Don't Look Now...

The ethics scandal of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay may soon have a domino effect felt in Colorado. The reporting on DeLay’s actions already doesn’t do much to help Scott McInnis, who faces similar, if less severe, scrutiny. But now Troy Eid, once thought to be a shoo-in as the next U.S. Attorney for Colorado, might be caught somewhere in the middle, where former Colorado Attorney General and current Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton is already tied up in the DeLay/Abramoff mess (which is getting little play in the Colorado media, as other bloggers have pointed out).

If you need a quick primer, check out the links below, but in brief here’s what’s happening. DeLay is being investigated for a myriad of possible ethics violations involving lobbyists and lots of money, and Norton’s name pops up from time to time as well. Lobbyist Jack Abramoff is also at the center of these investigations, and he now sounds as though he’d be willing to name names. Here’s a quick bit from Newsweek:

DeLay has plenty to explain already. Last week, still more questions about the congressman's ethics emerged when The New York Times reported that his wife and daughter have collected $500,000 in fees from DeLay's political-action and campaign committees since 2001. DeLay and his aides mounted a fierce counterattack, pointing to numerous examples of family members of Democrats who did the same thing. Potentially more troublesome was a Washington Post story that chronicled a six-day "fact-finding" trip to Moscow in August 1997 that was circuitously financed by Naftasib, a Russian oil company. Among those on the trip—besides DeLay, his wife and four of his staff members—was Abramoff, who joined the party in Moscow and dined and golfed with DeLay.

 "Everybody is lying," Abramoff told a former colleague. There are e-mails and records that will implicate others, he said. He was noticeably caustic about House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. For years, nobody on Washington's K Street corridor was closer to DeLay than Abramoff. They were an unlikely duo. DeLay, a conservative Christian, and Abramoff, an Orthodox Jew, traveled the world together and golfed the finest courses. Abramoff raised hundreds of thousands for DeLay's political causes and hired DeLay's aides, or kicked them business, when they left his employ. But now DeLay, too, has problems—in part because of overseas trips allegedly paid for by Abramoff's clients. In response, DeLay and his aides have said repeatedly they were unaware of Abramoff's behind-the-scenes financing role. "Those S.O.B.s," Abramoff said last week about DeLay and his staffers, according to his luncheon companion. "DeLay knew everything. He knew all the details."

Need to read more? Click HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.Oh, and HERE, too.

How's this all relate back to Colorado? Read on...

Investigations about Eid may involve whether he is involved in the same sort of Indian gaming scandals that Abramoff is getting hammered on. However, there is no word at this point that Eid is being suspected or accused of anything himself. We’ve reported on Eid’s hang-up in his U.S. Attorney confirmation before at Colorado Pols, but it sounds as if fears might be spreading at the law firm of Greenberg Traurig, where Eid is a partner (and Abramoff is a former partner) as to whether the spinning wheel of scandal will stop on Eid.

With the DeLay scandal growing larger by the week, and Abramoff’s apparent threats to take everyone down with him, the FBI’s investigative net is growing. Some of this stuff originally came up as part of Eid’s background check for U.S. Attorney, but with Abramoff yap, yap, yapping away, the investigation has expanded and now more questions are being asked about what Eid, the former counsel to Governor Owens, might also have had to do with Indian gaming deals.

This affects Colorado because Eid should have been named U.S. Attorney by now, and sources in the know say that the appointment wouldn’t have taken this long were there not some sort of problem. We hear that the background checks on the other two candidates submitted by Senator Wayne Allard are done, and that U.S. Attorney Alberto Gonzales wasn’t terribly impressed by either Jim Peters or Stu VanMeveren, both former district attorneys in Arapahoe and Larimer counties, respectively (In December, Allard submitted three names for the U.S. Attorney appointment: Eid, Peters, and VanMeveren, and Senator Ken Salazar signed off on all of them).

The U.S. Attorney gig was Eid’s job to lose, but if the hang-ups in his background check didn’t scuttle the whole thing, the bigger DeLay/Abramoff scandal may put an end to it once and for all. Eid is expected to be interviewed about the Abramoff stuff, if he hasn’t been already, and the stench alone of a possible connection could hurt him.

But let us repeat again: We have NOT heard that Eid is being accused of any wrongdoing at this point, but he did reportedly work on some Indian land deals with Greenburg Traurig, and word has it that he will be on the interview list.

In the meantime, when does Colorado get its U.S. Attorney? We can’t remember any recent examples of the process taking this long, and if it keeps dragging on, maybe acting U.S. Attorney Bill Leone will get the permanent keys to the office. As for Eid, if the investigation gets any worse, he’s probably not going anywhere politically for awhile – particularly not in CD-7, in which he was also rumored to be interested in a run for congress.

And the bigger question, of course, is that big GOP elephant in the room: how far down the proverbial rabbit hole does this one go? What if Eid was doing some of these lobbying deals while he was on the Colorado State payroll?

The bottom line? This may get worse before it gets better for a few current and former Colorado Republicans.

Comments

[George Karl Is My Hero]

great work guys

[Keith]

Yikes! You guys are liberal.

[Fahq Keith]

So, because they are tying a huge national story that has carried on for weeks they are liberal? Do you even know how to read or think? Delay stinks as bad as Greeleon a hot muggy day.

