On Wednesday, on my KPFK/Pacifica Radio show, I’ll be interviewing the notorious GOP uber lobbyist, turned convicted felon, turned former felon, turned author (Capitol Punishment: The Hard Truth About Washington Corruption From America’s Most Notorious Lobbyist
If you’d like to listen live, and don’t happen to be in the Los Angeles area (where you can listen on 90.7FM in L.A., 98.7FM in Santa Barbara, 93.7FM in San Diego and 99.5FM in Ridgecrest & China Lake), you can pick up KPFK’s live stream right here at 6p ET / 3p PT.
We’ve been writing about Abramoff here at The BRAD BLOG for years, of course, in various contexts, and I’ve got plenty I’d like to ask him about. But I’m also interested in what you guys might like me to consider asking him. Got any good questions? If so, please leave ’em in comments below!
UPDATE 7/18/12: Thanks for those of you who sent in suggestions for questions via comments and email! The resultant interview with Abramoff today was a damned interesting one. At least to me. You’ll be the final judge as usual, of course. My exclusive interview with Jack Abramoff is now posted here…
Ewwwww
I have a question for you Brad. Why?
Yes! Ask him what he knows about Election Fraud, please! Specifically the role of the privatized corps counting our votes in secret using privatized software, what he knows (if anything) about the 2004 Ohio man in the middle attack (King Lincoln-Bronzeville), and what his relationship was / is with Tom Feeney (R-FL) – voted the most corrupt member of Congress by CREW for several years running. (Wasn’t it a three-peat? I forget.)
They were cozy once, if I remember correctly.
Golf trips together in Scotland n’ all.
…looking fwd to the interview!
You might ask him about his time with NCCPR and what he thinks of how NCCPR taking up the ALEC mantle on Voter Suppression, with the inception of their own Voter ID task force.
Ho does the pay-to-play “exchange” at ALEC differ from what he was doing as a lobbyist? Does he consider what ALEC does as lobbying.
Congratulations on a good “get”. Hopefully your journalistic integrity is capable of getting some newsworthy answers from this criminal turned tattle-tale. When Maher interviewed him he was a milquetoasty, platitudiness, evasive schlub who provided zero insight.
I couldn’t listen live — imagine you will post mp3 stream tomorrow. I did hear some callers (presumably after you had abramoff on).
One woman hit you pretty hard for having him on at all — didn’t get to hear all of that exchange, but you did handle it well from what I heard, Brad.
You have an important voice on many issues, so I don’t want to sound like I question your judgement on this one.
I do think it is doubtful that you can get any useful info out of him and evidently others posting here (prior to show) agree and I think I heard 2 or 3 calls after the interview that did not think it was worthy while.
I will try to keep an open mind and listen to that segment when I can.
Question: For what particular purpose did you think this was a good guest?
Madison VOICES asked:
As you’ve asked similar questions before (eg. when I’ve had Ron Paul related folks on the show), let me try to speak to that.
I am a journalist, where you are more of an activist. There is nothing wrong with that, of course, but I do journalism, which is simply a different thing.
In the case of Abramoff, he is one of the most notorious figures of this century, to date, and at the center of the largest corruption scandal, likely, in the history of D.C. Moreover, we’ve written many stories over the years about that scandal and about many of the players associated with it (eg. Former disgraced Rep. and alleged election fraudster Tom Feeney, Former disgraced Rep. Rep. Bob Ney, author of HAVA, etc.) An exclusive interview with Abramoff is an opportunity to learn, straight from the horses mouth, more about the corruption that we’ve covered here for years.
Moreover, if you take the time to research what Abramoff has been up to since leaving jail, you’ll find that he’s put forward some rather important efforts towards lobbying reform. While it may be counter-intuitive to many, there are few people alive that understand what is needed to reform the system of legalized bribery that now paralyzes our entire system.
Finding out more about that, whether his efforts are sincere, and where additional bodies may be buried are all just a few excellent reasons for talking to Abramoff.
But, again, I am a journalist, and I realize that you do a different (if equally important) thing. Yes, I’d interview George W. Bush or Dick Cheney or even Adolf Hitler if any of them would grant me one. I’d also do my very best to hold their feet to the fire over our public airwaves as I consider to be my job as a journalist, a broadcaster and, frankly, an American citizen.
Speaking of feet to fire, the interview with Abramoff is now posted here. I await your judgement, and welcome it, either good or bad, amigo!
You are full of yourself brad — I AM NO MORE OF AN ACTIVIST than you are!
Shame on you — I try to give you the benefit of the doubt, but not likely any more.
You are a self-promoter and if you can get attention giving folks a propaganda platform, you do.
It is that simple.
I follow you blog over the years, always eventually deciding it is a waste of time because you are more into promoting yourself than informing.
You can judge me any way you want — but you don’t know me or my work, so you are just showing your ignorance to the world.
Just like you did when you featured paul and jack and then proclaim this is what makes you a journalist — you have no more credentials as a journalist than most that comment here.
I can read paul’s talking points at alex jones. I can pick up what jack has to say in the compliant media.
And giving these folks a vehicle to lie to your readers or malloy’s listeners does not a journalist make.
Madison VOICES –
It seems you took my description of your work as “activism” as an insult. It certainly wasn’t meant that way. In fact, I much appreciate the work you do.
As to your other commentary and attacks against me, for whatever, reason, I’ll let those speak for themselves, other than to say, I can’t speak to what Alex Jones believes to be “nooooze”. I don’t follow him, other than occasionally clicking a link someone has sent me and finding another terribly misreported story which too many folks, unfortunately, seem to mistake for actual news.
I don’t understand your attacks against our work here (either in the above, or at other times where you’ve been critical of our coverage in the past), but your opinions are always welcome here.