CNN: Abramoff's sentencing delayed to further cooperation

[understandinglife]

Judge approves motion sought by federal investigators

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A federal judge Friday delayed sentencing of Jack Abramoff, a move the prosecutors requested to further the former lobbyist's cooperation with their investigation.

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http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/03/17/abramoff.sentencing/index.html

Now, this is a dose of really good news.

If this is a dupe, I'll delete but I can't find it in LBN and it is a big deal.


Be The Bu$h Opposition - 24/7

[babylonsister]

1. Spill those crooked guts, Jack! nt

[Panda1]

2. Until AFTER the elections?

Grrr.

[understandinglife]

5. "Federal investigators, citing Abramoff's cooperation, wanted to defer

... until at least June a status conference, initially set for next week, that could have led to Abramoff's sentencing."

When Abramoff is sentenced is actually much less important than how many more folk get indicted during the next several months. Keeping Abramoff on the front burner and talking is the last thing Rove needs during the summer and fall of '06.

I suspect we'll learn of a few more Repubs, in the next couple of months, deciding not to seek another term "due to family considerations."


Be The Bu$h Opposition - 24/7

[radfringe]

16. this could be why some of the talking heads

have mentioned the lobby-scandal will heat up this summer.

it's in Abramoff's self-interest to cooperate as much as possible as his sentencing depends on how useful he is to the investigation

This means we could be seeing indictments rolling out between July and November - just when the mid-term campaigning is underway

[understandinglife]

17. Indeed. Most excellent timing!

Be The Bu$h Opposition - 24/7

[David Zephyr]

3. Now I will have a great weekend knowing the rats will be worrying.

I love it.

[madame defarge]

4. Read this article...

in this month's Vanity Fair... I'm not so sure how many beans he'll spill. But he does come across as a better person that I originally gave him credit for...(or maybe I was just in a good mood when I read the article...)

JACK ABRAMOFF TALKS ABOUT HIS RELATIONSHIPS WITH JOHN MCCAIN, TOM DELAY, AND OTHERS
http://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/pressroom2/

[OrangeCountyDemocrat]

7. A Better Person?

The article talks about his relationships with McCain(a hypocrite and King george Ass-Kisser) & Delay(a Felon to be)....yeah, he sounds better already.

[madame defarge]

20. I said...

I may have been in a good mood that day.

Also, the full article isn't available online yet, but in that article it discusses more about his character and deep religious beliefs. (BTW, I'm not a fundie for any religion.) In the conversations with the interviewer, Abramoff's comments appear much more humble than I would have expected from him. I'm not saying he should be up for saint-hood, but I'm willing to accept that some life events do change people and help make them realize the errors of their ways.

[bluestateguy]

6. Sentencing?

That piece of shit Abramoff should be hang from a rope with his balls in his mouth.

I've HAD IT with the kid gloves treatment for white collar corporate crime, which I consider to be every bit as serious as Al Qaeda terrorism.

[Peace Patriot]

12. Calm down, Bluestateguy! Prosecution sometimes takes patience and

cunning strategy in an effort to bust through coverups and lies and protected criminals, especially higher criminals. Who is it more important to punish--a businessman crook or a political crook holding public office? I'd much rather see the latter go to jail, even if it means a deal with the former, for a lesser sentence or whatever. Because the office-holder's crimes and looting violate the public trust, and stab at the heart of democracy. I am not benign about white collar crime, by any means. I'm just saying, this is an on-going situation, obviously with a string of public office-holder crooks connected to it. And I want them ALL apprehended, prosecuted and convicted and punished if they are guilty.

It is this kind of POLITICAL crookedness that gets under MY skin the most. Some businessmen will always go astray, as long as we have predatory capitalism and complete lack of moral leadership in the corporate world. But office-holders have SWORN to uphold the law. And it's very important for people to see what becomes of that trust when office-holders are no longer beholden to the people, but rather to rightwing Bushite corporations who are 'counting' all the votes with "TRADE SECRET," PROPRIETARY programming code and virtually no audit/recount controls.

In fact it was Bob Ney--and Tom Delay--who brought us the "Help America Vote Act" $4 billion electronic voting boondoggle, and the corruption and destruction of our election system. Abramoff singing may bring something out about this. So I'm all for him singing, and am very glad that he is--and a lesser sentence for him may be a small price to pay for what he knows about corruption in DC.

[appleannie1]

8. From what he said in the magazine

article that was released last week, I think Repubs have hurt his ego by claiming not to know him. So I think he just might start remembering more than they would like him to in order to stir up their memories.

[Lochloosa]

9. This is a good thing...let them squirm

[Patsy Stone]

10. Fabulous!

Please, let his "cooperation to continue uninterrupted".

K&R. Proud to be #5.

[bleever]

11. Get that man a comfy chair, a pillow, and some coffee...

And let him talk, and talk, and talk...


:thumbsup:

[Babel_17]

13. Ah, this could explain ....

why Abramoff was embarrassing the heck out of the republican party lately with all his comments.

Imo he was establishing his bona fides with the prosecutors.

His lawyers were probably negotiating and there was some question as to whether or not Abramoff would lay all his cards on the table.

By really embarrassing all his former "friends" and associates he showed he was burning his bridges and had little reason to pull a double-cross.

It's like how in the Sidney Lumet movie Prince of the City where the prosecutors always had the nagging feeling the corrupt cop they had turned was holding stuff back.

[Hardrada]

14. This is the Friday news dump then, isn't it?

Good news obscured by upcoming weekend and St. Pat's.

[hang a left]

15. Abramoff threatens, Justice responds (11 days ago)

Miami judge refuses to delay sentencing for lobbyist Abramoff

By VANESSA BLUM
sun-sentinel.com
Posted March 6 2006, 12:15 PM EST

MIAMI -- A federal judge on Monday refused to delay sentencing 90 days for disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff despite statements from government lawyers that sending Abramoff to prison could jeopardize his cooperation in ongoing criminal probes.

U.S. District Judge Paul Huck set sentencing for Abramoff and co-defendant Adam Kidan for March 29 but said he would probably not require an immediate surrender, allowing the men to remain free and available to assist investigators.

Abbe Lowell, Abramoff's Washington D.C.-based defense lawyer, warned Huck that he might be obligated at a sentencing hearing to reveal details of the government's pending investigations into the Capitol Hill lawmakers who did business with Abramoff.

"We will name names. We will provide the public with evidence of what is going on out there," Lowell said. "It seems to me that is not in the interest of law enforcement."

snip>

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-36abramoff,0,85533.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines

[0007]

18. Ah yes, Let's let it all hang out, 'eh Jack?

This is indeed good news.
What! Not a peep out of the White House?

[salin]

19. Guess ole Jack isn't feeling so loyal

to all of those who are now turning on him to cover their own *ss*s - and he wants to mitigate his own circumstances accordingly. For awhile it sounded as though he was staying somewhat tight lipped ala let them get what they have gotten (ala paper trail) but don't help out much.

Yet the fools in congress, esp the GOP leadership, have back peddaled on real lobbyist reform - banking on the public's short attention span.

It is going to be a very interesting political season.