Selling Justice: Jack Abramoff

Well I've been working on a video about lobbying and bribery for quite a while now, and what do you know, it just keeps getting bigger. So I think before that video, it makes sense to look at Jack Abramoff, because his life is like a vertical slice of highly placed corruption. So this is Jack Abramoff's story. Jack Abramoff: Thief. Coward. Traitor.
Things to Read:
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www.forbes.com/forbes/2001/09...
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nypost.com/2006/01/05/lobby-m...
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www.politico.com/news/2020/06...
www.nytimes.com/2020/06/25/us...

[@pauricdevro]

There's a real "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown" energy to the end of that video

[@YevOnegin]

"Forget it, Jake. Its America" sums up my entire response to every bit of news I get from that side of the ocean.

[@Krakkokayne]

​@@YevOneginShit I'm in the country and this is what i also say 😂 all we can do is watch, we have no real power here, it's all the old rich people.

[@MS-37]

The system is rotten to its core.

[@fall190]

"It's A BIG Club & You Ain't In It!"

[@F_ckAllTrumpVoters]

You can join the GOP at anytime actually. Racism & selfishness are the only qualifiers.

[@fall190]

@@F_ckAllTrumpVoters you are delusional if you think this is only about 1 political party

[@tentringer4065]

@@fall190 Republicans are by far the most egregious. They have consistently blocked any attempts to curb the activities of lobbying companies and cap campaign funds.

[@Malky24]

For a state whose unofficial motto is "don't mess with Texas" Texas seems to get messed about on the regular.

[@F_ckAllTrumpVoters]

The people of Texas are really dumb. It's not surpristing they walk face first into the buzzsaw regulary.

[@ThisFinalHandle]

Texas is like Joe Buck from the Midnight Cowboy. Ironically played by Jon Voight.

[@PerfectTangent]

Term limits and getting the money out of politics are probably the two best things the US can do to help itself.

[@sprobablycancr4457]

I'm sure they'll hand over the keys presently.

[@Treklosopher]

A complete ban on any private money in politics is the only solution.

[@Craxin01]

Two out of about ten thousand things we'd have to do to fix this country, and I'm not sure how much those solutions would actually help. It's not like these corrupt people in government fell out of a mirror universe, they came from us. We like to pretend we aren't corrupt, and we might not be currently, but get a taste of power and see how far you fall.

[@Lifesizemortal]

Abolish the fed.

[@Lifesizemortal]

@@Craxin01 that's absurd to think that because you were given the illusion of choice that there is theoretically a wrong or right person to elect and that comes down to "us". When in reality a majority of the electoral pool is already corrupt. Just pick your favorite color: Red or Blue. The choice is irrelevant anyway. None of these people have any of our interests in mind, can't you see that?

[@demis3270]

Holy shit, being italian i'm pretty much used to political wrongdoing, but the amount of corruption thievery and injustice americans can whitstand without even blinking staggers me.

[@piotrmroczkowski2324]

Same in Poland, but the codified corruption (they call lobbying) is just jaw dropping

[@livewithmeterandnomeasureb1679]

Were too busy working getting sick getting fired for being sick and then working again.

[@chadatchison145]

Corruption is built into our system of government that's why politicians fight so hard to prevent tangible change, both parties are in on the grift, that's why the progressive side of the democratic party is so important cos those politicians agreed to not take large sums of money from corporations, and thus have way fewer opportunities to be bought and corrupted.

[@RunOfTheHind]

GREED IS GOOD.

[@Onoesmahpie]

I think Italy is in a spot similar to the U.S. right now, in light of their recent election. Right wing fascists exist in governments all throughout the world, and many of the most prolific ones came to the U.S. from other nations. The propaganda they spew is all basically the same. This is a worldwide problem, America only shows how unregulated capitalism can act as a catalyst for the destruction of democratic government.

[@Planag7]

I remember Delay getting huge defense with Limbaugh and other radio hosts in the 90s. Crazy hearing the names again

[@carcasses5131]

It's always astounding when these types come out of prison and get straight back to the grift, zero rehabilitation or penance occurs

[@Lifesizemortal]

Prison isn't for rehabilitation in the U.S. its better at creating criminals, which is perfect for their return "customers". It's all money. Nothing more.

[@Trisket]

Why would they stop if they keep getting rewarded and barely punished.

[@MrJohndoakes]

We don't sell them to the Russian prison system. That would put the Fear of God into them, especially the white collar criminals.

[@F_ckAllTrumpVoters]

When christian's preach greed as a positive, what do you expect?

