Jack Kingston R/GA-1 is the new front man for the Republican Party. He is goofy as anybody who has watched his appearances on Bill Marr or the Colbert Report can testify.
And then there was his crying about Democrats establishing a 5-day work week for the 110th Congress:
"Keeping us up here eats away at families," said Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.), who typically flies home on Thursdays and returns to Washington on Tuesdays. "Marriages suffer. The Democrats could care less about families -- that's what this says."
Or his stunt today where he explained how a vote against the surge is a vote to stay the course in Iraq.
He is wildly silly, but he is also extremely corrupt.
When it comes to the Abramoff scandal, Kingston is a key player. He is the House counterpoint to Conrad Burns and Team Abramoff’s point man on moving Interior Appropriations through the Congress.
To the jump...
For the last few weeks I have been focusing on the Senate’s Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 2-8-2007 CNMI Hearing. I was working on a new Diary to follow-up on CNMI Hearing Report #1 and CNMI Hearing Report #2. Some very interesting things are going on and there are some developments to share. But they have to wait a day or so.
I have been working on a post about Jack Kingston for some time now. He was one of the Abramoff 65 I identified in 2006. Kingston took 68% of the vote and defeated his Democratic opponent Jim Nelson.
Nelson was one of the Fighting Dems, a Veteran taking on an entrenched, corrupt Republican in a "Red State". And like most of our candidates in that position he got damn little attention and/or help.
We need to change that in 2008.
I know that many will instinctively write off the South. We can not do that. The 50-State strategy requires that we campaign to win everywhere. There are a lot of Democrats in Georgia. We can win there. We just need to field the right candidates and run against the entrenched and corrupt Georgia Republican Party.
The Georgia Republican Party is deeply tied to Abramoff through Ralph Reed and Jack Kingston.
This case needs to be built. There is a lot of research to do and a lot of dots to connect. I want to get the ball rolling and offer my help to anybody who wants to bring down the GOP in Georgia. If they win in 2008 they should be forced to spend time, money and resources there. We can force them to do just that.
Abramoff, Reed and Kingston and the ways the entry points to the scandal.
A lot is known about the corruption of Ralph Reed and Jack Abramoff.
Jack Kingston is another matter. So far he has escaped his moment in the scandal spotlight. I would like to change that.
In 2001, Jack Kingston was on the Appropriation Committee (as he was throughout the Abramoff years). It was the only Committee assignment he had in the 107th Congress. And conveniently for Abramoff, Kingston had a seat on the Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies:
Majority
Joe Skeen (R/NM-2) Chair
Ralph Regula (R/OH-16)
Jim Kolbe (R/AZ-5)
Charles H. Taylor (R/NC-11)
George Nethercutt (R/WA-5)
Zach Wamp (R/TN-3)
Jack Kingston (R/GA-1)
John E. Peterson (R/PA-5)
Minority
Norm Dicks (D/WA-6) RMM
John P. Murtha (D/PA-12)
James P. Moran (D/VA-8)
Maurice D. Hinchey (D/NY-26)
Martin Olav Sabo (D/MN-5)
That put Kingston in the group of lawmakers that Team Abramoff would like to know. And the Jacks worked together.
There have been some small links. Like this TPM Muckraker report on Kingston joining Tom DeLay to flip-flopped on a gambling bill for Abramoff. But it is the 2001 billing records from Abramoff to the government of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) the really show how Kingston worked for Abramoff and his client.
In the late Clinton years more and more pressure was being brought to bear on the government of the CNMI in an attempt to get them to clean up the system of abuse that has been allowed to flourish on the CNMI. In 1999 Team Abramoff helped elect Ben Fitial—an employee of sweatshops owning Tan Family—the Speaker of the CNMI House. Fitial returned the favor and had the Marianas Government rehire Abramoff.
Money started to flow again. And by 2001, Abramoff and his allies controlled the White House and Congress. These were the salad days for appropriating new money for the CNMI. In FY 2001 the contribution to the CNI budget from the Federal Government was just under $50 million. In FY 2002 that jumped $22.6 million to almost $72 million:
The jump in funds would have been earmarked in 2001, a year when Abramoff was working the Halls of Congress for favors for his clients and collecting money to help Republicans win elections in 2002. Following how and why these funds where appropriated (and by whom) would be a very useful project.
Fortunately, the billing records leave a pretty clear trail of how things were done.
In the Senate, Conrad Burns was the go-to-guy for CNMI related earmarks and special favors in the budget.
