One thought on “Casino Jack Abramoff”

1. I most likely won’t be watching this one, given I know a lot about this case that a lot of people don’t know. Jack pleaded out to a number of things in Miami that he did not do in order to avoid facing a jury in DC full of Democrats.
   A Jewish Republican would not have stood a chance in DC, no matter how much the defense would have torn up the DOJ’s case. In the Kevin Ring conviction, jurors said that the case was a joke, but then added that since the government said Ring had committed crimes, well, then, he must have done it.
   You have to understand that much of what passes for “anti-corruption” prosecution in this country has a lot of stuff behind it that is not reported in the media. The DOJ prosecutors are looking to criminalize business transactions and all lobbying by those who don’t have the proper political connections.
   For example, John McCain was the guy who really pushed against Abramoff, and he managed to put together what basically were sham hearings against Jack that made for great media and political theater. What was NOT reported afterward was that the lobbyists who were tied to McCain got Abramoff’s Indian clients.
   Unfortunately, what is portrayed in the media often is not the reality, and for all of the shell games that go on, the symbiotic relationship between the mainstream Washington press and the politicians (and now the bureaucrats) is the real story. That never will be portrayed in any movies, of course, yet what many of these people do is insidious.
   Remember that Jack Abramoff was convicted of “honest services fraud” because the DOJ claims he “overcharged” the Indian tribes he represented. Keep in mind that all the charges were negotiated by legitimate people, and Abramoff did not do any extraneous billing. There was no “fraud” in any sense of the word; instead, Abramoff was a very good lobbyist who was well-paid by people who appreciated her services.
   McCain blamed Abramoff for his 2000 primary loss in South Carolina, which ultimately derailed his presidential ambitions. As one who lived in South Carolina at the time, I can tell you that McCain ran a pathetic and paternalistic campaign in that state. He came down to lecture those “ignorant” Southerners about how to do things right, made sure that he had his worshipful media in tow, and attacked a number of people.
   By the way, for all of his attacks on Bob Jones University, his campaign director in SC was a BJU graduate. Furthermore, while McCain made hay out of his not speaking at BJU as did Bush (although Alan Keyes got the best response at BJU — a standing ovation when he told the audience to purge themselves of racism).
   However, two days before the primary, McCain spoke at the services of Hampton Park Baptist Church, which is known in Greenville as The Bob Jones Church. And, no, McCain did not lecture the people there on “anti-Catholic bigotry” and other things that later would become themes in his campaign.
   In the end, the behind-the-scenes sleaze that ultimately gave us the so-called Abramoff scandal will not be in the media or in any movie. Indeed, the media played a major role in hiding McCain’s influence and the influence of McCain’s friends in the lobbying business. All in a day’s work in Washington.

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