Guest blogged by Winter Patriot
We’ve been reading some very interesting news today from John Stanton at Roll Call.
Senate aides familiar with the review said Justice officials indicated the inquiry was not focused on Dodd, who now serves as the committee’s ranking member, and the type of information investigators were seeking – while not specific enough to indicate they were looking for a smoking gun – appear to point directly at Ney.
The full text is available to Roll Call subscribers only, but we have a few more excerpts after the fold.
Regular BRAD BLOG readers will have have seen this coming a long time ago.
So here’s a big hat tip to Brad for being way-ahead-of-the-curve on this…
and now back to our story:
…
Abramoff, who pleaded guilty to bribery charges late last year, had pushed Ney to include provisions in the act that would have given federal tribal recognition to the Tigua Tribe and to allow it to reopen a casino in Texas. Abramoff represented the Tiguas. Although e-mails that have surfaced as part of the Abramoff scandal revealed the disgraced lobbyist bragged that he was close to Dodd and Ney, the provision did not make it into HAVA.
…
While Ney has acknowledged he sought to include the provisions, he has insisted he was doing so on the merits and not at the behest of Abramoff.
Good luck with that line, Bob Ney. You might catch a fish or two that way, but, really… We’re pleased that you admit trying to include provisions in a national voting act which would give a tribe — represented by your admittedly money-wielding “friend” — status and allow them to open a casino. We’re very pleased to hear you admit that once again. But come on, sir! To stick to the claim that you were doing it on the merits? Isn’t that just a little bit too absurd, even for an Ohio Republican?
Danno? DANNO???
OMG, how absolutely disgusting…
I’m going to vomit and then sleep the uneasy sleep of the afflicted.
We need to tie Ney to Diebold, Sequoia and/or ES&S as it relates to the HAVA funding. THEN we have a REAL story!
Peg: Huzzah!
That’s the perfect comment — the Omega comment, if you will — and for a while I was thinking it might be a good time to close the thread. Something like this:
THE END!!!
…
but then I realized it wouldn’t be kind to any others who need a place to vomit.
So … the vomitorium is still open!
Good night, Peg.
Thanks for waiting up! 😉
re #2 are you suggesting that this is not a real story?
BRAD,… ? I thought he was off cavorting with grizzly bears and caribou. Now take the damn batteries out of that cell phone. But THX for the good news,.. this could be a major pivot point. Now go hug a tree,.. a fish,.. a sunset,.. or something.
If the domino(r. ney)- came crashing down real hard,..
it could clear the decks of a lot of this election skulduggery.
Is that the smell of the fragrance of fresh ink from
newly printed election ballots ? Onesie,.. twosie,..
threesie,.. as we proceed to hand count the voters ballots cast for their [d]emocratically elected
candidates. That would be heaven on earth.
Unleash the dobermans and pit-bulls on Bob Ney and
Diebold. November is rapidly approaching ! We want a real and honest election,.. so we can curb this detestable FASCISM.
Veddy veddy pleasing. Will this likely be derailed? Of course it will. But for now, it is a dim beacon of hope in this increasingly bleak Amerika.
WP
Here is a Bradblog add on feature,..
is it permissible to revamp things in Brad’s absence ?
An ad on item to accompany the red/blue strobe-light
Add on item link here. (speaker on ?)
LOL, OldTurk! I turned my speakers up too loud before I hit “play” and I nearly jumped out of my skin old buddy old pal … now all full of adrenaline when I should be sleeping … what to do? what to do?
Thanks, though, that was great. But I don’t think it’ll become standard around here. Well, not until Brad gets back in the chair, at the very least!! 😉
These compassionate people are so concerned about the handicapped. How about a casino designed exclusively for blind gamblers.
oldturk
The dogs in my neighborhood just started howling. 😉
Lou Dobbs: You covering this?????
Book ’em!!!!!!!
Some may wonder how gambling fits into this.
Abramoff was into gambling scenarios because it is a way to launder money.
You do not have to prove where you got money you use to buy gambling chips, then go gamble with them.
One person purposely looses a very large sum of money, and certain people are allowed to win it.
Controlled winning and loosing launders the money. And when it is done without regulation, as the ship based casinos were, there is no paper trail. I think a lot of the lost trillions from DoD and from cash lost in Iraq found its way thru gambling casinos back into republican campaign coffers.
Indian casinos, since they are not on state land, but rather are on sovereign indian land, can be manipulated more easily than places like Las Vegas for instance.
Sometimes we loose sight of the forest, because of these disgusting (right on Peg C) trees.
A film is out which connects the dots:
(Todd David Schwartz, CBS, bold added).
Why the ship was so important Abermoff wanted to buy, even at the cost of life? Contract killings? Is there anything these crooks and thugs are not willing to do in the interest of pilliage, plunder, power and profit? Boy, do we need to clean house.
Interesting Times; and to think I thought watching watergate was fun. Such a joker, I love seeing the empire crumble..
