Capitol Hill scandal result of gambling money

By Bill Wilson
Family News

The corrupting influence of money from Big Gambling is seen in the Abramoff scandal.

A tremendous scandal was unveiled last week when lobbyist Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty to corruption charges and agreed to turn state’s evidence. Many politicians in the nation’s capitol were lobbied by Abramoff and many took contributions from him. The money came from big-gambling.

The gambling industry is so fat with cash; opponents say the money inevitably corrupts. In the brewing scandal of cash and corruption American Values President Gary Bauer says money was spread to both sides of the political aisle.

“It is certainly true that if one is looking for bipartisanship in Washington, you won’t find it anywhere except on the question of how many members of both parties took gambling money, or gambling related money.”

It's not only politicians who are tainted. Pastor Chris Geeslin headed up the US Family Network.

"We trusted our consultant, who's also our fund-raiser, and he brought the money in. We knew it came from an Indian tribe but we didn't know it was an Indian tribe that was involved in gambling. We would have never taken any money that we thought would have come from corrupted sources because that would have been exactly the opposite of our focus on these pro-family issues.”

And there are some high-profile conservative groups that may have received tainted funds. Bauer calls the situation a “first class mess."

“What’s needed is a moral revival, something that makes politicians hesitate to do something because they are concerned that someday they will have stand in front of a God that will judge them for what they do.”

The nation’s capitol is bracing for revelations about others caught in the web.