Tom Delay, MAY OR MAY COLYANDRO Questions About the Funneling of Corporate Money to Republican NOT BE Candidates; in the C.I.A

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Tom Delay, MAY OR MAY COLYANDRO Questions About the Funneling of Corporate Money to Republican NOT BE Candidates; in the C.I.A A Guide to the Abramoff and DeLay Investigations NXIETY in the halls of the Capitol undoubtedly rose with KEY the announcement that the well-connected lobbyist Jack Abramoff had pleaded guilty to conspiracy, fraud and INDICTED OR tax evasion. The agreement with prosecutors means PLEADED GUILTY that Mr. Abramoff may be a witness against former associatesA and political allies; at least a dozen are being UNDER y’s investigated for corruption. DeLa INVESTIGATION s to ees A separate plea deal in Florida, for a case involving fraud in the tion mmitt ibu n co . purchase of a cruise ship line, is also in the works. tr tio aides House on l ac his Republicans, with this year’s midterm elections on their minds, C ca by MONEY FLOWS liti ged continue to worry about the effects of several investigations aimed po na ma Corporations at some of Washington’s most powerful figures. There is much to keep track of: in the investigation of Mr. TRIPS TAKEN DeLay sought contributions. House Abramoff, accusations of influence peddling and improper dealings Ethics TO SCOTLAND, with Indian tribes, among other things; in the money-laundering WITH WHAT JOHN D. Committee and conspiracy charges against Representative Tom DeLay, MAY OR MAY COLYANDRO questions about the funneling of corporate money to Republican NOT BE candidates; in the C.I.A. leak case, the special counsel’s scrutiny of LAUNDERED conversations between White House officials and journalists. MONEY DELAY AIDE INDICTED Aside from Mr. Abramoff and his partners Michael Scanlon and Adam R. Kidan, the key figures in the investigations have denied WARREN Two wrongdoing. M. ROBOLD Legal ethics Here is a guide to the investigations’ constellation of characters and connections that include chums in the group College defense committee DELAY AIDE INDICTED Republicans — in the case of Mr. Abramoff and the conservative fund members In 2004, DeLay was activists Ralph Reed and Grover G. Norquist — and those in the REBUKED THREE TIMES and at least by ethics committee. highest ranks of government. Follow the arrows (which represent 78 other House money changing hands) and text for links between individuals. legislators have given JAMES Raised at least $151,500 BILL MARSH W. through Sept. and raised to the fund. DELAY AIDE INDICTED ELLIS $439,000 in 2004. w C a s o r p l Raised funds for each other. a o u r n a t TOM DELAY d e e r m e INDICTED Rep. d o n f Robert Ralph o e y . r n W. Ney Ney accepted campaign money, meals s t Scanlon is DeLay’s ex-spokesman. ig Reed t h a and a trip to Scotland from Abramoff a e p and lent support to his SunCruz deal; te p m r a he now says Abramoff misled him. R o c e s ’s p e y u cu e b to N Grover G. Political lic r o DeLay: Abramoff is “one of my closest and dearest friends.” a s t n s d 0 Norquist action c ay e 0 a t 0 n a , committees di n 2 da o 3 Former tes d $ lobbying . h partners ic h w , e ib tr a Texas DAVID H. g in state r SAFAVIAN o TRIBAL MONEY candidates v a f INDICTED l MICHAEL l i TRIBAL MONEY b SCANLON a Tom DeLay Business partners; shared d GUILTY e The former House majority leader r Ex-lobbying partners; Safavian o Childhood friends is accused of laundering corporate s ARRESTED, ACCUSED OF LYING n contributions and using them to finance o MILLIONS about contacts with Abramoff p s state Republican candidates in Texas. concerning a federal land deal. y DeLay and his aides deny the charges. e N Flanigan hired Abramoff to lobby for Tyco. In October, Flanigan withdrew Jack Abramoff his nomination for the second- Hired by Scanlon and Abramoff highest post in the Justice MORE THAN $80 MILLION The lobbyist and Republican fundraiser has David to run a shadow think tank from Department, in part because JACK ABRAMOFF entered a plea deal on charges of conspiracy, Grosh a beach house. Got scared, quit. of questions about Abramoff. fraud and tax evasion. His entanglements fall Indian PLEADED GUILTY into five general groups, shown at right: tribes Timothy E. Flanigan in INDIAN TRIBES He and a partner are accused of laundering millions from tribes for political efforts and personal enrichment. a senior lawyer other AbramoffPossibly divertedgroups.