[@danquinn5812]

Meanwhile an average person can get arrested in the US then not be charged with a crime and still be fucked over by it on any potential job application

[@Spudcore]

I bloody love your videos about corruption and amorality. You let the facts speak for themselves. This is how it should be done.

[@kirbymarchbarcena]

I had a chuckle whenever I see some scenes in this video that are not related to what Georg is saying.

[@i.quadmegistus5768]

Right? Like seeing B.B. King and Jewel performing @ 2:16…

[@Tsar_NicholasIII]

They're the most disturbing.

[@TroubleToby3040]

Were (in your opinion) some of them utterly random and others subtly relevant? I thought some of the seemingly random stuff might have had subliminal relevance, but I wasn't sure. 🤷‍♂️

[@YarPirates-vy7iv]

​@@TroubleToby3040that's funny I keep trying to see the connections or subtlety that might be present between the images and the current word/sentence to see if there's anything. I think it's random but it's fun anyway. Makes me pay closer attention so there's that too

[@BluetheRaccoon]

I believe he's as interested in lobbying reform as the oil industry is in funding the EPA.

[@vitorafmonteiro]

He is doing it to take heat of himself and save face. If his efforts do any good (what he is defending post-scandal are no-brainer good ideas) it will be out of something created for simple PR.

[@ArabicNameGuy]

1:38 mfw a school has stricter campaign financing enforcement than real life

[@christiandaugherty6339]

Always cheers me up to see you've posted a new video 👍🙂

[@alcidesforever]

Funny, it almost always makes me depressed. (not because of the quality of the video, but because of the subject).

[@kelownatechkid]

The movie about him, Casino Jack (2010), is really something else!

[@badmonkey0001]

Unexpected Brendan Fraser at 10:51

[@Parpyduck]

I'm disappointed that we can't see Jack's Sonichu medallion at 9:57

[@drewcampbell8555]

Is it me or did the lava lamp look angrier than usual?

[@killaken2000]

3:29 that painting is called the apotheosis of Washington in which George Washington becomes a god and it's on the ceiling of the capitol building

[@Mayor_Of_Eureka17]

It's raining and humid here in Maryland, just the right weather for a Georg video drop.

[@madman407708]

Doesn't seem like there's much justice to be had

[@ozymandiasramesses1773]

It probably just costs so much because of its scarcity.

[@thexteam1231]

The wealthier you are, the less harsh sentence. Drug users get more time. Dont pay taxes? 20 life sentences... steal from the government and they will hit you harder than the mob. Stealing is only illegal because the government hates competition.

[@thoughtpolice4673]

The world is past justice. It needs to be reborn.

[@himoffthequakeroatbox4320]

There's plenty, if you can afford it. You can't expect the government to dispense justice for free, that would be teh cormanizzem's!

[@paineoftheworld]

Like a moth to an open flame, so Jack to crypto...

[@anthonymcken6050]

1:30 that's Tucker Carlson in the background. Nothing better than watching a well-researched documentary about a clandestine group of wealthy White men.

[@Louis-wp3fq]

Thank you for capitalizing "White" 🤗

[@ericsbuds]

jesus. thats quite the video. you must have worked a while on this.

[@Satorotas89]

Was that a Kurt Vonnegut quote at the end there Georg? Fantastic, albeit rage inducing video.

[@diabolicalartificer]

Yes, from Breakfast of Champions.

[@Satorotas89]

@@diabolicalartificer I was thinking Slaughterhouse Five

[@diabolicalartificer]

@@Satorotas89 Could be, it's a long time since I read Slaughterhouse 5, KV probably used the saying in a few of his books. After 50 or more years on the planet you end up in that mindset after all you've seen. Shit happens, ce la vie and so it goes just sums it all up: the mindless violence, crass stupidity, courage & cowardice and the whole absurdity of life.

[@Aloysius2113]

@@diabolicalartificer slaughterhouse five is "so it goes", breakfast of champions is "and so on"

[@Satorotas89]

@@diabolicalartificer So it goes indeed

[@MrJohndoakes]

The entirety of Foggy Bottom needs reform, from the lobbyists to the intelligence services, it's all a giant rickety machine.

[@gonesnake2337]

Researched and presented in perfect form

[@mnspstudioful]

Imagine if corporations allowed their R&D workers to leave anytime they want and take their contacts and blueprints/patents with them. That's what allowing representatives and their assistants go to lobby or industry positions after they leave office is equivalent to. Isn't it weird how the corporations themselves are so afraid of this that they use NDAs against employees, yet so open to it that they buy Senators? Weird.

[@honestnewsnet]

Remember hearing about someone that came to Washington and he said it was so corrupt he felt dirty until he got into the Jacuzzi himself. Once you get into the Jacuzzi, it’s not so dirty anymore. Or should I call it the swamp?

