The Politicians in D.C. Are Entirely Too Smart To Be Caught
At about 8 p.m. on the night of September 26, a homicide detective with the Ft. Lauderdale police department entered the home of Anthony Moscatiello in the Howard Beach section of Queens, New York. Once inside, he placed the 67-year-old "caterer," aka "Big Tony," under arrest. Around 11 p.m., a thousand miles away in North Miami Beach, police stormed the condominium where Anthony Ferrari lived with his wife and two children and took the 48-year-old "security consultant," aka "Little Tony," into custody. And the next morning, in Palm Coast, Florida, police arrested 28-year-old James Fiorillo. Fiorillo, aka "Pudgy," worked at the Builder's First hardware store in Bunnell. "Everybody loves him," Fiorillo's supervisor, Kurt Wright, told the Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel.
Matthew Continetti begins his piece titled "Money, Mobsters and Murder" with the surprising quote above. For the article is about the infamous Jack Abramoff and while it's generally acknowledged Abramoff is a bit of a sleaze bucket, could the man really have been involved in a murder?
After reading the detailed and long article, it would seem that the lobbyist might well have been involved, either as an accessory or outright participant, in the murder of Konstantinos "Gus" Boulis, who was a partner in a "floating casino" purchased by Abramoff and his business partner, Adam Kiden. This story is rife with issues of illegal immigration, forged finance documents, violations of plea deals, questionable accounting practices, until, finally, the murder of Boulis.
This all goes to illustrate the depths of the sleaze of this fine fellow, Mr. Jack Abramoff. While there seems to be little evidence Abramoff had anything to do with Boulis' murder, the whole thing has a bad smell.
It is known that Abramoff copped a ten year plea deal in exchange for his cooperation. It is alleged that the capitol is abuzz with this news and many congress critters are running for their lives.
It remains to be seen. I don't believe it for a minute.
One congress critter, a Bob Ney, inexplicably felt the need to insert a bad reference into the congressional record regarding the floating casino then owned by Boulis. After Kaiden and Abramoff became owners of the casino, Ney then inserted glowing praises of the casino, then "under new management".
Article comments
1 - Aaman
Interesting, funny article
2 - Pat Fish
Thanks Aaman.
I wasn't trying to be funny but I don't know, at times the goings on with those elected Lords does tend to bring a mocking smile or two.
You know, we get it out here in la-la land. We have Purchasing Managers who get wined and dined by those who sell. Businesses regularly entertain potential or actual clients.
We're not that stupid.
Except these elected leeches don't know when to stop. Some suggest term limits but that would require a constitutional ammendment.
Look at the Cunningham fellow in California. The guy bilked millions out of defense contractors. Millions? Including some really outrageous stuff including oriental rugs. It's like they have no sense of finesse.
Then there's Torricelli of NJ. My goodness the list is longer than my arm of favors he took from various lobbyists, including diamond rings for his girlfriend!
So every once in a while they need the rug pulled out. It's like the bank scandal of the mid-90's when they were all writing bounced checks covered by, ultimately, thou and moi.
Eventually the voters will decide I suppose.
I whisper "suppose". Massachusetts continues to elect a Senator who left his girlfriend to die at the bottom of the lake.
So who knows?
3 - RogerMDillon
"It is true that any Washington influence peddler is going to spread cash and favors as widely as possible, and 210 members of Congress have received Abramoff-connected dollars. But this is, in its essence, a Republican scandal, and any attempt to portray it otherwise is a misdirection."
-Rich Lowry, National Review Editor
4 - Pat Fish
One can quote various pundits and such to keep up the position that the Abramoff scandal belongs to this party or that party.
But it's the citizens who will lose.
They're like children trying to protect their power. One points to the other...."you did it", "no you did it". Some authority figure or another, in the child example probably a parent, usually has to step in and made a decision.
In the case of Abramoff, the citizens have to make the call. Not Rich Lowry, not even Pat Fish. Although I am a citizen journalist I would argue.
By continuing to deflect attention away from the nasty core of the matter by casting aspersions on one or another political party, the problem will never be solved.
Because the list of Democrats who received donations from Abramoff's clients is as long as the Republicans and if you think the American public is so stupid as to not understand this then you do not give the American public enough credit.
Every state with heavy gambling interests got big contributions to its congress critters by Abramoff. Period. Read it and weep. Harry Reid, hmmmm, Nevada.
New information has it that there are five congress critters under serious investigation. Two of them are Democrats and they both received more money that the three Republicans involved.
Which is not to say, so far as I'm concerned, that every Republican who eagerly took Abramoff's sleaze money shouldn't be voted out of office.
I'm a citizen. I want my elected congress critters to behave. I understand perks. I understand Lobbying and frankly don't want to see it eliminated much less tampered with by the same congress critters who abused it the first time.
What I don't want to see, as a citizen of this fine country, is only the Republicans who feasted at the teat of Abramoff get voted out while the Democrats remain in power to continue more of the same. Although frankly I'm not convinced anyone will get voted out but let's assume.
To allow this entire mess to be shouted out and covered up by holier than thou finger pointing does nothing to help the CITIZENS.
Who finance these congress critters' and expect, on some level, for ALL of them to have some decency.
5 - Bliffle
The article is quite dishonest, as ALL Abramoffs bribes went to Republicans, and NONE to democrats. Only Republicans are mentioned in the DoJ indictment.
The author is being dishonest by relating contributions from tribes made independently of Abramoff to Abramoffs bribes in order to say "they all did it".