Rock to Musical Sounds of Resistance (FREE MP3s)
My stomach refuses to settle down. Thanks for adding that money-laundering link into the mix, Dredd. It’s a very important point and a connection not to be lost sight of.
HERE’S THE PLAN:
1) Vote early and often
2) As you leave the polling place immediately go to your car, pick up your placard that says “PAPER BALLOTS, HAND COUNTED,” and commence silent demonstration the rest of the day at the polling place just beyond the “campaign buffer,” i.e., legally. Have associates with camcorders to record any police state activities by “law” enforcement paid for by the nazis, or because those individuals are braindead.
Continue 1) and 2) at every election until Hell Freezes Over, you end up in a Halliburton Concentration Camp, or until we get our democracy back.
Thank you.
Even if it were on the merits, HAVA had nothing to do with Indian casinos or gambling. Apparently Ney had promised the casinos (through Abramoff) that he would speak out against casino gambling (hoping to eliminate competition for Abramoff’s clients), but foolishly tried to get Dodd to add it to HAVA. Dodd laughed him off.
Ney looks both corrupt and stupid here. But it does show how crooked politicians use legislation for their own benefit, the public be damned. That’s the real story here…to Ney, HAVA was merely a piece of paper he thought he could use to keep a promise to a crooked lobbyist, and get a free golf vacation in Scotland as a reward (and maybe other goodies we don’t know about yet).
# 14,Hey, don’t blame the trees! Blame the disgusting Repugnicant creeps hiding behind them. At first glance this seems like good news, but if the investigation is being done by the Feds, doesn’t that means Alberto has his dirty little hands in it? And if he has any involvement at all it could just quietly disappear. Still, one can always hope that Ney will soon have a permanent change of address…..maybe his neighbor can be James Traficant.
RLW — but don’t overlook the real, real, story, which would be found by following the money food chain to the blockage of the papertrail provision in the (now) HR 550. The bill languished in committee under Ney’s orders to guarantee there would be no paper to show Bush didn’t win.
I think someone should be Investigating what is holding ney’s hair down . . .
Oldturk #7
Dang – I should have read #8 first – huh what you say? talk louder! no – louder! Crap I think I need hearing aids!
Winter #3
Do I need fiber optics or something to vomit through the internet?
This ol’ DSL phone line thing just doesn’t work!
Anybody remember Mark Crispin Miller saying that he had a private conversation with Kerry..Kerry said He thought the vote was stolen. Couldn’t get other dems. to back him up. Chris Dodd got angry when he mentioned it? Wonder if that is in his book on election fraud. Kerry later denied the statement. John Edwards wife has a book coming out in Sept. Says Edwards wanted to fight when Ohio was stolen. Maybe he didn’t get paid off.
Molly
I would most seriously like to think he COULDN’T be paid off. The guy has been a model politician, and stays one. Check out his One America page.
99 #24
I’m convinced Edwards is a completely honorable man. Look at what he and his wife are doing privately for impoverished kids, among other things. I never questioned his desire to do the right thing in 2004. Remember how grim (angry) he looked at Kerry’s concession speech? I’ve never thought he caved in without a fight.
But I wonder what has convinced him to stay quiet…
Peg #25
Some of these people carry BIG sticks. I’m sure there is only so far one can go without utterly turning both parties’ machines on your ass. In fact, I think the dems in general may well be more fearful of dying in plane crashes than of losing face, or standing up, nowadays. I just think that. I can’t fathom the spinelessness, even under this much adversity, for any other reason. Still doesn’t let them off hook. No. Democracy means we have to die for our country! Nobody likes it, but it’s a FACT.
Edwards has shown more dignity and integrity, and worked harder, since the 2004 fiasco, than the rest. In fact, since Dean dropped out before our primary, I voted for him in the 2004 primary, and have felt nothing but good about that vote ever since.
Dredd, THANKS! for that info.. I had no idea that movie was out there.. And it informed me of something I didn’t know (and will now investigate a bit to become informed about).. This National ID thing going in effect in 2008.. SCARY!
As for Ney, I hope they hang him out to dry.. but even if they DO, they will be doing it to cover up the rest. It really does seem that we’re screwed royaly here. The powers that be don’t care one wit about America, they are just using it/us to further their acquisition of stuff/money/power. We’re a stepping stone to them controlling the entire planet. Killing off any country that doesn’t want to play along (ala Iraq, Iran, Palastine, etc etc) and enslaving the rest (who can’t/won’t fight back) is what they are doing.
With this kind of rampant corruption in our government… with our “leaders” content to shit on us at every turn, content to ignore the law and pass laws that hurt the vast majority of Americans, I don’t understand how we are supposed to continue.
We have to purge the entire lot, educate/engage the public, and elect officials who are genuine and honest. If we don’t do that, this county will be dead inside of a decade (or less).
and still, most people don’t care and won’t do shit to help fix things.