| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"Fredric L. Rice" |
| Date: |
06 Nov 2005 06:53:01 PM |
| Object: |
More on Ralph Reed, Christian Coalition felonies |
It's interesting that this particular article didn't directly
mention Ralph Reed's name, the head of the Christian Coalition
who was funded by the same Gambino Mafia via the gambling scam
on Indian land.
It's also interesting that the article didn't mention the murder
of at least one of the head Gambino criminals who was in a good
position to testify against Reed and the rest.
-=-
Griles (Deputy Interior Secretary) is the highest-ranking Bush
administration official to be caught up in the Abramoff scandal.
From The Denver Post, 11/6/05:
http://www.denverpost.com/nationworld/ci_3181148
Where is Italia Federici?
By John Aloysius Farrell
Denver Post Washington Bureau Chief
Washington -
I feel better.
My sleuthing skills haven't totally deserted me.
Even the U.S. marshals couldn't find Italia Federici.
Federici is a former political aide to Interior Secretary Gale Norton
and a confidante of other department officials, most notably former
Deputy Interior Secretary Steven Griles.
She heads a group called the Council of Republicans for Environmental
Advocacy.
A few months back, I tried to find CREA's Washington offices, to ask
Federici why her group got $250,000 from Indian gambling tribes that
were clients of indicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
I failed.
CREA, it turned out, didn't have an office.
The address on its website was a mail drop.
Apparently, it is run out of Italia's home and pocket.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the chairman of the Senate Select Committee
on Indian Affairs, is investigating Abramoff's dealings with the
tribes, including the $250,000 for CREA.
"The question is: Why?" said McCain.
"The committee can point to nothing that CREA did for the tribes in
particular or on Native American issues in general that merited such
generosity."
McCain held a hearing last week, but Federici ducked the committee's
subpoena.
"She has been unable to be located," the chairman said, vowing to
schedule a session with Federici as the only witness, "as soon as the
U.S. marshals do their job."
McCain promised, with an icy smile, that Federici would know of his
displeasure when he does get her to testify.
Federici's lawyer says she wrote a letter to the committee informing
them she had other commitments.
A note from the nurse may get you out of gym class, but not a Senate
corruption probe.
McCain sent out the marshals.
It is too bad that Federici didn't show.
Maybe she could have explained the e-mails and testimony that
portrayed her as a go-between for Abramoff and her friend Griles.
"Hi Jack. I hate to bother you with this right now, but I was hoping
to ask about a possible contribution for CREA. As usual, we budgeted
and spent all our money from last year ... and have started out the
new year with practically nada," Federici wrote Abramoff in a Jan. 9,
2003, e-mail.
"I thought I'd see if there was any way you could help us reach out to
some of your folks who were so generous last year?"
"Absolutely. We'll get that moving asap," Abramoff e-mailed back.
Then he mentioned a difficulty that one of his gambling clients was
having with Interior.
"Can you make sure Steve knows about this and puts the kibosh on it?"
"I will tell him," Italia promised.
As McCain sees it, "Abramoff believed that Ms. Federici had 'juice' at
the Department" and "might have had his tribal clients pay so much
because he perceived that ... Federici would help him get inside
information about, and possibly influence, tribal issues."
"Abramoff expected ... Federici to do his bidding with a close
friend," added Sen. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, the ranking
Democrat, referring to Federici's relationship with Griles.
Well, I guess that could explain why Abramoff urged his gambling
tribes to shower CREA with cash.
A red-faced Griles did show up to testify.
He sat at the witness table, where Federici was represented by an
empty chair.
His fingers sometimes trembled as he told the committee he couldn't
remember too much.
"I don't recall me intervening on behalf of Mr. Abramoff's clients,
ever," said Griles.
"Italia Federici was a friend. Gale Norton introduced me."
He reminded the senators how Abramoff was a preening braggart, often
exaggerating his accomplishments in e-mails.
"If he got this money in part by misrepresenting his relationship with
me, I am extremely pleased you are investigating this," Griles said
solemnly.
Griles is the highest-ranking Bush administration official to be
caught up in the Abramoff scandal.
Norton may have dodged the bullet.
Norton's former counsel, Michael Rossetti, told the senators how he
grew increasingly suspicious of Griles, who was making "constant
requests" on behalf of an Abramoff client.
"I was alarmed that Mr. Griles all of a sudden had an inexplicable
desire to get involved" in Norton's Indian gaming rulings, said
Rossetti.
Ultimately, he confronted Griles, and got him to back off.
At one point in the hearing, a chivalrous Griles declined the chance
to say that Federici was peddling exaggerated influence herself.
"Whether she actually did have access and influence, or whether she
was just saying so to have Mr. Abramoff's tribes continue their
donations, is a question," McCain acknowledged.
A question Federici will be asked to answer.
Once the marshals find her.
---
http://www.ElmerFudd.US/ http://www.rightard.org/ http://www.thedarkwind.org/
"Sex is only perverted if it implants voracious alien parasites in your
bladder or rectum." -- nu-monet v8.0
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