Well, you have to admire the chutzpah:
[Jane] Hamsher and [Grover] Norquist coauthored a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder today calling for a Department of Justice investigation of Emanuel for his role on the board of Freddie Mac, alleging that the White House, since Emanuel arrived there, has blocked an investigation of the government-sponsored mortgage lender.
link: http://politics.theatlantic.com/...
This is the same Grover Norquist who was in bed with Jack Abramoff.
Heh.
A short walk down memory lane, courtsey this June, 2006 Wapo article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
Norquist's relationship with Abramoff's gambling clients began in 1995 when Congress was considering taxing tribal casinos.
Abramoff, then a newly registered lobbyist with Preston Gates & Ellis, e-mailed a colleague that Norquist was willing to fight a tax opposed by another of his clients -- a beverage company -- if the firm became "a major player with ATR." Abramoff suggested the firm donate $50,000 to the group.
"What is most important however is that this matter is kept discreet," Abramoff said in an e-mail on Oct. 24, 1995. "We do not want the opponents to think that we are trying to buy the taxpayer movement." He promised that Norquist would be "very active" on the issue.
Oh, no, no, no - you wouldn't ever want to give that impression, would you? As Wapo detailed, this went beyond this one transaction and to the heart of one of Abramoff's biggest scandals: ripping off tribal nations:
The following year, according to the Senate committee report, the Choctaw tribe donated $60,000 to Americans for Tax Reform to oppose a tax on Indian casinos. By 1999, ATR was getting large sums of Choctaw money. "What is the status of the Choctaw stuff?" Norquist asked Abramoff in an e-mail that May. "I have a 75g hole in my budget from last year. ouch."
In fact, as documented in this April, 2005 Slate article, Norquist set up a meeting with President Bush at Abramoff's request:
For example, Abramoff helped get the chief of the Coushatta invited to a meeting with President George W. Bush in early 2001, set up by Grover Norquist, once Abramoff's executive director at the College Republicans and now Washington's pre-eminent conservative lobbyist. It was suggested that a donation to Norquist's think tank, Americans for Tax Reform, might be appreciated. Abramoff pressed the Coushattas. The $25,000 check was sent to ATR.
link: http://www.slate.com/...
As TPM noted in October, 2006, the Senate Finance committe report accused "Grover Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform and other Abramoff-linked non-profits with committing acts that are likely in violation of their tax-exempt status" (link: http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmem... )
And now this same Grover Norquist is taking Rahm Emanuel to task for work that he did with Freddie Mac in 2000 - 2001...before the Abramoff scandal took place.
Heh.
That this is nakedly political goes without saying. The irony of Grover Norquist - of all people - concern trolling about "transparency in government" given his more recent track record is both hilarious and thick indeed.
But that anyone is actually giving this any credibility whatsoever is sad, and that anyone - I mean anyone, left right or center - would join with Norquist in this desperate fishing expedition is just sorry and pathetic.