[@adoredpariah]

Oh, and great work, I knew some of this stuff at a surface level but had no idea just how crazy it got there. Looking forward to more of this. The focus on a particular person and their personal timeline actually helps a lot in terms of following along with all the minutia.

[@anarrativeway]

I love these mini documentary style pieces your are doing.

[@zalibecquerel3463]

Another outstanding film. As engaging as Adam Curtis, and we don't have to wait two years for the next one!

[@nagualdesign]

I spent most of the video, in the back of my mind, thinking how wonderful it would be if Adam discovered Georg and offered him a job. Videos like this are good but they're basically podcasts. The visuals are a sideshow. If Georg had access to the BBC archives I'm sure he could make world class documentaries.

[@rusemode]

And to think Adam Curtis seems to never sleep from all the projects he's released!

[@Alex-hp2rs]

"Diners club international credit card company" Tell me that doesn't sound like the most evil shit ever

[@SioxerNikita]

How does that sound evil? Unless credit cards are by default evil? Dining is also not particularly evil either... Neither is an international company?

[@BoudieYoudie]

George well done! Especially the It's Always sunny nod.... Money me now indeed

[@otobach]

30 mins and we never found out who abram is

[@JohnDoe-vr9bj]

Delay looks like he was born in Innsmouth.

[@MaltePersike]

This is must-see series of videos.

[@NIgHTMaReFortyTwo]

'Give me money. Money me. Money now. Me a money needing a lot now.'

[@DanielleA2023]

Omg your research, analysis & videos are 💯👍🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@mentalplayground]

do not rush. I'm more than happy to wait.

[@chenzenzo]

101 here. God damn Georg! I was really hoping we'd get back to films, but you've only gone and bloody done it again haven't you. You were supposed to post a mildly subversive video essay on the brilliance of Porkies 3, but here are again with these God damned take downs! It's like you want to be assassinated by weirdos. Anyway, keep at it. See you again soon! I'm gonna go back to my drugs now.

[@noneednoneed5752]

Started slow, became insane along the way

[@halilzelenka5813]

And this is why we need a revolution

[@jimhaverlock9784]

Yes. We do. And NOT from the side currently frothing at the mouth and attempting coups about it, hopefully.

[@halilzelenka5813]

@@jimhaverlock9784 which side is that? I was referring to a worldwide proletarian revolution. Not sure what you are referring to

[@jimhaverlock9784]

@@halilzelenka5813 no, we’re on the same page here 100%. Unfortunately it seems that the only people calling for a revolution around here are the ones hoping to install a christo-fascist ethnostate.

[@Ragnarok540]

@@halilzelenka5813 they tried that in China and Russia last century and I wouldn't call those a success is any way.

[@halilzelenka5813]

@@Ragnarok540 the Russian revolution was crushed by the joint imperialist intervention of all the major powers and the effective quarantining of the world revolution to Russia. In China, there was never a proletarian revolution but a peasant insurgency that put in power a group of bureaucrats overseeing exploitation and brutality

[@mooogu5386]

I'm here to take the Abram out of Jack Abramoff

[@Games_and_Music]

This is you, in the process of unmasking the biggest corruption of lobbying and briberies, and we were all here to witness it ;) A British aspiring Hollywood writer, actor, producer, getting little work and scraping by daily, became very disillusioned and begrudged the whole scene. His resentfulness transformed into inventiveness, and apparently he found his groove into becoming a reporter, a self-employed freelance journalist digging deep into the dark recesses that the lobbyists call their home. Ignored as an amateur outsider, he had all the freedom to investigate. Little that they knew that he knew so much!

[@Artax-jv8zt]

It's amazing to me what people are prepared to do for money, screw over their best friend, scam the venerable just to live a lavish life. I find it a very state of affairs.

[@trippymchippy8586]

Unless you are using editing, you are shooting the scene of yourself at about f16 with huge amounts of light to keep the foreground and background in focus. Which is it?

[@GeorgRockallSchmidt]

Editing.

[@satyasyasatyasya5746]

1:27 Tucker Carlson... because of course it is...

[@jtgd]

Turds of an asshole fall together

[@anthonymcken6050]

Yep I spotted him too.

[@sokrar]

Thanks. My monitor has now a coin shaped hole :(

[@danielx555]

Diners Club was a very bizarre credit card. They thought that they could create a niche for themselves but the other credit card companies simply offered the same incentives and cashback, etcetera.

[@Caperhere]

Merrick Garland appointed Jack Smith to the Trump investigation. CNN did an article outlining the career of Smith, and the Name of Tom DeLay is mentioned. BTW, you’ve done an outstanding job here. Thank you.

