jack abramoff: bush pioneer

wsj:

"A Justice Department investigation into possible influence-peddling by prominent Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff is examining his dealings with four lawmakers, more than a dozen current and former congressional aides and two former Bush administration officials, according to lawyers and others involved in the case.
snip
Prosecutors also are investigating at least 17 current and former congressional aides, about half of whom later took lobbying jobs with Mr. Abramoff, say lawyers and others involved in the case. Five of the former aides worked for Mr. DeLay, including Tony Rudy, Ed Buckham and Susan Hirschmann. The three were top aides to Mr. DeLay and are now Washington lobbyists. "

meanwhile, someone over at huffpo recently pointed me to this rawstory article about the florida 'recount':

"There’s a backstory that lurks behind Bush’s decision to stand by DeLay. It involves Greenberg Traurig, the firm that employed the powerful lobbyist who paid for palatial DeLay junkets, and Abramoff staffers, who were footsoldiers in the Florida recount. Greenberg Traurig has yet to receive more than $314,000 in legal fees charged to a Bush committee during the 2000 Florida recount
[snip]
Bush’s recount committee doled out some $8 million, much of it to Hill staffers who made the jaunt to the Florida battlefield. But they couldn’t find the money for their telegenic counsel.

Greenberg had 39 lawyers and 13 paralegals on the ground. Tallahassee partner Barry Richard, a Democrat, was their leading man—a snow-haired, tireless attorney who impaled Gore witnesses. After Newsweek ran a piece in 2001 detailing the $800,000 unpaid tab, the Bush team ponied up another $374,000.

A Newsweek piece in 2001 quipped: “Whether Richard and company collect or not, that $800,000 could end up being a smart investment.”

[snip]

Indeed, some members of the firm mention their roles in the recount in their biographies to this day. In a release last year, Greenberg dubbed themselves “the international law firm that successfully represented President George W. Bush in the 2000 presidential election litigation.”

and this notable observation:

" Shortly before the case came before the Supreme Court, the firm announced the hire of John Scalia, son of Justice Antonin Scalia.

[snip]

The formal announcement of Scalia’s hire came on Jan. 9, 2001, after the court had ruled. Abramoff’s hire was announced two days before—along with the former DeLay deputy Rudy, Vasell, and Boulanger."

quack, quack.