Abramoff funneled money through non-profits

New documents released in the Jack Abramoff case reveal that the disgraced super-lobbyist funneled Republican campaign contributions through non-profit organizations, including Grover Norquist's "American's For Tax Reform":

Among the organizations used by Abramoff was Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform. According to an investigative report on Abramoff's lobbying released last week by the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, Americans for Tax Reform served as a "conduit" for funds that flowed from Abramoff's clients to surreptitiously finance grass-roots lobbying campaigns. As the money passed through, Norquist's organization kept a small cut, e-mails show. [WaPo]

According to the WaPo article, Norquist not only knew what Abramoff was doing, he took a cut. Norquist wasn't the only one:

The Senate committee report also details Abramoff's dealings with two others from the College Republicans crowd: Ralph Reed, former Christian Coalition executive director; and Amy Moritz Ridenour, president of the National Center for Public Policy Research, which sponsored a golf trip in 2000 to Scotland for then-Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Tex.). [WaPo]

Abramoff was very ecumenical with his cash:

E-mails show that Abramoff also moved client money through a conservative Jewish foundation called Toward Tradition, run by longtime Abramoff friend Rabbi Daniel Lapin. In January 2000, when Reed sent Abramoff an $867,000 invoice to be billed to a Choctaw official, Abramoff responded: "Ok, thanks. Please get me the groups we are using, since I want to give this to her all at once." Reed responded: "Amy, Grover, Lapin and one other I will get you." [WaPo]

More on this story at The Daily Muck

Comments

[Jeffrey O]

Can we see the $867,000 invoice? Is it itemized? What are the line items?

[John]

This is welcome news, especially after Rove got off the hook in the Plame investigation. If we can't take down BushCo with treason, election fraud, illegal domestic spying, unlawful detentions, extraordinary renditions, war of aggression, human rights abuses, environmental destruction, mingling church and state, perjury, or lying to the American people and the whole damn planet, then corruption will have to be an acceptable substitute. God I fucking loathe them.