Jack Abramoff’s Shell Games and Fall Guys

The spreading ripples of corruption around the superlobbyist helped to take out Burns, Pombo, and Hayworth. But at its core, Abramoff’s operation used an assortment of players and patsies to funnel money all over D.C.

Peter Stone
November 09 , 2006

The sprawling influence-peddling scandal starring convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff was the most prominent of several corruption and ethics issues that in Tuesday's elections proved costly to Republicans. The defeats of Senator Conrad Burns of Montana and Reps. Richard Pombo of California and J.D. Hayworth of Arizona were all partly attributable to their links to the one time superlobbyist whose campaign largess was legendary. Burns received almost $150,000 in campaign contributions—more than any other Member of Congress—from Abramoff, his lobbying colleagues and his deep-pocketed Indian casino clients. Burns, two of whose former staffers worked for Abramoff, has faced scrutiny in the long running Justice Department-led criminal probe into Abramoff's influence-buying schemes.

That probe last month secured its first conviction of a member of Congress when Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio), pleaded guilty to two felonies. One of the charges centered on Ney's receiving tens of thousands in free meals at Abramoff's former restaurant Signatures, free tickets to sporting events, and an infamous $160,000 golf junket to Scotland in the summer of 2002 with the lobbyist and several others. In exchange, Ney agreed to push legislation to benefit Abramoff and some of his clients. Ney, who resigned from Congress right before the midterm election, is expected to serve about two years and is slated to go to prison early next year.