The Legacy of Pious Jack: Forced Abortions For Sweatshop Workers
Ms. Magazine visited the Northern Mariana Islands recently to determine the legacy of Jack Abramoff’s work on behalf of sweatshop owners there. What did they find? Forced abortions, unemployment, and a thriving sex trade — comprised mostly of unemployed garment workers. Nice work, Jacko.
Abramoff went to bat for the Islands’ power brokers, so they could keep their sweatshops operating free of U.S. worker protection laws. With Rep. Tom DeLay’s (R-TX) help, he kept our laws off their island, which allowed these conditions to develop, the magazine concludes.
Meanwhile, Abramoff — “who is praised by friends for his devotion to Judaism,” the NYTimes tells us — spent Passover at the luxurious 300-acre Turnberry Isle Resort and Country Club in Aventura, Florida. The disgraced (but devout) superlobbyist managed to scrape together more than $500 a night for his family’s accomodations. (Alternet, NYTimes)
Rove – 2 to 3 Weeks Till Indictment?
The NY Times reports that Karl Rove’s fate will hang in the balance for the next two to three weeks, during which time Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald will decide whether to indict Rove on perjury charges or not. (NYT)
Meanwhile, MSNBC reported last night that Rove has described his recent 3 1/2 hour stint on the witness stand as “hell.” The grand jury plans to meet again today. (Raw Story)
Photo-Op Conservation
You won’t want to miss this. After their press conference regarding high gas prices Thursday, Speaker Hastert (R-IL) and his buddies rolled away in hydrogen powered vehicles. But the AP caught Hastert switching back to his real car, a SUV, as soon as he thought he was out of sight of reporters. (AP, Article)
Burns May Dip Into Campaign Cash To Pay Lawyer
Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT) says he hasn’t decided how to pay his new criminal defense lawyer, but it sounds like that big, fat campaign fund of his is calling him. And you got to love his reason why he feels justified using that cash: “due to the partisan nature of it,” says he, referring to Democrats’ attacks against him. I’m not sure why he thinks Democrats control the Justice Department – theoretically, that is who his lawyer should be paying attention to.
Burns is putting a positive spin on his new lawyer: “It’s nice to have another set of eyes and ears.” (BG)
FBI To Mollohan Charities: Ready or Not
The FBI has alerted three nonprofit groups created by Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-WV) that they will soon demand to see their financial records. It’s a sign the bureau is taking recent complaints against the lawmaker more seriously, the NYTimes says. (NYTimes)
Reform – Republicans Stumble Forward – Vote Delayed until Tuesday
After a tumultuous day of negotiations, House Republicans just barely cleared the first hurdle on passing their pathetic reform package: Leadership’s last minute deal with several Republican mutineers (led by Appropriations Chairman Jerry Lewis (R-CA) secured enough votes to approve the rule that will bring the lobbying reform package to the floor for a vote. The tally was 216-207 (see the count here – no Democrats voted for it, 12 Republicans voted against); usually after voting on the rule, the underlying bill is brought to a vote. But the House leadership has put that off until Tuesday, because it’s not clear the bill would have passed if voted on today. So this ain’t over. (The Hill, Roll Call, WaPo, AP, KR, USA Today)
Kansas Governor Hit with Ethics Fine
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D) isn’t supposed solicit contributions from lobbyists – at least while the legislature is in session, according to Kansas law (can you imagine if they tried to pass such a law in D.C.?). But her campaign sent an email soliciting contributions to some lobbyists, among hundreds of others, and so Sebelius was hit with a $1,500 fine. (AP)
In Other Muck
Another New Hampshire phone jamming wrap-up – this one from Knight Ridder…(link)
Covered Yesterday
Cunningham Scandal: Enter the Hookers. . . (link)
Get Ready for More Cunningham Sex. . . (link)
Duke’s Sex Hookup Won’t Go Down Without a Fight. . . (link)
GOP Self-Destructs on Lobbying Reform. . . (link)
Under Goss, CIA Squelches Officials’ Public Dissent. . . (link)
To Ensure Defeat, GOP Porkers Ugly Up Reform Bill. . . (link)
GOP Goes on Counter-attack on Burns Earmark. . . (link)
New Phone Jamming Story Coming. . . (link)
Duke’s Hooker Sex: How Long Has This Been Going On?. . . (link)
MZM Had Employees at Secret U.S. Data Hub. . . (link)
Take Two: GOP Tries Again on Reform Bill. . . (link)
Sweeney, the Grand Old Partier. . . (link)
Sweeney: Up in Smoke?. . . (link)
CIA’s Goss Drawn into Hooker Probe?. . . (link)
