10-06-2005
ETHICS - Dems Seek Independent Counsel On Another Abramoff Matter© National Journal Group, Inc.
House Education and the Workforce ranking member George Miller, D-Calif., and Judiciary ranking member John Conyers, D-Mich., today called on the Justice Department to appoint a special counsel to investigate two situations involving former lobbyist Jack Abramoff and department officials. One is the November 2002 demotion of Frederick A. Black, the former acting U.S. Attorney for Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, who was demoted one day after obtaining a subpoena to investigate Abramoff's lobbying efforts in Guam. The second situation is alleged improper access granted to Abramoff to review department documents on loopholes in Guam and Mariana Islands immigrations laws. "Given the highly charged political nature of the investigation, the public would clearly benefit from" an independent counsel, Miller and Conyers wrote in a letter today to Attorney General Gonzales. "Everyday we're given information on how deep Jack Abramoff penetrated the Congress and the administration," Miller told reporters. "It just raises every red flag you can imagine." In a separate matter, the department is already investigating Abramoff's former lobbying ties to Indian gaming groups. Abramoff was an associate of former Majority Leader DeLay, but Conyers said DeLay was not a factor in their call for a special counsel. "We're not trying to bring Tom DeLay into this matter. An investigation by an independent counsel may bring Tom DeLay into it, but that's not our purpose," he said.
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