The high court also set a narrow standard for bribery in a 1991 case involving the conviction of a West Virginia legislator who had solicited secret payments from a lobbyist for doctors. The legislator had been convicted of extorting contributions, but the court held that there was no evidence that the support amounted to quid pro quo.
The Supreme Court has also given lobbyists the right to give gifts to public officials. In a case stemming from the bribery prosecution of former Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy, the justices ruled in 1999 that a trade association for fruit growers could not be convicted of making an illegal gratuity just because the official who received it had regulatory authority over its business.
But Abramoff could change all that.
His case stands out for the sheer breadth of his contacts with lawmakers, for the fact that he himself is the chief whistle-blower, and for the extensive paper trail that he left to support expectations of a quid pro quo. Add to that the signs that change is afoot, and the result is a climate of unease.
"That's why people are so nervous," said Ben Ginsberg, a Republican election and ethics lawyer. "They sense that standards are shifting in unknown ways. This is the time when paranoia runs the highest."
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Lobbying or a crime?
About 200 members of Congress accepted campaign funds from former lobbyist Jack Abramoff or his clients, and some took actions that helped them. The links between Abramoff and the lawmakers range from long-accepted or unwitting activities to extensive, suspect relationships. Federal investigators are trying to establish who might have crossed the line between lobbying and bribery. Some examples:
Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.)
Received $150,000 from Abramoff and his tribal clients. Burns' chief of staff flew to the 2001 Super Bowl on a jet owned by Abramoff's SunCruz cruise line, and Abramoff hired the chief of staff. Burns helped secure $3 million for an Abramoff tribal client for a school in Michigan.
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Rep. Ernest Istook (R-Okla.)
Received $1,000 from Abramoff or his clients. Was among 33 members of Congress who signed a letter urging the Bush administration to block a proposed Indian casino in Louisiana that an Abramoff tribal client opposed.
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Rep. John T. Doolittle (R-Roseville)
