Former Gregg Aide Tied To Abramoff Scandal, Court Documents Report He Took Gifts In Exchange For Favors
Former Gregg Aide Tied To Abramoff Scandal, Court Documents Report He Took Gifts In Exchange For Favors
Earlier today, the AP reported that Kevin Koonce, who worked as Commerce Secretary-nominee Judd Gregg’s legislative director from 2002-04, “has been caught up in a long-running investigation into a Capitol Hill lobbying scandal.” Koonce “was cited in a guilty plea last week by Todd Boulanger, a former deputy to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff,” as having taken gifts exceeding $10,000 in exchange for favors in spending legislation.
At the White press briefing today, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs responded to the story about Koonce:
GIBBS: I don’t know about the vetting. I know that the Secretary-designate is not a target or a subject of any of the investigation about an employee that I think left his office in 2004 and I would direct you to them for additional statements. … This obviously is somebody who left his employment quite some time ago.
Watch it:
According to Boulanger’s plea documents, Koonce “tried to help insert spending measures and add other amendments to legislation for Boulanger’s clients.” At one point, Boulanger sent an e-mail to Abramoff saying that he was confident Koonce’s boss would help them out:
Later, Boulanger sent an e-mail to Abramoff expressing confidence that the senator for whom the staffer worked would give them a favor. “Easy money,” Boulanger wrote, adding that the aide “practically lives in our various suites. We are shady.”
As Raw Story notes, Gregg’s spokesman Joel Maiola said in 2006 that Gregg had “never had any contact” with Abramoff, despite his acceptance of donations from “two Indian tribes represented by Abramoff’s firm in 2002 and 2004.” Gregg reportedly donated the $12,000 to a New Hampshire-based charity.
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GIBBS: I don’t know about the vetting. I know that the Secretary-designate is not a target or a subject of any of the investigation about an employee that I think left his office in 2004 and I would direct you to them for additional statements. … This obviously is somebody who left his employment quite some time ago.
Now if Gregg was a Democrat, this would be Obama’s “next crisis”. Isn’t it nice to know that Obama is putting hypocrites in his government.
February 4th, 2009 at 3:56 pmIf we’ve learned anything from the past eight years under the Bush corruption and the most recent Obama appointee SNAFUs, it is that we have a shit-load of corrupt politicians – they’re everywhere.
February 4th, 2009 at 3:57 pmnow a story like this doesn’t offend the repukies. owe a couple of bucks to the IRS (and this coming from the lower taxes party) and watch them pitch a fit an fall into it.
February 4th, 2009 at 3:58 pmA staffer involved with Abramoff in Gregg’s closet?
Change we can believe in!
February 4th, 2009 at 4:09 pmI want to see the repugniscum tie themselves in knots trying to defend Gregg on this one while they skewer Obama at the same time.
February 4th, 2009 at 4:19 pmWell, obviously, he’s a Republican – so it doesn’t count!
/snark
February 4th, 2009 at 4:21 pmand in this installment of “backwards repukkieland” 43rd’s apologists will try to convince us they’re not secretly cheering someone for not paying their taxes.
February 4th, 2009 at 4:24 pmJK
Nobody lies more than a republican. Nobody steals from the american people more than a republican. Yes some Dem.’s didn’t pay their taxes, I would bet there is at least an equal number of Rep.’s who’ve done the same.
February 4th, 2009 at 4:25 pmObama can’t pass the stimulus bill because Republican’s don’t give a shit about average americans. Bush was able to give hundreds of billions to wall street, but try to creat jobs and the R.’s will stand in your way every time.
One other thing, let’s hope unions make a strong comeback.
Ah, finally a topic that can turn a troll’s head. Joe the Nothing needs some defending this morning? Not a troll in site. Wall Street bailout recipients whining over paultry $500k salaries? Crickets.
But an opportunity to falsely slime our President and out of the closet they come!
PEACE
February 4th, 2009 at 4:29 pmJohn Kerry Says:
Isn’t it obvious that you all were conned by Brotha O!
I might answer that if I didn’t know that JK had already run off to hide under the bed.
It’s always good to get a reminder that JK is a stone racist, though. “Brotha”? Why not just call him a coon, JK?
February 4th, 2009 at 4:30 pmJohn Kerry Says:
I know a thing or two about scandals, libs. If you log on to http://www.linkedin.com, under ‘The last eight years’ you can read my résumé!
February 4th, 2009 at 4:32 pmDid somebody cut the cheese and run out of the kitchen?
February 4th, 2009 at 4:33 pmRegarding Jackoff Abramoff…WHY isn’t Tom DeLay in jail yet?
February 4th, 2009 at 4:35 pmJohn Kerry Says:
The Obama scandals continue! Richardson, the three Tax Cheats, etc!
You know, I was wondering if the trolls would come in to hoot and jeer at a Republican nominee, and here you are.
I applaud you on putting your trollish convictions above party, sir. Mind you, said trollish convictions involve howling about the hint of a second-party “investigation” as if Gregg himself had been convicted (or even accused) of something. But way to go.
