Desperate Tactics From Corrupt Washington Republicans
Republicans are running scared. As more details about the Washington Republicans' numerous corruption scandals are revealed, Washington Republicans are employing ever more desperate and divisive tactics to deflect from their ethical problems. Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean issued the following statement on the Republican effort to deflect attention from their growing ethical problems:
"Republicans in Washington are running scared, as they should be. Even Republican leaders in Congress have admitted that this is a Republican corruption scandal, centered around their most prominent Washington lobbyist.
"The GOP's latest rumors are pure fiction. Right-wing media organizations citing questionable confidential sources falsely allege that some Democrats are the subject of the investigation - even though these same Democrats have not been contacted by the Justice Department. Any source who would say that Tom DeLay is not tied to Jack Abramoff has been hiding out in the Marianas Islands for the last sixth months with their head in the sand.
"The fact is not one Democrat took money from Jack Abramoff. The American people deserve better than corrupt politicians rewarding their corrupt lobbyist friends. Democrats are committed to cleaning up Washington."
Flake Admits The GOP Has "Created A Culture That Just Breeds Corruption." "Jeff Flake, an Arizona Republican congressman who co-led the petition drive that helped oust Tom DeLay, the House majority leader, said in an interview yesterday: 'We don't just need a new majority leader, we need a course correction. A lobbyist can't be corrupt unless he has somebody to bribe, and we've created a culture that just breeds corruption,' he charged." [Financial Times, 1/10/06]
Key GOP Legislator: Accepting Money From Native American Tribes Is Not Corruption. Accepting money from Native American tribes is not the issue. Accepting money from donors in exchange for political favors, however, is a problem. As a spokesman for Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) stated, Boehner "doesn't think Native American tribal groups should be dishonored simply for exercising their own political freedom." [Washington Post, 1/10/06]
DeLay On Abramoff: In 1998, former Republican Majority Leader Tom DeLay referred to Abramoff as "one of my closest and dearest friends." [Washington Post, 11/8/04]
Setting the Record Straight On Senator Byron Dorgan
- Senator Dorgan has been leading - together with Senator John McCain - an aggressive, bipartisan investigation of Abramoff's corrupt lobbying practices for the last year. The investigation uncovered how Abramoff bilked Indian tribes for tens of millions of dollars. Jack Abramoff's guilty plea confirmed much of what McCain and Dorgan uncovered.
- Senator Dorgan has never met Jack Abramoff.
- Senator Dorgan has never accepted a campaign contribution from Jack Abramoff.
Setting the Record Straight On Democratic Leader Harry Reid
- Senator Reid has spent his entire career fighting corruption. During his time as Chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission, he took on organized crime, and cleaned up the gaming industry and Las Vegas.
- Senator Reid has worked closely with his Republican colleague, John Ensign, to defend the interests of Nevada's gaming industry.
- Senator Reid has done nothing wrong and like very other Democrat has not received a single contribution from Jack Abramoff.
