DNC: Sen. McCain Cuts and Runs From Abramoff Scandal

DNC: Sen. McCain Cuts and Runs From Abramoff Scandal, Takes American People for Another Ride on His Double-Talk Express

7 minutes ago
To: National Desk

Contact: Stacie Paxton or Mark Paustenbach of the DNC, 202-863-8148

WASHINGTON, June 22 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The Democratic National Committee released the following today regarding Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record):

Today, John McCain sidestepped an opportunity to restore America's confidence in the Republican-controlled Congress plagued by continuing scandal. Sen. McCain delivered a voluminous 357-page report detailing the extensive corruption which enabled Jack Abramoff and his associates to bilk tens of millions of dollars from Indian tribes through a complex pay-to-play scheme. But McCain, who is afraid of angering the GOP supporters he needs to win his party's nomination in 2008, failed to include any meaningful mention of his Republican colleagues embroiled in Abramoff's pay-to play scandal from the final report.

"John McCain's doubletalk on Congressional ethics demonstrates the lengths to which he is willing to go in order to maintain good relationships with Republican power brokers as he eyes 2008," said Democratic National Committee Spokesperson Stacie Paxton. "John McCain promised he would lead the fight to end Republican corruption in the Capitol and bring meaningful reform to Congress. By letting his corrupt colleagues off the hook, this report shows that McCain is as much a part of the Republican culture of corruption as those who took Abramoff's dirty money."

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-- McCain's Doubletalk on Ethics Reform

Doubletalk: McCain Said One Word Described Need for Lobby Reforms: "Abramoff."

McCain, separate from most others who called the Abramoff practices unique and not the norm, said it was the way business is done is Washington. McCain also placed the blame on Abramoff, not the members who worked with him. In calling for increased transparency to lobbying activity, McCain said that the dealings between lobbyists and congressman had become "unfortunately, the ordinary way of doing business in this town." McCain reasoned that lobbyist Abramoff illustrated the need for reforms, saying, "It's obvious why it's needed. One word: Abramoff." (USA Today, 1/10/06)

McCain Was Soft on Lobby Reforms While Strengthening K Street Fundraising Efforts.

"McCain's usual allies say he could have done more to strengthen what they consider a generally disappointing (lobbying) reform bill. At the same time, lobbyists say that McCain has been reaching out to K Street to strengthen his national fundraising network. While McCain's efforts to court Bush contributors around the country have been reported, his efforts inside the Beltway have been overlooked." (The Hill, 3/8/06; San Francisco Chronicle, 1/18/06)

Doubletalk: McCain Criticized the Senate for Not Voting for an Independent Ethics Review Panel, Urged the Senate to Address Ethics.

During debate on the need for an independent Office of Public Integrity to investigate allegations of misconduct in Congress spurred by the Abramoff investigation, McCain said, "If we don't do this, what are we going to do to try to restore some of the confidence that the American people have clearly lost in us?" McCain, stressed the need to "restore the confidence of the American people in the way (the Senate) do(es) business," and urged his colleagues to support an independent Office of Public Integrity to recommend matters to the Senate Ethics Committee. McCain asked his colleagues. "Shouldn't we do what we can to help fix either a real or imagined problem?" (Philadelphia Inquirer, 3/29/06; Pittsburgh Post-Gezette, 3/29/06)

McCain Voted Against Bipartisan Lobbying Reform Bill, Saying That It Was Too Weak, but Rejected More Robust Lobbying Reform Bill.

McCain voted against the Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act of 2006, which passed 92-8, claiming that it was too "weak." However, when Sen. Feingold asked McCain to support a bill with "more robust disclosure of lobbyists' activities," McCain "had considered the idea, but viewed it as 'too onerous' on the lobbying community." (San Francisco Chronicle, 1/18/06; 109th Congress, S. 2349, Vote #82, 3/29/06; New York Times, 3/30/06)

Doubletalk: McCain Says No Need for New Lobbying Laws Following Abramoff Scandal.

The Indian Affairs Committee, chaired by Sen. McCain, declared "No new or revised federal legislation needed" in the aftermath of the Abramoff scandal. The report declared that "Without doubt, the depth and breadth of (Abramoff's and Scanlon's) misconduct was astonishing," but "the Committee concludes that existing federal criminal statutes are sufficient to deter and punish such misconduct," as evidenced by the guilty pleas obtained from the two. ("Gimme Five" -- Investigation of Tribal Lobbying Matters, Final Report, Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, 6/22/06)

-- McCain Cut and Ran Away From Real Investigation of His Colleagues

McCain's Report Made No Recommendations to the Ethics Committee and Referred Further Matters to the Finance Committee Alone.

