Ralph Reed has always been an interesting person to observe. I've often wondered if he was really as moral and religious as he appeared. I think there is finally evidence that proves his moral fiber. Raw Story found the article from The Texas Oberver and here are some excerpts:
Evidence is mounting that former Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed Jr., along with a former leader of the Texas Christian Coalition, may have illegally lobbied Texas state officials on behalf of crooked federal lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his clients.
Three Austin-based reform groups—Common Cause Texas, Public Citizen Texas, and Texans For Public Justice, the latter of which employs the author of this article—urged Travis County prosecutors last December to investigate whether Reed violated Texas’ lobby-registration laws four years ago. Correspondence between Abramoff and Reed—the ex-Christian Coalition leader now running for lieutenant governor of Georgia—suggests that Reed lobbied Texas officials on behalf of Abramoff’s Indian gambling clients without registering as a Texas lobbyist. The $5 million in gambling money that Abramoff reportedly paid Reed for his services would make it one of the largest lobby contracts ever made public in Texas...
There is evidence that Ralph Reed contributed to this Channel One lobbying coup behind the scenes. A brief Austin American-Statesman article in September 2002 reported that Channel One postponed a vote on the resolution thanks to “an impromptu lobbying effort by Channel One Communications—including phone calls from Ralph Reed.” Indeed, Channel One critic Gary Ruskin, of Commercial Alert, continues to blame Reed’s lobbying for ensuring that, “Texas school children are still forced to watch ads for junk food, violent entertainment and movies that portray smoking.”
I'd suggest you read the entire article for a clear picture of how Reed and Abramoff operated.
Bob Ney has not been a stranger to lobbyists, according to an article originally published in the LA Times and now KTLA:
...Ney and his staff regularly enjoyed complimentary meals and drinks at Abramoff's upscale Pennsylvania Avenue restaurant and free tickets to local concerts and sporting events, according to Abramoff's Jan. 3 plea agreement.
The same court document cataloged numerous gifts from Abramoff to Ney or his aides beginning in 2000, including trips to the Marianas Islands in the South Pacific and the 2002 golfing trip to Scotland.
Also on the Scotland trip — which was valued in total at "well over $100,000," according to court documents — was a top procurement official for the Bush administration who in September was charged with making false statements about dealings with Abramoff. Former Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed completed Ney's St. Andrews golf party.
In exchange for gifts, Abramoff said, Ney agreed to introduce legislation for at least one of the lobbyist's American Indian clients. Ney also placed statements in the congressional record supporting Abramoff's efforts to buy a Florida gambling company. And the congressman agreed to meet with an Abramoff client from Russia seeking help getting a U.S. visa for a relative.
Ney has repeatedly denied Abramoff's allegations, and his spokesman, Brian J. Walsh, said last week that "a number of things in the agreement are not true or never happened..."
