Rogues' Gallery
“Every appropriation we wanted [from Burns' committee] we got. Our staffs were as close as they could be. They practically used Signatures as their cafeteria. I mean, it's a little difficult for him to run from that record.” –Jack Abramoff
Conrad BurnsAt the center of the web is United States Senator Conrad Burns. In 2001, Burns rose to the Chairmanship of the Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, a key committee for Jack Abramoff’s tribal and territorial clients. At the same time, Burns and his top aide, Will Brooke, sought out Jack Abramoff as a potential fundraising source for Burns’ Political Action Committee, Friends of the Big Sky. Between 2001 and 2004, Jack Abramoff, his associates and clients contributed nearly $150,000 to Burns, more than any other member of Congress. During that time Burns met with Abramoff and his team several times, changed his position on sweatshop legislation favorable to Abramoff clients in the Marianas Islands and included provisions of at least $3 million benefiting Abramoff clients in Interior appropriations legislation. News reports indicated that Burns is one of four lawmakers under investigation for dealings with Abramoff. The Justice Department has examined the personal financial disclosures of Senator Burns and his staff.
Jack AbramoffAdmitted felon Jack Abramoff is near the center of several Republican scandals. Abramoff pled guilty to fraud and conspiracy charges for offering officials things of value in exchange for official acts. Abramoff lobbied for clients in the Marianas islands and Indian tribes that received favors from Sen. Burns between 2001 and 2004. During the same period, Abramoff directed his clients to give nearly $150,000 in campaign contributions to Sen. Burns. Abramoff also hosted two Burns staffers on a trip to the Super Bowl in 2001; the trip is listed in the Abramoff plea agreement among the things offered in exchange for official acts. In addition, Abramoff has been tied to efforts by Congressman Tom DeLay to funnel illegal corporate money into Texas legislative races in an attempt to gerrymander the state’s Congressional redistricting.
Michael ScanlonMichael Scanlon, a business partner of Mr. Abramoff and former aide to Mr. DeLay, pleaded guilty this month to conspiring to bribe public officials and defraud several Native American tribes. Court papers in Mr. Scanlon's plea say that he and Mr. Abramoff "provided a stream of things of value to public officials in exchange for a series of official acts". Scanlon, a former aide to Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas), has agreed to testify against anyone indicted in the case, according to Justice Department sources.
Will BrookeWill Brooke, Sen. Burns’ chief of staff from 2001 through 2003, and an employee of Abramoff’s lobbying firm in 2004, is a central player in the Burns-Abramoff relationship. Brooke has admitted that he and Burns sought out Abramoff as a potential fundraising source, something Burns denies. Abramoff paid for Brooke to fly to Miami in January 2001 to attend the Super Bowl and go on a gambling cruise on a SunCruz ship owned by Abramoff and Adam Kidan. In September 2003, Abramoff emails reveal that Abramoff contacted Brooke and received assurances that Sen. Burns would call Interior Secretary Gale Norton as part of an effort to get $3 million school in construction for an Abramoff tribal client that the Bureau of Indian Affairs viewed as ineligible. Less than two months later, Burns included a provision in the Interior appropriations bill earmarking the funds for Abramoff’s client. Less than two months after that, Brooke left Burns office to take a job at Abramoff’s firm. Brooke has hired a criminal defense attorney and has been interviewed by the Justice Department in the Burns-Abramoff investigation. Brooke has confirmed that the Super Bowl trip is the subject of federal investigation.
Adam KidanAdam Kidan, the former business partner of Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff in the ill-fated purchase of the SunCruz Casinos fleet of gambling boats pleaded guilty to federal fraud and conspiracy charges involving the 2000 deal. Kidan and Abramoff used their Washington connections, including Rep. Ney of Ohio and Rep. DeLay’s chief of staff Tony Rudy to influence their purchase of SunCruz. During negotiations on the fleet, Kidan and Abramoff paid for two of Sen. Burns’ staffers to fly to Florida to attend the Super Bowl and a gambling cruise on a SunCruz ship. Kidan then gave $5,000—more money than he gave to any other candidate—to Burns in 2001. Kidan has also been connected to the gangland style assassination of former SunCruz owner Gus Boulis a month after Burns’ staffers’ Super Bowl trip.
Ryan ThomasRyan Thomas, a Burns staffer on the Appropriations Committee, was one of two Burns staffers who received a free trip to the 2001 Super Bowl “underwritten by SunCruz, a Florida-based casino cruise ship company” which is partially owned by Abramoff. The trip also included a gambling trip on a SunCruz ship. According to former Interior Department officials, Ryan Thomas took the lead in tangling with Interior officials over the funding for the Michigan tribes school. Also in 2001, Thomas gained notoriety in a Vanity Fair article bragging about his influential position. Thomas claimed that he gets heavily lobbied because of his influential position as appropriations committee staffer, which, according to him, includes shuffling around $19 billion. Thomas left the Appropriations committee staff in February.
