To the Editor:

I would like to congratulate Eli Luberoff (“Alleged Democratic entanglements with Abramoff scandal lack factual basis,” 1/12) on his dubious research involving a simple Google search in his response to Josh Eidelson’s editorial “Abramoff case is a wakeup call for both sides of aisle” (1/10). I am sure his professors are greatly awaiting such fine and exhaustive research in future assignments.

A search of newspaper articles and AP stories will shed some light on his biased “facts.” One need only see a piece in the San Francisco Chronicle, a notoriously left-leaning publication, to see that several Democrats have indeed received contributions from Abramoff (“Links to Abramoff worry politicians” 12/19/05) and are returning his money. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington research group that monitors money influence in politics, Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., said he was returning $67,000 from “Abramoff’s clients and his lobbying partners.” Harry Reid, the Democratic leader of the Senate, has also received at least $30,000 and is “reviewing the circumstances of the donations.” In all, of the top 25 congressional recipients of money linked to Abramoff, 19 are Republican and six are Democrat.

Stories in the Washington Post (5/3/05), Investor’s Business Daily (1/6) and NPR (5/4/05) are just a few that detail Democrat involvement in the Abramoff scandal. One should put their political leanings aside to correctly and fairly review the facts of this case and avoid blinding themselves to the truth for political gain.

It is naive and incorrect for Luberoff to suggest that “there isn’t a single Democrat or Democratic organization” involved with Abramoff. Perhaps instead of spending so much time on liberal blogs, Luberoff should conduct unbiased research into these stories and others to find out that this indeed is a “wakeup call for both sides of the aisle.”

Steve Gibbons ’03

Jan. 12, 2006