[@glennac]

I had a strange sense I was being subjected to the Ludovico Technique with all of the random images. 😅

[@eleventhrealm]

Tom Delay?! What's next? Johnny Reverb?!

[@Truckngirl]

The stench of Abramoff was particularly strong on Senator Conrad Burns of Montana. Funny how a former Senator turned lobbyist could manipulate government against the Blackfoot tribe in his own state.

[@MrJohndoakes]

It's a bottomless pit of grease....

[@steventrotter4958]

The Ol' play the native tribes against eachchother for your own ends scheme. Classic easy tactic

[@phyarth8082]

Movie Casino Jack about Abramoff, politics is a really dirty profession. In showbusiness, pyramid politician is the highest point of show business but it is intrinsically dirty, for example, A-lister actors, singers, pro-athletes, directors, etc. are lower based on the reason that they are not always public representers but only this reason, makes them had a less dirty profession. The cult of celebrities in the 1920s-2000s was real, every gossip and every quote by celebrities has been read and analyzed today we have an influencer cult, but still, people are less influenced by celebrities than politicians or politicians influencing groups, industry interest groups, think tanks, or donors like lobbyists Jack Abramoff.

[@FinanceVector]

Hard to read, but I think I understand.

[@phyarth8082]

@@FinanceVector There's No Business Like Show Business 😀And politics is pyramid apex of show business.

[@joeydelrio]

Jack Abramoff did not go to prison, he went to a prison "camp". prison is living hell on earth, fighting, getting raped, beaten by guards, always hungry due to lack of food, prison camp is for rich people and is nothing more than being sent to a big apartment complex where you might have to account for where you are at times, nothing like prison. these camps are much nicer living standards of most working folks in the US.

[@sushipsychose]

These 90s commercials with their absolute fucking PURGATORY vibe fit this whole mess so eerily well it's beyond me, the story itself and these clips both invoke equally strong sentiments of disgust and helplessness

[@icchampion5]

Where did you get that footage of his book signing from?

[@FlakeSE]

Congratulations for watching Casino Jack and The United States of Money, and welcome to the depressing reality of none of it having an effect on anything for the better 10 years on.

[@russellst.martin4255]

Oh dang, I didn't even know you had to officially register as a briber.

[@TheSillynanny]

Lord Georg Rock-Schmidt, has a nice ring to it, Blah Blah Blah established Titles or what ever that scam is.

[@baroncosmos8324]

Hard to imagine anyone taking a man seriously when his first name is 'Jack' and his last name ends with 'off'.

[@Dogy0909]

Have this problem with Jack Antonoff

[@mpazinambao2938]

These are the villains you see in movies.

[@frankbongio]

FIST! I love you Georg!

[@beatrixwickson8477]

And a FIST of solidarity to you, sir!

[@robertwalter1631]

The audio seems really low on this video...

[@aidakensuke]

How do you deal with such an enormous amont of corruption?

[@notyourdamnbusiness8795]

21:20 dude trying to blink some morse code?

[@zoopdterdoobdter5743]

0:22 ......

[@MrIwannawatchit]

Wow…

[@mobilemarshall]

what a name

[@sblinder1978]

"First few rows, will get wet." RIP Gallagher

[@I.____.....__...__]

But I don't even know him.

[@trevorjosephoneill345]

America, nothing ever changes ever

[@dwc1964]

Term limits for legislative office are actually *great* for lobbyists, since that leaves the lobbyists (and staff) as the only people who know what's going on from one term to the next. Meanwhile, politicians are forced to keep moving in a game of musical chairs, incentivizing climbers and disincentivizing anyone who actually wants to get anything substantial, that takes time to do, done. Source: California, which has had term limits for decades

[@Louis-wp3fq]

Too real for the realists.

[@vincedurden6446]

He's one of "those people" Kanye tried to warn us about.

[@excitableboy7031]

Jack Abramoff more like Abram Jackoff amirite Gotem

[@camelopardalis84]

1:30 is *not* footage from 1969, I assume?

[@mikeyzero2439]

I had totally forgotten all about Ralph Reed. That had been a pleasant furlough. What a piece of garbage.

[@171QA]

Interesting.

[@MingWar_BalGlo]

I remember seeing the movie casino jack a long time ago and wondering how much of the story was fabricated for cinematic purposes; turns out almost none of it...

[@Akutabai5]

Say the line Abramov "I promoted crypto" Hurray!

[@dyotoorion1835]

Good vid.

