Cornyn Corruption Watch

Cornyn Corruption Watch

Guess who just keeps showing up in conjunction with Abramoff and DeLay: Senator John 'Box Turtle' Cornyn. Here it is, straight from ABCNews:

Ashcroft never took action on the request. The Texas casino was closed the following year by a federal court ruling in a 1999 lawsuit filed by the state's attorney general, John Cornyn, now a U.S. senator.

That's quite a conincky-dink ain't it? First he shows up in an Abramoff and Ralph Reed production. And now he's starring in a DeLay/Abramoff production. I hear there is a new ballet in Austin starring Ronnie Earle with open-auditions, you think Cornyn might be interested?

But seriously, once, as they say on Wall Street, is an accident. Twice is a coincidence. But three times is a trend. No wonder he was on Press The Meat this weekend downplaying the scandal.

Can we get some local reporting on this, please? Until then, give Glenn's excellent post a read and stop by Jack's place too.

More as it develops and older stories after the jump.

December 2, 2005 Update:

Senator John "Box Turtle" Cornyn just keeps showing up. Today he popped up at The Irregular Times and at the non-FNC Roger Ailes' place and at The Blogometer which is published by the highly esteemed National Journal.

The Irregular Times asks the same questions we did earlier:

Now, what, oh what, did Ralph Reed talk with John Cornyn about? This corrupt deal is enough to bring criminal indictments against Congressman Tom DeLay, so the fact that Senator Cornyn now has his fingerprints on the scheme ought to have his lawyers scrambling. It�s time to hand over your emails and memos, Senator Cornyn.

That sounds real familiar. Here's what we wrote back when this story first broke November 11:

My suggestion for the Senator is this: come clean now with all contacts and communications with Abramoff and Scanlon, most especially if you aren't guilty of anything. If you don't, most people will assume you're hiding something.

So here is a question for our local media here in the state, especially the hometown paper: when are you going to a.) ask our Junior Senator some questions and b.) report on what he says? Why do the blogs have to do all the work? Aren't you the media?

Of course, Senator Cornyn could always come clean first.

December 2^nd Post

Well, well, well, look who's name just keeps popping up in conjunction with little Ralph Reed: Senator John "Box Turtle" Cornyn.

This really isn't new news as it relates to Cornyn. The question remains, was Cornyn doing Ralph Reeds bidding or was he doing his job as Attorney General?

As soon as Cornyn shut down Speaking Rock in February 2002, team Abramoff pulled off an extraordinary double play. Playing on their close ties to indicted former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (who once had employed Scanlon as a press secretary), the same lobbyists who had worked behind the scenes to shutter Speaking Rock sold themselves to the Tigua tribe as the lobbyists who could press Congress to reopen that casino. The Tiguas-who hired Abramoff's team for an initial fee of $4.2 million-have since accused Abramoff, Scanlon and Reed of fraud.

Quite a conincky-dink, eh? I think Senator Cornyn should answer the following questions and release information as it pertains to such questions: Did he meet with Ralph Reed during this time frame? If he did, what did they discuss. Cornyn should release all communications pertaining to Ralph Reed or Jack Abramoff as well. Like I said before: come clean on it all and you have nothing to worry about.

November 22^nd Post

I wonder how Senator John "Box Turtle" Cornyn feels about this:

Michael Scanlon, a former aide to Rep. Tom DeLay, pleads guilty in conspiracy to bribe public officials.

Will it lead to this:

For more than a year, Michael Scanlon has been a shadowy presence behind former partner Jack Abramoff, the Republican lobbyist at the center of a corruption probe. Now, Scanlon may help prosecutors raise the investigation to a higher level.

My suggestion for the Senator is this: come clean now with all contacts and communications with Abramoff and Scanlon, most especially if you aren't guilty of anything. If you don't, most people will assume you're hiding something.

Not a whole lot of news on the Cornyn/Abramoff story. There is this one new, "I do not recall," denial from the Austin American-Statesman but nothing from my local paper or any of the other big Texas dailies. But I wanted to let everyone know that we will be covering the story for some time on the radio November 23. It's a live stream and we will hopefully, if I can pull this off, be making some phone calls to some of the players in the story while I am on the air.

