From Josh Marshall's lips to the grand jury's ears:
A name now coming up more and more frequently in Abramoff investigation news is that of Rep. Richard Pombo (R-CA), Chairman of the House Committee on Resources.Marshall notes that Pombo, a junior member of the Resource Committee, was made chairman at the behest of DeLay. Pombo was also a frequent recipient of seats in Abramoff's infamous Skybox--5 times in 2000.
That was prime territory for Jack Abramoff, seeing as the Resources Committee has jurisdiction over Indian tribal affairs, Pacific island territories as well as environment and natural resources -- pretty much one-stop shopping for a guy like Jack.
(You're obviously wondering what events Pombo attended there. Here's a hint:
Yeah, you guessed it: 3 of the 5 were World Federation Wrestling. Those of you who guessed 'monster truck rally' were close, but not close enough to get the prize.)
It's common knowledge that Pombo is dirty; if he gets tied to (or, hope against hope, indicted for) the Abramoff corruption, though, that would be a much bigger deal...and much more damaging.
I'm hoping for a full-on Cunningham, tearful press conference and all. But I'll take whatever we can get.
Update: Say No to Pombo has more on Abramoff's ties to Pombo.
Second Update: I read carelessly: Pombo himself didn't attend those events; the tickets went to his staffers. Thanks to Matt at Say No to Pombo for being clearer on this than I was.
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