Alaska's Don Young tied to convicted lobbyist Abramoff
Originally published Sunday, April 20, 2008 at 11:20 a.m.
Updated Sunday, April 20, 2008 at 4:32 p.m.
Digg
delicious
Facebook
Mixx
Reddit
Stumble It!ANCHORAGE -- Old billing records show ties between convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff and U.S. Rep. Don Young, a newspaper reported Sunday.
The Anchorage Daily News said in Sunday editions that records from two of Abramoff's firms show that his team of lobbyists had more than 120 contacts with Young's personal and committee staffs _ including at least 10 with the Alaska Republican himself _ from January 1996 to December 2001.
According to the Daily News, the available records cover one Abramoff client, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
The commonwealth is a U.S. territory in the Pacific that Young oversaw when he chaired the House Resources Committee from 1995 to 2001.
Mike Anderson, Young's campaign spokesman and chief of staff, told The Associated Press on Sunday that bringing up the documents was "regurgitation of old news" that first emerged in 2005.
Anderson shrugged off the mention of contacts linking Young and Abramoff.
"Well that's what lobbyists are supposed to do for their clients," he said.
The records show that among the concerns of Abramoff and fellow lobbyists at the time was a bill introduced by then Sen. Frank Murkowski, R-Alaska, to reform labor and immigration practices feeding the island's Chinese-owned sweatshops. Murkowski's bill passed the Senate unanimously in 2000, but Young stopped it in his committee, refusing to hold a hearing.
Young has denied taking any action as a favor to Abramoff, who is now in a federal prison.
"Abramoff is, and has been, inconsequential to my work in Congress," Young wrote in 2006 in response to a Daily News editorial tying him to the lobbyist. "I have never had any personal or professional relationship with Abramoff."
But a private memo written by Abramoff to the governor of the Mariana Islands, expressing concern that Young was being forced by term limits to give up his Resources chairmanship in 2001, according to the Daily News.
"The loss of Chairman Young's authority cannot easily be measured _ or replaced," Abramoff wrote on Jan. 4, 2001, in crediting Young with blocking reform legislation. "We have lost major institutional memory and friendship."
Anderson declined to say in interviews with the Daily News and the AP whether some portion of the $1.1 million the campaign has spent on legal fees over the last year relate to the ongoing FBI investigation of the Abramoff affair. The case has led to 13 convictions of lobbyists, aides, a former congressman and two former administration officials.
Young's Washington lawyers are helping him fend off a federal probe into corruption allegations. Young, who has held office since 1973, has repeatedly refused to discuss the investigation on the advise of his lawyers.
Mark Zachares, hired by Young as a key aide on the House Transportation Committee, pleaded guilty last year to accepting bribes from Abramoff and agreed to help investigators. Zachares had previously been a labor and immigration official for the Mariana government.
Prosecutors said Abramoff placed Zachares on Young's committee, and Zachares used his insider spot to help Abramoff's clients. Since Zachares' plea 12 months ago, Young has refused to explain what he knows about how Zachares got his job.
The 900-plus pages of Abramoff billing records and memos associated with the Mariana Islands emerged in 2005, when the Los Angeles Times, The Associated Press and other media obtained them under a public information request from the Mariana capital of Saipan. Copies of the records were provided to the Daily News by Dennis Greenia, a blogger and publications director for the nonprofit Co-op America.
Community Discussion
Newsminer.com doesn't necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post. Read our full user's agreement.
I am itching to hear "the rest of the story". I am sure there is one.
The story that confirms that Don Young is just a sneaky old man who embarrasses Alaskans every chance he gets? Heard it.
Wow! Amazing -- you mean a lobbyist had contact with a legislator?
Well, we better lynch them both right now!!!
[Wait, aren't lobbyists supposed to contact legislators in order to do their lobbying?]
That's a long way from home for Don and Jack. They are both guilty of pig roast fundraisers, support of Saipan clothing sweatshops and prostitution. When Young is arrested, will he don a wide brim hat and a full length leather coat like Jack?
His legal defense fund will be bankrupt when the FBI can make this crap stick to the wall without falling off.
