[Mb-civic] Abramoff and beyond - Boston Globe Editorial

[William Swiggard]

  Abramoff and beyond

January 4, 2006

THREE TIMES YESTERDAY, Jack Abramoff solemnly told a federal judge in 
Washington: ''I plead guilty, your honor." The pleas -- to tax evasion, 
mail fraud, and conspiracy charges -- represent a nadir for the once 
high-flying lobbyist, but they may be only the beginning of trouble for 
a much wider circle on Capitol Hill and beyond.

As the investigation goes forward, it is imperative that the Justice 
Department act with complete independence and professionalism, untainted 
by politics. One reason: The case may well involve the intrusion of raw 
politics, and political money, where they do not belong -- the 
deliberations of Congress.

The mini-stampede of representatives and senators from both parties to 
return campaign contributions from Abramoff and his clients indicates 
that the investigation may cross party lines. But most of the focus is 
likely to be on Republicans, in part because of the zealous partisanship 
of some in the GOP, especially Tom DeLay, the former House majority 
leader, who has pushed for K Street lobbying firms like Abramoff's to 
hire only Republicans and deal only with Republicans.

Abramoff has agreed to cooperate, and in court yesterday Alice Fisher, 
an assistant attorney general, said the Justice Department will pursue 
information ''wherever it goes." She also charged that Abramoff's 
misdeeds went ''far beyond lawful lobbying to the illegal act of paying 
for official acts." She added: ''The Justice Department will 
aggressively investigate and prosecute these types of cases, which have 
a devastating impact on the public's trust of government."

As Fisher surely knows, the public's doubts about governmental integrity 
already extend to the executive branch as well as Congress. The legacy 
of the Bush administration will suffer further damage if any hint of 
political favoritism pollutes this investigation.

Outright bribery is not one of the charges Abramoff pleaded to 
yesterday, and generally it is difficult to prove. Legislators can say 
they were sympathetic to the lobbyist's cause anyway, and the lobbyist 
can say that contributions went to support a friend rather than to buy a 
vote from a foe. So the evidence behind Fisher's claim that Abramoff was 
''paying for official acts" will be eagerly awaited.

In any event, the culture in Washington is so fouled with 
special-interest money that even legal contributions often undermine 
public confidence, and this case appears far worse.

For Abramoff and his former lobbying partner Michael Scanlon, there is 
no longer a presumption of innocence. Both have pleaded guilty to 
serious crimes. It is up to the Justice Department now to clean out the 
infection. However ugly and painful it will be, any attempt to cover up 
wrongdoing would only make matters worse. 

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2006/01/04/abramoff_and_beyond/
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