Russian trade liberalization. The Washington Post revealed last April that Chelsea Commercial appeared to have been little more than a front group for a Russian oil and gas company, Naftasib.

Chelsea Commercial, according to the Post, underwrote a trip taken by former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) and Pizzella colleague Jack Abramoff by funneling money through a Washington nonprofit. The nonprofit paid for a trip taken by DeLay along with Abramoff and former DeLay aide Ed Buckham during which the lobbyists met with DeLay and key Russian officials.

The Post did not say whether other individuals from the lobbying firm –- including Pizzella -- made the trip, though it would seem to have been limited to Abramoff and Buckham.

Pizzella, however, does appear to have played a significant role on the Chelsea account; only Abramoff and one other individual on the account are listed on the 1997 filings as "government affairs counselors," whereas Pizzella is the only individual to carry the title "director." Lobbyists often take on larger titles at lobby shops – with many carrying titles of "director" -- though it appears notable that Abramoff, who obviously had a large role, does not receive a superlative appellation on the filing.

[stop the bleeding]

10. was appointed by * - information here..

Pizzella's work with the Marianas has attracted the most scrutiny, particularly because the islands are notorious sweatshop havens. The Preston Gates lobbying team collected some $6.7 million from the protectorate, some $3.1 million of which was paid without a lawful contract. Preston Gates helped crush attempts to impose minimum wage laws and accrued $2 million in federal aid for the islands.

Pizzella was appointed to be a deputy labor undersecretary just months after departing Abramoff's retinue.

Abramoff cheered the appointment in a letter to the Commonwealth. Notably, Abramoff seemed to reference Pizzella’s new post in a January 2001 letter even though he wasn’t officially appointed until April 2001.

"Our standing with the new administration promises to be solid as several friends of the CNMI (islands) will soon be taking high-ranking positions in the Administration, including within the Interior Department," Abramoff wrote.

[Jane Austin]

11. What am I missing? The OP says Pizzella is a Bush appointee.

I'm trying to figure out what his position in the administration is.



(Edited for typo.)

[stop the bleeding]

12. from one of my other post's highlighting this - I think you might have

missed it.

Pizzella was appointed to be a deputy labor undersecretary just months after departing Abramoff's retinue.

Abramoff cheered the appointment in a letter to the Commonwealth. Notably, Abramoff seemed to reference Pizzella’s new post in a January 2001 letter even though he wasn’t officially appointed until April 2001.

Patrick Pizzella was nominated for Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management at the Department of Labor by President Bush on April 25, 2001 and confirmed by the U. S. Senate on May 9, 2001. As Assistant Secretary of Labor, Mr. Pizzella serves as the principal advisor to the Secretary of Labor in the administration and management programs of the Department and as the Department's Chief Information Officer and Chief Human Capital Officer. Mr. Pizzella provides leadership and policy guidance to the Secretary of Labor in the areas of budget, human resources, information technology, procurement, facilities management, administration, and the Department's overall civil rights program. The Department of Labor administers a multitude of federal programs and has a budget of $56 billion and 17,000 employees nationwide.

Pizzella has served in various posts since his arrival in Washington, DC in 1980 including serving as the Policy Coordinator for the Bush-Cheney General Services Administration Transition Team. From January 22, 2001 to March 25, 2001, Pizzella served as the Chief of Staff to the Director at the U. S. Office of Personnel Management. Pizzella was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as a Member of the Board of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) - a position he held from January 18, 2004 to April 26, 2005.

From 1996 to 2001, Pizzella was a member of Preston Gates Ellis & Rouvelas Meeds, L.L.P. policy practice group and served as a Government Affairs Counselor with responsibility for the coordination of the firm's grassroots and coalitions management practice. The cornerstones of the firm's practice in Washington D.C. are legislative policy, Executive branch representation and administrative law.

Prior to his work at the law firm, Pizzella served for five years at the Federal Housing Finance Board, an independent regulatory agency with responsibility for overseeing the Federal Home Loan Bank system, a Government Sponsored Enterprise. There he was the agency's Chief Administrative Officer, serving as the Director, Office of Administration.

OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR ADMINISTRATION & MANAGEMENT (OASAM)

[Jane Austin]

13. Ahh . . . thank you!

Sorry I have such a crappy connection out here in the woods.

[stop the bleeding]

14. No sweat that is what DU is for and that is what DU'ers do

Peace

[stop the bleeding]

16. delete - put response in wrong place n/t

[BuyingThyme]

15. kcik

[stop the bleeding]

17. Meet and get to know Patrick Pizzella here.

From the Rawstory article in original:

Pizzella was appointed to be a deputy labor undersecretary just months after departing Abramoff's retinue.

Abramoff cheered the appointment in a letter to the Commonwealth. Notably, Abramoff seemed to reference Pizzella’s new post in a January 2001 letter even though he wasn’t officially appointed until April 2001.

Patrick Pizzella was nominated for Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management at the Department of Labor by President Bush on April 25, 2001 and confirmed by the U. S. Senate on May 9, 2001. As Assistant Secretary of Labor, Mr. Pizzella serves as the principal advisor to the Secretary of Labor in the administration and management programs of the Department and as the Department's Chief Information Officer and Chief Human Capital Officer. Mr. Pizzella provides leadership and policy guidance to the Secretary of Labor in the areas of budget, human resources, information technology, procurement, facilities management, administration, and the Department's overall civil rights program. The Department of Labor administers a multitude of federal programs and has a budget of $56 billion and 17,000 employees nationwide.

Pizzella has served in various posts since his arrival in Washington, DC in 1980 including serving as the Policy Coordinator for the Bush-Cheney General Services Administration Transition Team. From January 22, 2001 to March 25, 2001, Pizzella served as the Chief of Staff to the Director at the U. S. Office of Personnel Management. Pizzella was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as a Member of the Board of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) - a position he held from January 18, 2004 to April 26, 2005.

From 1996 to 2001, Pizzella was a member of Preston Gates Ellis & Rouvelas Meeds, L.L.P. policy practice group and served as a Government Affairs Counselor with responsibility for the coordination of the firm's grassroots and coalitions management practice. The cornerstones of the firm's practice in Washington D.C. are legislative policy, Executive branch representation and administrative law.

Prior to his work at the law firm, Pizzella served for five years at the Federal Housing Finance Board, an independent regulatory agency with responsibility for overseeing the Federal Home Loan Bank system, a Government Sponsored Enterprise. There he was the agency's Chief Administrative Officer, serving as the Director, Office of Administration.."
Read more here….

OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR ADMINISTRATION & MANAGEMENT (OASAM) - dol.gov

[Sydnie]

18. Kick for Research n/t