Crooked lobbyist Jack Abramoff explains how he asserted his influence in Congress for years, and how such corruption continues today despite ethics reform. Here he is talking to Lawrence O’Donnell on MSNBC:
Lesley Stahl reports, below in the full segment from 60 Minutes exposing his lobbyist playbook and explaining how he used what amount to bribes to influence legislation. Jack Abramoff says the alternative title to his book was: The Idiot’s Guide To Buying A Congressman as he explains how he asserted his influence in Congress for years, and how such corruption continues today despite ethics reform.
As for problems he sees with current politicians, on Meet the Press, Abramoff said he is not sure that Newt Gingrich can survive his recently exposed deal with Freddie:
GREGORY: And I’ll ask you more specifically about that in a moment, but let me stick with Gingrich because, of course, you’re operating at a time there where he’s in power. Is there more to even the Gingrich era that he was part of that will become a bigger part of this campaign debate and should it?
ABRAMOFF: Well I don’t know if he’ll survive this, to be honest with you, this is a very big thing. In fact –
GREGORY: Why?
ABRAMOFF: Because he is doing, and engaging in the exact kind of corruption that America disdains. The very things that anger the Tea Party movement and the Occupy Wall Street movement and everybody who is not in a movement and watches Washington and says, “Why are these guys getting all this money? Why do they go become so rich? Why do they have these advantages?” Unfortunately, Newt seems to have played right into it.
GREGORY: You call that corruption though? That’s a heavy charge.
ABRAMOFF: Yes, indeed. Well, what is it? It is corruption. At the end of the day, I say in the book, I believe now, although I didn’t believe then unfortunately, that any provision of favor or any provision of anything to members of Congress and their staff is bribery. And any cashing in on it by them coming out later is corruption.
GREGORY: And he– you would make the case that he’s cashing in as a former speaker being able to get that kind of contract.
ABRAMOFF: I know he says that they paid him as a historian to give him a historic lesson, but, but I’m unaware of any history professor being paid that sort of money to give someone a history lesson.
