Disgraced Lobbyist Jack Abramoff Does The Conga With Congo Dictator
Jack Abramoff, the disgraced lobbyist sent to prison during the last Republican administration, is back in Washington, D.C. Under President Trump, he is pushing a bid to help Republic of Congo strongman Denis Sassou Nguesso build a coalition to defeat the terrorist group Boko Haram.
According to a report in Politico, Abramoff has been trying to secure a presidential meeting for the authoritarian ruler, reaching out in the process to influential California Representative Dana Rohrabacher. Also in the mix are “European friends” who have an interest in seeing West African nations fight Boko Haram.
Abramoff told Politico he believed they had financial interests in the Congo. He and Rohrabacher also confirmed that he helped arrange a conversation between Rohrabacher and Sessou Nguesso.
Abramoff defended his effort to aid the battle against radical Islam. Rohrabacher said there was nothing wrong in collaborating with Abramoff.
“Jack is a very idealistic person and I will say he’s a patriot,” the congressman told the news site.
Contact Daniel J. Solomon at solomon@forward.com or on Twitter @DanielJSolomon
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.