Jack Abramoff, left, and his attorney Abbe Lowell leave a federal court in Miami on March 29, 2006. (Gary I. Rothstein / European Pressphoto Agency) |
The latest muckraker digging into the outsized influence of money in politics is well-versed in the muckiest corners of K Street: former Republican lobbyist and convicted felon Jack Abramoff.
Abramoff, who served three and a half years in prison for corruption of public officials, tax evasion and fraud, emerged last fall as an unlikely advocate for curbing the influence of special interests in Washington -- first in the form of a tell-all memoir and a subsequent media tour pressing for ethics reform.
And now, the latest manifestation of Abramoff's ethics push: his debut Friday on Republic Report, a newly launched blog dedicated to exposing corruption in politics.
The site has already posted stories about Congress, K Street and the Koch Brothers; Abramoff's contribution was mostly introductory, although he said he anticipates contributing analysis and breaking news in the future. The gig pairs the former lobbyists with a team of investigative reporters, the likes of which dogged Abramoff during his K Street scandals.
"The people who were attacking me while I was a lobbyist -- I don't hold that against them in any way," Abramoff said in a phone interview. "Frankly, I agree with them at this point. It is I who had a journey, not them."
One of Abramoff's former adversaries in the press is now his de facto boss: Nick Penniman, the president of United Republic, the nonprofit group that runs the Republic Report blog, covered Abramoff's exploits as a reporter, and was surprised to learn of his change of heart when they met two and a half months ago.
"His name is toxic, right?," Penniman said. "He automatically elicits that kind of reaction. But you sit down and meet him, you realize he's really different."
Penniman likened the hire to the CIA drafting hackers to boost the agency's understanding of cyber security.
"Who better to talk about this world?" he asked.
The power of money in Washington is "the big story of our era," Penniman said, and it's the focus not just of the Republic Report blog, but of the entire non-profit United Republic group as a whole. The organization counts among its top funders Credo, the mobile phone company that donates a portion of its proceeds to liberal causes, and Obey Giant Art Inc., the company of street artist (and Obama "Hope" poster creator) Shepard Fairey.
As for his most high-profile contributor, Penniman said he finds Abramoff's conversion sincere.
"People are calling this a redemption tour," Penniman said. "But [Abramoff's] not just trying to redeem himself. He's genuinely on a reform mission."
But Abramoff acknowledged there may be doubters that the ex-con has seen the light.
"I'm not certain I'm here to convince [skeptics.] I'm here to talk about what's going on," Abramoff said. "Either you think I'm saying things true and believable, or you don't.
"I'll let my actions speak for that."
Abramoff, who served three and a half years in prison for corruption of public officials, tax evasion and fraud, emerged last fall as an unlikely advocate for curbing the influence of special interests in Washington -- first in the form of a tell-all memoir and a subsequent media tour pressing for ethics reform.
And now, the latest manifestation of Abramoff's ethics push: his debut Friday on Republic Report, a newly launched blog dedicated to exposing corruption in politics.
The site has already posted stories about Congress, K Street and the Koch Brothers; Abramoff's contribution was mostly introductory, although he said he anticipates contributing analysis and breaking news in the future. The gig pairs the former lobbyists with a team of investigative reporters, the likes of which dogged Abramoff during his K Street scandals.
"The people who were attacking me while I was a lobbyist -- I don't hold that against them in any way," Abramoff said in a phone interview. "Frankly, I agree with them at this point. It is I who had a journey, not them."
One of Abramoff's former adversaries in the press is now his de facto boss: Nick Penniman, the president of United Republic, the nonprofit group that runs the Republic Report blog, covered Abramoff's exploits as a reporter, and was surprised to learn of his change of heart when they met two and a half months ago.
"His name is toxic, right?," Penniman said. "He automatically elicits that kind of reaction. But you sit down and meet him, you realize he's really different."
Penniman likened the hire to the CIA drafting hackers to boost the agency's understanding of cyber security.
"Who better to talk about this world?" he asked.
The power of money in Washington is "the big story of our era," Penniman said, and it's the focus not just of the Republic Report blog, but of the entire non-profit United Republic group as a whole. The organization counts among its top funders Credo, the mobile phone company that donates a portion of its proceeds to liberal causes, and Obey Giant Art Inc., the company of street artist (and Obama "Hope" poster creator) Shepard Fairey.
As for his most high-profile contributor, Penniman said he finds Abramoff's conversion sincere.
"People are calling this a redemption tour," Penniman said. "But [Abramoff's] not just trying to redeem himself. He's genuinely on a reform mission."
But Abramoff acknowledged there may be doubters that the ex-con has seen the light.
"I'm not certain I'm here to convince [skeptics.] I'm here to talk about what's going on," Abramoff said. "Either you think I'm saying things true and believable, or you don't.
"I'll let my actions speak for that."
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