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July 7, 2005
Rahall, Pombo of California Ask Gonzales to Widen Abramoff-DeLay Probe
by David M. Kinchen
Editor, Huntington News Network
Washington, DC (HNN)- U.S. Rep. Nick J. Rahall, D-WV, along with U.S. Rep. Richard W. Pombo, R-CA, have asked in a letter to Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales to broaden the investigation of GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff, whose ties to U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, R-TX and others have generated inquiries throughout the government. This is the first known request by a congressional committee to broaden the investigation into the ties of DeLay with Abramoff.
The letter, dated June 30, 2005 on the official letterhead of the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Resources, was jointly signed by Pombo, committee chairman, and Rahall, ranking Democrat member of the committee. A copy was furnished to HNN by Rahall's staff in Washington, DC.
The letter says that "Recent reports have detailed the work being undertaken by the Public Integrity section within the Criminal Division at the Department of Justice with regard to the lobbying work of Jack Abramoff. We respect the difficult and sensitive nature of the work that this division pursues. In particular, the team of attorneys led by Mary K. Butler, who is heading up the work of the Public Integrity section may be best suited to address this request."
Referring to the involvement of Abramoff's lobbying efforts for the Pacific Ocean commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the letter to Gonzales continues: "As the attached correspondence indicates, Congressman George Miller [D-CA, 7th District] requested a formal investigation of the work that Mr. Abramoff did in relation to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. We are forwarding to you a large amount of information provided to us by Congressman Miller with regard to this issue so that you may have a better understanding of his concerns. Further, we are also enclosing the relevant correspondence between our Congressional offices on this matter as well as other documentation relating to the historical context of this issue."
Pombo and Rahall conclude by asking Gonzales to review the material "as any allegations of criminal matters of this sort are best addressed by the Department of Justice."
News reports reveal that the Justice Department under Attorney General Gonzales has refused to discuss details of its investigation of Abramoff, which began more than a year ago. Congressional officials who are trying to monitor the investigation say that it has focused until now on accusations that Abramoff defrauded American Indian tribes who paid him millions of dollars in lobbying fees on behalf of their gambling operations.
The Pombo-Rahall letter requesting a broader probe could result in new attention to DeLay, who has worked with Abramoff for years to block federal attempts to impose the federal minimum wage on large clothing factories that employ Asian migrant workers in the Northern Marianas - factories that have been criticized by human rights groups.
