Bush To Give Back Abramoff Funds
President's 2004 Campaign To Give $6K From Corrupt Lobbyist To Charity
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Play CBS Video Video Corruption At The Capitol Jack Abramoff, the lobbyist and traveling buddy of ex-House Republican leader Tom Delay, pled guilty to several charges, which may signal the beginning of a major corruption scandal.
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Video Repercussions From Abramoff Thomas DeLuca, a professor of political science at Fordham University, discusses what Jack Abramoff's guilty plea could mean for the future of government with Melissa McDermott.
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Video Abramoff Pleads Guilty Former lobbyist Jack Abramoff's guilty plea on bribery-related charges means that he will help the government go after elected officials who took bribes. Gloria Borger has more on the fallout.
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Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, says he "did not know, and had no way of knowing, the self-serving and fraudulent nature of Abramoff's activities." (AP (file))
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The prosecutor in a money laundering case against Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, issued subpoenas Tuesday in connection with Jack Abramoff. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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Jack Abramoff, foreground, leaves federal court in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2006, after pleading guilty to charges of conspiracy, tax evasion and mail fraud. At right is his attorney Abbe Lowell. (AP)
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Interactive The 109th Congress Meet the leaders and follow the action in the House and Senate.
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Interactive DeLay's Dilemma Here's a look at the career and the woes of the former House majority leader.
Some political consultants and analysts are comparing potential damage from the Abramoff investigation to the 1992 House banking scandal that led to the retirement or ouster of 77 lawmakers.
"They're all a little nervous," says Borger. "It's very edgy up there on Capitol Hill. After all, this was a very well-connected Republican lobbyist who spread an awful lot of money around town, largely to Republicans because, of course, they're the party in power, but also to Democrats."
The court papers in the Washington case refer to Ney, saying that regarding SunCruz, the congressman placed a statement drafted by Abramoff partner Michael Scanlon in the Congressional Record. The statement, the court papers say, was calculated to pressure the owner of SunCruz to sell on terms favorable to Abramoff.
Ney denies wrongdoing, saying that "at the time I dealt with Jack Abramoff, I obviously did not know, and had no way of knowing, the self-serving and fraudulent nature of Abramoff's activities."
Abramoff and his former partner, Adam Kidan, are charged with concocting a false $23 million wire transfer making it appear they contributed a sizable stake of their own cash into the $147.5 million purchase of cruise ships.
Abramoff was once a well-connected lobbyist able to command almost unimaginable fees: A Louisiana tribe once paid Scanlon and him more than $30 million over 26 months. Now facing up to 11 years in prison, Abramoff apologized after pleading guilty.
"Words will not ever be able to express my sorrow and my profound regret for all my actions and mistakes," Abramoff said. "I hope I can merit forgiveness from the Almighty and those I've wronged or caused to suffer."
©MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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