"The Republican lobbyist and the center of the decade's most notorious political corruption case was sentenced last week. Jack Abramoff got four years as punishment for his conviction in federal court.

More than a dozen public officials and lobbyists have pleaded guilty of crimes associated with Abramoff. Convicted in the scandal was an Ohio congressman and a deputy secretary of the Interior Department.

The Justice Department has not closed the case. Former Rep. Tom DeLay, the retired Texas congressman, and Rep. John T. Doolittle, a Californian who is soon to retire, are two prominent Republicans who are not yet off the hot seat.

Closer to home, Abramoff was connected to corruption allegations surrounding Alabama's 1999 vote on a statewide lottery and other initiatives to introduce gambling into the state. The most famous case involved former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman. He was convicted for allegedly selling influence in order to secure funds to campaign for the lottery. A reasonable person might conclude the money was nothing more than a campaign contribution from a deep-pocketed citizen looking to curry favor. In other words, it appears to be the same sort of transaction that happens when donors give to presidential candidates in hopes of landing an ambassadorial appointment to, say, Luxemburg.

In the two years since the Senate released a comprehensive report on Abramoff's dealings, what hasn't happened is anyone connected to this money laundering and deception facing charges of wrongdoing."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Still searching for justice: The Abramoff scandal (The Anniston Star 9/12)

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