Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL) — cited for the third year in a row by a public interest watchdog as one of the “Most Corrupt Members of Congress” — has finally decided to “apologize” for going on that $75,000 lobbyist-funded junket to play golf in Scotland in 2003, along with the disgraced, and convicted, Jack Abramoff. The “apology” comes in the form of a desperate, 30-second campaign ad (at left.)
Feeney is the last remaining member of Congress to have gone on one of those Abramoff-funded private jet trips to hit the links in St. Andrews. The other two, Tom Delay (R-TX), who went in 2001, and Bob Ney (R-OH), who went in 2002, have both left Congress in disgrace and under indictment.
You’ll note that the ad — in which Feeney never bothers to mention that he’s a Republican — ends, laughably, with: “Because public service is about being honest, even when you make a mistake.”
That line might more appropriately, at least for Feeney, have been: “Public service is about admitting that you broke the law, five years after you took a huge favor from a corrupt lobbyist and were finally forced to admit it outloud in a desperate, last-ditch attempt, to save your Congressional meal ticket.”
But he might have had trouble getting all of that into his :30 spot.
The ad also says, on screen: “Get the facts: Tom Feeney.com” Might we suggest if you really want the facts on Tom Feeney, one of the filthiest players remaining in Congress, that you see instead our special coverage page about him, and former Republican computer programmer Clint Curtis. Curtis worked at the same company as Feeney, back when Feeney was both the powerful Speaker of the Florida House and a lobbyist for the software firm with millions of dollars in state contracts. The same company also employed undocumented Chinese aliens working on systems for NASA and others, even as Feeney has continued to protect that company to this day (he was also their one-time general counsel) and has housed his campaign headquarters in their building.
It was back then, when they both worked at Yang Enterprises in 2000, when Curtis alleges, via sworn affidavit, video-taped testimony to Congress, and lie-detector test, that Feeney asked him to create vote-rigging software for touch-screen voting machines.
A remarkable documentary film, Murder, Spies & Voting Lies, covering that story, and The BRAD BLOG’s attempts to tell it over the last four years, has just been released. If you’d rather learn the facts in movie form, please check out that film! NOTE: It’s terrifying and includes untold details on at least two grizzly deaths related to the Curtis/Feeney scandal.
Curtis himself eventually switched to the Democratic Party following the incident and, after Congress refused to take action on Feeney, he ran unsuccessfully against him in 2006. His attempts to do so again this year were derailed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), which backed wealthy opponent Suzanne Kosmas in the primary. With polls showing the well-funded Kosmas in a tight race with Feeney, clearly, one of the dirtiest Republicans in America is now running very scared.
– A Quick Summary of the story so far.
– An Index of all the Key Articles & Evidence in the series so far.
Sorry, have only read the headline so far…but apoligizes?!?!? That MFer should be in jail with abramhoff and jail time ney. Only goes to show just how corrupt and infiltrated congress has become.
For any of you who are slow in catching up to the truth…the three of them conspired to bring us hava. The biggest source yet for STEALING ELECTIONS!
Hey kkkarl is your underwear clean?
as i followed the abramhoff story here on bradblog i seem to remember something about mccain “hushing” up the alabama repub govs involvement with abramhoff/rove to cheat sigleman out of an election when it got to senate hearings
congrats on ur imput to bring this story to light but let me suggest NOW is the time to connect mcsame to these criminals in a public fashion
Great story! What goes around comes around as we say in the UK!
Hey NappyRash, as every child must learn…sunshine will do it good!
Anyone ever notice that Feeneys name has Ney in it?
More like Tom Felo-ney
Ooops, wrong thread, but any way:
http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/
And hey Floridiot, let people choke/LAUGH on that one together!
Did he apolgize for procuring software to rig voting machines??? No vote for this loser!!!
You know, the only places I’ve ever commented is here and at Raw Story as Tina. Just so everyone knows.
Gotta go study some more, see ya.
Say what you want. I live here and I worked hard for Clint Curtis. Feeney treated Clint with more respect than Suzanne Kosmas and the DCCC did!!! I’m so sick of my own party I could throw up! I may not cast a ballot for the first time in over 40 years but if I do it will be for the NPA in the race. I REFUSE to support the “chosen” of the Democrats who’ve done so much to destroy our party!!!
Emma
And if I were you, Emma, I’d refuse to support the criminal Feeney. Priorities, my friend.
