The Department of Justice has a standing invitation to investigate Rep. John Doolittle (R-Cal.). Among other self-serving revelations in his cushy interview with a conservative radio talk show host (which came after Doolittle refused to speak with local papers about Abramoff), Doolittle boasted that he sent a letter to the DoJ that said in effect: "'Hey, if you're concerned about me, investigate me, because I'd like to get my name cleared.'"

Doolittle's interview was meant to counter the bad press he's received since the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post named him as a subject of interest in the Abramoff investigation. Among Doolittle's connections to Abramoff: his former staffer Kevin Ring went to work for Abramoff, his wife's company put on a fundraiser for Abramoff's sham charity the Capital Athletic Foundation, he spent some time at the famous MCI Center skybox, he held a fundraiser at Abramoff's restaurant Signatures, and he was a big recipient of Abramoff personal and client money.

It should be no surprise then that, responding to a question about ethics reform, Doolittle would say, "I think the system's working."

Doolittle said "his best estimate of contributions is $4,000 from Abramoff and $50,000 from the lobbyist's clients." As Friday's Daily Muck pointed out, Doolittle is misleading the public on this - he actually received $14,000 in contributions from Abramoff and over $140,000 from Abramoff's clients and associates. In any case, he doesn't "feel the least bit bad about accepting those contributions and so I'm not going to return them." He added: "Frankly, the money was spent long ago anyway." Somehow I don't think that excuse would work with the DoJ.

The Northern Marianas

Next! The Northern Marianas, after paying Abramoff and his firms close to $10 million from 1995 to 2001, want another round. The governor of the islands, Beningo Fitial, who once described Abramoff as the CNMI's "protector," has said that his government plans to hire a lobbyist to "save" the garment industry from "federal takeover" legislation. Fitial claims to already have an offer from D.C.'s "number one lobbyist."

And how's this for a poor choice of words: "Fitial said the government's financial condition does not allow for expensive lobbying contracts, but `innovative financing' can be arranged." Innovative financing. Is that something that he should be boasting about in these times?

Because of the Abramoff taint, whoever the Marianas hire to lobby for them will have an uphill battle, at least in the short term.

Raw Story has a picture of Bush shaking hands with Fitial (for more on Fitial, see yesterday's DM). The story claims that the picture was taken the same day that Bush met Abramoff and one of his tribal clients.

Oil and Gas Royalties

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention yesterday's front page story in the NY Times on the potentially illegal shortfall in royalty payments from the oil and gas industry. The piece notes that the underreporting of sale prices cost taxpayers about $700 million last year. Who's to blame? "An often byzantine set of federal regulations, largely shaped and fiercely defended by the energy industry itself." And of course there's also the possibility of plain cheating. The companies report their sales to the Interior Department - yeah, that Interior Department. For now, suffice it to say that there's some muck here, and this Times story is only the beginning.

Lobbying in Texas

In 2003, the state of Texas gutted the junior staff of the Office of State-Federal Relations and hired a lobbyist. Drew Maloney, DeLay's former Chief of Staff, landed the job; in 2005, the state added Todd Boulanger, a former colleague of Abramoff's. See TPM's coverage of this here.

According to Gov. Rick Perry's (R) spokeswoman, the lobbyists were hired to reach out-of-state lawmakers. But Texas House Democrats say that the lobbyists have been working with Texas House Republicans to secure funding for pet projects - but have somehow not found the time to call up any of the Democrats. Funny.

Lobbywatch

In a long piece on the current slate of ethics reforms, the LA Times reports that the D.C. back scratching economy is hurting. Lobbyists are suddenly being stood up on lunch dates; swank restaurants, once bustling, are now empty; and it seems that many lawmakers have lost their taste for football:

A lobbyist for banking and energy interests said he had decided to give up his season tickets for Washington Redskins' football games because he anticipated his usual guests -- lawmakers and their aides -- would no longer attend.

"Who the hell am I going to take?" asked the lobbyist...

I don't know - your friends?

The NY Times surveys lobbying in the 50 states and finds that they're generally ahead of D.C. Rules for federal lobbyists are weaker than "those in all but a handful of states." But it's a far from model system - part-time legislators, often with very small or no staffs frequently rely on lobbyists, and the average lobbyist to lawmaker ratio is 5:1. "In only two states, Maine and New Hampshire, are there more elected officials than lobbyists."

The Post reports on the Republicans' usage of conference committees to privately (off-the-record and with no Dems present) alter legislation, usually in favor of GOP pet industries, such as health insurance. Last week the Dems' ethics package proposed that all such conference committees meet in the open and that any changes be made by a vote of all conferees.

Jack and George

In the wake of Sunday's Time piece declaring the existence of multiple Abramoff/Bush pictures, White House Counselor Dan Bartlett said yesterday that such pictures were no big deal - a "coincidence." Nothing to see here.

The Times also covered the White House's public ambivalence.

Abramoff and Guam

Howard Hills, the Laguna beach lawyer who operated as a pass-through for the Guam Superior Court to hire Jack Abramoff without disclosing it, has a rather innocent explanation for his involvement. He trusted a Guam judge a little too much, and before he knew it, he'd funneled $324,000. And like virtually everyone else who's ever set foot in D.C., he had minimal contact with Jack Abramoff:

"The day Jack Abramoff was hired, my legal work and compensation ended," Hills said.

"My direct contact with Jack was three one-minute phone calls in which he said, 'Where's my money?'"

An article in the Marianas Variety today reports that Hills has lobbied for one of the atolls of the Marshall Islands since 2003. No word yet on whether he had a similarly suspect financial arrangement going there too.

Bob Ney on the Slopes

From Monday's Roll Call:

Despite his dubious distinction as "Representative 1," Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) held a fundraiser in Vail, Colo., earlier this month, hitting the tonier slopes of the great Rockies with dozens of financial services lobbyists.

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One lobbyist who attended the event said Ney kept a lower profile that he did last year, but given the controversy, was a more conspicuous presence, especially given that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee coincidentally was holding a fundraiser in the same place.

He noted that the DCCC was holding "ethics briefings" in a nearby room, where Ney could well have had to walk past. "That was the picture in my mind," the lobbyist said.

Abramoff's Movie Career

For those thirsty for Abramoff biographical details, Variety briefly notes Abramoff's bizarre film career:

"Abramoff made few friends along the way -- Warner Bros. pulled out of its distribution pact after anti-apartheid activists protested the shoot [of the Dolph Lundgren flop Red Scorpion].

After the movie bombed, Abramoff got revenge on Hollywood by starting an org dedicated to fighting obscenity in movies."

In Other Muck

Texas DA Ronnie Earle is continuing to probe the DeLay/Abramoff connection. He recently subpoenaed records of a 1999 $.5M contribution from the National Republican Congressional Committee to the U.S. Family Network, a non-profit that Abramoff frequently used as a conservative slush fund.

Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (R-Penn.) is finding how hard the cleansing process may be for Republicans; after giving away money from DeLay's PAC, then Duke Cunningham's, then Bob Ney's - a total of $21,500 - the local paper is giving him heat for more than $200,000 in money he's received from various Republicans PACs with "ties to Abramoff" (meaning they received some tribal money). Unfortunately, this isn't a scandal you can give away to charity.

On the heels of yesterday's Post story about lobbyist Richard Kessler's Ripon Society, a non-profit he uses to fund congressional travel, Roll Call reports that Kessler & Associates have not filed "any lobbying disclosure forms for its roster of companies in 2005, even though those forms were due Aug. 14." They've now corrected the "oversight" and are not likely to be charged with a crime.