House Democratic Leader Pelosi Urges Investigation of Republicans Linked to Lobbyist Abramoff
By JIM ABRAMS
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON - House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi on Thursday said Republicans had created "one of the most closed, corrupt congresses in history" and urged the House ethics committee to investigate GOP lawmakers linked to lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
"It's hard for the American people to understand how corrupt it is here," the California Democrat said at a news conference.
In a letter to House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., Pelosi said Democrats expect the ethics committee to look into the "alleged violations of criminal laws and the rules of the House" by former Majority Leader Tom Delay, R-Texas, and three other Republicans with ties to Abramoff Bob Ney of Ohio and Californians Richard Pombo and John Doolittle.
Abramoff has pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy, tax evasion and mail fraud charges for his influence-peddling activities, but so far no member of Congress has been indicted.
Pelosi's letter did not ask the ethics committee to investigate an unrelated case involving Democratic Rep. William Jefferson of Louisiana.
A former aide to Jefferson, in pleading guilty to aiding and abetting bribery of a public official, said Jefferson had demanded bribes for promoting business opportunities in Africa, according to court documents filed Wednesday.
Pelosi didn't comment on the Jefferson case, but stressed that "we have said all along that, Democrat or Republican, anyone who doesn't follow the rules or the law has to be held accountable. That's the difference between us."
Hastert's spokesman, Ron Bonjean, said it was "hypocritical for Leader Pelosi to throw mud" when a fundraising committee run by the Democratic leader had been fined last year for improperly accepting donations over federal limits.
He said Republicans hope Pelosi "will stop playing politics and will support our comprehensive lobbying effort that will help change the way work is done in Washington."
Hastert has asked Rules Committee Chairman David Dreier, R-Calif., to craft lobbying ethics legislation to address some of the abuses that led to the Abramoff scandal. One idea they have proposed is to bar lawmakers from accepting any privately funded trips.
Pelosi said she welcomed that proposal, "but that's only the beginning." Legislators from both parties have recommended tougher rules on accepting gifts and lengthening the period between when a lawmaker retires and can accept a job as a lobbyist.
She added that "if we are ever really going to have real change here, we must kill the K Street Project." That initiative, spearheaded by DeLay, pressured lobbying firms to hire only Republicans and direct money to Republican causes.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Copyright © 2006 ABC News Internet Ventures
Contributors
Links
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Blog Archive
-
▼
2006
(1766)
-
▼
January
(93)
- Aide: Reagan Warned Before Beirut Blast
- As Usual, What Digby Said
- The case for impeachment
- The Myth of the American Political "Center" and th...
- Spies, Lies and Wiretaps
- Mike Huckabee Lost 110 Pounds. Ask Him How.
- The truth about The State Of Our Union
- Mr. Abramoff's Meetings, Again
- Feinstein: I'll back the filibuster after all
- Fw: Driven by Fear or Governed by Law?- FCNL
- Filibuster Now! Alito Is Un-American
- Murtha Says Iraq Is Now A "Civil War"
- Fw: Filibuster
- Senators in Need of A Spine
- Kerry to push for Alito filibuster
- How do you like your democracy now, Mr. Bush?
- Reid: Bush Has Made America Less Safe
- Bush Was Also Warned Before 9/11
- Gore Said What Needed To Be Said
- Impeachment hearings: The White House prepares for...
- Bush's PR Blitz Fizzles Under The Facts
- I ... Can't ... Take It ... Anymore
- Banking on the 'bank shot'
- Fw: Patriot Act: Call Your Members of Congress thi...
- Halliburton Cited In Iraq Contamination
- College Funds or Yacht Funds?
- My Right to Roe
- Activists seek to seize Souter's home
- Sounds like the ol' Kenny-boy line to me.....
- Sweet Victory: Progressive Caucuses Sweep the States
- Judge Alito's Radical Views
- Samuel Alito and CAP
- Truthiness 101: From Frey to Alito - New York Time...
- Goodbye, Democracy...Or Who Loves Ya, Ohio?
- Why America Has to Be Fat
- A tip for the cowardly press corps
- U.S. Obtains Internet Users' Search Records
- Could there still be a filibuster in Alito's future?
- Liberals haven't failed to capture Bin Laden
- K Street
- Hardball Scandal: Bin Laden=Michael Moore
- Google resists U.S. subpoena of search data
- Breaking Ranks
- Newt's New Con
- Right Smears Veteran Murtha Without A Qualm
- Bush turns coward against the Brady Bunch of Evil ...
- Strange Bedfellows v. Bush and Cheney
- Al Gore, Hillary Clinton and the GOP blow-back
- Iran issues stark warning on oil price
- Sen. Clinton slams Bush administration
- 10 Things Martin Luther King Would Have Done About...
- Text of Gore speech
- Judicial Gag Rule - New York TimesThe New York Tim...
- "Those Who Would Give Up Liberty For Security Dese...
- Glum Democrats Can't See Halting Bush on Courts - ...
- The Imperial Presidency at Work
- Bush Authorized Domestic Spying Before 9/11
- Who made her cry?
- The President Is Not Entitled To His Nominee
- Shifting the Burden
- Pelosi Wants Probe of "Corrupt Congress"
- Elizabeth Holtzman-from Nixon to Bush & the Case F...
- Alito and his coaches
- Attention, Medicare Shoppers . . . - New York Time...
- Alito falters on CAP
- Alito's "Open Mind"
- Alito hearings
- Alito hearings
- Alito hearings
- Alito hearings
- Alito hearings
- NSA Whistleblower Alleges Illegal Spying
- Personal: EPIC vs MedicareRX
- From Alito, a dodge on the details
- Cost of Iraq war could top $2 trillion - study
- Dean / Blitzer on Late Edition
- The Case Against Alito
- The Pentagon As FEMA or Bush IS the Anti-Christ
- But the President Insists That It's Legal; He's Ju...
- Among the myths and lies that get flattened . . .
- Noam Chomsky: A Tale of Two Quagmires
- Need Medicaid? Show Your Passport - New York Times...
- Bush Ignored Explicit Warnings In 2002 About Mine ...
- Debunking Bush's NSA Lies: A Handy Pocket Guide
- Iran in the Crosshairs
- For Principles or Profit?
- January 2, 2006"Old Half-Witted Sheep"A New York T...
- Student Punished for Refusing to Stand for the Ple...
- Bush's Macho Swagger is Back. But for How Long?
- Eat The Poor
- The Bush Family Coup
- social secuity
- George W. Bush as the New Richard Nixon
-
▼
January
(93)
No comments:
Post a Comment