From Media Matters:
Earlier today, “Embattled lobbyist Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal charges of conspiracy, tax evasion and mail fraud, agreeing to cooperate in an influence-peddling investigation that threatens powerful members of Congress.”
Despite Chris Matthews’ minimization of the Jack Abramoff scandal, a November 25, 2005 Washington Post article identified four lawmakers under investigation in connection to Abramoff -- former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX), Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT), Rep. Rob Ney (R-OH), and Rep. John T. Doolittle (R-CA) -- all Republicans. Our search of the Center for Responsive Politics database of campaign contributions did not find any contributions from Abramoff to Democrats or Democratic leadership political action committees.
Despite those facts, we have documented Washington Post staff writer Jeffrey H. Birnbaum miscasting the rising tide of ethics investigations and corruption scandals plaguing primarily Republican officials as a bipartisan problem. We have also noted a number of national media figures that have cast the recent spate of political scandals as "nonpartisan," while the vast majority of government officials who have been indicted or are under investigation are Republicans.
