Ryan J. Reilly October 14, 2011, 6:20 PM

[Correction: The Washington Post story was based on a draft order proposed by the government and was never signed by a judge.]

The Justice Department wants WorldNetDaily books — the publisher of both Jack Abramoff’s memoir and “Where’s the Birth Certificate? The Case that Barack Obama is not Eligible to be President” — to turn over any money it owes former lobbyist Abramoff.

The Washington Post reports:

The [Justice Department request that a judge issue an] order instructing Worldnetdaily Books, the Washington-based publisher of the upcoming tome, to turn over any money it owes Abramoff under the book contract or other agreements.

The [government] noted that after he was convicted of fraud, corruption and conspiracy stemming from shady lobbying deals, Abramoff was [asked] to pay back more than $23 million to his victims, mostly to Native American tribes who were his clients. He still owes more than $22.7 million, the [Justice Department] said.

WND describes Abramoff as “a smart, funny, charming, clear-eyed narrator who confounds every expectation of the media’s villainous portrait.”

“He’s a perfect bundle of contradictions: an Orthodox Jew and upstanding family man with a staunch moral streak, caught in multiple scandals of bribery and corruption with an undercurrent of murder,” acording to the book description.

Jack Abramoff, WND Books, World Net Daily