I've often
posted about the Abramoff Scandal and a major focus of mine has been the GOP protected crimes and abuse committed on Saipan.
I have been following this story since 1999. Recently somebody sent me copies of Abramoff documents related to his work on the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) to protect and defend sweatshops and corruption on the US Territory.
There is enough here to fill dozens of Diaries, news reports and new details to connect Abramoff to more members of Washington's Culture of Corruption.
But perhaps the best place to start is with Jack Abramoff, in his own words.
On January 4, 2001 he moved his lobbying team to Greenberg Traurig and sent a pitch letter to the Governor of CNMI, Pedro P. Tenorio. In the 8-page letter, Jack makes the case why CNMI should rehire him as their lobbyist for the coming Bush era. It is full of rich details, like Jack explaining how he stopped any and all efforts to end the sweatshops between 1995 and 2000.
Read Jack on the jump...
Earlier today, David Swanson posted a Diary,
J. Jill, Ann Taylor, Liz Claiborne: Made By Slaves, Backed by Congress, that highlighted current conditions on CNMI as reported by Rebecca Clarren for
Ms. Magazine. She recently traveled to CNMI and met with the sweatshop workers, sex workers and other victims of Abramoff's work to protect the sweatshops and keep the abuse going. As of now the full article is only available in print, but I would recommend purchasing a copy of Ms. to read the report. Excerpts are also available at
AlterNet.
I mention the article because it helps to keep these crimes in mind as one reads Jack Abramoff's pitch letter. In it, he brags about stopping all efforts to extend justice to CNMI. Of course being a Luntz-trained member of the GOP, Jack has new "language" that has been tested for RW dog whistle frequency. Phrases like "Federal Takeover" mean extending US labor, immigration and custom laws to the US Territory. There are more clever phrases, so take them for what they are: they are words Jack choose to describe his work and "victories" on CNMI.
This letter is not online, so I have typed in most of the first three pages. I think it is important to read Jack Abramoff's own words, when he was at the top of his game and freely bragging about his work and connections.
There is plenty to comment on here, but I will let Jack's history of his CNMI work speak for itself.
So here is Jack, in his own words, explaining what he did for the sweatshop interests on CNMI between 1995 and 2000:
Dear Governor Tenorio,
I am writing to inform you of our strong interest in representing the government and people of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) in Washington DC. [snip]
A History of Working Together
For the past six years, our team has combated and defeated every single attack on CNMI. We have faced formidable opposition at times, including a hostile Clinton Administration, powerful Members of Congress, labor unions and human rights groups, and negative media stories. Each time, our team worked with the CNMI to develop and execute strategies that protected and furthered the CNMI interests.
104th Congress (1995-96)
In 1995, the situation looked bleak. A Senate bill to eliminate the minimum wage and immigration authorities granted the CNMI Covenant had been approved by the U.S. Senate. Similar legislation was introduced in the House, and both bills enjoyed the full support of the Clinton Administration. Congress and the White House were extremely close to abrogating the Covenant, imposing federal control on local activities, and, as a result, destroying the CNMI's economy.
Our team was hired in 1995 and immediately turned the tide. With strong ties to the new Republican majority in control of Congress, we launched an intense education and public relations effort that served and continues to serve the CNMI very well. In 1995 alone, we began educating members of the House Resource Committee and committee staff. We actively lobbied the House Leadership to prevent full House consideration of the Senate bill. We cultivated relationships with think-tanks and public policy organizations with invaluable public relations contacts. We enlisted an internationally renowned organization to conduct a study of the CNMI minimum wage issue. Finally, we spearheaded the effort to create CNMI allies by bringing Members of Congress, key staffers, and influential policy analysts to the islands for visits.
In the end, this all-out public relations and lobbying blitz brought CNMI back from the brink of legislative disaster. All of our tactics produced enormously positive results. Our efforts with the House Resource Committee allowed us to transform two congressional hearings that promised to be embarrassing to the CNMI into platforms to express local opposition to federal takeover schemes. We worked with the House Leadership to assure the bill would not move to the House floor, even if the committee did act. It also allowed us to acquire some very powerful allies, such as Majority Whip Tom DeLay. Perhaps most importantly, our dedication to the public relations aspect of the lobbying campaign helped the CNMI to develop a reputation for freedom and local autonomy, two virtues that were very attractive to the new Republican majority. The CNMI soon became known as a "laboratory of liberty," a place where free markets flourished and worked.
105th Congress (1997-98)
When the 105th Congress opened in 1997, the Clinton Administration refortified its commitment to federal control over the CNMI's immigration and minimum wage laws. The Administration proposed and Senator Frank Murkowski (R-AK) introduced a bill to impose such federal control. In the House, Representative Miller (D-CA) introduced a bill to federalize CNMI immigration and minimum wage rules as well as to prohibit "Made in the USA" labeling on CNMI products. Following Miller's lead, Senator Akaka (D-HI) introduced a companion bill in the Senate. That same year, the Administration released its third annual report on CNMI, its most critical to date, while the non-partisan Commission of Immigration Reform issued a potentially devastating report that labeled the CNMI immigration policy "un-American" and "antithetical to American values". The following year, the Clinton Administration directly threatened the future of the CNMI when it proposed a $187 million annual tariff on CNMI goods..
