The Daily MuckRecent weeks have seen a rash of activity from some of the old players involved in the investigation of shamed Washington insider Jack Abramoff, including the uber-lobbyist himself. Here are complete listings from the Associated Press and TPM’s own ongoing tally of the Abramoff ripple effect. (Associated Press)
Committee hearings in the House and Senate are revealing evidence of abuse, possible torture, handicapped legal proceedings and innocent detainees in prisons like Guantanamo Bay. The Senate Armed Services Committee released documents detailing the U.S. military’s policy of hiding detainees from outside humanitarian groups such as the Red Cross. (McClatchy)
Sen. Barack Obama-antagonizer and polygraph-test failure Larry Sinclair is responsible for charging the presidential candidate with past sex trysts, drug use and accusations of murder, mainly through an oft-visited YouTube video. Public records show Sinclair has a hefty, 27-year-old rap sheet and is wanted in Colorado. Nevertheless, the National Press Club is giving Sinclair time to speak today in Washington D.C. (Politico)
Defense contractor Blackwater Worldwide was given a preliminary go-ahead by a federal judge to open a San Diego-area training facility. San Diego officials had sought a more public review of the company’s permit. The same judge has deemed the permits sufficient now, allowing Blackwater to continue business as usual. (San Diego Union-Tribune and Associated Press)
Military judge Col. Steven Folsom dismissed charges against Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, the only Marine to face prosecution for the killing of 24 Iraqis in Haditha. Folsom ruled that the general in charge of the case was unlawfully influenced by an investigator of the November 2005 incident. (Associated Press)
A former Georgia Division of Family and Children Services official pleaded guilty to beating her own child. Cylenthia Clark received 10 years of probation; she initially denied the allegations of felony child cruelty. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
A 2003 earmark involving handouts to his family continues to drive Rep. William Jefferson’s corruption probe. (Roll Call sub. req.)