He Forgot To Tell 'Em

Jack again. The National Security Caucus Foundation and Gregg Hilton again. Pakistan this time. NYTimes (05.08.05):

"Jack Abramoff, the lobbyist at the center of a federal corruption investigation, led a Congressional delegation to Pakistan in 1997 but failed to tell the group's sponsor or the lawmakers that he was a registered lobbyist for the Pakistani government, according to the sponsor and the two House members on the trip. The trip to Pakistan and Mr. Abramoff's role in it came to light with the release of documents this week showing that he had also used his personal credit card to pay more than $350,000 in travel expenses for other Congressional trips, some of them sponsored by the National Security Caucus Foundation, which is now defunct." Lobbyist Paid by Pakistan Led U.S. Delegation There

The trip was arranged by an outfit called National Security Caucus Foundation ("which is now defunct"), for Representative Michael R. McNulty (D - NY21) and Representative Howard Coble (R - NC6). "Government filings show Mr. Abramoff's law firm was registered as Pakistan's lobbyist until April 1997, after his trip. The firm said on Saturday that it did its last work on the contract in 1996 and did not consider Pakistan a client by 1997." What did Pakistan want, exactly? "Disclosure statements filed by Mr. Abramoff and his former firm, Preston Gates & Ellis, show that the firm was retained by Pakistan in May 1995 to lobby to overturn sanctions barring delivery of American weapons to Pakistan if its government continued to pursue a nuclear weapons program." "Later disclosure forms show that Mr. Abramoff and the firm lobbied aggressively on Pakistan's behalf, including repeated contacts with the offices of Mr. DeLay, a close friend of Mr. Abramoff. Mr. DeLay, now the House majority leader, has asked the House ethics committee to resolve accusations involving his overseas travels with Mr. Abramoff." The National Security Caucus Foundation was also mixed up in Jack's Marianas Islands trip too. The National Security Caucus Foundation was also mixed up in Jack's Naftasib dealings. A target-rich environment if ever there was one.