Vanity Fair: Bush Had Ties to Abramoff

Staff / Truthdig Mar 9, 2006 The indicted lobbyist says the president was close enough to him to joke about his weightlifting. "What are you benching, buff guy?" Abramoff said Bush asked him. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

DeLay Caught in a Lie

Staff / Truthdig Feb 24, 2006 At one time Tom DeLay called Jack Abramoff one of his "closest and dearest friends." What a difference an indictment makes. Think Progress surfaces a handwritten letter by DeLay in which he claims they were not close friends. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Abramoff Ties to Russians Probed

Staff / Truthdig Feb 24, 2006 The federal government is examining lobbyist Jack Abramoff's dealings with Russian energy executives, reports the Boston Globe. This is a scandal that could involve billions (not millions) of dollars. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Abramoff Got Indicted, and All We Got Was This Lousy $20 Gift Ban?

Molly Ivins / Truthdig Feb 21, 2006 Reform follows scandal as night the day, except in these sorry times, when it appears we may not get a nickel's worth of reform out of the entire Jack Abramoff saga. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Surprise, Surprise: Ethics Reform Stalling

Staff / Truthdig Feb 20, 2006 Figuring that public indignation over the Jack Abramoff scandal will soon dissipate, Republicans in Congress are dragging their feet on promised reform measures. Unfortunately, this will probably work--because an indignant populace is sort of like a villain in a James Bond movie: We vow to stamp out a source of aggravation; we put the machinery in place for doing so; we flip the switch; and then we leave the room on the nave assumption that our plan is escape-proof. It'd be funny if this weren't, like, our government we're talking about. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Abramoff and the Mob

Staff / Truthdig Feb 13, 2006 The Weekly Standard masterfully fleshes out the story of the floating casino company that Jack Abramoff bought from a Greek developer allegedly murdered by mobsters. |story Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Abramoff-Bush Photo Surfaces

Staff / Truthdig Feb 12, 2006 The New York Times publishes a 2001 picture of Jack Abramoff in a White House room with the president--along with an Indian tribal leader whom the now-indicted lobbyist was trying to sign up as a client. | story Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

McClellan Ducks Bush-Abramoff Questions

Staff / Truthdig Feb 10, 2006 Bush's spokesman shows a remarkable knack for being able to pounce on new information when it may hurt Democrats, and for being unable to process new information when it may be damaging to the president. | video and transcript Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Republicans Have No Shame; They Award DeLay a Cushy Seat

Staff / Truthdig Feb 9, 2006 The indicted congressman lands a coveted appointment to the Appropriations Committee | storyHaving DeLay act as a fiscal watchdog makes about as much sense as electing Libya chairman of the U Human Rights Commission . Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Abramoff Brags About Bush Relationship

Staff / Truthdig Feb 9, 2006 ThinkProgress surfaces e-mails from the disgraced lobbyist that reveal a fairly intimate relationship with the president: "The guy saw me in almost a dozen settings, and joked with me about a bunch of things, including details of my kids." | storyAlso, The Nation has a great piece on Abramoff's Evangelical Soldiers (Ralph Reed & Co.) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Groundhog Day at the White House

Andy Borowitz / Truthdig Feb 5, 2006 Cheney's Brief Appearance, Return to Secure Location May Mean Six More Weeks of Winter Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Lawmakers Appear to Distance Selves From Lobbyists

Staff / Truthdig Jan 31, 2006 Both Republicans and Democrats are canceling meetings with lobbyists in the wake of the Abramoff scandal. | storyPardon our cynicism, but as long as lobbyists have money to dole out, lawmakers will find a way to the trough.Any lobbying-reform legislation that results from this scandal will be rendered moot as quickly as you can say "McCain-Feingold." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )