From: Office of Congressman George Miller
Date: January 3, 2006
Subject: Abramoff-Congress Scandal Includes Potential Electoral Fraud and Blocking Congressional Efforts to Stop Labor, Human Rights, and Immigrations Abuse in the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (U.S. CNMI)

The announcement today of a guilty plea by Republican Lobbyist Jack Abramoff provides an important opportunity to bring Abramoff and others to justice for a number of crimes. It also provides a significant opportunity to fully uncover a long-standing but unresolved scandal involving Abramoff, members of Congress, their staff, and others to prevent Congress from passing legislation to end serious labor, human rights, and immigration abuses in the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and to investigate interference with local elections in that U.S. territory.

Congressman George Miller (D-CA) has been investigating abuses in the U.S. CNMI for over a decade and has introduced numerous bills to reform labor and immigration laws there. This year, he has pressed House Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo (R-CA) and the U.S. Justice Department to fully investigate numerous issues involving the U.S. CNMI, which paid Abramoff millions of dollars to represent it in Washington.

As The Washington Post noted in a major story on Abramoff’s financial and political ties with Congressman Tom DeLay (R-TX), the Marianas garment industry donated to a DeLay organization and, working with Abramoff, sought and won DeLay’s help in blocking reform legislation:

“In addition to the million-dollar payment involving the London law firm, for example, half a million dollars was donated to the U.S. Family Network by the owners of textile companies in the Mariana Islands in the Pacific, according to the tax records. The textile owners -- with Abramoff's help -- solicited and received DeLay's public commitment to block legislation that would boost their labor costs, according to Abramoff associates, one of the owners and a DeLay speech in 1997.”
-- Washington Post story, 12/31/05

Below is a link to the series of letters between Miller and Chairman Pombo and the Justice Department explaining the need for a full investigation of Abramoff’s dealing with the U.S. CNMI and the role that members of Congress, their staffs, and other lobbyists played in blocking reform legislation and possibly interfering in local elections.

http://www.house.gov/georgemiller/abramoff.html

To date, the House Resources Committee has not conducted its own investigation or held hearings on this matter despite clear jurisdiction and the absence of any hearings on this matter in either the House or the Senate. Although Chairman Pombo referred the matter to the Justice Department in June, Miller said he has not received any indication whether the Department is responding to the Chairman’s letter.

Today, Miller said that in light of the plea agreement, he hopes that the Justice Department’s investigation of Abramoff will fully reveal the Marianas scandal.

“The Justice Department and Congress must fully investigate the Abramoff-Marianas scandal,” Miller said, “including whether members of Congress and their staffs used federal appropriations to buy the votes of local CNMI legislators to ensure that the local government would continue its multi-million dollar contract with Abramoff and would also continue to protect the abusive garment industry from reforms. The Abramoff-Marianas scandal cuts to the heart of the integrity of Congress and must be fully investigated.”

In Miller’s letter to Justice dated July 18, 2005 (pdf file), he asked Justice to investigate reports that two CNMI legislators were pressured by staff for Congressman DeLay and lobbyists to change their vote in order to secure the election of a pro-Abramoff and pro-garment industry speaker of the House in the CNMI. In exchange for their votes, they reportedly received federal appropriations for projects in their districts.

In Miller’s latest letter (pdf file) to Chairman Pombo, dated December 6, he said, “As you know, my own legislative reform efforts regarding the CNMI have been stymied in the House of Representatives for many years. I believe I am entitled to know whether the improper influence of lobbyists and their relationships with members of Congress and/or their staff played a role in thwarting those efforts.”

And Miller said there are additional items the committee must consider. “In addition, I am writing to ask that you also investigate and hold public hearings on additional evidence and allegations unearthed through the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and through Justice Department actions against David Safavian and Michael Scanlon.”

Click here for all correspondence between Miller, Chairman Pombo, and the Department here.

Additional Information

6/22/2006 Press Release -- Senate Abramoff Report
Congressman George Miller Reacts to Senate Abramoff Report; House Gives No Oversight to Abuses in the Mariana Islands

4/4/2006 Press Release -- Tom DeLay Resignation
Congressman George Miller Responds to Representative Tom Delay Resignation Announcement

2/16/2006 House Resolution from Democratic Leader Pelosi (pdf file)
Privileged Resolution Regarding Culture of Corruption Surrounding Budget Reconciliation

2/1/2006 Press Release -- House Ethics Reforms
Miller, Congressional Democrats Propose Tough Reforms to 'Clean House'; Miller Cosponsors “Honest Leadership and Open Government Act,” First Step to Real Ethics Reform, while Republicans offer virtually no change at all

1/26/2006 Press Release -- Abramoff-Congress Scandal
Miller Says White House Meddling in Abramoff Case Requires Appointment of Independent Outside Counsel for Entire Investigation; Previously, Miller had called for Special Counsel over part of the Abramoff case. Now, Miller is joining with Senators Schumer and Salazar to call for an outside counsel for the whole case

1/20/2006 Article from wwd.com (pdf file)
Abramoff's Links to the Industry

1/13/2006 Article from the Pacific Daily News
Special investigation urged

1/4/2006 News Clip
Congressman Miller on KTVU-Channel 2 Oakland Wednesday morning on the Abramoff-Republican Congress Scandal

4/6/2005 Article from ABC News
DeLay's Lavish Island Getaway; Embattled Lobbyist Arranged DeLay Trip

7/18/1993 Article From the New York Times
Made in the U.S.A.? Hard Labor on a Pacific Island/A special report.; Saipan Sweatshops Are No American Dream

CNMI Reports