In section "E" of the recommendations made in the Final Report of the investigation of tribal lobbying matters, referrals to other committees, McCain's committee advised only that the Senate Committee on Finance investigate the possible IRS violations of tax exempt organizations, and made no mention of further investigations into members of Congress by the ethics committees. McCain previously "has insisted that the ethical behaviors of fellow members of Congress is not the jurisdiction of the Indian Affairs Committee he oversees but more the business of the Senate and House ethics committees," but did not refer any actions to the attention of the committees. ("Gimme Five" -- Investigation of Tribal Lobbying Matters, Final Report, Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, 6/22/06; Arizona Republic, 6/22/06)

McCain's Investigation Ignored Congressional Republicans Even Though He Acknowledged They Bore Responsibility in the Lobbying Scandal.

McCain acknowledged that members were responsible for their conduct in Congress surrounding the lobbying scandal, saying, "(W)e should not forget that we, as Members, owe it to the American people to conduct ourselves in a way that reinforces, rather than diminishes, the public's faith and confidence in Congress." But during his investigation, McCain stated that his investigation would not include the legislative actions taken by Members of Congress saying, "We stop when we find out where the money went." The AP reported that, "The intervention by congressional Republicans ... was all but ignored in recent hearings on Capitol Hill led by (McCain) that examined Abramoff's lobbying inside Interior. (Sen. McCain, CQ Transcriptions, 1/25/06; Roll Call, 3/10/05; AP, 11/17/05)

-- McCain Omitted Speaker Hastert, Roy Blunt and John Doolittle From Final Report

Hastert, Blunt, Doolittle Were Omitted In Final Abramoff Report.

Denny Hastert, Roy Blunt and John Doolittle did not appear in the Final Report on the Jack Abramoff scandal written by McCain's Committee on Indian Affairs. ("Gimme Five" -- Investigation of Tribal Lobbying Matters, Final Report, Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, 6/22/06)

-- Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.)

Hastert Signed Letter to Norton on Gaming Issue.

In June 2003, a letter authored by House Speaker Dennis Hastert co-signed by Majority Leader Tom DeLay, Majority Whip Roy Blunt and Deputy Whip Eric I. Cantor and sent to Interior Secretary Gale A. Norton, said the House leaders opposed a plan by the Jena Band of Choctaw Indians to open a casino at a non- reservation site, expected at the time to be outside Shreveport, La., not far from a casino owned by the Coushattas. Approving the Jena application or others like it would "run counter to congressional intent," Hastert's June 10, 2003, letter warned Norton. (Washington Post, 9/28/04; AP 11/16/05)

Letter Was Very Unusual.

"V. Heather Sibbison, a lobbyist at the time for the Jena Band, said: 'I do this for a living, and I have never seen a letter like that before. It was incredibly unusual for that group of people, who do not normally weigh in on Indian issues, to express such a strong opinion about a particular project not in any of their home states.'" (Washington Post, 9/28/04)

Hastert Received $118,500 From Abramoff's Tribal Clients.

Hastert received $118,500 from Abramoff, his lobbying partners and tribal clients between 2001 and 2004, including $21,500 during the period in which the letter was sent. (AP 11/17/05)

-- Rep. Roy Blunt (news, bio, voting record) (R-Mo.)

Blunt Intervened Three Times on Behalf of Abramoff Clients, Received $41,000 From Tribes.

House Majority Leader Roy Blunt, a Missouri Republican, signed three letters to Norton. Blunt received $41,000 from Abramoff, his lobbying partners and tribal clients between 2001 and 2004, including $25,000 during the period in which the letter was sent. He also used Abramoff's restaurant for a fundraiser or other event. (AP, 11/17/05)

-- Rep. John Doolittle (news, bio, voting record) (R-Calif.)

Doolittle Signed Letter to Norton on Behalf of Coushattas, Got $51,000 From Tribes, and Used Abramoff Restaurant for Fundraiser.

