The Republican Culture of Corruption
Nothing has exposed the rot at the root of the Republican tree in Washington more than the case of Michael Scanlon.
Scanlon is the Tom Delay protégé who is now charged with criminal conspiracy related to his ties to GOP superlobbyist Jack Abramoff. According to The New York Times:
Mr. Scanlon is in legal trouble for his business dealings with Mr. Abramoff, with whom he used his ties to the Republican House leadership to build a booming lobbying and public affairs business.
Mr. Scanlon and Mr. Abramoff collected about $82 million in fees from Indian tribes over four years. Their dealings triggered the investigation that led to the criminal conspiracy charge filed against Mr. Scanlon.
The irony is that Scanlon is one of those zealous, conservative young men and women who â until the feds started investigating â was certain of his own moral righteousness.
As Delayâs press spokesman in 1998, Scanlon had this to say about Bill Clintonâs impeachment troubles:
âYou kick him until he passes out,â Mr. Scanlon wrote in an e-mail message that was published in the Clinton biography âThe Breach.â âThen beat him over the head with a baseball bat, then roll him up in an old rug and throw him off a cliff into the pounding surf below!!!!!â
Mr. Scanlon certainly got around. According to some news accounts in 1996, he was the director of communications for then-Congressman Fred Heineman of North Carolina and vice president for policy research at Multimedia Inc., a Raleigh consulting firm.
These days, he keeps a lower profile. As The Times reported:
Except for one silent appearance before the Senate in 2004 – during which Republican members excoriated him for his treatment of Indian tribes and his refusal to testify – Mr. Scanlon has all but vanished from public view over the last year, retreating to Rehoboth Beach, Del., a summer resort several hours from here.
Documents, e-mail messages and interviews with his former colleagues suggest that Mr. Scanlon had an appeal similar to the title character in the film âThe Talented Mr. Ripleyâ who drew people to his money-making schemes. âHe certainly has a charm about him,â said John Feehery, the former spokesman for Speaker J. Dennis Hastert.
Mr. Scanlon, more than Mr. Abramoff, was flamboyant with his earnings. He owned several multimillion-dollar Delaware beach properties and rented a $17,000-a-month apartment at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Washington.
The Republican Culture of Corruption
Nothing has exposed the rot at the root of the Republican tree in Washington more than the case of Michael Scanlon.
Scanlon is the Tom Delay protégé who is now charged with criminal conspiracy related to his ties to GOP superlobbyist Jack Abramoff. According to The New York Times:
Mr. Scanlon is in legal trouble for his business dealings with Mr. Abramoff, with whom he used his ties to the Republican House leadership to build a booming lobbying and public affairs business.
Mr. Scanlon and Mr. Abramoff collected about $82 million in fees from Indian tribes over four years. Their dealings triggered the investigation that led to the criminal conspiracy charge filed against Mr. Scanlon.
The irony is that Scanlon is one of those zealous, conservative young men and women who â until the feds started investigating â was certain of his own moral righteousness.
As Delayâs press spokesman in 1998, Scanlon had this to say about Bill Clintonâs impeachment troubles:
âYou kick him until he passes out,â Mr. Scanlon wrote in an e-mail message that was published in the Clinton biography âThe Breach.â âThen beat him over the head with a baseball bat, then roll him up in an old rug and throw him off a cliff into the pounding surf below!!!!!â
Mr. Scanlon certainly got around. According to some news accounts in 1996, he was the director of communications for then-Congressman Fred Heineman of North Carolina and vice president for policy research at Multimedia Inc., a Raleigh consulting firm.
These days, he keeps a lower profile. As The Times reported:
Except for one silent appearance before the Senate in 2004 – during which Republican members excoriated him for his treatment of Indian tribes and his refusal to testify – Mr. Scanlon has all but vanished from public view over the last year, retreating to Rehoboth Beach, Del., a summer resort several hours from here.
Documents, e-mail messages and interviews with his former colleagues suggest that Mr. Scanlon had an appeal similar to the title character in the film âThe Talented Mr. Ripleyâ who drew people to his money-making schemes. âHe certainly has a charm about him,â said John Feehery, the former spokesman for Speaker J. Dennis Hastert.
Mr. Scanlon, more than Mr. Abramoff, was flamboyant with his earnings. He owned several multimillion-dollar Delaware beach properties and rented a $17,000-a-month apartment at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Washington.