Bob Schaffer and the real CNMI story, continued
6/24/2008 - 3:20pm
As Gang readers are aware, I have been writing a series of articles in response to several front page stories by Michael Riley in the Denver Post in April. My response to the first article was in four installments on my web site, with the first note also posted here on the Gang of Four blog.
The first of two parts of my response to the Post’s second article (dated April 11th), is now available on my site at:
http://www.rossputin.com/blog/index.php/2008/06/24/bob-schaffer-and-the-real-cnmi-story-par-5
The Post’s second article was primarily about Benigno Fitial, the current Governor of the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, discussing Fitial’s relationship with Schaffer and others. In particular, I review the Post’s claim that Fitial (and by extension Schaffer) was an “ally” of Jack Abramoff.
For example, I note in my posting that “A better description than “ally” would be “contractor” or “employee.” Calling Abramoff an “ally” of Fitial’s is like calling an attorney an “ally” of his client. Of course their interests are aligned because that’s the only reason they have any relationship.”
I also describe, as related to me by Governor Fitial in a 90-minute telephone interview with me, how he instructed his Attorney General to file a lawsuit against Abramoff’s firm if they did not refund a substantial amount of money to the Islands. (The firm complied and the lawsuit was never required, but that does not seem like the action of someone’s “ally”.)
Please click HERE to read the full article if you’re interested.
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You have to hand it to the Post's news operation, though
With each "article" that Kaminsky posts to his own blog (a place, judging by its traffic, where words go to die), the strength of the Post's original series becomes more and more apparent. Furthering the perception of how on target Mike Riley's articles actually were has been the ongoing flood of documentation posted on SquareState.net and elsewhere, substantiating the key news points that Kaminsky tries to parse away. "Employee" rather than "ally?" That's not even a good try.
Further, one has to admire the news side of the Post for sitting back and allowing one of its own to be attacked with misinformation on an ancillary Post website, secure in the validity of its reporting. Then again, that might be analogous to how a Great Dane can ignore a barking Pomeranian: The noise the little yapper makes just doesn't matter.
you've got to be kidding me.
Rather than believe was Ross is selling, how about just see what actual documents tell us:
http://www.squarestate.net/diary/5984/the-full-abramoff-monty-and-bob-schaffers-involvement
Drinking Liberally in a SquareState.
Get real Kaminsky.
This is so laughable it is beyond pitiful. The Post actually prints this ludicrous bromide by Kaminsky. After Kaminsky has a phone conversation with CNMI Governor Benny Fitial and pious Bobby Schaffer we're asked to believe Bobby and Benny are innocent?
Ross says Benny told him Bobby endorsed him because he knows Benny would do anything to help his "people"? The question is what people. Delay and Abramoff's people like Mike Scanlon sent to the Marianas to twist arms to get Benny elected in exchange for lucrative US Government contracts or the exploited laborers in the CNMI sweat shops and sex exploited minors employed for less than minimum wage in the sex shops of CNMI. (See the US Department of Labors 2006 investigation of Katrina).
Ross says Benny told him he believed in God and doing the right thing like making sure "his friend" at Preston Gates, Jack Abramoff, got the contracts renewed to fend off attacks from "union operatives better known as Congressional Democrats" who were interested in reforming the labor abuses in the CNMI garment industry sweat shops. CNMI paid Abramoff and Preston Gates 10 million dollars from 94 to 2001 before Fitial turned states evidence against his "Friends" Tom Delay and Jack Abramoff and decided to cooperate with the Feds in their investigation of these two political thugs. Fitial "did the right thing'. It was his rear or Delays.
Fitial even joined Dana Rohrabacher by writing letters to a Florida judge requesting and easy sentence for "his pal" Abramoff. How sweet.
Kaminsky's shot at Mr. Riley's articles as fabrications and propaganda from the left wing is sad and a desperation cheap shot. Any decent reporter knows better Mr. Kaminsky. Your serious of articles in support of Schaffer are laughable. Schaffer was knee deep in this mess.
Kaminsky knows nothing about CNMI, Fitial or the scandal
Fitial is under investigation by the DOJ and FBI for his involvement in the Abramoff scandal, and yet Kaminsky interviews him and paints him as a credible, even righteous person. (Funny way to portray a guy who owned Orchids, a sleazy karaoke bar complete with sex in back rooms that US congressmen frequented on their junkets) Fitial worked for years for garment tycoon, Willie Tan who led sanitized tours of his factories for Abramoff's US congressmen and others on junkets.
Why didn't Kaminsky ask Fitial who paid for the full-page ad Schaffer put in the Saipan Tribune to show support for his governor friend? Was it Schaffer, Fitial, Abramoff? Every single US Rep. who ran a full-page ad for Fitial was involved with Abramoff and went on one of his junkets. Did they endorse any other US governor the year they supported Fitial with full-page ads? No, just the one involved with Abramoff -the one no one ever heard of in a distant commonwealth. Coincidence? NOT! The US Reps including Schaffer didn't just run ads. Press releases stating their support for Fitial were sent to the Saipan Tribune and ran around the same time -a series of them -all from Abramoff junket-takers. All most likely written by members of the Abramoff team who were also putting out positive CNMI stories to other media outlets. Kaminsky doesn't have a clue.