You can tell quite a bit about people by the friends they keep. Particularly if those friends are connected to fraud and gangland-style executions.
Jack Abramoff, once the most powerful influence broker in Washington, recently pled guilty on counts of tax evasion, conspiracy, and fraud. The fraud charges related to the bilking of the Native American tribes he represented out of millions of dollars. As part of his plea, he is helping the Justice Department in the investigation of dozens of congressmen in what could be the largest bribe and corruption scandal in American history.
Disturbingly enough, this was one of Abramoff’s more respectable business relationships. The former owner of SunCruz Casinos was found dead after the relationship between himself and SunCruz’s new owners, Abramoff and his business partner, went sour. Three mobsters arrested for the murder admit to receiving money from Abramoff’s partner, literally making this deal one of Abramoff’s greatest hits. Abramoff also illegally paid for vacations taken by the House Majority Leader to the island of Saipan in exchange for blocking legislation that would halt sweatshop conditions in that same country—legislation that included the elimination of factory policies that forced female workers to get abortions.
Clearly, Jack Abramoff makes Gordon Gekko look like Gandhi. Now the big question: Who the hell would want to associate with him?
Easy. The Republican Party.
Abramoff was the head of the College Republican National Committee for four years. He was an important player in the K Street effort to use Republican lobbyists to expand the power of the Republican Party. The House Majority Leader whom Abramoff bribed to block labor laws was Republican Tom DeLay, who is currently under indictment for unrelated conspiracy charges. All of Abramoff’s personal campaign donations have been to Republicans. Investigations indicate his tribal clients drastically increased their donations to Republicans on his urging. He raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for President Bush’s political campaigns. The White House refuses to release pictures of President Bush’s is meeting with Abramoff, who was handpicked as part of Bush’s Transition Advisory Team in 2001.
Abramoff was undeniably a key member of the Republican machine. It cannot be honestly argued that both political parties are equally guilty of these crimes. There has been no equivalent to this Republican achievement in institutionalized corruption in America’s history, let alone in its modern politics.
As long as it has friends like Abramoff, who needs the actual party?
