U.S. Family Network
U.S. Family Network (USFN) served as a conduit for funds from special interests to DeLay projects.
Founded as a non profit in 1996 by Edwin Buckham, the USFN claimed to be a conservative grassroots lobbying organization created to promote "economic growth and prosperity, social improvement, moral fitness, and the general well-being of the United States." But its donor list suggests otherwise. Nearly the entire organization was funded by a few corporate and special interests that had no incentive to promote the USFN's purported goals. Most were also clients of Jack Abramoff.
Key Points:
USFN funneled money to DeLay via Alexander Strategy Group (ASG).
USFN was sending hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments to ASG. The money was coming from Abramoff clients, allegedly in exchange for help from DeLay in Congress. ASG hired DeLay's wife, Christine, for $3,200/month.
Russian Oil execs donated to the USFN in exchange for help from DeLay.
Russian oil execs laundered $1 million through a law firm in London to the USFN in 1998. The executives needed DeLay's help on legislation that would allow the IMF to bail out the Russian economy. The Russians were Abramoff clients.
A CNMI Textile company donated to the USFN in exchange for help from DeLay.
A textile company in the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands gave USFN $500,000. The company, an Abramoff lobbying client, was looking to block legislation that would increase their labor costs by imposing a minimum wage in the CNMI, which DeLay publicly promised he would do.
The Mississippi Choctaws donated to the USFN in exchange for help from DeLay.
The Mississippi Choctaw Indians, lobbying clients of Abramoff, donated $250,000 over two years to the USFN. They were seeking DeLay's help with legislation that was aimed at taxing their gambling revenues. The first $150,000 came just one day after DeLay returned to Washington after spending three days at the Choctaws Casino and Golf resort.
USFN owned the "Safe House."
USFN purchased a town house blocks away from Tom DeLay's Capitol Hill office. It housed the Alexander Strategy Group for a time, as well as the now-indicted ARMPAC. DeLay did fundraising from the house as well.
USFN initiated a petition drive to benefit Abramoff's clients.
Letters were sent to Alabamans on USFN stationary seeking petitions to stop the construction of a Casino by the Poarch Indians in Alabama. Such a casino would interfere with the profits of the Choctaws, who had paid USFN $250,000 by this point and separately paid Abramoff $4.5 million.
USFN received illegal donations from the NRCC.
In April 2004, the FEC found that the NRCC (National Republican Campaign Committee) had illegally transferred $500K to the USFN back in 1999. The money was then transferred to Americans for Economic Growth, which ran a series of ads accusing Democrats of planning to raid the Social Security trust fund. (Buffalo News, 4/10/2004)
Research by Ryan Chiachiere
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