So did Jack Abramoff arrange 
that 1999 trip that Rep. Don Young (R-AK) led to the Marshall Islands or not?
Last week, we told you about a Congressional Delegation (or “CODEL”) Jack Abramoff organized to the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) in February of 1999. The trip was led by Rep. Don Young (R-AK). After our story was picked up in the Anchorage Daily News, Young’s spokesman told the paper in no uncertain terms that Abramoff wasn’t involved in planning the trip.
But our source in the Marshalls, Tony de Brum, has a very different recollection of what happened.
According to de Brum, who was the Marshall Islands Minister of Finance in 1999 and worked with Abramoff while Abramoff was representing the Islands, not only did Abramoff offer to arrange the congressional visit, he also sent over two of his associates from his then-law firm of Preston Gates prior to the trip to make sure everything went smoothly.
De Brum told us that Shawn Vasell and another Abramoff associate actually did the ‘advance’ work for the trip, “to work with us on preparing for the trip and making sure that the Congress people heard what they wanted to hear, and coordinate with the military on Kwajalein.”
Vasell did not return our call seeking comment.
Yesterday, we again asked Don Young’s office for comment. Young spokesperson Meredith Kenny reiterated that “Abramoff did not plan the CODEL,” and went on to explain that “CODEL’s are planned and executed as official government travel in strict compliance with the law.” She added that “Mr. Young has no personal or professional relationship with Mr. Abramoff.”
According to de Brum’s account and the court papers later filed by Preston Gates, the folks from the Marshall Islands needed help making their claims before the US government. They heard that Jack Abramoff was the guy to go to. When de Brum and his colleagues met with Abramoff, he suggested and offered to arrange for members of Congress to visit the Marshall Islands. Less than two months after they signed a contract with Abramoff, the congressmen touched down on Marshallese territory.
They hired Abramoff to arrange it. Abramoff made it happen. And his staffers even came out to the Islands to make sure everything came off as planned.
If Young didn’t know that Abramoff was the guy who made the trip happen, he seemed to be the only one not in the loop.
