Jack Abramoff
Proposes Reforms for Corrupt Lobbying
U.S. News & World Report (blog)
By Lauren Fox February
6, 2012
Clad in a gray
suit, one of the most infamous men in Washington
took his seat Monday afternoon amid a full room of reporters and lobby
reformers who he once fought against.
"Jack is
someone who doesn't need an introduction, and I won't give him one," says
Public Citizen President Robert Weissman.
Fresh out of
prison, Abramoff admits he still thinks like a
lobbyist. After decades in the profession; even a federal indictment won't
change that. [D.C. Corruption Didn't Go Away.]
He hopes, however,
to use his mind-set to combat corruption.
"Frankly
there was nothing more that I wanted to do then crawl into a hole and not be
reading about myself in the paper, not be seeing my name out there on the
Internet, and just go away," he says. "Or I could take what I knew
and I could think about how could I be helpful...I could find a way when I got
out to maybe help create some reform that's meaningful and serious."
It's been nearly eight
years since Abramoff's last day as a lobbyist and
while he would have never accepted then the reforms he proposes today, Abramoff offers a few suggestions on what should be done to
stop the corruption. [Barack Obama: Polarizer-in-Chief.]
He wishes it were
illegal for lobbyists or special interests to give money politically, he urges
lawmakers and their staffers to stop moving from the public service sector to
the influence industry, believes all laws Congress makes should apply to the
members of the governing body, and endorses term limits for everyone on the
Hill from the congressman to his chief of staff, although he acknowledges that
would be tough to do.
"When I was a
lobbyist, frankly, I was against [term limits] because once you purchase an
office you don't want to have to repurchase that same office down the
line."
And while Abramoff addressed many legal bribery tactics he used as
well as illegal moves he made, the former lobbyist made sure to share that not
every lobbyist out there has bad intentions.
[Why Nancy Pelosi Is Attacking Newt Gingrich on Ethics.]
"There aren't
150,000 Jack Abramoffs walking around out
there," he says.
Abramoff also offered some
insight into three and a half years he spent in prison, describing his
150-square-foot space, which he shared with five others, as a "dreadful
place."
Abramoff says that during
his first 18 months, he was subjected to brutal treatment by the guards, who
were instructed not to speak or even look at what one psychiatrist at the
prison described as the "most manipulative person in the world."
At one point, Abramoff spent time in "the hole," a kind of
solitary confinement that he shared with one other person due to the
overcrowded nature of the prison.
Abramoff says he was one
of the only inmates not allowed to attend their parents funerals--his mother
died while he was in prison--but says he's thankful he was never assaulted
while behind bars. As terrible as it was, Abramoff
says, he takes responsibility for his actions.
"I don't
think at any point it wasn't I who brought myself to
where I went," he says.
As for the future,
Abramoff hopes he can help to lend some reform
insights. He's promoting his book, writing a few columns here or there.
He owes $44
million in reparations to those he harmed and survives off of the donations from
friends and what little income he has coming in. [Why Americans Think Politics Is Corrupt.]
"It's hard to
be a felon in America,"
Abramoff says. "I'm just doing my best to get
by."
The man who once claims to have controlled more than 100 offices
on the Hill, admits he probably couldn't even get one meeting today with a
representative if he tried. He used to give the maximum amount of money he could
to candidates he wanted elected and now won't even verbally endorse one for
president.
"I try to
avoid saying anything positive about any presidential candidate for fear that
if I actually like them then I will kill their campaign," Abramoff says.
http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2012/02/06/jack-abramoff-proposes-reforms-for-corrupt-lobbying-