Gil Gutknecht's web page has been updated again; a press release touting two awards from Washington DC groups is featured front and center on the homepage:
"Washington, DC - First District Congressman Gil
Gutknecht today announced he was awarded the "Taxpayer Hero Award" from
Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) and the "Tax Fighter Award" from the
National Tax Limitation Committee (NTLC) for his work during the 109th
Congress. ATR and NTLC are two of the foremost taxpayer watchdog groups
on Capitol Hill."
We're impressed: the update comes just in time for a Washington Post story in which Americans for Tax Reform and its president, Grover Norquist play a major part. It's the latest news in the Jack Abramoff corruption scandal: "Senate Report: Five Nonprofit Groups Sold Clout to Abramoff."
Many voters in the Fighting First may remember the Jack Abramoff scandal, which resulted in his sentencing to five years and ten months after he pled guilty to fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy to bribe public officials. Don't recall the details? The WaPo has put together a special report to bring you up to speed.
Today's news story in the Washington Post reports:
Five conservative nonprofit organizations, including one run by prominent Republican Grover Norquist, "perpetrated a fraud" on taxpayers by selling their clout to lobbyist Jack Abramoff, Senate investigators said in a report issued today.
Some of the details in the Washington Post story:
The Abramoff scandal has bruised the image of Norquist, a friend of Abramoff's since their days in the College Republicans. Often consulted by Rove, Norquist for decades has convened a key Wednesday morning strategy session for conservative leaders, lobbyists and Republican lawmakers.
Abramoff traded on Norquist's cachet, at one point referring to him in an e-mail as a "hard-won asset" of his lobbying empire. In exchange for Norquist's opposition to taxes on Brown-Forman products, Norquist recommended a $50,000 donation to Americans for Tax Reform, according to an Abramoff e-mail.
"What is most important, however, is that this matter is kept discreet," Abramoff wrote to a colleague at the Preston, Gates & Ellis law firm. "We do not want the opponents to think that we are trying to buy the taxpayer movement."
Gutknecht's page claims that the ATF is among "two of the foremost taxpayer watchdog groups
on Capitol Hill." At this point, we are inclined to conclude that the six-term congressman has developed his own private newspeak.
More on Grover Norquist and the ATF at Media Transparency.
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