Shawn VasellShawn Vasell, an Abramoff associate that became Burns’ state director for a little over a year then returned to Abramoff, refused to testify before a U.S. Senate Indian Affairs Committee investigating deals in which Abramoff received at least $66 million from six Indian tribes to lobby for their casinos and other interests. Abramoff email praise Vasell as providing “great language” to “creatively” bill tribal clients and asked him to “pump up” billing records. Vasell pled the fifth when asked whether he did so. According to the Senate Lobbyist Disclosures Shawn Vasell was a registered lobbyist for the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe in 2003, immediately after leaving Burns as state director and during the time Burns included a $3 million earmark for the tribe. As if that weren’t enough, Vasell was charged in June with four counts of breaking Montana hunting laws while on a trip to Stillwater County: illegally possessing big game, hunting on private property without permission, hunting with someone else's license and hunting without a license. He pled guilty to hunting without a license and hunting on private property without landowner consent.
Kevin RingKevin Ring, a “Team Abramoff” member who pled the Fifth Amendment before the U.S. Senate Indian Affairs Committee investigating Abramoff has connections with both Rep. Rehberg and Sen. Burns. Rehberg recommended Carter County Montana hire Ring and Abramoff’s firm to lobby for transportation funding. Carter County officials said Rehberg recommended Ring “because he knew him” and even after the abuses of “Team Abramoff” lobbying practices were exposed Rehberg’s spokesman said he couldn’t think of anyone better. Ring, who brought in nearly $100,000 in lobbying for Carter County contributed to both Burns and Rehberg. Ring’s contribution to Burns came just ten days after the passage of legislation in which Burns included a $3 million earmark for an Abramoff-Ring tribal client.
Eloy InosEloy Inos of Saipan in the U.S. Commonwealth of Northern Marianas Islands, gave $5000 to Burns in 2001 as part of a lobbying effort to prevent immigration restrictions in the Marianas. Abramoff was lobbying for Willie Tan, owner of Tan Holdings, Inos’ employer. In 1992, the U.S. government fined Tan’s companies $9 million for alleged labor violations, including non-payment of overtime. Since then, Tan has been leading the effort to force Washington to stay out of the affairs of the territory. Abramoff’s has been paid millions by the CNMI government in those efforts. Following several meetings and at least $12,000 in contributions from Abramoff and associates in 2001, Burns switched his vote on the Marianas provisions and included language favorable to the Marianas in an appropriations bill he oversaw. During that time Burns also met with Inos sister-in-law, the Marianas education commission in a meeting arranged by Abramoff.
Tom DeLayFormer Republican Leader Tom DeLay was forced to step down after being admonished three times by the House Ethics Committee and indicted for money laundering and conspiracy for funneling illegal money into Texas legislative races in an attempt to gerrymander the state’s congressional districts. Like Sen. Burns, DeLay is also under investigation for his dealings with Jack Abramoff. DeLay assisted Abramoff in both his SunCruz and Marianas Islands ventures. He also used fundraising sources like Abramoff to create a powerful hold on Republican House Members through campaign contributions. Rep. Rehberg took $20,000 from DeLay and voted with him 95 percent of the time, including votes to weaken House Ethics Rules to protect DeLay’s position in power.
Dennis RehbergRep. Dennis Rehberg ethical entanglements with Conrad Burns date back to 1988 when Rehberg managed Burns initial Senate campaign. That campaign was plagued by allegations that the NRSC illegally funneled money through the state Republican Party to influence the campaign. Rehberg’s problems continue in Congress, where he has taken $20,000 from indicted Republican leader Tom DeLay while voting with him 95 percent of the time, including votes to weaken House Ethics Rules in order to help DeLay stay in power. Rehberg is also tied to Team Abramoff through over $20,000 in campaign contributions. More importantly, Rehberg helped Abramoff lobbyist Kevin Ring get a nearly $150,000 lobbying contract with Carter County, Montana. Carter County officials say Rehberg recommended Ring because “he knew him.” Even after Ring refused to testify about allegations of illegal lobbying practices on the grounds that it might incriminate him, Rehberg’s spokesman said that he could not think of anyone better. Rehberg took thousands in campaign contributions from Ring and his firm.
Tony C. RudyA former top aide to House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.), Rudy was included in Abramoff’s plea agreement as “Staffer A”. During his tenure as a congressional aide, Rudy received favors from Abramoff, including several trips paid for by eLottery. Abramoff also arranged for a client, eLottery, to pay $25,000 to a Jewish foundation that hired Rudy's wife, Lisa, as a consultant, according to documents and interviews. Months later, Rudy himself was hired as a lobbyist by Abramoff. Rudy also accompanied DeLay to Scotland in 2002 for a trip, now under investigation, arranged by Abramoff. Abramoff listed Rudy as a financial reference in his purchase of SunCruz, an offshore gambling enterprise. That transaction ultimately led to the indictment of Abramoff and a business partner on charges that they had forged a $23 million wire transfer. Rudy has declined to comment on his involvement in any of these investigations. In relation to Burns, Rudy, then starting as a lobbyist with Abramoff, accompanied Will Brooke and Ryan Thomas on the Abramoff/SunCruz sponsored Super Bowl trip.
