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I Sold The Integrity of My Office and All I Got Was This Lousy Fruit Basket
Ever wondered what to get for that lawmaker who has everything?
Well, The Washington Post has got your answer this morning, with details from Jack Abramoff's 2001 holiday shopping list. So let's see... Who's been naughty and who's been helpful to clients' needs...
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Abramoff's longtime pal, was down for a "$100 gift basket from Harry and David."
Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA) -- the guy who did more for Abramoff's clients than any other lawmaker, according to one of his associates -- got "some Jerry Seinfeld CDs."
But Tom DeLay, then Majority Whip and Abramoff's most crucial ally in the House, was listed as getting the sweetest gift of all -- a $250 box of Godiva chocolates. And Susan Hirschmann, then DeLay's chief of staff (now a high-flying lobbyist), was to get a Godiva box worth $100.
House ethics rules forbid lawmakers from receiving gifts from lobbyists worth more than $50. But everybody had an answer for that. My favorite is DeLay:
Reached by phone, DeLay said, "I don't think I got a box of Godiva chocolates" from Abramoff, adding that a box worth $250 would be "memorable."
Ouch.
Comments (5)
Anonymous wrote on December 20, 2006 10:48 AM:Rohrbacher wasn't even smart enough to say that he realized the gift exceeded the $50 cap and he shared it with the staff in his office.
Not even trying anymore.
"Fair and Balanced" Dave wrote on December 20, 2006 10:53 AM:Doolittle spokeswoman Laura Blackann said the Seinfeld CDs were of negligible value.
No soup for you, Laura.
kjdoenien wrote on December 20, 2006 1:41 PM:Selling out for Seinfeld,
--did they have the episode about regifting?
Grace wrote on December 28, 2006 7:23 AM:Just noticed that my home page needed correcting. Cheers, Dan.
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