Despite these developments, our seasoned lobbying team was again able to prevent anti-CNMI legislation from being enacted. First, we enlisted the CNMI's newly-created allies in the House Leadership to oppose federalization, resulting in a letter from House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-TX) and House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-TX) to President Clinton. We secured a letter from House Resource Committee Chairman Don Young (R-AK) to President Clinton expressing opposition to federal takeover legislation. We used our information-gathering expertise to alert allies that Senator Akaka was trying to attach his anti-CNMI bill to another trade bill. We kept the CNMI's opponents from diverting federal funds in the appropriations bills that were designated for the CNMI. We reached out to the House Ways and Means Committee, as well as to anti-tax think-tanks and grassroots organizations, to generate strong opposition to the Administration's tariff proposal. Finally, we won a hard-fought victory on the House floor against Representative Miller and others who sought to attach federal takeover language to an appropriation measure. In the end, we successfully prevented any anti-CNMI legislation from becoming law.
On the public relations front, our efforts once again paid enormous dividends. We were able to blunt the negative aspects of the Commission on Immigration Reform's report and to use the positive references to our benefit. In addition, the independent study our team commissioned on the CNMI minimum wage was completed. The study warned against future increases in the minimum wage, a clear public relations victory for the CNMI and helpful ammunition for our allies in Congress.
106th Congress (1999-2000)
In the 106th Congress, Senator Kennedy (D-MA) and House Majority Whip Bonior (D-MI) introduced legislation to increase the federal minimum wage and to apply it to the CNMI. Senator Murkowski, Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, reintroduced legislation to federalize CNMI immigration procedures. Worse yet, Senator Abraham (R-MI) and Representative Franks (R-NJ) introduce legislation t deny CNMI use of the "Made in the USA" label and to impose tariffs on CNMI goods. Several unions and human rights groups conducted an active lobbying campaign in support of these bills. The Franks bill eventually garnered 234 cosponsors, more than a majority of House Members.
Working on behalf of the Western Pacific Economic Council, our team not only stopped all anti-CNMI legislation from being enacted, we helped to secure $1.4 million in extra CNMI appropriations for infrastructure improvements in Tinian and Rota. We were instrumental in first delaying Senate consideration of the Murkowski bill. We then stopped it cold in the House. We also helped to beat back a Democrat amendment during consideration of the minimum wage that would have included the CNMI in the wage increase. Finally, we increased our education and out reach efforts by coordinating a successful CNMI House Leadership delegation visit to Washington.
As this History makes clear, our record has been marked by one common denominator: success. The CNMI's authority to control its own immigration and wage laws has been protected. Its ability to export its goods freely to the mainland has been preserved. And its physical development has been aided by the infusion of federal assistance.
Of course it didn't hurt Jack's efforts that Tom DeLay and the GOP House leadership were effectively members of Team Abramoff. And so were a number of others: Young, Pombo, Doolittle, Rohbacher, Burns, etc.
Together they formed a wall, but DeLay was Jack's ace in the hole. As Willie Tan (the Mogul) told Steven Galster, an investigator with a hidden camera in 1999:
Mogul:: I have a real good friend of Tom DeLay, the Majority Whip. And Tom tell me, say, [Willie], as long as we are in power they can't even see the light at the end of tunnel, they don't even see the light. So now it going to be two years, because Tom become real powerful this congress because Tom is the one who basically do--is the peacemaker. So guaranteed next two years no problem. Now, it look like George Bush son will become the next president.... Quite possibly. If we are Republican, we have no more problem again, so we going to have six years.
And Willie was right. Not only did they get any effort to bring justice to CNMI stopped, they also got Congress to give them money for Capital Improvement Projects and other Federal grants that would be controlled by the local CNMI government.
And to help the Tan Family maintain control over the CNMI government, Tom and Jack sent Mike Scanlon and Ed Buckham to CNMI in 1999 to ensure that two CNMI House members switch their votes. They were from Tinian and Rota and in his pitch letter Jack openly brags about the $1.4 million payoff the GOP delivered to the two for switching their vote to support the Tan Family candidate, Ben Fitial.
So there are scandal details aplenty waiting to come out, dots waiting to be connected. Between Jack and the Duke we could start seeing more GOP players dropping out to spend time with their families (before they go to jail). They deserve it. And we need to keep this in their face.
I know that the victims are not blonds or even white girls. Even so, if we push this the traditional media they will have to follow our lead.
The Netroots journalism of Talking Points Memo, TPM Muckraker, FireDogLake, Washington Babylon (Harper's new blog by Ken Silverstein) and a host of others have proved that the netroots can lead the pack.
(Raise your hand if you think the resignation of Porter Goss had anything to do with Hookergate?)
The Abramoff scandal is about money, but more than that it is about making money by protecting a corrupt system that is engaged in the buying, selling and bondage of human beings to work in sweatshops and sexshops.
Let's force the GOP to defend this record. Let's give these courageous women a voice and some long overdue justice.
This should be a National issue in 2006.