From 2001 to 2004, John Doolittle received a total of $51,000 from tribes that were Abramoff clients, including the Saginaw Chippewa, the Lousiana Coushatta, the Mississippi Choctaw and Agua Caliente. He received $1,000 from Abramoff several weeks before he signed the group letter on Feb. 27, 2002, then got $16,000 from two of Abramoff's casino-operating tribal clients about two months later. By year's end, Doolittle also had used Abramoff's restaurant to cater a campaign event and received another $15,000 from tribes. (AP, 11/17/05; http://tray.com)

-- McCain Omitted Conrad Burns and David Vitter From Final Report

Burns and Vitter Omitted in Final Abramoff Report.

Conrad Burns and David Vitter did not appear in the Final Report on the Jack Abramoff scandal written by McCain's Committee on Indian Affairs. ("Gimme Five" -- Investigation of Tribal Lobbying Matters, Final Report, Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, 6/22/06)

-- Sen. Conrad Burns (news, bio, voting record) (R-Mont.)

Burns Pushed Interior Department to Build School for Wealthy Indian Tribe and Abramoff Client.

In 2004, Conrad Burns, whose Committee oversees the budget of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, pressured the Department of Interior to award the Saginaw Chippewas of Michigan $3 million from a program that was designed to fund schools for cash strapped American Indian tribes. The Saginaw Chippewas were considered one of the richest in the United States, operating a casino outside of Detroit and paying its members $70,000 in casino profits. Burns was chairman of the Interior Appropriations subcommittee which gave him the power to control funding for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, making him a valuable asset for Abramoff. (AP, 3/1/05; tray.com)

Burns Received Thousands in Political Contributions From Abramoff Clients.

The Montana Democratic Party has called for the Senate to investigate whether Burns violated ethics by supporting a $3 million federal grant to a wealthy Michigan Indian tribe that was a client of Jack Abramoff. Abramoff and clients have given $137,000 to Burns' political action committee over the years. (Great Falls Tribune, 4/24/05, Washington Post, 9/1/05)

Tribes Made Donations at Abramoff's Recommendation.

At Abramoff's recommendation, three tribes made contributions totaling $67,000 to Burns' political committees in spring 2002. A year earlier, Abramoff himself gave $5,000 and a fourth tribe contributed $30,000. In all, Burns' committees received $137,000 from 2000 to 2003. (Arizona Republic, 3/7/05, http://tray.com)

Abramoff Provided 42 Percent of Contributions to Burns' PAC.

The biggest donors were the Mississippi Band of Choctaw ($35,000), the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana ($25,000) and the Tigua Indian Reservation in Texas and the Saginaw Band of Chippewa in Michigan ($20,000 each). "...Abramoff, his associates and wealthy tribal clients provided 42 percent of the contributions to Burns's 'soft-money' political action committee from 2000 to 2002." (Great Falls Tribune, 5/16/05, AP, 3/2/05)

-- Sen. David Vitter (R-La.)

Vitter Worked to Block Jena Casino That Abramoff Client Opposed.

Current United States Sen. David Vitter worked in 2003 to block the Jena Indian tribe from opening a Casino in Louisiana. In February of 2002 Vitter came out in vocal opposition to the Jena's planned casino. In 2003 Vitter, at the time a United States congressman, organized a letter signed by other GOP congressman that opposed the Jena's casino application. (Shreveport Times, 2/19/03; Times-Picayune, 2/21/02, 3/10/02)

Vitter Received Support for His Gubernatorial Bid From Anti- Gambling Group Started by Abramoff With Coushatta Money.

In 2002 the Committee Against Gambling Expansion ran a phone bank and sent out a direct mail piece thanking Vitter for his work blocking the Jena's casino, when Vitter was running for governor of Louisiana. The Committee Against Gambling Expansion was actually a front group established by Jack Abramoff and Ralph Reed, and funded with the Coushatta's gambling revenue. (Washington Post, 8/30/04; Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 8/31/04; AP, 4/3/02; Times-Picayune, 4/3/02, 4/17/02)

McCain Omitted Representative Steven Latourette (news, bio, voting record) (R-Ohio) From Final Report

Abramoff Wanted to Get Office Space in the Old Post Office Pavillion for His Tribal Clients.

