Ever notice how politicians are always going to "clean up Washington" and yet it seems more corrupt every year?
Remember that whole White Water thing? No one could explain what it was, the Clinton's were never really charged with anything, but that Ken Star guy just never went away, year after year after year... And then there was that whole Republican revolution, Contract with America, and the idea that Republicans like Newt Gingrich were going to "clean up" corruption in Washington. Ahh the good old days...
The Valerie Plame thing has quieted down again but the new trial to watch is this Abramoff guy. Will anyone actually get punished for corruption in the nation's Capitol? After being slapped several times by the Ethics Committee, will Republican leader DeLay get convicted of something? How long will our government sit around doing nothing in the hope that DeLay can return to Washington and get back to "the people's business"?
Time will tell.
Federal Influence-Peddling Inquiry
Casts Wider Net
Four Lawmakers' Dealings With Lobbyist Are Studied; Low Threshold for Bribery?
November 25, 2005
WASHINGTON -- A Justice Department investigation into possible influence-peddling by prominent Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff is examining his dealings with four lawmakers, more than a dozen current and former congressional aides and two former Bush administration officials, according to lawyers and others involved in the case.
Investigators want to know whether Mr. Abramoff and his lobbying firm partners made illegal payoffs to lawmakers and aides in the form of campaign contributions, sports tickets, meals, travel and job offers, in exchange for helping their clients.
The Justice Department's probe is far broader than previously thought. Though it remains smaller than the congressional influence-peddling scandals of the 1970s, its focus on prominent Republicans raises the risk of serious embarrassment to the party before next year's congressional elections. Those involved in Mr. Abramoff's case say that the Justice Department investigation could take years to complete.
