TPMtv has an interview up with Oscar winning director Alex Gibney about his new documentary “Casino Jack and the United States of Money.” The movie documents the exploits of Jack Abramoff and the free flow of money around Capitol Hill. “Casino Jack” won’t be out until 2009:

In other Abramoff-related news, Rep. Henry Waxman held a press call today to discuss new McCain fundraiser Ralph Reed’s involvement in Abramoff’s “Gimme Five” schemes. Despite a trail of e-mail’s showing Reed’s knowledge of the nature of Abramoff’s lobbying game Reed continues to claim ignorance of the illegalities and double-crossing of Indian tribes . Waxman used his press call to remind everyone of the e-mails and of Reed’s culpability. You can read a summary of the call at Majikthise.

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Last month, I blogged about the Center for Public Integrity’s brilliant expose’ “Shadow Government,” dealing with federal advisory committees, the secret, multi-layered and unaccountable bureaucracy that influences much of the federal government with precious little oversight and largely no record of their activities. There are over 900 committees, boards, commissions, councils and panels that advise the various agencies of the Executive Branch and the White House, meant to offer government expert opinions on various topics.

To recap, the Center’s investigation found:

- committees packed with industry representatives;

- members are added or removed for political reasons;

- subcommittees and working groups are created allowing decisions to be made behind closed doors; and

-         records are sealed if they exist at all.

Steven Aftergood at Secrecy News blog reports that, on Wednesday, the House passed a bill that would amend the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972 (FACA).  The new reform is meant to strengthen the public disclosure provisions of FACA, which was itself a reform devised to bring more openness to the advisory committee process.

(more…)

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The floodgates are open in Congress as members are ready to begin work on a new season of appropriations bills. That can only mean one thing: more earmarks. This season, being an election year, will be frought with perils and politics for many members of Congress. Today, the House Republican conference released a new Web site to fight for earmark reform, and, of course, to put Democrats in politically precarious districts on the defensive on reform and spending. Many of these Democrats are freshmen, including Pennsylvania Rep. Joe Sestak. In CongressDaily, Sestak explains how earmarks are used to help support these targeted freshmen:

But he acknowledged that his requests for add-ons were not always given the same priority as those of more vulnerable freshmen. "I do know this," Sestak said. "Because I wasn’t on Frontline. I was not on the Tier One list for earmarks."

Indeed, senior appropriators have credited politically vulnerable freshmen for bringing funds for large, defensible projects back to their constituents.

Sestak’s office appears to use a strategy, which we’ve seen with Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand, of directing organizations and local government agencies through the grant process and, in Sestak’s case in particular, of heavily vetting any and all earmark requests, especially defense earmarks:

His office put together a "how-to" guide to help local governments and organizations make grant requests in an effort to steer his constituents to use grants rather than earmarks, when appropriate. It also created a seven-page earmark request form.

But the retired three-star admiral also runs a proverbial tight ship. Sestak’s office heavily vets earmark submissions.

In many cases he runs defense earmark requests by the military to make sure the project is a product they want or could use before sending letters to the subcommittee chairmen with a brief argument in support of the add-on and following up with the chairmen and committee staff. If there is an overlap between campaign contribution and earmark requests, he said, he promptly returns the contributions.

Sestak’s military experience gave his defense earmarks credibility with appropriators, and helped him secure $23.4 million in military-related add-ons. Sestak’s earmarks came to $32 million.

Meanwhile, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman Henry Waxman is insisting the Democratic leadership freeze earmarks for the year:

"We have a problem in Congress," Waxman said in a statement that seemingly puts him in line with House Republican leaders on the issue. "Congressional spending through earmarks is out of control. I think our best approach would be to suspend all earmarks for the 2009 appropriations cycle while we consider the right reforms for the earmark process. As a result I will not submit any requests to the Appropriation Committee for this fiscal year."

Waxman praised the "real progress" made by Appropriations Chairman David Obey, D-Wisc., in cutting earmarks in fiscal 2008 appropriations bills by 30 percent. But, he added, too many questionable projects were still being funded.

It looks to be another year of bomb throwing over earmarks. Bomb throwing, is only useful, if it results in more reform, as we’ve already seen, rather than simply scoring political points.

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Instead of spending another Friday night surfing the Web for your news, here’s some television you should watch tonight. Bill Moyers Journal will give you the best arguments you’ll ever need to explain why it’s so important for our government to do its work in the open. They have prepared an extensive report on government waste and abuse of power.

Specifically Moyers is going to look at some of the unsolved mysteries under investigation by Congress’s Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, chaired by Rep. Henry Waxman. The program profiles the Committee’s work, including its investigations of the mercenary army of Blackwater; Lurita Doan, who remains head of the GSA despite allegations of questionable no-bid contracts; and Condoleezza Rice’s State Department, which is plagued by fraud and abuse. Waxman’s Committee’s Web site is a treasure trove of information and documents on these issues. (In fact, Sunlight regards it as a model site itself when it comes to revealing the details of the work of a committee of Congress.)

And we’re pleased that their Web page will highlight many of Sunlight’s insanely useful Web sites for people are seeking more information.

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