$1.5 MILLION to Flanigan is for Tyco. LOBBYISTS Tribes say their money went to Boulis sold Abramoff and Kidan groups run by the Republican activists Ralph his SunCruz Casino shipping Reed and Grover G. Norquist; Reed says he business, then quarrelled KON- bitterly with them. was unaware of the money’s origins, and STANTINOS ACCUSED OF FRAUD Flaniganmisled says him Abramoff and Tyco. Norquist has denied that payments influenced BOULIS his lobbying. Another former lobbying partner Sun- Abramoff and partner Kidan (SLAIN) Cruz both has been arrested and charged with lying the SunCruz deal with Boulis. sale Kidan has pleaded guilty. Grassroots Tyco about a federal land deal while he worked for $2 MILLION Interactive Int’l the General Services Administration, the ADAM R. federal property-management agency. KIDAN CHARGED WITH MURDER $250,000 GUILTY MEMBERS OF CONGRESS He has connections to JAMES Lobbying firm said DeLay and Rep. Robert W. Ney of Ohio and FIORILLO to be controlled by numerous other legislators and their staffers. Abramoff. CHARGED WITH MURDER SHIP DEAL Abramoff and a partner have been indicted on charges of fraud; the seller was ANTHONY CHARGED WITH MURDER later killed. MOSCA- TIELLO Abramoff and Kidan are not accused of involvement in the murder TYCO Abramoff is accused of laundering ANTHONY FERRARI of Boulis. Before the shipping line sale and the subsequent murder, money the troubled firm paid him for lobbying. Kidan had paid two of the accused for management of the fleet. Sources: New York Times archives, Judicial Watch, Project on Governement Oversight, PoliticalMoneyLine, The Washington Post (Ney), news reports The New York Times.
Recommended publications
  • Congress Amends LDA Forms to Require Reporting of Lobbyist Convictions
    Congress Amends LDA Forms to Require Reporting of Lobbyist Convictions April 8, 2019 Election and Political Law The recent passage of the Justice Against Corruption on K Street Act of 2018 (“JACK Act” or the “Act”) imposes new requirements on those registering and filing reports under the Lobbying Disclosure Act (“LDA”). The Act amends the LDA to require that LDA registrants disclose listed lobbyists’ convictions for criminal offenses involving bribery, extortion, embezzlement, illegal kickbacks, tax evasion, fraud, conflicts of interest, making a false statement, perjury, or money laundering. Background The JACK Act was inspired by Jack Abramoff, whose alleged corrupt lobbying activities placed him at the center of a political scandal that led to the conviction of more than twenty lobbyists, congressional aides, and politicians. Between 2006 and 2008, Abramoff himself was convicted of crimes including fraud, tax evasion, conspiracy to bribe public officials, and bribery of public officials. After serving four years in federal prison, Abramoff emerged as a purported political reformer, only to begin lobbying again. The Law Congress passed the JACK Act in response to Mr. Abramoff’s post-prison lobbying activities, in order to shed light on registered lobbyists with prior convictions. The Act specifically amends the LDA’s registration (form LD-1) and quarterly reporting (form LD-2) requirements to require registrants to report the date of conviction and a description of the offense “for any listed lobbyist who was convicted in a Federal or State court of an offense involving bribery, extortion, embezzlement, an illegal kickback, tax evasion, fraud, a conflict of interest, making a false statement, perjury, or money laundering.” Those who violate the JACK Act’s requirements are subject to the civil and criminal penalty provisions of the LDA.
