WP: Mr. Abramoff's Plea (where's the ethics committee?)

[UpInArms]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/03/AR2006010301281.html

excerpt:

As outlined in the charges filed against Mr. Abramoff, he and Mr. Scanlon "provided a stream of things of value" to a member of Congress and his staff, "including but not limited to a lavish trip to Scotland to play golf on world-famous courses, tickets to sporting events and other entertainment, regular meals at defendant Abramoff's upscale restaurant, and campaign contributions for Representative #1, his political action committee, and other political committees on behalf of Representative #1." The public record makes clear that the unnamed representative is Rep. Robert W. Ney (R-Ohio), chairman of the House Administration Committee.

If the allegations are true, Mr. Ney ought to be not only ashamed but also embarrassed at how cheaply he and his staff could be bought. "In exchange for those things of value," the document dryly recites, the lobbyists obtained "agreements to support and pass legislation, agreements to place statements into the Congressional Record, meetings with defendant Abramoff's clients, and advancing the application of a client of defendant Abramoff for a license to install wireless telephone infrastructure in the House of Representatives."

Most of these details were already known. But Mr. Abramoff's cooperation -- he's been talking behind the scenes to prosecutors for months -- could expand prosecutors' knowledge about his entanglements with other officials. Notable among them are former House majority leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.), who took three overseas trips with Mr. Abramoff and received more than $70,000 from the lobbyist, his associates and tribal clients, and the former second-ranking official at the Interior Department, J. Steven Griles, the recipient of an Abramoff job offer and a target of numerous Abramoff-initiated lobbying contacts.

Mr. Abramoff's plea -- he agreed to pay $25 million in restitution and faces a lengthy prison term -- wouldn't have come about without enterprising journalism, the tenacity of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and the skilled efforts of federal prosecutors. But one player remains notable for its absence: the House ethics committee, which has been silent and, for most of the past year, dysfunctional. It is critical that the panel -- and its Senate counterpart, if appropriate -- rouse itself to deal with the scandal in its midst.

...more at link...

[Jawja]

1. Oh, but ethics

and the rule of law only apply to Democrats! Haven't you heard? :shrug:

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

2. Yes.. did the Ethics Committee EVER do anything about Cunningham, or

did they simply leave everything to Dept. of Justice and hope the whole thing went away?

The Cunningham case was HIGHLY obvious from the very beginning, when the stories about his home sale came out in the San Diego paper...