November 11^th Post

E-mails show link between Cornyn, Abramoff
Suzanne Gamboa | Washington, DC | November 11

San Antonio Express-News - Former Christian Coalition director Ralph Reed claimed in a 2001 e-mail to a lobbyist that he choreographed John Cornyn's efforts as Texas attorney general to shut down an East Texas Indian tribe's casino.

Here's a question I have for my local paper: do you plan on investigating this and/or covering it yourselves or are you just going to rely on the wire reports?

More after the jump.

So far, the Austin American Statesman has an identical wire story. Houston Chronicle, nada. Dallas Morning News, zip. Will they follow up with the story? As of this morning the Dallas Morning News has picked up the wire story.

The lobbyist was Jack Abramoff, who is under federal investigation, along with his partner Michael Scanlon, on allegations of defrauding six Indian tribes of about $80 million between 2001 and 2004. The e-mail, along with about a dozen others, were released last week as part of the investigation.

In 2001, Abramoff was working as a lobbyist for the Louisiana Coushatta tribe to prevent rival gaming casinos from siphoning off its Texas customers. He paid Reed as a consultant, and Reed lobbied to get the Alabama-Coushatta and Tigua casinos closed in Texas.

In the Nov. 30, 2001, e-mail, Reed told Abramoff that 50 pastors led by Ed Young, of Second Baptist Church in Houston, would meet with Cornyn to urge him to shut down the Alabama-Coushatta tribe's casino near Livingston, Texas. He said Young would back up the request in writing.

"We have also choreographed Cornyn's response. The AG will state that the law is clear, talk about how much he wants to avoid repetition of El Paso and pledge to take swift action to enforce the law," Reed wrote. "He will also personally hand Ed Young a letter that commits him to take action in Livingston."

Cornyn, now a Republican U.S. senator, had filed a lawsuit in 1999 to shut down a casino operated by the Tigua tribe in El Paso, saying it violated the state's limited gambling laws. In 2002, federal courts shuttered the Tiguas' casino and Cornyn used that ruling to shut down the Alabama-Coushuttas' casino.

Cornyn, who has not been accused of any wrongdoing, has denied knowing Abramoff. He also has said he was unaware of Reed's work with Abramoff. He said he did not remember receiving a letter from Young or Reed, or providing a letter to Young, although he acknowledged meeting with the minister.

"Their efforts were irrelevant to what I was doing," said Cornyn, who was elected to the Senate in 2002. "It's kind of eye-opening to me that apparently people make money claiming credit for something I decided to do under the law."

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee, led by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., blocked out references to Cornyn in the e-mails it released last week. But, in previous Reed e-mails released by the committee, Cornyn's name was not removed.

The previously released e-mails that showed in 2002 Abramoff and Scanlon secretly funneled millions to Reed to help fund the campaign to get the Tigua casino shut down. The lobbyists then persuaded the Tiguas to hire them to reopoen it.

A Reed spokeswoman refused to respond directly to questions about whether Reed had copies of or had seen Young's letter, or details about how he "choreographed" a response from Cornyn.

"No one should take credit for state Attorney General John Cornyn's actions and the faith community's support," Reed's spokeswoman Lisa Baron said. "Ralph Reed never has and never will."

She said Reed did not learn the Louisiana Coushattas were Abramoff's clients until 2002, and he was not aware that the tribe contributed to "our efforts" until 2004.

But Reed's e-mails suggest Cornyn's work was instrumental to Abramoff in fending off competition for his client.

Members of the Louisiana Coushatta tribal leadership testified last week that Abramoff used the threat of the Alabama-Coushatta casino in Texas to get more lobbying business from the tribe.

Young said he met Cornyn for the first time at the pastors' meeting in late November 2001 and Cornyn spoke to about 15 to 20 pastors. He also said he did not remember any exchange of letters occurring at the meeting as Reed said in the e-mail.

Cornyn "told us the situation. He was filing affidavits. We said we support you" because of the pastors' concern about gambling, Young said.

Young dismissed Reed's suggestion that Cornyn needed him for support in the 2002 Senate race. He said he stays neutral politically because his church attracts Democrats and Republicans, including Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas.