    [Show full text]
  • Page 1 of 1 Law.Com: DOJ Keeps Pressure on Former Abramoff
    Law.com: DOJ Keeps Pressure on Former Abramoff Associate in Corruption Prosecution Page 1 of 1 Select 'Print' in your browser menu to print this document. Copyright 2010. ALM Media Properties, LLC. All rights reserved. Page printed from: http://www.law.com Back to Article DOJ Keeps Pressure on Former Abramoff Associate in Corruption Prosecution Mike Scarcella 07-07-2010 Just two weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court narrowed the scope of the honest services fraud laws, Justice Department attorneys Tuesday said they are pushing forward on the corruption prosecution of ex-lobbyist Kevin Ring, a former Jack Abramoff associate who is charged in a bribery scheme. At a hearing Tuesday in Washington federal district court, Public Integrity Section trial attorney Peter Koski said the high court's June 24 ruling in Skilling v. United States has "no impact whatsoever" on the prosecution of Ring. The Supreme Court in Skilling said the honest services law can reach only bribery and kickback schemes. Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle said she has a different take. The once wide-open honest service fraud statute "is not an unlimited category now," the judge said Tuesday. She said the "arena" today is different than when charges were first brought against Ring. There's a new definition of bribery and materiality, the judge said. Huvelle on Tuesday gave Ring's attorneys -- he is represented by a Miller & Chevalier team -- more time to file an amended motion for judgment of acquittal. Ring's trial last fall ended in a hung jury. Ring, a former lobbyist at Greenberg Traurig and then, later, at Barnes & Thornburg, could be retried this fall in the U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Federal Indian Law Newsletter Board William Wood Holland & Knight LLP Ed It O R in Ch I E F Dawn Baum Co N T R I B U Ti N G Ed It O R , Wa S H I N G T O N , D.C
    FEDERAL INDI AN LAW Newsletter of the Federal Bar Association Indian Law Section Summer 2009 Issue u u A WORD FROM T HE CHA I R Committee have been dis- cussing potential panel topics By Elizabeth Ann Kronk and speakers for the 2010 Greetings! As you may know, I have been serving as the acting Annual Conference. If you chair of our section for the past few months, as our section chair, have any ideas to share, please Allie Greenleaf Maldonado, recently gave birth to a beautiful send your feedback to the baby girl. Although we miss Allie’s leadership, we are all incred- Annual Conference chair, ibly happy for Allie and wish her and her family all the best. Prof. Kristin Carpenter, at [email protected]. D.C. Midyear Conference It has been a truly humbling experience to serve as your acting Congratulations To The chair even these past months as there is so much going on within Newsletter Committee! our section. Our section Midyear Conference co-chairs, Heather On Sept. 12, 2009, Fed- FBA PRESIDENT LA WRENCE BA C A Dawn Thompson and Katie Morgan, have put together what prom- eral Indian Law received the A ND EL IZ ab ETH KRON K A T THE FBA ises to be a stellar conference in Washington, D.C. We will return Outstanding Newsletter ANNU al MEETING A ND CONVENTION IN Okla HO ma CITY to the National Museum of the American Indian for the Midyear Award at the national FBA Conference, as it was an excellent venue last year.
    [Show full text]
  • Ex-Istook Aide Pleads Guilty to Corruption Charges −
    NEWSLETTER Ex-Istook Aide Pleads Guilty to Corruption Charges − July 2008 Authors A former aide to retired Rep. Ernest Istook pleaded guilty on June 2, − Robert L. Walker 2008, to a federal public corruption charge as part of the ongoing Of Counsel Jack Abramoff investigation. 202.719.7585 [email protected] John Albaugh, once Chief of Staff to then-Oklahoma Congressman Istook, admitted to accepting thousands of dollars' worth of tickets for sporting events, concert tickets, and free meals from an Abramoff colleague and his clients, according to the plea agreement as reported by the FBI. These gifts violated the House gift rules then in place, and Albaugh failed to report them on his annual financial disclosure forms. In exchange for these gifts, Albaugh admitted to taking official action as a staff member for the congressman on behalf of Abramoff's clients in the form of assistance with transportation appropriations requests. Albaugh's former boss was then Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, and Related Agencies. Albaugh also admitted to accepting catering and tickets to events that were not properly disclosed to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) as contributions to Congressman Istook's re-election campaign. In total, Albaugh admitted to accepting more than $4,000 worth of meals and event tickets from Abramoff and his associates. Albaugh has agreed to cooperate in the ongoing investigation of former lobbyist Jack Abramoff and others. Albaugh will be sentenced in September and faces up to five years in jail and a fine of $250,000. According to his plea agreement, Albaugh will cooperate with the investigation surrounding Abramoff wiley.law 1 Ex-Istook Aide Pleads Guilty to Corruption Charges and others.