In the House it was Jack Kingston. Here is a sample of how he worked with Team Abramoff over just a few months in 2001:
04/02/01 Padgett R. Wilson 3.00 hrs
Research appropriations opportunities for CNMI projects for K. Ring; Discuss appropriations requests with D. Schwarz (LA Kingston); Discuss minimum wage bill prospects with J. Williams (LD Durbin) and Malloy McDaniel (Clerk Lott); Review legislative reports and daily clips list for policy developments. Distribute relevant information to practice group.
04/11/01 Jack Abramoff 1.80 hrs
Meet with House appropriators regarding CNMI local projects.
04/12/01 Padgett R. Wilson 2.00 hrs
Meet with D. Schwarz (LA Kingston) and L. Beckmann (LC Kingston); Review legislative reports and daily clips list for policy developments; Distribute relevant information to practice group.
04/20/01 Kevin Ring 5.10 hrs
Meet with J. Steele (Kingston) regarding Interior appropriations requests; correspondence with school commissioner regarding congressional education bills and CNMI funding; meet with N. Bradley (RSC) regarding minimum wage and Made in the USA; phone conversation with Rep. Doolittle regarding client issues.
04/24/01 Kevin Ring 4.90 hrs
Work with team regarding research on appropriations requests, including requirement for local match on construction funds; correspondence with J. Steele (Kingston) regarding same.
05/07/01 Kevin Ring 3.60 hrs
Work related to appropriations requests, including conversation with OIA staff about local match; meet with J. Willis (Reynolds) regarding minimum wage and appropriations issues; correspondence with J. Steele (Kingston) regarding Interior approps request; correspondence with Hill staff regarding Interior Department staffing.
05/22/01 Kevin Ring 4.20 hrs
Prepare for meeting with D. Schwarz and J. Steele (Kingston) regarding CNMI appropriations request; meet with same; meet with D. Lopez (Doolittle) regarding appropriations and S. 507; conversations with White House liaison regarding same.
05/22/01 Padgett R. Wilson 2.80 hrs
Meet with D. Schwarz and J. Steele in Congressman J. Kingston's office regarding funding requests for FY 2001 budget.
05/23/01 Kevin Ring 6.30 hrs
Correspondence with client regarding investor treaty issue! research issues related to same; correspondence with DOLI Secretary regarding visas; meet with team regarding opposition to S. 507 in Senate; correspondence with Senate staff regarding same; correspondence and phone conversations with J. Steele and D. Schwarz (Kingston) regarding appropriations for CNMI; meet with select team members regarding
Democratic takeover of Senate and implications for client.
06/01/01 Kevin Ring 4.90 hrs
Meet With T. Bingel (Cannon) regarding immigration issues involving S. 507; meet with S. Moloney and N. Bradley (RSC), B. Wichterman (Pitts), and G. Blank (Toomey) regarding minimum wage and other client issues; conference call with staff of Rep. Kingston regarding Interior appropriations request; work related to appropriations.
06/05/01 Kevin Ring 5.90 hrs
Meet with R. Barrales (While House Intergovernmental Affairs) regarding all client issues; prepare for same; organize meeting with C. Spear (Labor) regarding minimum wage and Administration position; correspondence related to same; phone conversation with representative of Liz Claiborne regarding S. 507 and minimum wage; edit one-page briefing paper on minimum wage; correspondence with T. Troy (Labor) regarding minimum wage; phone conversation with K. Kaloi (House Resources) regarding S. 507; correspondence with D. Schwarz (Kingston) regarding appropriations.
06/06/0 Kevin Ring 3.50 hrs
Work related to appropriations, including drafting report language for Interior appropriations bill and circulation of same to Hill contacts; phone conversation with P. Morrell (Armey) regarding minimum wage update; correspondence with Senate staff regarding placement of S. 507 on legislative calendar; conversations with internal team regarding holds.
06/07/01 Kevin Ring 1.10 hrs
Phone conversation with D. Schwarz (Kingston) regarding Interior approps markup and CNMI funding; report news to team and client.
06/07/01 Padgett R. Wilson 3.50 hrs
Review legislative reports and daily clips list for policy developments; distribute relevant
information to policy group; research S. 329, a bill to authorize the "themed study of the peopling of America" for S. Vasell for possibk impact to the CNMI, distribute introductory remarks, mark-up report, and committee report; Compare committee
report of S. 507 to the original bill; distribute committee report to policy group; contact D. Schwarz (LA Kingston) regarding 6-5 mark-up of the Interior Appropriations bill; draft update of projects important to CNMI included in the House mark; distribute to policy group.
06/07/01 Todd A. Boulanger 2.00 hrs
Attend House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee mark-up; email to group regarding same.
