DeLay can’t shed that lobbyist tar baby Jack Abramoff no matter how hard he tries. Or maybe both he and Abramoff are both like flies caught on flypaper, two made from Preston Gates Ellis & Rouvelas stationary, three from invoices for the Moscow Country Club.
Proof that not only were DeLay associates traveling on the dime of a lobbyist, but that Abramoff paid for the junkets of other Republican Congressmen isn’t that hard to find now that CBS.com obtained the Preston Gates
For the January 24th Congressional Trip airfare for Congressman Thompson was $5,013.22, and for Congressman
“The lawmakers were invited to the Marianas by a nonprofit organization, the National Security Caucus Foundation. Clyburn said he understood the foundation would be paying the expenses.
But Gregg Hilton, who ran the now-defunct foundation, said the group never paid for the trip. He said the lawmakers weren't told the foundation that invited them never put up the money. Both Clyburn and Thompson filed House disclosure reports showing the group paid for the travel, and Clyburn provided the invitation letter.
Hilton, who was on the trip himself, said the National Security Caucus Foundation was a project of the American Security Council Foundation, an organization he ran and now serves as a director. The foundations promoted a strong national defense, democracy and human rights.
Hilton said he arranged the trip with the island government and was led to believe by Preston Gates officials that the territory would pay the expenses and be reimbursed by the private sector.
He said he was not aware that Abramoff or Preston Gates paid for the trip until AP showed him the
Yet the paper trail is a very short one to Saipan and the names of Clyburn, Thompson, Abramoff and Preston, Gates, Rouvelas are prominent on it.
Well, if a pair of Democrats could be taken to task for an ethics violation, then the same rule should apply for the Majority Leader and his staffers.
The Marianas trip was done by DeLay’s then chief of staff Ed Buckham and DeLay aide Tony Rudy.
The authentication is quite simple. The Memoranda of May 6 and May 20, 1997 sent to Abramoff were sent by one Jennifer Senft (now Jennifer Senft Hamann, Director of Development for Citizens For a Sound Economy). They were in regards to “CNMI (Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands) Billing” for the May 6, 1997 memo, and “CNMI Travel Expenses for the March Bill” for the March 20, 1997 memo.
For their “January 24th Congressional Trip”, Airfare for Congressman Thompson was $5,013.22, and for Congressman Clyburn was $4,596.22. Hotel expenses for them were $227.20 for Congressman Thompson, and the same for Congressman Clyburn.
Now, Jack Abramoff’s Leadership Trip of December 4 – December 12, 1996 listed in the May 6, 1997 memo includes all expenses “minus airfare”. “Hotel in Saipan for Ed Buckham” was $2,028.61. “Airfare from Saipan to Manila” was $518.00. “Upgrade for Buckham to Manila” was $52.00. The same was for “Upgrade for Rudy to Manila”, and “Upgrade for Abramoff to Manila”.
Now what is significant to me in as far as it concerns the claim that a “non-profit” organization, the National Center for Public Policy Research, paid for Tom DeLay’s trip to Moscow, is that the name of the head of this organization, Amy Ridenour appears, (though misspelled) under “Patrick Pizzella’s Think Tank Trip of November 10 – 15, 1996 airfare for Audrey Mullen, Amy Ridenor and Roy Marsden “. “Amy Ridenor’s” (Ridenours), airfare was $5,440.95.
“WASHINGTON - In August 1997, then-House Majority Whip Tom DeLay, R-Texas, and his friend lobbyist Jack Abramoff were at the Moscow Country Club — the most exclusive golf course in Russia. Hotel records obtained by NBC News show DeLay stayed two nights, in room 229, with Abramoff next door.
The cost of DeLay's room, with all the amenities, was $295 a night. On the bill, charges for DeLay and his chief of staff are mixed with Abramoff's — room charges, sports pool bar, mini bar and phone, for a total of $3,302.50
NBC News has learned the expenses were, in fact, put on the credit card of a lobbyist and a Russian businessman. A document obtained by NBC News suggests DeLay was informed soon after the trip, by the non-profit National Center for Public Policy, that it paid the bill — which is allowed under House rules.
A source close to the case says $885 was charged to Abramoff’s credit card, and records indicate the rest was put on the credit card of Alexander Koulakovsky, general manager of a Russian oil and gas company called NAFTASib.”
Well once again the
"INVOICE 3231 Moscow Country Club (Russia), 11/08/97
9000 DeLay 0.00 11/08/97 12:27
3 HMNG 11/08/97
->227 Mr. Abramoff
10/08 Telephone 30.00
->227 Mr. Abramoff
10/08 Telephone 330.00
->227 Mr. Abramoff
10/0B Telephone 30.00
->227 Mr. Abramoff
10/08 Telephone 54.00
->227 Mr. Abramoff
10/08 Telephone 229 Mr. DeLay 72.00
11/08 Mini Bar 22Q Mr. Buckham 29.50
11/08 Mini Bar 227 Mr. Abramoff 4.00
11/08 Mini Bar 2:7 Mr. Abramoff 6.00
11/08 Mini Bar 22: Mr. DeLay 8.00
11/08 Min: Bar 229 Mr. DeLay 6.00
11/08 Telephone 174.00
->227 Mr. Abramoff
11/08 American Express 2417.50
07/99
Total 3302.50 3302.50
Balance 0.00 USD
Total incl. VAT : 3302.50
Folio amount net: 2752.08
VAT: 550.42
Local Currency total 19319,63 Thousand Rubles"
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