Conduct Involving a Member of a Senator's Staff
21. On July 16, 2002, defendant BOULANGER first met a legislative director for a United States Senator ("Staffer F"). Thereafter, from July 2002 through February 2004, defendant BOULANGER provided to Staffer F numerous tickets, meals and drinks, with the value of these things exceeding $10,000, to influence Staffer F to take official action favorable to Firm B's lobbying clients, and Staffer F on repeated occasions during this same time provided and agreed to provide such official actions. The things of value and official action included, for example, the following:
a. On September 27, 2002, defendant BOULANGER emailed Staffer F that it was good to see him the other night and seeking Staffer F's help in preserving a $3.5 million earmark that was favorable to one of BOULANGER's lobbying clients, which earmark had been included in the House version of a defense appropriations bill.
b. On January 22, 2003, defendant BOULANGER emailed Staffer F seeking his help in defeating a proposed amendment to a defense appropriations bill which would have enabled an Alaskan entity to establish a gambling casino, thereby threatening the market share of Native American tribes represented by Firm B which already owned or operated gambling casinos. Staffer F responded to defendant BOULANGER that he would tell his Senator and that his office had the proposed amendment "flagged."
c. On February 14, 2003, Staffer F emailed defendant BOULANGER asking if he could "score some hockey tickets." Defendant BOULANGER forwarded the email to one of Abramoff's assistants noting, "[Staffer F] is a priority," and requesting, "Ice seats if possible." Defendant BOULANGER then responded to Staffer F that Staffer F was getting front row hockey tickets, telling him, "This is without a doubt the most in demand game of the season.... You, my friend, are in debt to me for a while!" Several days later, Staffer F replied, "Thanks [BOULANGER] - You the man. I got something for you too...."
d. On April 1, 2003, defendant BOULANGER emailed one of Abramoff's assistants, asking if he could get two baseball tickets to an upcoming Redsox/Orioles baseball game for Staffer F, along with a parking pass, noting, "[Staffer F] is important." On April 2, 2003, Staffer F emailed defendant BOULANGER, "thanks for thinking of me for the sox. Let me know if! can ..... return the favor..."
e. On June 12, 2003, Staffer F emailed defendant BOULANGER requesting tickets to a July 6th baseball game in Camden Yards. When defendant BOULANGER responded that Staffer F would get four tickets in the box suite, Staffer F replied, "but could you make sure there's beer this time...? [l} mean, the red sox, crab cakes, and fillet mignon's were nice but haha."
f. On October 23, 2003, defendant BOULANGER emailed Abramoff that a potential client wanted to retain him to help with favorable action from the Senator for whom Staffer F worked. Defendant BOULANGER wrote, "easy money. [Staffer F] practically lives in our various suites. We are shady."
g. On December 17, 2003, Staffer F emailed Hirni that he and another were going to be at Abramoff's restaurant, Signatures, the following day, "if you're around - likewise to [BOULANGER]." After Hirni forwarded Staffer F's email to BOULANGER, BOULANGER responded to Hirni that Staffer F just should have written, "'buy me some drinks."
This is the tip of an iceberg of corruption and I think Judd Gregg should be worried where this investigation is heading.
I’ve been following the Abramoff scandal for a long time—almost ten years now. It is a diverse and wide ranging scandal. It is complex by design and layered to prevent discovery and prosecution. Most of the crimes will never be punished. Everyday the clock ticks and more crimes will slide past the statute of limitations. The scandal broke in 2004 and for most of the last four years the Bush Administration slowed and obstructed the investigation every way they could while still preserving deniability. They have been able to slow the wheels of justice, but they have not been able to stop them. In the spring of 2007 an Abramoff mole in the DOJ was uncovered and since then the wheels of justice have been picking up speed.
Abramoff’s mole in the DOJ was Robert Coughlin and he has an interesting link to Judd Gregg. Coughlin is the grandson of Louis Wyman a former New Hampshire Congressman and NH Supreme Court judge. In 1974 Wyman ran for the Senate against John Durkin. It was the closest Senate Race in US History: In the end, a special election was held and Durkin won. For conservatives, this was a major outrage and a clear example of Democrats stealing an election. It was in reaction to the Wyman defeat that the modern conservative movement really began. They organized, used new tools like direct mail, formed new coalitions with Religious conservatives and introduced cultural wedge issues into every election cycle.
New Hampshire was ground zero for this movement. They beta tested their electoral strategy in the 1978 NH Senate race and won. In 1980 they took the strategy National and won the White House. In New Hampshire Senator Durkin was defeated and the state entered an era of Republican dominance. Judd Gregg road that conservative wave into office. In 1980 he was elected to the House. In 1988 he left the House and ran for Governor and in 1992 he was elected to the US Senate.
Being a conservative true believer helped Gregg win elections, but he also had the benefit of his family name. Gregg’s father was a former Governor of New Hampshire in the early 1950s. And Gregg’s father had appointed Louis Wyman (Robert Coughlin’s grandfather) as New Hampshire’s Attorney General. Wyman and Gregg the elder were supporters of Joe McCarthy-like witch hunts and the anti-communist hysteria of the day. In fact they were responsible for some of the worse Civil Liberty violations in New Hampshire history as they passed and enforced New Hampshire’s Subversive Activities Law. Judd Gregg and Robert Coughlin came from the same wacko conservative stock.
Wyman died in 2002 and both Gregg and Coughlin paid tribute to him at the funeral service. I somehow find it hard to believe that Robert Coughlin and Judd Gregg never met and I think the Coughlin/Gregg connection is the Senator’s second link to the Abramoff scandal. In an October 2001 memo to his clients on the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Abramoff advised them that in the aftermath of 9-11, money was coming from Commerce and Justice—two Departments that Gregg oversaw as the Chairman of the Senate Appropriation Committee Subcommittee for Commerce, Justice, State, and the Judiciary. The Boulanger plea makes it clear that Jack and his team knew how and were able to work Judd Gregg’s staff for their clients, but that’s all.
Boulanger is also from New Hampshire (as are some other players in this scandal). Like Abramoff and most of his Team, Boulanger is a true believer conservative. Before he started working for Abramoff, Boulanger was on the staff of another Senator from New Hampshire, Bob Smith. And Smith is all over the Abramoff billing records. He was one of Jack’s go-to Senators.
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