[@jasi5534]

Thanks for converting in kg (un)intentionaly. :D

[@joyceshiver6622]

👍👍

[@prahamama8915]

Wandering…..

[@almenajamband9206]

Anybody else notice Tucker Carlson in the clip at 1:30?

[@adoredpariah]

It took me a few seconds because he wasn't wearing a clownish bowtie, but yes, yes I did notice him.

[@deathmagneto-soy]

If anyone is looking for a really good supplementary deepdive into Abramoff's involvement and motivations with regards to the Dolph Lungren Red Scorpion movie I can highly recommend episode 427 of the Chap Trap House boyz podcast. It's called Deprogramming Dolph "Democracy Whiskey Scorpion" 👍

[@gonogazz]

Im lost for words..The machinery for greed is so so big like ugly ugly entertainment fashion.. television.....And where do they find these horrible people..? They are born and raised into it in a major factory..

[@LegwarmerProductions]

add links to your Patreon GRS >> make it easy for people >>

[@GeorgRockallSchmidt]

It’s not easy? Thanks mate, I will. www.patreon.com/GeorgRockallSchmidt

[@LegwarmerProductions]

@@GeorgRockallSchmidt,, Ha,, it is easy, but even easier the better... // thanks for your great work.

[@pburnzzz9260]

Early life check

[@nicksaso3795]

👍

[@johnronald6115]

They need to remove Abram from his name

[@NicolasSequeira]

Why are all popular psychopaths named Jack?

[@iivin4233]

My uncle in law was a lobbyist on the opposite side. He was a great help to the lesser Kennedys and to Bill Clinton, uncontroversial figures, and he was involved in keeping nuclear submarine production in Rhode Island. I think it's interesting that from the same moral system I have a problem with both men's politics. I'm not aware of my uncle in law doing anything as specifically immoral as Abramoff though.

[@fashionsbyohrbachs]

God bless America 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@elbarto6668]

Sad

[@willissudweeks1050]

Who’s Abram?

[@grunions9648]

I'd love to understand whether these people know - even deep down - that they are evil. There's such a cognitive dissonance between the generally Christian right-wing base and the real-world actions of their representatives, who favour money, personal gain, and the repression of human rights over any sort of integrity or community values. It's certainly not a pattern that you could attribute to coincidence or 'a few bad apples'. Pretty obvious points I know, but I always flash back to that Mitchell & Webb sketch "Are We The Baddies?" every time I think "what would be the right thing to do here?" and can't imagine myself ever concluding "screw the entire country, I want a bigger house".

[@awandererfromys1680]

r/conservative displays remarkable selfawareness at times yet always fails to reach the logical conclusion. Just an observation. At this point it's like supporting a sports team: "Yea, this season sucked but maybe next year they'll win!" And if you only have two teams in the competition, well, It all gets very tribal very fast. Soccer players feign injuries, politicians feign honesty. Yet we cheer them on anyway. "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." -- Agent K.

[@RunOfTheHind]

It comes from christianity tho. The hardcore protestantism of the founders etc.

[@Onoesmahpie]

A small percentage are complete sociopaths who know the harm they are causing and the lies they are telling, and simply don't have any empathy. Another small percentage are completely bought into their own nonsense, fully believing their own lies. Most con artists are a mixture of both, with some part of them knowingly deceiving others for money, and another part that justifies their actions and deceives themselves. It's irrelevant though; let's focus on how to get these people to stop cropping up, rather than hyper-analyzing their frankly infantile and unintelligent minds.

[@awandererfromys1680]

@@Onoesmahpie _"Know thy enemy."_ -- Some dude, probably A lot of analysis is already done by specialists luckily. Why do people believe in conspiracies? Because they provide easy answers to complex problems. Rather than address the systemic socio-economic problems in the world one side just goes "the other side is evil and the root of all problems!" So, get rid of the evil. Problems solved. A two party systems only exaggerates that. It also empowers the believers. They are "in the know." They're special, not sheep. And because they believe they're standing up against evil, they see themselves as heroes. They're basically the main character. And that's comforting in a world that can be mightily overwhelming otherwise.

[@erraticonteuse]

How the "Christian" Right justifies supporting evil douchebags is a combination of "prosperity gospel" (the utterly insane belief that wealth is a sign of God's favor that functionally results in worship of the wealthy, including the megachurch pastors who they give their money to) and their desire to strip women and LGBTQ people of their rights.

[@elle9543]

It is learning about Abramoff that makes me ashamed to call myself a Republican

[@sprobablycancr4457]

1:16 the Bloomingdale's seem nice. Don't believe the rumours. (raw human flesh frenzies).

[@dayton2559]

good video so far, but yikes your vocal track is too damn quiet