Help get this going push it to MSM.
Over at Truthout.org
Link here:
Democratic leaders call medicare drug legislation the product of a "corrupt legislative process," seek investigation into role of scandal-tainted lobbying group.
Some interesting Tidbits in bold below:
According to lobby disclosure reports, the pharmaceutical industry has been the largest client of the Alexander Strategy Group over the last six years. During this period, the industry's trade association, PhRMA, paid $1.7 million to Alexander Strategy Group, while individual drug companies have paid an additional $840,000.
During 2003 alone, the year the Medicare Prescription Drug Act passed, Alexander Strategy Group received $960,000 from the drug industry, representing 15% of the firm's revenue. According to the disclosure forms, the Alexander Strategy Group was hired specifically to lobby the House and Senate on prescription drug issues and Medicare.
Not only was the drug industry the largest client of the Alexander Strategy Group, the group was also the drug industry's most highly paid outside lobbyist. In 2003, PhRMA paid the Alexander Strategy Group $720,000, far more than PhRMA paid any of the other seven lobby firms it hired that year. These payments represented nearly 50% of PhRMA's annual budget for outside lobbyists.
Moreover, the lobby disclosure forms reveal that the primary lobbyist representing PhRMA and Eli Lilly during consideration of the Medicare Prescription Drug Act was Tony Rudy. Mr. Rudy is perhaps the Alexander Strategy Group lobbyist most implicated in scandal. In addition to being the former deputy chief of staff for Mr. DeLay, Mr. Rudy worked for Mr. Abramoff from 2001 to 2002, where he helped raise the funds that were diverted to pay for a golfing trip to Scotland, which included Rep. Bob Ney, indicted former White House procurement chief David Safavian, and Republican activist Ralph Reed. In Mr. Abramoff's indictment, Mr. Rudy is identified as "Staffer A." According to several news reports, he used his position in Mr. DeLay's office to influence internet gambling legislation and postal rates in exchange for $50,000 payments to his wife. Criminal investigators are also looking into possible conflicts of interest during the time Mr. Rudy was negotiating his departure from Rep. DeLay's office to work for Mr. Abramoff.
This is huge. Huge. huge!
Let's recommend to get this going.