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| ''Capitol Punishment. The Hard Truth About Washington Corruption From America’s Most Notorious Lobbyist'' is a non-fiction 300-page memoir by former ] ], published in 2011. Abramoff, usually discribed as a “disgraced former ] lobbyist”,<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2011/11/18/142506057/jack-abramoff-from-corrupt-lobbyist-to-washington-reformer| title= Jack Abramoff: From Corrupt Lobbyist To Washington Reformer| author= James, Frank | date= November 18, 2011| work= ]| publisher= | accessdate= March 9, 2012}}</ref> and once ] highest-paid lobbyist, served a three and a half year prison term after being convicted of ], ] and ] in 2006. The book, an “account of his political triumphs, serial lawbreaking and unethical conduct” according to the '']'',<ref name="WPUnrepentant"> {{cite web| url= http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/in-jack-abramoffs-memoir-capitol-punishment-an-unrepentant-reformer/2011/11/30/gIQAxZIpiO_story.html| title=In Jack Abramoff’s memoir, ‘Capitol Punishment,’ an unrepentant reformer? | author= Smith, Jeffrey R.| date=December 9, 2011| work=The Washington Post| publisher=| accessdate= March 9, 2012}}</ref> details the author′s life in Washington as a ] and lobbyist. In its last chapter, titled “Path to Reform”, Abramoff lists a number of proposals to eliminate bribery of government officials.<ref name="JJDestitute">{{cite web| url= http://www.jewishjournal.com/los_angeles/article/destitute_the_new_jack_abramoff_20120308| title= Destitute: The new Jack Abramoff | author= Lowenfeld, Jonah | date= March 8, 2012| work= ]| publisher= | accessdate= March 9, 2012}}</ref> | |||
| {{Wikify|date=November 2011}} | |||
| Abramoff wrote ''Capitol Punishment'' in four weeks.<ref name="JJDestitute"/> When asked why he wrote the book, he said in an interview: “I had something to give back, some way to make some recompense for what I was by telling what is going on in Washington – from the point of view of somebody who rose very high in that industry – and what goes on behind those doors, and how horrible it really is.”<ref name="NPRInterview"> {{cite web| url= http://www.npr.org/2011/11/18/142506539/jack-abramoff-calls-d-c-politics-dirty-as-ever | title= Jack Abramoff Calls D.C. Politics Dirty As Ever| author= | date= November 18, 2011| work= NPR | publisher= | accessdate= March 9, 2012}}</ref> | |||
| The book details the inner workings of the Washington Abramoff knew. It discusses Abramoff′s relationships with powerful ] leaders like ] and ], and shares the names of ] who took tens of thousands of dollars. It is meant to expose what Abramoff considers the real problem of the Washington lobby. This real problem, according to Abramoff, is not what is illegal in Washington (he claims the great majority of what he did was legal), but rather what is legal.<ref name="NPRInterview"/> | |||
| {{Orphan|date=November 2011}} | |||
| Abramoff suggests to shut the “revolving door” between ] and the ] offices of Washington’s biggest lobbying firms by banning legislators and their aides from becoming lobbyists. He also proposes barring lobbyists from giving gifts to lawmakers, and prohibiting lobbyists and special interest groups from making political donations. In addition to this, he advocates instituting term limits for representatives and senators.<ref name="JJDestitute"/> | |||
| ''Capitol Punishment'' is a non-fiction memoir by former ] ], released after his 43 month stay in federal prison. The book details the author's life in Washington as a ] and lobbyist. In an NPR interview, when asked why he wrote the book, Mr. Abramoff responded that while in prison he did a fair amount of soul searching and decided that the least he could do was expose the lobbyist system in Washington for what it really is. . Abramoff has expressed contempt for many of the people he has worked with, calling them "idiots", "monkeys", and other derogatory terms. The book details the inner workings of the Washington Abramoff knew, and is meant to expose what Abramoff has called the real crime of the Washington lobby. This real crime, according to Abramoff, is not what is illegal in Washington (he claims the great majority of what he did was legal), but rather what is legal. | |||
| == External links == | |||
| * {{cite book| url=http://www.amazon.com/Capitol-Punishment-Washington-Corruption-Notorious/dp/1936488442#reader_1936488442| title= Capitol Punishment: The Hard Truth About Washington Corruption From America’s Most Notorious Lobbyist|location= Washington, D.C.| publisher=WND Books| year= 2011| author= Jack Abramoff| isbn= 978-1-936488-44-5}} | |||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
| * http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2011/11/18/142506057/jack-abramoff-from-corrupt-lobbyist-to-washington-reformer | |||
| *http://67.192.238.60/media-center/publications/ralph-reed-the-crash-of-the-choir-boy-wonder/moolah-monkeys-morons-and-ree | |||
| {{reflist}} | {{reflist}} | ||
Revision as of 15:44, 9 March 2012
Capitol Punishment. The Hard Truth About Washington Corruption From America’s Most Notorious Lobbyist is a non-fiction 300-page memoir by former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, published in 2011. Abramoff, usually discribed as a “disgraced former Republican lobbyist”, and once Washington′s highest-paid lobbyist, served a three and a half year prison term after being convicted of fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy in 2006. The book, an “account of his political triumphs, serial lawbreaking and unethical conduct” according to the Washington Post, details the author′s life in Washington as a power broker and lobbyist. In its last chapter, titled “Path to Reform”, Abramoff lists a number of proposals to eliminate bribery of government officials.
Abramoff wrote Capitol Punishment in four weeks. When asked why he wrote the book, he said in an interview: “I had something to give back, some way to make some recompense for what I was by telling what is going on in Washington – from the point of view of somebody who rose very high in that industry – and what goes on behind those doors, and how horrible it really is.”
The book details the inner workings of the Washington Abramoff knew. It discusses Abramoff′s relationships with powerful congressional leaders like Tom DeLay and Bob Ney, and shares the names of senators who took tens of thousands of dollars. It is meant to expose what Abramoff considers the real problem of the Washington lobby. This real problem, according to Abramoff, is not what is illegal in Washington (he claims the great majority of what he did was legal), but rather what is legal.
Abramoff suggests to shut the “revolving door” between Capitol Hill and the K Street offices of Washington’s biggest lobbying firms by banning legislators and their aides from becoming lobbyists. He also proposes barring lobbyists from giving gifts to lawmakers, and prohibiting lobbyists and special interest groups from making political donations. In addition to this, he advocates instituting term limits for representatives and senators.
External links
- Jack Abramoff (2011). Capitol Punishment: The Hard Truth About Washington Corruption From America’s Most Notorious Lobbyist. Washington, D.C.: WND Books. ISBN 978-1-936488-44-5.
References
- James, Frank (November 18, 2011). "Jack Abramoff: From Corrupt Lobbyist To Washington Reformer". NPR. Retrieved March 9, 2012.
- Smith, Jeffrey R. (December 9, 2011). "In Jack Abramoff's memoir, 'Capitol Punishment,' an unrepentant reformer?". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 9, 2012.
- ^ Lowenfeld, Jonah (March 8, 2012). "Destitute: The new Jack Abramoff". Jewish Journal. Retrieved March 9, 2012.
- ^ "Jack Abramoff Calls D.C. Politics Dirty As Ever". NPR. November 18, 2011. Retrieved March 9, 2012.