In a previous post, I referenced an article from The Forward, a magazine focusing on Jewish matters, that glowed about Eric Cantor:
The "Eric Cantor" sandwich was unveiled January 23 at Stacks, Washington's new kosher deli, at a fundraiser for the newly appointed deputy House majority whip.The sandwich chosen to carry the name of the only Jewish Republican in the House of Representatives was a tuna-based stacker ? not quite a power lunch befitting the person who GOP leaders hope will reinforce the growing trend of Jews switching their partisan loyalty from Democratic to Republican.
That may explain why Cantor asked Stacks to switch his eponymous sandwich from tuna to roast beef on challah, a deli special that exudes Jewish power.
Basically a fluff piece on Cantor, the article has been useful as a historical marker revealing (in pre-scandal days) how overtly and unabashedly connected Cantor was to the Abramoff money machine. Heck, the article centers on an Abramoff sponsored fundraiser for Cantor.
Now, The Forward returns to the Cantor-Abramoff world with a new perspective of their relationship:
As Rep. Eric Cantor, the Virginia Republican, counted votes this week in his bid to become House majority whip, the conflicting perceptions of his own lobbyist ties suggested the depth of the challenge facing Republicans in the mushrooming Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal.
They also return to the scene of the slime, with a new tidbit:
Among Cantor's ties to Abramoff was a 2003 fund-raiser at an Abramoff-owned kosher deli, whose catering costs were initially unreported in Cantor's campaign finance filings."There are members who did not have an Abramoff fund-raiser," Noble said. "Lots of members had contributions from tribes connected with Abramoff but not from Abramoff. Cantor had $13,000 in contributions from Abramoff or his wife from 2000 through 2004. Any member who has had a direct connection with Abramoff is going to have to explain that."
The deli affair, first reported in the Forward, was said by some Washington insiders this week to be the first public account of Abramoff's congressional misadventures.
Interesting - not only was Cantor feeding directly from the Abramoff trough, he was doing so under the radar. This is one of the "reformers" the GOP wants to steer them through this mess.
Finally, here's another major Abramoff link that's new to me:
Cantor's Abramoff link arose again in May 2005, when the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that the Virginia lawmaker had signed a June 2003 letter engineered by Abramoff. The letter urged the Interior Department to reject the bid of the Jena band of Choctaw Indians of Louisiana to establish a casino. The proposed casino would have competed with one run by an Abramoff tribal client, the Louisiana Coushatta. Up to that point, Cantor had shown little interest in casino gambling, especially in Louisiana. Quizzed by the Times-Dispatch, he said that in signing the letter he was being mindful of concerns for his own state. He also denied any link between the letter and funds raised for him by Abramoff.
Cantor may win the whip slot, but he'll still have plenty of explaining to do.