I rarely write a short Diary, but this seems worth a quick Diary at lunch.
A few moments TPM Muckraker broke the story that Palin's Lobbyist Has Abramoff Ties.
This is a new development in the drip, drip, drip of the growing Alaskan GOP/Young/Stevens/Palin corruption scandal. The Washington Post started the ball rolling this morning with a report that Steven Silver, Palin's lobbyist had gotten her $27 million in earmarks for Wasilla.
Now TPM has made the Abramoff connection.
To the jump...
Here are the higlights:
The Washington Post reports today that, while Mayor of Wasilla, Palin oversaw the hiring of a lobbyist, Steven Silver -- a former chief of staff to now-indicted GOP senator Ted Stevens -- to help win federal earmarks for the city.
But Silver appears to have additional ties that could further undercut Palin's image as a squeaky-clean reformer. According to Senate lobbying disclosure reports examined by TPMmuckraker, from 2002 to 2004 Silver listed as a client Jack Abramoff's lobbying firm, Greenberg Traurig. On Greenberg's behalf, Silver lobbied the federal government on "issues relating to Indian/Native American policy," "exploration for oil and gas" and "legislation relating to gaming issues" -- the very issues that Abramoff headed up for Greenberg at the time. In other words, Silver appears to have been a part of "Team Abramoff." [snip]
There's additional evidence of ties between Silver and Abramoff. Emails released by a House committee in 2006 as part of a probe of Abramoff show the now-disgraced lobbyist scheduling a meeting with Silver in 2001.
Jack Abramoff has many links to Alaska and the drip, drip, drip of this story will connect more of them to Alaskan Republicans including Sarah Palin.
The involvement of Silver with Abramoff to lobbying Congress on Tribal Issue should have come out in McCain’s investigation white-wash of the Abramoff Scandal. Instead the details of Silver’s involvement with Abramoff are hidden in the 750,000 plus pages of Abramoff Scandal documents that McCain has sent to the National Archives stamped with a Do not open until 2056 sticker on each box.
Somebody should ask McCain to make these documents available to the press for review.
During a November 17, 2004 Hearing on the Abramoff Scandal, John McCain made a promise to the representatives of the Tigua Tribe of Texas:
I pledge, as a member of the Committee on Indian Affairs, that we will not stop until the complete truth is told.
It was a promise—like all John McCain promises—that McCain quickly broke. Before the same hearing was over, it was clear that McCain had little interests in exposing the truth.
In Sarah Palin, John McCain has found a mini-me. Another Republican politician who is all hype, all the time.
We must defeat these weasels.
I’m glad that TPM made the Abramoff/Palin link.
Perhaps somebody gave them a tip.
Cheers