Word: lobbyist
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Since he emerged as a leading character in the controversy over House majority leader Tom DeLay's ethical standards, Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff has been famously tight-lipped. A central issue is whether some of DeLay's overseas travel was funded, at least indirectly, by Abramoff, in violation of House rules barring legislators from accepting travel paid for by lobbyists. Abramoff, 46, an orthodox Jew who espouses conservative values, was already under investigation by two congressional committees and the FBI for allegedly bilking his Indian-tribe clients and possibly abusing tax exemptions on charities he set up. Abramoff spoke...
ABRAMOFF I did not base my lobbying on the stereotypical Washington image that lobbyists provide little more than a "wink, wink, nudge, nudge"--or gifts and gratuities. In my view, no worthy members of Congress or their staff would ever change their position on an issue based on anything other than their constituents' interests or their own deeply held views. My lobbying efforts were focused on presenting my clients' causes in a way which was consistent with the philosophy of my friends on Capitol Hill. That's why I had such a record of success--not because anyone received gifts...
...years that I lobbied for Native Americans, my tribal clients continually praised our efforts as delivering far in excess of the amounts charged. We delivered literally billions of dollars in value. That we charged millions of dollars for these services might seem high, especially compared to the typical Washington lobbyist who charges less and delivers almost nothing. But the return on investment for these tribes--and all my clients--is far better than anything they or we could have imagined. The Native Americans I served are sophisticated business people. They are running a multibillion-dollar industry. They realize that spending...
Even a Prime Minister can become a Washington lobbyist when a big military contract is at stake. But despite a personal appeal from Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to President Reagan, the U.S. Army last week chose a U.S.-French consortium to supply it with a sophisticated, $4.3 billion field-radio system. In one of the largest U.S. military contracts ever awarded for a foreign-designed system, the Army picked RITA, a joint venture by France's Thomson-CSF and GTE of Stamford, Conn., and turned down a competitive system offered by the British-American combine of Plessey Co. and Rockwell...
...manufacturers are not frightened by China's great leap, but they are wary. According to Heather Ridout, the chief executive of Australian Industry Group, a combination of the two Cs - currency appreciation and China - has caused a slackening of factory exports. In a 2004 survey of members, the manufacturers' lobbyist found that 60% of respondents are restructuring their businesses in response to the pressures being generated by China. Union leaders fear more job losses, saying the country will simply become a quarry and that pay and conditions will be cut in a "race to the bottom" with low-wage countries...