    [Show full text]
  • Officers and Officials of the House
    OFFICERS AND OFFICIALS OF THE HOUSE OFFICE OF THE SPEAKER H–232 The Capitol, phone 225–0600, fax 226–1996 http://speaker.house.gov The Speaker.—J. Dennis Hastert. Chief of Staff.—Scott B. Palmer, H–228, The Capitol, 225–5555. Assistant to the Chief of Staff.—John Russell. Deputy Chief of Staff.—Michael Stokke, H–227, The Capitol, 225–0305. Chief Counsel.—Theodore Van Der Meid. Special Assistant.—Tim Kennedy. Director of Special Events.—Rachel Perry, H–419C, The Capitol, 225–0600. Staff Assistant (Room Reservations).—Courtney Franke. Staff Assistant.—Erin Mitchell. Policy Director.—Bill Hughes, 225–0510. Assistants to the Speaker for Policy.—Sally Canfield, Kevin Fromer, Kiki Kless, Bill Koetzle, Margaret Peterlin, Andy Tiongson, Chris Walker. Assistant to the Director of Policy.—Tripp Guess. Staff Assistant.—Ja’Ron Smith. Director of Speaker Operations.—Samuel Lancaster, H–232, The Capitol, 225–6398. Executive Assistant.—Kathleen O’Connor. Executive Staff Assistant.—Luke Hatzis. Scheduler.—Helen Morrell, H–229, The Capitol, 225–2774. Assistant Scheduler.—Chris Stottman. SPEAKER’S PRESS OFFICE H–326 The Capitol, phone 225–2800 Communications Director.—Ron Bonjean. Assistant to the Speaker for Communications and Outreach.—Charles Chamberlayne. Speechwriter.—Larry Farnsworth. SPEAKER’S FLOOR OFFICE H–210 The Capitol, phone 225–2204 Senior Floor Director.—Seth Webb. Floor Assistants: Dave Bellis, Karen Haas, Jay Pierson. OFFICE OF THE MAJORITY LEADER H–107 The Capitol, phone 225–4000, fax 225–5117 Majority Leader.—Tom DeLay. Chief of Staff.—Tim Berry. Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff.—Elizabeth Pauls. Deputy Chief of Staff.—Dan Flynn. Policy Director.—Brett Shogren.
    [Show full text]
  • USSS) Director's Monthly Briefings 2006 - 2007
    Description of document: United States Secret Service (USSS) Director's Monthly Briefings 2006 - 2007 Requested date: 15-October-2007 Appealed date: 29-January-2010 Released date: 23-January-2010 Appeal response: 12-April-2010 Posted date: 19-March-2010 Update posted: 19-April-2010 Date/date range of document: January 2006 – December 2007 Source of document: United States Secret Service Communications Center (FOI/PA) 245 Murray Lane Building T-5 Washington, D.C. 20223 Note: Appeal response letter and additional material released under appeal appended to end of this file. The governmentattic.org web site (“the site”) is noncommercial and free to the public. The site and materials made available on the site, such as this file, are for reference only. The governmentattic.org web site and its principals have made every effort to make this information as complete and as accurate as possible, however, there may be mistakes and omissions, both typographical and in content. The governmentattic.org web site and its principals shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused, or alleged to have been caused, directly or indirectly, by the information provided on the governmentattic.org web site or in this file. The public records published on the site were obtained from government agencies using proper legal channels. Each document is identified as to the source. Any concerns about the contents of the site should be directed to the agency originating the document in question. GovernmentAttic.org is not responsible for the contents of documents published on the website.
    [Show full text]
  • Feingold Says Hard Work Is Key to Political Landscape Change New
    In This Issue: Supporting Vets........4 Feingold......................1 Supporting Troops ..4 New Poll Shows Kirk Can Be Beat in ‘06 New Poll....................1 Barton Bill ................5 by John Hmurovic Obama ........................2 IWIL ............................6 Truth Hurts ................3 Calendar ....................7 After two elections in which he received over 60 percent of the vote, no one denies that Republican Congressman Mark Kirk is a formidable candidate in a district that was drawn to make his seat in Congress For information or to volunteer call: safer. But a new poll conducted by the Washington, D.C. polling firm 847.266.VOTE (8683) Penn, Schoen and Berland shows that despite his past performance Or write to: and the advantages of incumbency, Mark Kirk is vulnerable in 2006 and Lauren Beth Gash, Chair, Tenth Dems PO Box 523, Deerfield, IL 60015 can be defeated by a strong Democratic candidate. Visit the website: www.tenthdems.org Kirk receives a high favorability rating from 10th District residents, but Newsletter: [email protected] once they begin to hear the details of how Kirk voted in Congress (see Editor John Hmurovic “When the Truth Is Told” on page 3), his support drops. It drops even Editorial Staff Lauren Beth Gash, Ellen more when they hear about some of the prospective Democratic Gill, Paul Kelly, Leslie Lipschultz, Ross candidates lining up to oppose him in 2006. Nickow, Mark Paul, George Rosenblit, Ben Kirk is being hurt by two factors: the sinking popularity of fellow-Republican, President George W. Struhl, Ron Weiner Bush; and by his own votes on a variety of issues.
