House Ethics Chief is Tied to Lobby Figures

From the New York Times:

Newly disclosed lobbying records and other documents show that the chairman of the House ethics committee, Doc Hastings, a Washington State Republican, has had a close relationship for years with lobbyists at the Seattle-based law firm that is at the center of ethics accusations involving Tom DeLay, the House majority leader.

The records from the law firm, Preston Gates & Ellis, show that the firm's former star lobbyist, Jack Abramoff, a close friend of Mr. DeLay who is now the focus of a federal corruption investigation, boasted to a client in the mid-1990s that the firm had "excellent" ties to Mr. Hastings. The firm repeatedly billed the client for meetings and telephone conversations between Mr. Abramoff's lobbying team and Mr. Hasting's staff.

[These records]show that Preston Gates pressed Mr. Hastings and his staff several years ago for help on behalf of Mr. Abramoff's most important lobbying client at the time, the government of the Northern Mariana Islands, a small American commonwealth in the Pacific, in blocking the imposition of the federal minimum wage on the island's clothing factories; human rights groups have long described the factories as sweatshops. The records do not show any direct contact between Mr. Hastings and Mr. Abramoff, nor do they show that Mr. Hastings introduced any legislation or cast any vote requested by Preston Gates. Tom Delay's ethics investigation is centered around his ties with Mr. Abramoff, his overseas trips paid for by Preston Gates--including one to the Marianas in 1997, and his legislative work regarding the Northern Mariana Islands clothing sweatshops.

So the chairman of the House ethics committee is going to investigate Tom DeLay for his ethical ties to a Seattle lobbying group of which the chairman is also on the take from the same lobbying group. Sounds like we're going to get to the bottom of the scandal where the truth of the relationships between these individuals will publicly come out. And if you'll believe that, then you'll certainly allow the fox to guard the chicken coop. This is just another example of how power corrupts individuals in government. They start to believe that they represent corporate and lobbying groups who generously give to their campaign war chests, then will do the corporation's bidding to the detriment of society, and the constituents in their districts. Hastings and DeLay receive money from Abramoff. Abramoff and his law firm represents clothing manufacturers who want to maintain the sweatshop factories in the Northern Marianas. These manufacturers want to keep their excessive profits--they don't want federal minimum wages imposed on their operations. As payment for their contributions, Abramoff and the clothing manufacturers expect Hastings and DeLay to kill any legislation that will eliminate the sweatshop conditions, and the economic benefits these conditions provide to the manufacturers, that may be introduced into Congress.

This has always gone on in Congress--regardless of any party control. When the Democrats had control of Congress during the 1980s and mid-1990s, they were also plagued with scandals in the House banking and travel offices. Their own corruption had caused the downfall of House Speaker Jim Wright, with Newt Gingrich's Contract for America Republicans to gain control of both the House and Senate. Now, after 10 years of control, the Republicans have become corrupted by greed and power--embarking on the same scandalous perks that have undone the Democrat's control a decade before. It is a never-ending cycle of greed, lust, and power, where the party in control will attempt to hide and deflect their transgressions for as long as they can, while they continue to reap the outrageous benefits they have bestowed upon themselves. Unfortunately, they don't seem to read the history. For like the corruption of the Democratic control of Congress before them, the Republican's corruption in Congress today will be the cause of their downfall--if not in the 2006 elections, then perhaps the 2008 elections.