Get Feeney out, hold the Dems accountable thereafter.
we’re inhaling a bunch of nasty chemicals from our computers and monitors. http://www.rawair.net/articles.html
Re 11&12,
I second that, Emma. Hold your nose, maybe?
This is kind of o.t. but you know, every time I call a Senator’s or Congressman’s office & talk to their staff I’m appalled at how little they know. I remember having to tell one of them what the acronym FISA stood for & what the fuss was about.
I usually refer them to Brad’s site & ask them to please come here & take a look.
I’d never heard of the film “Murder, Spies & Voting Lies” but it sounds like one to see. Thank God for the folks who make these things! like BraveNewFilms…they keep the hope alive.
You wonder, why are Republican voters are so ready to condone such liars. This economic melt down is the proof of GOP/neocon/Bush failure; and they blame “minorities” (that’s their latest talking points). Even after they see the lies that McCain and Palin and Bush and this pathetic excuse for a human being Feeney. I think at the base of it, it’s a racist fear of whites loosing power. I am voting for Obama because he is the best man for this job. I don’t even see him as black, or male, or young or old. History will remember this chapter of America for what it was; the worse administration ever with the GOP party and christian right lying along with them.
They will answer to God, for their deceit, their racism and their tacit approval. The means does not justify the ends if you are committing a sin.
I hope the ghost of Raymond Lemme visits Feeney every night from here till eternity .
Please somebody look into this info…
Votes are being stolen, now, by hundreds of thousands–
and the Democrats aren’t doing anything about it: RFK, Jr.
Mobbed-up states enjoy reelecting criminals. Florida’s been the mob’s retirement park and drug hub of the western hemisphere for decades. Folks today purchase $4.50/gal. gas to make 14 hour trips to Florida to get drugs and pills, then spread the poison to children in other states.
Feeney’s good looks gets the women’s vote. His golfing skills get the men’s. We’ve become a sports-minded, glamor-centered society. That he’s a criminal probably never makes Florida’s MSM news. Sometimes even newspapers are afraid to go up against certain politicians. Curious, eh…
Have you seen the Abramoff or Ney stories sensationalized like Anna Nichole or OJ Simpson? MSM tore up Larry Craig, Spitzer, and Mark Foley. Isn’t it strange the levels of attention MSM gives one and not another? We’ll be dead before they’re finished with Abramoff in the courts, but I’d like to know exactly what he was doing in Africa, and his roles in Apartheid and Iran/Contra, as well.
The golf course is where these guys have fun and make plans while Iraq burns. They’re out there teeing up, enjoying the scenery while American boys are getting killed overseas.
Anybody heard anything about Iran or Russia lately? They’re probably peeing-their-pants laughing about our economy and the delusional geniuses who wrecked it with lies, greed, corruption, and wars.
Emma #11,
I also live here and supported Curtis, and I feel the same as you. I walked into the “Democratic party” (Kosmas campaign) office on Alafaya, and asked for a voter registration form. When they gave it to me I told everyone there I was changing from a Democratic Party member to a Green party member because of Susanne Kosmas. Luckily we don’t have to choose between these two crooks. We’ve got a third party guy running who won’t win, but I don’t despise. And since Feeney is clearly on his way out, Kosmas does not need my support. She certainly doesn’t deserve it.
I’m not in the Feeney district, but we have our own problems. Like Brad suggests, get Feeney out, then hold the Dems accountable. I did see his TV ad, gag…..poor me, I bad boy, I sawwe,…
Emma #11..Our party has been taken over . The republic party was taken over by fascists. Ours has been taken over by republics. Did you notice that every dem. who was so in love with Hillary…. not so sqweeky clean. Like Charlie Rangal and Ed Rendell. These creeps do not want good dems to run.Rahm Emmanuel went around the country advising dem cadidates to support the Iraq war or at least not cause a fuss. Hence good dems. lost. In ME where I live we had an excellent candidate running against Olympia Snowe. She was broke. Clinton came to the state and raised money for the gov. (crook) Snowe won but her voting record was awful. The take over of our govt. could not have happened without the Clintons and their friends.They hate a caucus..hard to steal votes.
When did corruption become ‘making a mistake’, surely the word implies an unwitting error, whoops I just booked a $75k golf trip, easy mistake that just anyone could make?