Hehe, now that I live here on Guam and am familiar with the Abramoff story (it's still good news material here), it's funny to see an Alaskan involved in something like this. Believe me, Mr. Young will put the spin on it, distancing himself as far as possible from Jack. But at least here, every single person involved with Jack has either been put in prison or is facing jail time. Mr. Young will have his comeupance on this one. Crooked politicians are looked hard at more and more. I think this is just the beginning. I can't wait till this makes the papers here! Hafa Adai, y'all.
-Definately time for Don Young and his cronies to go quietly into the night.
- Young is getting old.
Young is a crook, hopefully soon he'll be out of the office
Does anyone else notice this...
Originally published Sunday, April 20, 2008 at 11:20 a.m.
Updated Sunday, April 20, 2008 at 4:32 p.m.
The DNM seems to do this a lot when it comes to our Reps. It erases the comments from earlier?
News Miner would you like to explain why this happens?
YouMustBConfused
YouMustBConfused:
Sometimes they'll print the first few paragraphs of a story, put it on the website, and then add the rest when it's ready. When they do that, they include the "Updated" tag. It happened today with the bear spray story, as well. The comments do not get erased when they update.
I want to know why immediate action was not taken when it was discovered Young had added something to a bill AFTER it passed, something that favored his Florida connections. I know he was called on the carpet for it, but I don't understand why that would not cause him to lose his seat. A Senator changing a bill after it passes the Congress, with no authorization from anyone? That should be illegal if it isn't. It was reported at the time, but I have heard very little about it since then.
When Don campaigns from jail, no one will notice the difference from previous elections. He never bothers to come to Alaska anyway. He'll just hold one of those constituent conferences using his one free call after he gets arrested.
I think Don will look smashing in stripes.
remember a bout 15 years ago when the anchorage paper had a photo of a small trailer in fort YUKON WHICH YOUNG CALLED HIS ALASKA HOME.
In my opinion, they will get Don Young, Ted Stevens, and please Lord, let them also get Frank and Lisa Murkowski.
user6244 - Guam is like everything that Alaska is and isn't. The people are wonderful (like Alaskans), the climate is MUCH warmer and more humid (I miss the snow)(and the cold). It has political intrigue to a degree that Alaska, thank goodness, hasn't even thought of. But it is beautiful, if you like places like Hawaii 24/7/366. I miss Alaska, never think otherwise, but this is where life and work has taken me. I miss my grandkids, I miss my coworkers at Alcan and I miss Friday nights. Guam is growing steadily, especially with the military expansion coming here in the next few years. The wages aren't the best, there is no union here (I miss IBEW!!!), but there is always sunshine, never below 72 degrees and never above 87 degrees (well, almost never). It is somewhat different knowing you're on an island only 210 square miles total and the driving is horrific. But a CAT dealer here? You gonna make good money, pare! Generators, equipment, it's all gonna go boom here soon and I mean that in a good way. We deal a lot with CAT here and it is the preferred animal, so to speak. You'd like Guam, but you'll always miss Alaska. No matter what, Alaska tends to stay in your heart and like all others here, I'm damn glad and always will be to say I'm an Alaskan at heart.
Don will be lucky to get past the primaries this year. Looks like his retirement home is going to have bars over the windows.
(This comment was removed by the Newsminer.com staff. Please see our User Agreement for further information.)
(This comment was removed by the Newsminer.com staff. Please see our User Agreement for further information.)
Would someone please arrest Young and Stevens...this goes on and on while they both appear arrogant and above the law. Either the feds have enough or they don't. I bet once they are charged they will both be real eager to cooperate with authorities and thats when we will get the rest of this story.
Young and Steven has been an embarrassment for years. Remember when Leno showed Stevens picking his nose. And let's not forget Youngs comments to students at West Valley. If you read about the history of Alaska our first mayor was crook also.
When will enough be enough.
I completely agree Ibredeman.
Along with Ted, I'd really, really like to see his son Ben, (who is, if possible, even more arrogant than his daddy, and has benefited--along with his business partner(s), who also worked for Ben's daddy-o-- from his daddy's position), go down in a big way.
A friend suggested to me a while back that they might pull a Bill Allen deal on Ted:
Take a plea, work with us, and we won't charge your family,
thereby saving Ben.
I wonder now if either of the Stevens will go down. Seems it's been a while, and we only hear about Young, who is an arrogant arse also, of course.
Post a comment
Commenting requires registration.