    [Show full text]
  • New York's Political Resurgence
    April 8, 2015 New York’s political resurgence by JOSHUA SPIVAK New York, once a center of America's political world, long ago fell on hard times. Where the state was once practically guaranteed a slot on at least one of the presidential tickets, it has been many years since a New Yorker was a real contender for the presidency. And the record in Congress has been even worse — there the state always underperformed. But that may all be changing in a hurry. Former Senator Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) is the overwhelming favorite for the Democratic presidential nomination and now, thanks to the retirement of Sen. Harry Reid, (D-Nev.), Sen. Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) is the likely next Democratic Leader in the Senate. For the first time in decades, the Empire State may be a state on the political rise. Schumer’s ascension may be the biggest break with history. For the better part of a century, New York was the presidential incubator. But the state has never been particularly successful in Congress. No New Yorker has ever served as Senate Majority or Minority Leader. It had one Minority Whip — the first one ever, back in 1915. Since then, no other New Yorker has served in the top two positions in the upper chamber. New Yorkers haven’t exactly grabbed the reigns in the House either — the state has only elected two Speakers of the House — the last one, Theodore Pomeroy, left office in 1869. Even the lower leadership positions have been bereft of New Yorkers. The state has provided one House Majority Leader — the very first one, Sereno Payne.
    [Show full text]
  • Nomination Hearing for Deputy Secretary of Labor and Members of the National Labor Relations Board
    S. HRG. 115–374 NOMINATION HEARING FOR DEPUTY SECRETARY OF LABOR AND MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD HEARING OF THE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, EDUCATION, LABOR, AND PENSIONS UNITED STATES SENATE ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION ON NOMINATION FOR DEPUTY SECRETARY OF LABOR AND MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD JULY 13, 2017 Printed for the use of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.govinfo.gov U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 26–334 PDF WASHINGTON : 2018 VerDate Nov 24 2008 13:04 Nov 19, 2018 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 S:\DOCS\26334.TXT CAROL HELPN-004 with DISTILLER COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, EDUCATION, LABOR, AND PENSIONS LAMAR ALEXANDER, Tennessee, Chairman MICHAEL B. ENZI, Wyoming PATTY MURRAY, Washington RICHARD BURR, North Carolina BERNARD SANDERS (I), Vermont JOHNNY ISAKSON, Georgia ROBERT P. CASEY, JR., Pennsylvania RAND PAUL, Kentucky AL FRANKEN, Minnesota SUSAN M. COLLINS, Maine MICHAEL F. BENNET, Colorado BILL CASSIDY, M.D., Louisiana SHELDON WHITEHOUSE, Rhode Island TODD YOUNG, Indiana TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin ORRIN G. HATCH, Utah CHRISTOPHER S. MURPHY, Connecticut PAT ROBERTS, Kansas ELIZABETH WARREN, Massachusetts LISA MURKOWSKI, Alaska TIM KAINE, Virginia TIM SCOTT, South Carolina MAGGIE HASSAN, New Hampshire DAVID P. CLEARY, Republican Staff Director LINDSEY WARD SEIDMAN, Republican Deputy Staff Director EVAN SCHATZ, Minority Staff Director JOHN RIGHTER, Minority Deputy Staff Director (II) VerDate Nov 24 2008 13:04 Nov 19, 2018 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 0486 Sfmt 0486 S:\DOCS\26334.TXT CAROL HELPN-004 with DISTILLER CONTENTS STATEMENTS THURSDAY, JULY 13, 2017 Page COMMITTEE MEMBERS Alexander, Hon.
