Forbes

01/11/06

Rep. Roy Blunt and the man he wants to succeed as House majority leader, Tom DeLay, shared similar connections to convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff and to corporate lobbyists. Blunt, R-Mo., wrote at least three letters helpful to Abramoff clients while collecting money from them. He swapped donations between his and DeLay's political groups, ultimately enriching the Missouri political campaign of his son [Missouri governor Matt Blunt]. And Blunt's wife and another son, Andrew, lobby for many of the same companies that donate to the lawmaker's political efforts. ... Blunt's own connections to Abramoff or his clients could complicate GOP plans to distance its leadership from the corruption investigation before the fall elections for control of Congress. ... Blunt's office says all of his dealings were proper...

http://tinyurl.com/ddg54


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

The Raw Story

01/10/06

The National Security Agency has been spying on a Baltimore anti-war group, according to documents released during litigation, going so far as to document the inflating of protesters' balloons, and intended to deploy units trained to detect weapons of mass destruction, RAW STORY has learned. According to the documents, the Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore, a Quaker-linked peace group, has been monitored by the NSA working with the Baltimore Intelligence Unit of the Baltimore City Police Department...

http://tinyurl.com/c9w9l


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/NYT_Abramoff_friends_privately_saying_they_0109.html


Informant: Friends

Silja J.A. Talvi writes on how the "secular" Character Training Institute is working to build evangelist Bill Gothard's vision of a First-Century Kingdom of God - one city, one state, one school board, one police force and one mind at a time.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/011006H.shtml

Representative Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., came to the defense of disgraced former lobbyist Jack Abramoff on Monday, saying he's a good person who's been unjustly criticized.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/011006G.shtml

Serge Truffaut cuts to the heart of the Republican response to the Abramoff scandal.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/011006E.shtml

Most Americans believe that corruption in Congress is widespread, and even larger majorities support far-reaching reforms that would effectively end lobbying as it is currently practiced on Capitol Hill, according to the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/011006C.shtml

http://www.research.fsu.edu/researchr/winter2005/features/battlefield.html


From Information Clearing House

If the Judiciary Committee really wants to know where Alito stands, they'll raise the specter of Bush v. Gore.

http://www.alternet.org/story/30611/


From Information Clearing House

Attorney: $115,000 paid to DeLay's wife fair:

Christine DeLay was paid the money during a three-year period by the Alexander Strategy Group, a Washington lobbying firm that is now the object of a criminal probe.

http://www.khou.com/news/local/politics/stories/khou060110_ac_delaywife.63267241.html


From Information Clearing House