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Abramoff to Represent Himself In New Lawsuits
“After paying for a high-priced criminal defense by Chadbourne & Parke’s Abbe Lowell in the government’s corruption probe, former uber-lobbyist-turned-jailbird Jack Abramoff is taking a different approach in two lawsuits filed against him by Indian tribes.

“This time around, Abramoff is representing himself against former client Louisiana Coushatta Tribe and the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas.

“So far, Abramoff has piggybacked on motions filed by lawyers for former Christian Coalition head Ralph Reed and former Abramoff associate Michael Scanlon in the Texas case. Lowell did not return calls.

“Abramoff may be using the law library from the minimum-security federal prison in Cumberland, Md., where he is serving almost six years for a fraud conviction separate from the corruption probe.” (Legal Times)

Klobuchar Wants Private Travel and Gifts Ban
“Sen.-elect Amy Klobuchar said Monday she will work to ban privately funded travel for lawmakers and to prohibit free meals and gifts from lobbyists.

“Klobuchar, D-Minn., said she will refuse privately funded trips no matter what Congress does. She said ethics reform is needed to end corruption as well as to ensure better public policy.” (AP)

States Sue EPA Over Soot, Charge Bush Admin. Ignores Science
“More than a dozen states sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday to lower soot levels from smokestacks and exhaust pipes, a move the state officials argue would save thousands of lives.

“The states argue that the Bush administration is ignoring science and its own experts in refusing to slightly reduce the allowed threshold for soot. The ‘fine particulate matter’ in soot contributes to premature death, chronic respiratory disease and asthma attacks, said New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. The pollution also leads to more hospital admissions and other public health costs, he said.

“Officials from California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and the District of Columbia joined New York in the action filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington.” (AP)

Military to Announce Haditha Charges Thursday
“The U.S. military plans to charge Marines in the killing of 24 civilians in Haditha, Iraq, on Thursday, according to sources familiar with the case.

“The November 2005 killings, which enraged Iraqis, are one of a series of cases in which U.S. service members have been accused, and some convicted, of being involved in killing Iraqi civilians.

“The charges in the Haditha case could include murder and are expected against at least five Marines, defense officials said. They will be announced from Camp Pendleton, California, where the Marines are being held.” (Reuters)

Ford-Family Lawmaker Indicted
“Former state Sen. John Ford is accused of using his elected position to promote the interests of two contractors with TennCare. Ford served on three committees with authority over TennCare.

“‘Senator Ford had a duty to provide honest services to the people of Tennessee,’ U.S. Attorney Craig Morford said in a news conference. “The facts alleged in this indictment reveal an appalling willingness to violate that duty by using his public position for personal gain.” (AP)

Durbin Wants Updates On Detainee Abuse Cases
“A key Democratic senator asked the Justice Department on Monday for an update on its progress prosecuting government employees who were accused in at least 17 cases of abusing detainees in
Iraq and Afghanistan.

“In response, a Justice spokesman said at least some of the cases are still under investigation.

“In a letter sent Monday to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, incoming Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., noted that the department began looking into the allegations of abuse two and a half years ago.

“‘In that time, there have not been any indictments in any of these cases,’ wrote Durbin, who first pressed the Justice Department for a prosecutions update in November 2005, when now-Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty was seeking Senate confirmation. (AP)

Security Contractor In Iraq Becomes Mistreated Detainee
“Detainee 200343 was among thousands of people who have been held and released by the American military in Iraq, and his account of his ordeal has provided one of the few detailed views of the Pentagon’s detention operations since the abuse scandals at Abu Ghraib. Yet in many respects his case is unusual.

“The detainee was Donald Vance, a 29-year-old Navy veteran from Chicago who went to Iraq as a security contractor. He wound up as a whistle-blower, passing information to the F.B.I. about suspicious activities at the Iraqi security firm where he worked, including what he said was possible illegal weapons trading.

“But when American soldiers raided the company at his urging, Mr. Vance and another American who worked there were detained as suspects by the military, which was unaware that Mr. Vance was an informer, according to officials and military documents.

“At Camp Cropper, he took notes on his imprisonment and smuggled them out in a Bible.” (NYTimes)

Fenced In
The Wall Street Journal examines the legal and investigative pitfalls for terrorism trials — and how even the seemingly easy cases for the prosecution have stalled. One legal expert asked, “At the end of the day, the question is: Can you actually try a case under these conditions?”

The Highwaymen
Mother Jones magazine investigates “why you could soon be paying Wall Street investors, Australian bankers, and Spanish builders for the privilege of driving on American roads.”

Fannie Mae Ex-Officials Sued for Disputed Pay
“Federal regulators yesterday sued three former Fannie Mae executives, including former chairman and chief executive Franklin D. Raines, to recoup more than $115 million in pay they received while the company’s earnings were misstated.

I”n an administrative complaint, regulators said Raines and the others engaged in a variety of ruses to meet profit goals and boost their compensation. For example, they delayed booking $200 million of expenses one year and used transactions with no economic purpose in other periods simply to shift income into the future, the complaint alleged.” (WaPo)

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