Safavian tried to help Abramoff arrange a lease on favorable terms for the Old Post Office Building, which was controlled by the General Services Administration. An FBI affidavit said the client was one of several Indian tribes that Abramoff has represented. E-mail from Safavian to Abramoff identify that tribe as the Chitimachas. (New York Times, 9/20/05; Email from Safavian to Abramoff, 11/18/02)

Safavian and Abramoff Drafted Letter for Congressman LaTourette Regarding the Development of the Old Post Office Building.

On July 22, 2002, Abramoff emailed David Safavian with draft language for a letter from Reps. Young and LaTourette regarding the development of the Old Post Office Building, asking "Does this work, or do you want it to be longer?" The letter stated that "As GSA proceeds with this important project, I urge you to give consideration to providing additional opportunities for Hubzone businesses in the redevelopment process. Specifically, I would like you to consider giving Hubzone businesses an advance opportunity to provide redevelopment proposals that could be given priority." Under SBA regulations, businesses run on Indian reservations or by tribes get Hubzone status. Safavian had previously confirmed with Abramoff that the development in the Old Post Office Building would be under the "auspices of the (Chitimacha) Tribe to get Hubzone status(.)" (Email from Abramoff to Safavian, 7/22/02; SBA Frequently Asked Questions, 2/28/06)

Safavian and Abramoff Discussed the Need For Possible "Hill Pressure" to Close the Deal on Office Space in the Old Post Office Building.

On July 25, 2002, Abramoff and Safavian discussed the need for possible "Hill pressure" to close the deal for Abramoff's tribal client on the office space in the Old Post Office building. (Washington Post, 1/21/05)

LaTourette Sent GSA a Letter Using Abramoff's Draft Language. On Sept. 5, 2002, Representative LaTourette wrote GSA Administrator Perry regarding the redevelopment of the Old Post Office Building. He requested that Hubzone businesses, which are small businesses in economically distressed areas, be given an advance opportunity to submit proposals for the redevelopment, using the same language in Abramoff's email from July. (Letter From LaTourette to Perry, 9/5/02)

McCain Omitted Representative Shelly Moore Capito (R-W.V.) From Final Report

Abramoff Asked Safavian for Help Obtaining Property in Silver Spring for Religious School.

Abramoff was hoping to secure a GSA lease for land in Silver Spring for the Eshkol Academy. (AP 2/11/06)

Safavian Asked That Information on the Silver Spring Site Be Sent to Capito's Office.

In a July 23, 2002, e-mail to GSA employee Shawn McBurney, Safavian discussed getting information about the Silver Spring site to Capito's office. He wrote "Spoke with people in property disposal. They don't have the White Oak info. Can you please ... get that information for Shelly Moore Capito?" McBurney wrote back "Already have. They (property disposal) need to know what the info will be used for and who's requesting it. I have a call into Mark (Capito's chief of staff) with those questions." (Emails from Safavian to Shawn McBurney, 7/23/02)

Capito's Chief of Staff, Mark Johnson, Called GSA and Reported Back to Neil Volz.

In an email from Volz to Abramoff, Volz wrote that he had "talked with Capito's chief of staff who talked with GSA last night again and the ball is in GSA's hands ... he is waiting to hear back from them with info on the building." After Johnson reported in the next day, Volz was panicked, e-mailing Abramoff that he "just got a voice mail from Capito's office. GSA is now telling the Congresswoman's office that she needs to write a letter laying out the specifics in writing before getting the information ... Something isn't right here process wise." The subject line of the message was "SHIT!" (Email from Volz to Abramoff, 7/24/02)

Volz Worried About Political Implications of GSA Correspondence for Capito.

In the email, Volz tells Abramoff that he is worried about Capito's political exposure on this issue, writing that "we can't ask the most vulnerable Republican incumbent member of the House to put something in writing that can be made public." (Email from Volz to Abramoff, 7/24/02)

Capito Claims to Know Nothing About Efforts on Abramoff's Behalf.

Capito claims to know nothing about the effort on Abramoff's behalf. Mark Johnson, Capito's former chief of staff, said he did not bring the issue to Capito's attention. He said he was contacted by Neil Volz, a colleague of Abramoff's and a former chief of staff for Rep. Bob Ney (news, bio, voting record), R-Ohio. Johnson said Volz asked him to check on the status of a project involving the GSA. Johnson said he believes he called a friend at the GSA but doesn't recall the outcome. (Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, 2/11/06)

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