DeLay, the former House Majority leader, has been charged with money laundering and conspiracy in a campaign finance scheme related to the 2002 elections. Investigators are looking into donations and an all-expense paid golf trip to Scotland that DeLay received after his office helped Abramoff get a high-level Bush administration meeting for Indian clients.

When the Alabama-Coushatta casino finally closed, Reed summed up the political rewards in an e-mail to Abramoff.

"This is total victory and should lead friends in TX to now want to launch the grassroots effort to insure that those elected officials who stood up for families and against the casino gambling have support this fall," Reed said.

Sean Paul Kelley January 10, 2006 - 5:54pm

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( categories: News | USA: Texas: San Antonio )

Cornyn calls Alito "Scalito" twice!

ROFL! Watch the video. He gets a laugh for the gaffe, too.

Even if in jest, it's a frank unconscious admission that he's habituated himself to thinking/saying that.

link

(hattip dKos)

Escher Sketch January 11, 2006 - 4:40pm

My Guess

The Excuse-for-News goes with the wire reports.

Just found your site, and glad to see I'm not the only San Antonioan who keeps up with these things!

Aquaria November 12, 2005 - 1:11am

AP article on - Abramoff playing both sides...

Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay tried to pressure the Bush administration into shutting down an Indian-owned casino that lobbyist Jack Abramoff wanted closed - shortly after a tribal client of Abramoff's donated to a DeLay political action committee, The Associated Press has learned.

The Texas Republican demanded closure of the casino, owned by the Alabama-Coushatta tribe of Texas, in a Dec. 11, 2001 letter to then-Attorney General John Ashcroft. The Associated Press obtained the letter from a source who did not want to be identified because of an ongoing federal investigation of Abramoff and members of Congress.

"We feel that the Department of Justice needs to step in and investigate the inappropriate and illegal actions by the tribe, its financial backers, if any, and the casino equipment vendors," said the letter, which was also signed by Texas Republican Reps. Pete Sessions, John Culberson and Kevin Brady.

Sessions' political action committee received $6,500 from Abramoff's tribal clients within three months after signing the letter. A spokeswoman for Sessions said he considers gaming a state issue. She said the tribe was circumventing state law and Sessions signed the letter in defense of Texas laws.

Ashcroft never took action on the request. The Texas casino was closed the following year by a federal court ruling in a 1999 lawsuit filed by the state's attorney general, John Cornyn, now a U.S. senator.

Kevin Madden, DeLay's spokesman, said DeLay's actions "were based on policy considerations and their effect on his constituents. Mr. DeLay always makes decisions with the best interests of his constituents in mind."

The letter was sent at least two weeks after the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, a tribal client of Abramoff's, contributed $1,000 to Texans for a Republican Majority, or TRMPAC. That political action committee is at the center of the campaign finance investigation that yielded money laundering charges against DeLay and forced him temporarily out of the majority leader's job.

The letter also was sent to Interior Secretary Gale Norton; the U.S. attorney for Texas' eastern district; the chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission and Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who took over when Bush was elected president.

Its author appears to have been unfamiliar with the Alabama-Coushatta. It said the tribe was based in "Livingstone," and that the tribe had opened a casino "against the wishes of the citizens of Alabama." The tribe's reservation is in Livingston, Texas.

At the time of the letter, Abramoff was working for the Louisiana Coushatta and had portrayed the Alabama-Coushatta's Houston-area casino as a threat to his client's casino.

The revelation comes as DeLay has said he has given up trying to regain the majority leader post. DeLay had insisted until Saturday that he would reclaim the job after clearing his name in the campaign finance investigation.

DeLay is awaiting trial on charges he funneled corporate contributions - largely banned in Texas elections - through TRMPAC and the Republican National Committee to the campaigns of several GOP state legislative candidates. On Monday, an appeals court denied his request that the charges be dismissed.

The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians made the TRMPAC contribution on Nov. 28, 2001, according to court documents. An attorney for the Choctaw declined comment on how the tribe decided on contributing to TRMPAC.

Abramoff pleaded guilty to federal charges and is cooperating with investigators whose bribery probe is now focusing on several members of Congress and their aides, including a former DeLay aide. Abramoff's former business partner Michael Scanlon, DeLay's former press aide, also has pleaded guilty in the case.