[Fahq Keith]

*Greeley*

[Keith]

lovely.

[Harry Reid]

Wonder why we don't run the LA times 7 page story regarding Minority Leader Harry Reid kicking Millions to his son's on crooked legislation and yes Indian gaming issues, or Ken Salazar in the pocket of Indian Gaming dealer Council Tree that wants to build a mexaplex casino at DIA for a tribe (pick a name). Yeah Troy made a bad move but let's put it all on the table Republican and Democrat.

[Donald E. L. Johnson]

Seems to me that you're trying to tie together several separate controversies that really aren't related except that they involve prominent Republicans. This puts you in the position of trying to smear the party with the corruption brand, which doesn't make sense.

Yes, DeLay's a jerk with a poor sense of ethics, and Colorado Rs who support him are tainted with his odor. BB is particularly at risk on this score. DeLay must go.

Yes, McInnis has some explaining to do, and his sense of ethics seems to be of the inside the beltway order, which is a problem for him. But DeLay and McInnis hardly are alone in hiring their families.

How the Eid issue ties into DeLay escapes me. It's a separate issue, isn't it? Is it fair to try to link them? And how do you know Peters didn't impress? I think he's a smart, thoughtful and soft-spoken guy who has a tremendous record.

If you want smelly stories, look at Sen. Leahy, Sen. Boxer, Sen. Feinstein, Sen. Kennedy, Sen. Kerry, Sen. Clinton and any bunch of Dems you want to smear. I can dredge up questions about them all. Is that your next post? They all want support from Colorado, of course, so their activities are relevant, I guess.

[Ben Gelt]

here here, I say Dems and R's are two wings of the same disease infested bird. That's why I'm doing what I do, check out our website if you don't trust the parties . . .

http://www.velvetrevolution.us

[Strider]

I am interested iin how this is going to effect McInnis. I will admit, right off the bat, that I have serious issues with McInnis, the author of the "Rape Our Forests Initiative".

I am mad. I am mad about the estate tax repeal, and sick of a Neo-Con Republican party constantly giving tax cuts in a time of WAR. A war which the media seems to be doing it's best to ignore.

IF there are allegations of wrongdoings on BOTH sides of the aisle then I personally think they should fry.

Fry until they are carbon.

So, Don, if you have some allegations to make fire away. I will be reading. Just make sure that the violations measure up to the above.

[vladimir]

Hey guys -- answer one simple query about Mr. Eid --
Why is it taking so long?
Salazar supports him so no confirmation issue. Name was sumbitted months ago.
If nary a problem why is it taking so long to give Troy Baby the job?

[FrankR]

I would happen to agree with Ben. Most, not all, politicians are corrupt in some fashion ‎or another. But you now what folks, that’s the name of the game. The most important ‎lessons most ploi's will take away from this will be to play the game even smarter and not ‎get caught.‎

[Phoenix Rising]

Don, one wonders if it wasn't so much that Peters isn't impressive so much as that he didn't impress the one person that matters: Gonzales.

These are, in fact, three seperate issues/(scandals?) - DeLay, McInnis, and Eid. But the article's (valid) point is that DeLay's mess may spill over politically to both McInnis and Eid through association of actions (McInnis's hiring of family and Eid's Indian gambling work).

IMHO, the DeLay scandal will wind up taking down parts of the Texas Lege GOP, several Congresscritters, and possibly the GOP's hopes for 2006 in general. What it does to other people engaged in similar practices is less clear.

[troyistoast]

Troy is toast, no support and ethics questions a deadly combo. He and Lawyer and former Lt. Gov. Joe Rogers should form a law firm.

[Joey]

It seems to me that we all want ethical politicians, otherwise why are we so upset when they fall short. We should not stop demanding honesty and integrity from our leaders, whether they are republican or democrat, and whether they advocate policy positions in other areas we like or not.

Regarding your comments about Troy, there are some gray lines about being an attorney representing a position and actually believing in your client's cause that Troy may be caught between. This is an interesting article, but let's wait for the verdict.

[Notachance]

Joey:

You sound like a lawyer. Troy is toast -- and not just because of questionable ethics, no one likes him.

[Donald E. L. Johnson]

Today's Wsj.com reports on corporate sponsorship of Congressional trips to industry meetings, etc., which it says is legal and increasing. I used to cover meetings like these in the 70s and 80s, and frequently talked to congressmen and regulators who were then often paid to attend and listen.

Ethical? To the outside the beltway observer, questionable. To the corporate world and inside the beltway, routine and ok. Many do it, some don't. Considering how bought by campaign contributions Congress is today, I can't say these trips add much to the corruption, but they cetainly don't build public trust in the corporations or Congress.

This is a p. 1 story in this morning" Journal:

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB111351750759807490,00.html?mod=home%5Fpage%5Fone%5Fus

[Donald E. L. Johnson]

Former Colorado Congressman James Johnson is one of 10 former GOP congressemen who sent a letter to the House leadership complaining about its change in ethics rules to protect DeLay. Pressure is growing to dump the guy, but it will be a long fight that probably won't end until he's defeated at the polls or at the beginning of the next session. House Rs like the guy, respect him and are blinded by him.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/15/politics/15delay.html?