J. Steven GrilesGriles was deputy secretary of the Interior Department from July 2001 to January 2005. E-mails released by congressional investigators show he had numerous meetings, telephone calls and other contacts with Jack Abramoff concerning the lobbyist's tribal clients. According to the e-mails, Griles advised Abramoff how to get members of Congress to pressure the department and provided him information about Interior decision-making. The e-mails show Abramoff tried to influence Griles through Italia Federici, head of the Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy. Importantly in relation to Burns, e-mails reveal that Griles recommended Abramoff arrange a conressional letter regarding the Saginaw Tribe school funding program in the spring of 2003, a letter from Burns and House Interior Appropriations Chairman followed shortly after. Griles also apparently counseled Abramoff to “have Burns call Norton” regarding the Saginaw tribe in September of 2003. E-mails show that Abramoff contacted Burns Chief of Staff Will Brooke to arrange that call and apparently received a commitment. Less than two months later, Burns attached an earmark for the Saginaw tribe in the Interior Appropriations conference report.
Neil VolzFormer Rep. Ney Chief of Staff, Neil Volz is listed in the Abramoff plea agreement as “Staffer B”. According to Abramoff, it appears that Volz, at Abramoff’s direction broke the one-year lobbying ban for recent top staffers. As attention in the investigation turns to Congressman Ney, some expect pressure on Volz to make a plea agreement to increase. In regard to Montana, Volz has been brought in by Kevin Ring to lobby on behalf of Carter County, Montana. Ring became Carter County’s lobbyist on the recommendation of Rep. Dennis Rehberg.
Leo GiacomettoFormer Burns Chief Of StaffLeo Giacometto visited the Marianas Islands in 1997 on a trip organized by Jack Abramoff and paid for by the government of the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands (CNMI). The "fact-finding" missions included rounds of golf - arranged as part of a package the island government and Saipan garment manufacturers had paid lobbyist Jack Abramoff to set up. In addition, Giacometto, now a well-connected lobbyist was listed as having paid for a trip by Rep. Dennis Rehberg to Las Vegas despite House ethics rules that prevent lobbyists paying for congressional travel. Over a year later, Rehberg later “corrected” the travel report to say that the trip was paid for by Giacometto’s client. The change came after Tom Delay’s Abramoff sponsored travel was reported in newspapers. In addition, Giacometto was involved in a string of controversies as a member of the Martz cabinet. Investigators into the negligent homicide charges against Martz’ advisor Shane Hedges in the death of Montana House Majority Leader Paul Sliter, suspected Giacometto, who had been drinking and dining with Hedges and Sliter, of tampering with evidence and attempting to conceal Hedges involvement in the accident. Giacometto was also vice-president of Martz’ controversial “ Montana Majority Fund” and accused of threatening a former Martz’ press secretary after a negative article.
Mark BakerMark Baker, chairman of Burn’s Re-election Committee and his acting spokesman is the consummate political insider, using his political connections to gain favors for special interests while filling his own pockets and Republican campaign coffers. Barker’s firm, Anderson & Baker has reported $2.7 million in federal lobbying income since 1999, those clients have donated more than $200,000 to Burns. Baker was also president of the Montana Majority Fund, which was chaired by then-governor Judy Martz. The fund, a “527”, provoked controversy by hiring former Martz’ policy advisor, Shane Hedges, as executive director. Hedges left the governor's office after pleading guilty last fall to negligent homicide after a drunk driving accident that killed Montana House majority leader, Paul Sliter. It was also revealed that Hedges and another staffer had made calls on state phones to organize events for the fund. In addition, the Martz administration was forced to cancel a lobbying contract with a Baker-affiliated lobbying firm after failing to comply with state open bidding regulations Mark Baker, affiliated with the consulting firm since 2000, called himself an "informal adviser" to Martz.
Judy MartzFormer Montana Governor Judy Martz was the subject of several ethical questions, some linked to Burns associates Mark Baker and Leo Giacometto. Baker was president of the Montana Majority Fund, which was chaired by then-governor Judy Martz. The fund, a “527”, provoked controversy by hiring former Martz’ policy advisor, Shane Hedges, as executive director. Hedges left the governor's office after pleading guilty last fall to negligent homicide after a drunk driving accident that killed Montana House majority leader, Paul Sliter. It was also revealed that Hedges and another staffer had made calls on state phones to organize events for the fund. Martz herself was the subject of questions of evidence tampering after the Sliter-Hedges accident. In addition, the Martz administration was forced to cancel a lobbying contract with a Baker-affiliated lobbying firm after failing to comply with state open bidding regulations Mark Baker, affiliated with the consulting firm since 2000, called himself an "informal adviser" to Martz.
Marc RacicotThe once popular former governor of Montana’s reputation has been tarnished by the failure of electrical deregulation and his role as a prominent insurance lobbyist. Racicot was chairman while RNC was the middleman in the DeLay Texas money laundering scheme. DeLay’s Texas Republican Majority PAC (TRMPAC) contributed $190,000 to the Republican National State Elections Committee on September 20, 2002 that included corporate money. Within two weeks, the RNC contributed the same amount back to TRMPAC targeted candidates. Former Governor Marc Racicot was Chairman of the RNC at the time. DeLay is now under indictment for the illegal transactions.