The contributions are not necessarily illegal, but DeLay's association with Abramoff is under scrutiny. DeLay has taken overseas trips paid for in part by Abramoff, and his national political action committee used a skybox leased by Abramoff to treat donors to a concert.

The Alabama-Coushatta were never clients of Abramoff or Scanlon. But Abramoff targeted the tribe in his work for the Louisiana Coushatta, first trying to shut down their casino and then trying to become a lobbyist for the Alabama-Coushatta.

He and Scanlon were in a panic a month before the letter when the Alabama-Coushatta's chief said the tribe was opening a casino.

In e-mail, they discussed getting an official to threaten to jail the tribal chairman.

According to court documents, Abramoff also used the Alabama-Coushatta to carry out one of his bribery schemes.

Federal investigators have alleged that Representative 1 - later identified as Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio - agreed in June 2002 to introduce and pass a legislative provision that would eliminate a federal ban against commercial gaming for the Alabama-Coushatta "at Abramoff's request."

Abramoff pleaded guilty to telling Ney in June 2002 that a client, the Tigua tribe of Texas, was raising money for Ney's trip to Scotland. The Tigua had turned down Abramoff's request for the money.

Alabama-Coushatta Chairman Ronnie Thomas and McClamrach Battise, a tribal council member, said the tribe wrote a $50,000 check to Abramoff's Capital Athletic Foundation after the tribe was approached by the Tigua. But the tribe was not told the charity belonged to Abramoff. The foundation cashed the tribe's check on July 24, 2002, the same day the Alabama-Coushatta closed its casino.

"We never knew Abramoff was in the picture," Battise said.

Carlos Hisa, lieutenant governor of the Tiguas, said he did not tell the Alabama-Coushatta that Abramoff wanted the money.

"We told them it was for a golfing trip and certain individuals from Congress were going to go that were going to help us with our cause," Hisa said. "Abramoff had told us even from the very beginning the entire thing was top secret. Only a few could know because the language was going to be sneaked in."

Hisa said he regrets not being more truthful. "I didn't set out to do any damage to the tribe," he said.

Documents show Abramoff hoped to eventually be on the tribe's payroll, making millions for helping them reopen the casino DeLay wanted shut down. Abramoff was pressing a Tigua representative to get the Alabama-Coushatta to sign over 10 percent of the tribe's future gaming revenues to a "foundation" he would later designate.

Frederick Petti, an attorney for the Alabama-Coushatta, has filed a demand letter for return of its $50,000 and damages with Greenberg Traurig, Abramoff's former employer.

Greenberg Traurig spokeswoman Jill Perry would not answer questions about the letter but said in an e-mailed statement that the firm demanded Abramoff resign when he told them of his conduct. The plea agreement has revealed further conduct the firm was unaware of, she said.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1153AP_Lobbyist_Fraud_DeLay.html

graham January 10, 2006 - 6:09pm

Tentacles everywhere

I friend send me these two links a couple weeks back and I've been meening to ask you what you thought of them and the site they are on. I don't know much about it or even the Abramhof story.

http://www.madcowprod.com/10272005.htm

http://www.madcowprod.com/10102005.html

As you can see, this thing even stretches to my island. Local hotel and casino owner Spadaro, a good buddy of several local politicians, is mnetioned.

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on this connection.

Carib

Caribdude November 12, 2005 - 11:41am

bugger

sorry about the double post.

Caribdude November 12, 2005 - 11:44am

Here are the emails

A glance of e-mails written by Ralph Reed concerning John Cornyn

By The Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- A brief look at some 2001 e-mails between former Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed and lobbyist Jack Abramoff concerning John Cornyn, who was Texas attorney general at the time and now is a U.S. senator.

_ NOV. 11, 2001, 5:43 p.m.: Abramoff's partner Michael Scanlon forwards Abramoff a news article in which the Alabama-Coushatta tribal leader said he was going forward with plans to open a casino. Scanlon wanted a law enforcement official, whose name was blacked out, to call the chief's "bluff" and threaten to put him in jail.

_ NOV. 11, 2001, 6:58 p.m.: Abramoff tells Reed in an e-mail: "This is CRITICAL. Can we get it?"