06/15/01 Padgett R. Wilson 1.30 hrs
Review legislative reports and dally clips list for policy developments; distribute relevant information; review Interior Appropriations committee print for language on construction matching funds; follow up with D. Schwarz (LA Kingston) regarding language in the bill; copy and distribute committee print to K. Ring.
06/28/01 Padgett R. Wilson 2.00 hrs
Review legislative reports and daily clips list for insular and labor policy developments; distribute relevant information; meet with House leadership staff regarding minimum wage timetable and bill version options: meet With D. Schwarz (LA Kingston) .regarding appropriations requests.
07/07/01 Padgett R. Wilson 1.70 hrs
Meet with staff from Rep. Kingston's office regarding client issues including appropriations
07/12/01 Padgett R. Wilson 1.50 hrs
Meet with D. Schwarz and L. Beckmann (Kingston) regarding appropriations requests; review legislative reports and daily clips list for insular and labor policy developments; distribute relevant policy information.
07/25/01 Kevin Ring 3.20 hrs
Meet with Rep. Kingston and staff regarding Interior appropriations bill and client needs; meet with J. Rishel (House Resources) regarding client issues, including minimum wage; meet with Rep. Ney and D. Maloney (DeLay) regarding same; send legislative update to islands contacts; phone conversation with P. Evich (Doolittle) regarding energy and water appropriations needs..
07/31/01 Kevin Ring 3.80 hrs
Meet with S. Griles (Dep Sec, Interior) regarding client issues, including Interior staffing; meet with M. Kilmer (Craig) regarding S. 507 and client opposition; correspondence with client regarding Miller bill; review text of same; conversation with
M. Smith regarding preparation of section-by-section; meet with Rep. Kingston and staff regarding Interior appropriations issues and client issues in general; meet with Rep. Quinn regarding minimum wage bill.
08/21/01 Shawn M. Vasell 2.50 hrs
Attend meeting with Representative Kingston's office and K. Ring; research and compile information on prospective candidates for the Office of Insular Affairs for J. Abramoff.
And that was just for one of Abramoff’s clients and only over a few months. I am sure that there is more to discover.
One thing to dig up would be the earmarks and favors Kingston help Abramoff get into the Interior Department appropriations. One favor I know they worked in was to exempt the CNMI Government from having to come up with matching funds for grants that every other Territory or State would have to come up with to get grant money for various Capital Improvement Projects. I am sure that there are others.
Jack Kingston is part of the new face of the Republican Party. He is one of the "stars".
To me he is right there with DeLay, Ney and Doolittle. Kingston is one of Team Abramoff’s heroes.
The payoff did not come directly to Kingston, although Abramoff did send him $1,000 on 8-31-01 as the CNMI earmarks were being finalized. No, I think the big money went fund Georgia Republican victories in 2002. Ralph Reed was Chair of the State Party. I’m certain that a lot of off-the-books money came in for all manner of dirty tricks to take down Max Cleland and other Peach State Democrats who fell that year.
It may help to explain these 2002 donations from the Tan Family:
On 10-3-02, Concord Garment Manufacturing gave $25,000 to the NRCC (National Republican Congressional Committee).
On 10-4-02, Global Manufacturing Inc gave $25,000 to the NRSC (National Republican Senatorial Committee).
On 10-4-02, L & T Group of Companies gave $25,000 to the NRSC.
I’m sure this is a rich scandal pile to dig in. Georgia, Alabama, Texas, Maryland and other states in 2002 that were a Republican focus for the midterm elections were the reason that Jack Abramoff did what he did.
Jack essentially was a bag man for those Republicans who wanted to create one-party rule in the USA. They have been working towards this goal since the late 1970s. Jack's key role was to get untraceable money into the system for off-the-books operations. Finding ways to wash a lot of money is a key requirement when hiding the source of funds flowing into the political system.
2002 was the big year. They used 9-11 as an opportunity to go for the kill. It didn’t work in the long run, but a lot of damage has been done to our Country and our world.
Jack Kingston was a key player in this scandal. Let’s get him.
In February 2005 nobody expected so many seats to be competitive. And folks like John Sweeney (NY-20) seemed invincible. He wasn’t. In the CA-4, Doolittle seemed like he would coast to re-election. Instead he had a real race on his hands and Charlie Brown almost beat the beady-eyed weasel.
The reason was that we recruited great candidates and then gave them the resources to take the fight to many an entrenched Republican. In 2008 we need to expand on that model.
And I hope that part of that expansion includes Georgia and the 1st Congressional District.
There are massive problems and we have a Country to take back and a planet to save (literally, the Climate Crisis is real).
2007 is now. Let’s get to work.
Cheers.