    [Show full text]
  • 106Th Congpicdir Texas
    TEXAS Sen. Phil Gramm Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison of College Station of Dallas Republican—Jan. 3, 1985 Republican—June 5, 1993 Max Sandlin Jim Turner of Marshall (1st District) of Crockett (2d District) Democrat—2d term Democrat—2d term 127 TEXAS Sam Johnson Ralph M. Hall of Dallas (3d District) of Rockwall (4th District) Republican—5th term Democrat—10th term Pete Sessions Joe Barton of Dallas (5th District) of Ennis (6th District) Republican—2d term Republican—8th term 128 TEXAS Bill Archer Kevin Brady of Houston (7th District) of The Woodlands (8th District) Republican—15th term Republican—2d term Nick Lampson Lloyd Doggett of Beaumont (9th District) of Austin (10th District) Democrat—2d term Democrat—3d term 129 TEXAS Chet Edwards Kay Granger of Waco (11th District) of Fort Worth (12th District) Democrat—5th term Republican—2d term William (Mac) Thornberry Ron Paul of Clarendon (13th District) of Surfside Beach (14th District) Republican—3d term Republican—6th term* 130 TEXAS Rubén Hinojosa Silvestre Reyes of Mercedes (15th District) of El Paso (16th District) Democrat—2d term Democrat—2d term Charles W. Stenholm Sheila Jackson Lee of Abilene (17th District) of Houston (18th District) Democrat—11th term Democrat—3d term 131 TEXAS Larry Combest Charles A. Gonzalez of Lubbock (19th District) of San Antonio (20th District) Republican—8th term Democrat—1st term Lamar S. Smith Tom DeLay of San Antonio (21st District) of Sugar Land (22d District) Republican—7th term Republican—8th term 132 TEXAS Henry Bonilla Martin Frost of San Antonio (23d District) of Dallas (24th District) Republican—4th term Democrat—11th term Kenneth F.
    [Show full text]
  • January 1, 2021 the Honorable Nancy Pelosi Speaker 1236
    January 1, 2021 The Honorable Nancy Pelosi The Honorable Kevin McCarthy Speaker Minority Leader 1236 Longworth House Office Building 2468 Rayburn House Office Building U.S. House of Representatives U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20515 Dear Speaker Pelosi and Minority Leader McCarthy: We write today in support of the existing Capitol Police Board regulations that have helped protect Members for more than 50 years and ask that you not include any provisions in the House Rules package that attempt to alter these protections. Currently, Members of Congress are allowed to carry firearms within the U.S. Capitol Complex as a result of U.S. Capitol Police Board’s regulations and 40 U.S.C. § 5104. The current regulations allowing Members of Congress to carry have helped protect these Members and their Second Amendment rights since 1967. There are substantial precedents for this type of regulation throughout the U.S. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, more than two dozen states allow guns in capitol buildings. Of those states, “nine permit ‘open carry,’ 13 allow firearms owners with permits to carry and four allow legislators or legislative staff to carry in the capitol.’” Washington, D.C. has a violent crime problem and D.C.'s violent crime rate is 158% higher than the national average. In 2020 alone, there have been more than 180 homicides, more than 1,500 assaults with a deadly weapon, and more than 1,800 robberies. Furthermore, there is a history of violent attacks on Members of Congress and Capitol Police.
    [Show full text]
  • The Jack Abramoff Story
    In It to Win: The Jack Abramoff Story This 25-minute documentary draws from footage shot at The University of Texas at Austin when former lobbyist and convicted felon Jack Abramoff visited to talk about his life, politics, prison, and corrupt lobbying in Washington, D.C. During the Bush Administration, Abramoff was the most influential lobbyist in Washington, D.C. He was also at the center of one of the most significant political scandals since Watergate. His excesses led to his downfall and that of Congress members with whom he was closely connected, including aides, business associates, government officials, and lawmakers. As a video case, In It to Win: The Jack Abramoff Story includes the documentary, six short videos that each focus on a behavioral ethics bias as illustrated by Abramoff’s story, and a written case study. The documentary can be used on its own to stimulate discussion about ethical issues and lapses, or used with its supporting materials to supplement topics taught in disciplines such as government, business, and economics. The video case is also appropriate for courses such as American studies, history, political science, law, journalism, communications, film, and psychology. The main objective of the video case is to illustrate how well intentioned people can make serious ethical errors—and even commit crimes—if they are not careful. It exposes personal and systemic ethical concerns in government and business, and explores the responsibility of the individual to organizations and communities. It also looks at the relationship between law and ethics, issues of power and privilege, and above all, the potential pitfalls any ambitious person faces when operating within a hyper-competitive environment.
    [Show full text]