_ NOV. 12, 2001, 9:21 a.m.: Reed responds: "I think so. I'm scheduled to talk to Cornyn today. He has also been called by Ed Young, pastor of second Baptist, a good friend who he is counting on big time in the Senate race."

_ NOV. 12, 2001, 5:54 p.m.: Abramoff writes Reed, saying he was trying to get the National Indian Gaming Commission, which includes members of Indian tribes, to go after the Alabama-Coushatta and Tiguas, and that "Cornyn needs to get Indians to lead the way."

_ NOV. 12, 2001, 5:55 p.m.: Reed responds: "great work. get me the details so i can alert cornyn and let him know what we are doing to help him." He adds: "talked to ed young again today. incredibly engaged and excited. he is planning on hosting a breakfast with the top pastors in houston to get them all mobilized and to provide cover for cornyn. we may invite cornyn to address them."

_ NOV. 13, 2001, 9:40 a.m.: Abramoff writes to Reed: "Did you speak with Scanlon? He has a guy on the ground at the Alabama Coushatta reservation watching them unload hundreds of slot machines!! We need to get the AG arresting them RIGHT NOW!! We need to get the pastors rallying right now. This is going to be death for us. Please let us know what we are going to do. Thanks."

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/gen/ap/TX_Lobbyist_Cornyn_Glance.html

Sean Paul Kelley November 11, 2005 - 11:35pm

Threat of federal charges against DeLay grows

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/54766a12-5aeb-11da-8628-0000779e2340.html

Financial Times

By Holly Yeager and Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Washington

Published: November 22 2005 00:05 | Last updated: November 22 2005 00:05

The likelihood of federal charges against members of Congress intensified on Monday when a key player in a broad corruption probe pleaded guilty to conspiracy and agreed to co-operate with investigators.

Under a plea agreement with the Department of Justice, Michael Scanlon, a former aide to Tom DeLay, the powerful Texas congressman, admitted that he had conspired to defraud four Native American Indian tribes that operated or hoped to operate casinos.

He faces up to five years in prison and agreed to pay nearly $20m in restitution. Mr Scanlon, who operated a grassroots public relations firm, admitted that he and an unnamed lobbyist conspired to charge the tribes high fees and split the profits.

Mr Scanlon and Jack Abramoff, a Republican with close ties to Mr DeLay, earned more than $80m from Indian tribes from 2001-2004. Those transactions are being examined by the Senate Indian affairs committee, and by federal investigators.

Mr Abramoff has been indicted in Florida on fraud and conspiracy charges involving gambling boats.

Court papers in Mr Scanlon's case also allege that a congressman received campaign contributions and valuable gifts, including a trip to Scotland to play golf, in exchange for official acts to benefit clients of Mr Scanlon and Mr Abramoff.

The case against Mr Scanlon is being led by the department's Public Integrity office, a division that oversees the prosecution of elected and appointed public officials.

Most prosecutions by the DoJ involve large-scale fraud or corruption and hinge on the co-operation of relatively minor players who agree to plea bargains, and to testify against others, in return for more lenient sentencing.

The action by the DoJ potentially represents a serious threat to several lawmakers.

Continued...

quiet Bill November 21, 2005 - 7:49pm

I read the San Antonio paper

also, although I live in Seguin. Give them some time on this.

There is a hell of a lot going on in this world and limited resources to investigate all of it.

I recently met the editor (Robert Rivard) of the paper and was prepared from things I had heard not to like the guy.

He is easily approachable and does not lord himself above others. He reads all his own e-mail. The load of information he has to digest is enormous.

It's up to us to do our share in this experiment we call democracy.

And it's up to us to see that important issues get discussed in our local paper.

For the record, tomorrow's edition of the San Antonio Express News will run an op-ed piece I wrote. They are printing the piece as I wrote it, sans censorship.

Don November 12, 2005 - 1:30pm

Welcome aboard! And please make this place your

home on the web. There are lotsa great folks here.

Sean Paul Kelley November 12, 2005 - 12:12pm

I echo

SP, welcome aboard Aquaria.

eom

Scott M November 12, 2005 - 10:10pm

all better now :) eom

Tina November 12, 2005 - 11:52am

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