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Scottish Tories helped to convict US lobbyist Abramoff: Word is, that "evidence from Conservative MSPs helped to bring down Jack Abramoff, the American lobbyist on corruption charges." Read more.
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British lawyers linked to $1m payment for favours at US Congress
Philip Sherwell and David Harrison report that a "British law firm is at the centre of the investigation into America's biggest influence-buying scandal in decades.
The London-based solicitors, James & Sarch, channelled $1 million (£565,000) into a conservative United States pressure group linked to Jack Abramoff, the disgraced lobbyist.
The firm, which was dissolved in 2000, made the payment by a single cheque in June 1998 to the US Family Network, a now-defunct organisation that had close ties to the embattled Republican Congressman, Tom DeLay, and was largely funded by groups associated with Abramoff.
The revelations that the $1 million is thought to have originated from Russian oil and gas executives seeking to shape US legislation have fuelled pressure for a shake-up in the Republican leadership in Congress." Read more.
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Lobbyist's Work for Publishers of Magazines Under Scrutiny: Katharine Q. Seelye of the New York Times writes: "The press has spilled plenty of ink writing about Jack Abramoff, the powerful Washington lobbyist at the center of an extensive corruption scandal. But little noticed is that among Mr. Abramoff's many clients was the press itself, at least part of it. In 2000, he represented the Magazine Publishers...." Read more.
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In "Lobby Firm Is Scandal Casualty", Jeffrey H. Bimbaum and James V. Grimaldi of the Washington Post write: "One of Washington's top lobbying operations will shut down at the end of the month because of its ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and former House majority leader Tom DeLay.
Alexander Strategy Group, which had thrived since its founding in 1998 thanks largely to its close connections to DeLay (R-Tex.), will cease to operate except for a relatively small business-development division, Edwin A. Buckham, the former top DeLay aide who owns the company, said yesterday." Read more.
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Meanwhile, insinuations about Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid's relationship with Jack Abramoff have surfaced. Two days after an Associated Press report ignored crucial details that undermine a link between Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) and disgraced Republican lobbyist, a follow-up AP article on Saturday misrepresented new evidence, which the AP suggested provides further confirmation of such a link but, in fact, casts additional doubt on whether such a link exists.
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Washington Post writers Jonathan Weisman and Charles R. Babcock in "K Street's New Ways Spawn More Pork" report: "An explosion of special interest funding engineered in part by lawmakers with close ties to lobbyists is drawing increased scrutiny as Congress moves to address concern about corruption. At issue is a symbiotic relationship between lawmakers well positioned to slip special-interest projects into legislation, and wealthy lobbying groups that raise large sums of campaign funds or provide trips and other benefits to those lawmakers." Read more.
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Further reading:
Think Progress � Boehner: It's All About The Hamiltons Baby! - thinkprogress.orgt r u t h o u t - Ron Paul | Recurring, Constant, and Pervasive Corruption
t r u t h o u t - Earle Subpoenas Former DeLay Campaign Aide
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