Former high-ranking DOJ official implicated in Abramoff case.
Former high-ranking DOJ official implicated in Abramoff case.
The AP reports that a Robert Coughlin, former deputy chief of staff of the Justice Department’s criminal division, “was accused Monday of criminal conflict of interest in the latest case stemming from the investigation of disgraced GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff.” Coughlin resigned a year ago for “personal reasons”:
Prosecutors accused Coughlin in court papers Monday of providing assistance from 2001-2003 to a lobbyist and the lobbyist’s firm while receiving gifts from the firm and discussing prospective employment there.
The lobbyist isn’t named but The Associated Press has previously reported that Coughlin was lobbied during the period in question by Kevin Ring, a member of Abramoff’s lobbying team who also is under investigation. At the time Coughlin worked for the Justice Department’s office of legislative affairs and Ring worked for Abramoff’s Greenberg Traurig firm.
Coughlin talked with Ring about going to work for Greenberg, according to an attorney with knowledge of the case who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation. Ring also provided Coughlin with meals and tickets to events, the AP has reported.
TPM Muckraker has more.
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The Abramoff caper. Another gift that keeps giving. More slime oozes out of the jar no matter how many times we try to clean it off. Until we clean the WH of the vermin that infests it in November, we will continue to see slime oozing from everywhere.
Impeach now!
April 21st, 2008 at 9:47 pmI wonder why bush is fighting the release of the visitor logs from the White House??? Maybe too many visits from Jack?? Jeff Gannon?
http://w3log.vjl.org/ article.php?story=2004091617224717&mode=print
April 21st, 2008 at 9:59 pmSorry wrong link…
http://news.yahoo.com/ s/ ap/ 20080421/ ap_on_go_pr_wh/ white_house_secrecy
April 21st, 2008 at 10:07 pmCharge filed today, which has very little in the way of facts about what Coughlin might be admitting. As I said, it’s an information, which means that a guilty plea is likely to follow.
It is going to be interesting to see how many other high ranking officials will be found guilty in the this Administration.
I think they need to start building a new jail in Washington; it looks like the Bush Administration will be needing it. They can call it the Bush/Cheney Penitentiary.
April 21st, 2008 at 10:37 pmSaaay… isn’t it about time for another GOOPer to get busted in a sex sting?
We haven’t had one of those in 3, 4 weeks tops… that I know of.
April 21st, 2008 at 11:51 pmI think the list of Bushites who have not been indicted would be shorter than the list those who have.
April 22nd, 2008 at 1:16 amroll them up, bottom to top. i hope the tactics used to go after these crooked politicians are as cunning as the ones used against more traditional forms of organized crime like the mafia..they are more of a danger, as the mafia doesnt have access to the kind of firepower the government does..
April 22nd, 2008 at 5:07 amThe only surprise is that this surfaced at all at this time. One can only hope that the next administration will not only pursue these inquiries and investigate the Abramoff & US Attornies firing fully, but also will prosecute, to the full extent of the law, violations of the Federal Records Act!
April 22nd, 2008 at 6:50 amWe need a serious cleaning out of ALL people in any capacity of government. If no one is qualified to take the job, the job doesn’t get filled, and the payroll money is invested and returned as dividends to the taxpayer.
April 22nd, 2008 at 7:01 am(I suspect we would have no one left in office except the mailman and the dogcatcher)