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John Kerry Says:
For unknown reasons this site hasn’t addressed the situation with the 2 week President’s complete mishandling of the stimulus bill!
First of all, the stimulus bill is doing just fine, thank you.
Second of all, the whole thing of Republicans blaming Obama for what Republicans are doing (”he should force us to vote his way, so he sucks!”) is getting tiresome. That’s like you telling me it’s my fault you’re trolling this site because I’m somehow not stopping you from getting to your keyboard.
Thirdly, there are many posts at TP discussing the stimulus bill, the various objections to it that have been raised, and the various temporary difficulties it has run into.
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John Kerry Says:
Nor have you libs discussed the total mishandling of the three recent Tax Cheats.
We have discussed the audited nominees, the errors found in their past tax returns, and their prompt payment of the difference at length. Again, there are many posts at TP bringing them up, and they have been thoroughly commented on.
Your “why isn’t this site reporting X” framing is incorrect in and of itself, setting aside the falsity of “X” within the frame. You should probably try typing out your posts insteady of copy/pasting fragments from a pre-set list emailed to you buy Limbaugh.
February 4th, 2009 at 4:35 pmEveryone please join me in flagging this pos off of the site, once and for all.
February 4th, 2009 at 4:35 pmFormer Gregg Aide Tied To Abramoff Scandal, Court Documents Report He Took Gifts In Exchange For Favors»
– - Everyone in Washington D.C. who hasn’t done something criminal, take one step forward.
Whoa….not so fast there every member of Congress and their staffs.
February 4th, 2009 at 4:37 pmI meant racist pos…..jk doesn’t have the right to racial slurs.
February 4th, 2009 at 4:38 pmJK
Why would I read your resume? I’ve already wasted enough time typing a few words addressing you.
February 4th, 2009 at 4:40 pmwhy is it repukkies don’t have a problem with their elected representatives SELLING their votes instead of representing the people who elected them?
February 4th, 2009 at 4:47 pmHello, JK. I hope you care to stay. I have cheesecake burritos and nuked turkey stuffed with marijuana, basted with goat sweat. For dessert I have caramel swordfish with just a touch of Iraqi dandruff.
February 4th, 2009 at 4:47 pmBoldface Liar, would you please board a boat out of here, a swift one preferably.
February 4th, 2009 at 4:51 pmIf this keeps up we will discover there won’t be a single politician in DC fit for office.
Don’t everybody fall off your chairs at the same time.
February 4th, 2009 at 5:15 pmHey, it appears that JkkkKerry’s racist post has been removed. That’s a good thing.
February 4th, 2009 at 5:15 pm#22,
When you start with a group of lawyers grabbing cash from the fascist corporations and the Military Industrial Complex (MIC) now running this country this is exactly what we should expect.
Our government is now as corrupt as the USSR was in the past century.
February 4th, 2009 at 5:20 pm*Sigh*
I can now throw out all that nasty food.
February 4th, 2009 at 5:23 pmMcWars, I’ll take JK’s share of the turkey off your hands. You put Rachel Ray to shame. Who would have thought of basting with goat sweat? Brilliant!
February 4th, 2009 at 5:54 pmThanks, nan! Remember, the first WH chef under GB was forced to develop a far-fetched menu in reflection of his donors; one item was a turkey basted with Coca-Cola.
Sorry for the late response.
February 4th, 2009 at 6:37 pmMcWars, it takes the rust off the bird and makes it easier to chew.
February 4th, 2009 at 6:44 pmEven without this controversy, honestly, this pick makes no sense. Why again did Obama pick Gregg for this position?
February 4th, 2009 at 7:09 pmrachel has a good segment on this guy tonight… even more info…
the more i know about him the more i don’t like it, the whole deal…
i don’t get it… and the guy just creeps me out.
and i STILL haven’t heard – other than “republican”, what are the qualifications gregg has that makes HIM the pick for Commerce Secretary?
seriously. is it at least a hobby of his?
February 4th, 2009 at 9:35 pmSen. Gregg is dirty, which really makes one wonder why the Blue Dog Democrats advising President Obama chose him to be Commerce Secretary.
A Republican running the Commerce Department, the department that conducts the U.S. census every ten years, set to conduct the upcoming ten-year census?
If this is President Obama’s idea of “post-partisan” bi-partisanship by putting a die-hard Abramoff-tainted Republican in charge of the next census, then Democrats should expect to be “gamed” and lose seats in Congress.
February 4th, 2009 at 9:56 pmIs there anyway we can again trust government unless this apparently widespread corruption is thoroughly investigated ?
February 4th, 2009 at 10:03 pm.
R E M E M B E R:
Judd Gregg sought to eliminate the Office for which he is now being selected to run…
… Any guesses as to how long it will be before that department sees itself drowned in the bathtub if he’s approved?
.
February 5th, 2009 at 1:19 am.
By my count, Doh-bama’s selection process is up to about four or five strikes…
… In baseball you’re only given three.
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February 5th, 2009 at 1:20 amthakss it’S very nice…
February 6th, 2009 at 5:26 am
McWars, it takes the rust off the bird and makes it easier to chew..
February 8th, 2009 at 7:09 am