DeLay's Lavish Island Getaway
Embattled Lobbyist Arranged DeLay Trip
By BRIAN ROSS
Apr. 6, 2005 - A Washington lobbyist under federal investigation for
his lobbying activities arranged a lavish overseas trip to the island
of Saipan for House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, over the New
Year's holiday in 1997.
DeLay, his wife and daughter, and several aides, stayed for free at a
beachfront resort.
The DeLay trip to the South Pacific island, originally reported by a
"20/20" investigation, was part of an effort by former aide Jack
Abramoff to stop legislation aimed at cracking down on sweatshops and
sex shops in the American territory, which is known as the Commonwealth
of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).
Abramoff, who was working for the law firm Preston Gates Ellis and
Rouvelas Meeds LLP at the time, was paid $l.36 million by Saipan
officials and wrote in a memo obtained by ABC News that such
congressional trips were "one of the most effective ways to build
permanent friends on the Hill."
Abramhoff is now under federal investigation for his lobbying
activities, including Saipan, according to a source familiar with the
investigation.
Andrew Blum, a spokesman for Jack Abramoff's attorney, said on behalf
of Abramoff that they did not comment on pending grand jury
investigations.
Also, Blum defended Abramoff's lobbying efforts in Saipan, including
DeLay's trip. "Any money paid to Preston Gates from the CNMI was for
work that Mr. Abramoff and his team did on behalf of the CNMI during
the course of their six year representation," he said. "Rep. Delay was
one of over 100 members of Congress and their staff to visit the CNMI
during that time.
After touring one garment plant, DeLay praised Saipan at the New Year's
Eve party attended by top factory owners.
"You represent everything that is good about what we are trying to do
in America," DeLay said at the time to his audience, which included
Saipan officials and factory owners.
Later, according to a recording made by a human rights investigator
posing as a potential customer, one of the prominent factory owners
said that DeLay had promised to stop the reform laws.
"Do you know what Tom told me?" Willie Tan said. "He said, 'Willie, if
they elect me Majority Whip, I make the schedule of the Congress, and
I'm not going to put it on the schedule.' So Tom told me, 'Forget it,
Willie. No chance.' "
At least three other DeLay free trips connected to Abramoff and other
lobbyists have been coming under intense scrutiny. A 1997 trip to
Moscow cost roughly $57,000, a trip to London and Scotland in the year
2000 cost $70,000, and a trip in 2001 to South Korea came to nearly
$107,000.
Government watchdog groups found DeLay's trips to be troubling.
"There appears to be a pattern here of foreign travel being improperly
paid for and that needs to be investigated by the House ethics
committee," said Fred Wertheimer, president of Democracy 21.
Blum said it was a worthwhile, common practice in Washington for
lobbyists to accompany the congressmen on such trips.
"The tradition of lobbyists traveling with members of Congress to visit
various jurisdictions so that they could learn about issues that impact
the Congress and government policy is well known," he said. "Mr.
Abramoff once again is being singled out by the media for actions that
are commonplace in Washington, D.C., and are totally proper," he said.
A representative for Delay said that under disclosure rules, because
the Saipan government funded his trip, Delay did not have to include it
on his financial disclosure statements.
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/Investigation/story?id=647725&page=1
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