Who are the "Friends" in Washington, D.C.?

March 7, 2008

Just who are the U.S. Senators and staffers who are "listening to" and "supporting" Governor Fitial, and his team of federalization fighters in their position on federalization? Recent CNMI local news stories have reported that the governor is "friends" with U.S. Senators. One attendee at the recent Chamber of Commerce meeting said that one "friend" mentioned was Senator Tom Colburn, MD (R-OK), and another was Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AL). Really? I thought Senator Colburn was very conservative and was noted for his ethical stand in cleaning up corruption within Congress? Senator Murkowski is a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and was a co-sponsor of S. 1634.

Governor Fitial, Jim Arenovski, President of the Saipan Chamber of Commerce, and HANMI Chair, Lynn Knight have claimed to have made inroads in pushing their agenda with staffers and members of the U.S. Congress. This photo shows Governor Fitial with Senator Wayne Allard (R-CO). Is Senator Allard his "friend?" A March 6, 2008 Marianas Variety states:

"Gov. Benigno R. Fitial, who has returned from Washington, D.C., at the same time said the islands are “fortunate to have friends who support our issues on Capitol Hill.”

“The omnibus bill is supposed to be non-controversial. Nobody (even) knew about (its federalization provision). A lot of people don’t even know what went on that omnibus bill,” said the governor during the Saipan Chamber of Commerce general membership meeting yesterday where he was the keynote speaker.

He said the omnibus package bill must get the U.S. Senate’s unanimous consent.

“Fortunately, we have friends who support our issues on Capitol Hill,” he said."

Rumor has it, that Senator Allard is supporting Fitial's view. I wanted to know just where Senator Allard stands on this bill, so I called his Washington, D.C. office yesterday to ask. I am waiting for a reply.

In this March 5, 2008 Saipan KSPN newscast, Chamber President Jim Arenovski said:

"Our main focus was to inform different congressmen, staffers, and department agencies about our current economic situation here in the NMI and how adversely this bill, 3079 ...will affect our islands. We talked to close to 20 different agencies and congressman to make that measure clear, and we got a lot of sympathetic ears."

Who has their sympathetic ears and what did they say? I suspect I know what they told the Senators and others who they met on their trips. It was the same misinterpretations of H.R. 3079 that the federalization fighters presented in the CNMI. When I was visting Senate offices in early February, I retraced some of the path that Lynn Knight and Jim Arenovski took. A legislative director told me that what he was hearing from me was not what he had heard from Fitial's lobbyists in January (Arenovski and Knight). He told me what they had told him, and their statements and "concerns" were point for point the same incorrect interpretations that Siemer and Willens had been arguing in the CNMI in January. They were the same misinterpretations that federal officials and others had attempted to correct on several occasions. A February 11, 2008 Marianas Variety article discussed Fitial's upcoming trip to Washington, D.C. It states:

"He [Fitial] said he will emphasize the impact of a reduced work force in the commonwealth should the bill becomes law.

His special legal adviser, Howard P. Willens, has prepared another document in defense of the governor’s position against the federalization measure

Willens has said that the bill “mandates the reduction of guest workers in the commonwealth to zero within five years, or perhaps longer if an extension is granted.”

He added, “There are no exceptions, and there is no alternative for guest workers or CNMI employers, who will have to compete for the permits remaining after the required annual reductions. Those who drafted the bill intended this result. There is absolutely no legislative history indicating anything to the contrary.”

But Bill Wicker, the communications director of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources, told Variety in a letter that Willens’ analysis was “incorrect.”

According to Wicker, “it is important to emphasize that the goal of [the bill] is to extend U.S. immigration laws, but do so in a way that is sensitive to the special conditions in the CNMI. In general, this means that the CNMI can take advantage of all of the provisions in the U.S. immigration laws, [and] of the several CNMI-only provisions included in” the measure.

He added, “It is unfortunate that instead of working with the U.S. government to extend U.S. immigration laws as agreed to over 30 years ago, there are those who misrepresent and misinterpret the U.S. government position in an effort to further delay reforms that are vital to the CNMI’s future.”

How arrogant that the administration, lobbyists, and federalization fighters are ignoring the interpretations of the very people who wrote the bill! Though they have been informed of the correct interpretations, they continue to put out their misinterpretations and propaganda.

Governor Fitial was asked if he talked to President Bush about federalization. He stated:

"Not personally, but I mentioned it to the Vice President. He's going to look into it."

Maybe President Bush is a "friend," of Governor Fitial also. The governor attended the President's inauguration with "friends," former CNMI Congressmen Norman Palacios and Alejo Mendiola,who allegedly voted for Fitial to be CNMI House Speaker in an exchange/bribe involving Abramoff and members of the U.S. Congress.

Here's a picture of President Bush with Governor Fitial. Of course, just having your picture taken with someone does not make you "friends." I have had my photo taken with many people from Oprah to members of Congress, to Nobel Peace Laureate Jody Williams. I even had a photo taken with Governor Fitial. But these people are not my "friends." Friends are people who you can call in the middle of the night because your car broke down. Friends are people who celebrate each others' achievements, and know the names of your family members. Perhaps this administration and the federalization fighters consider people who support their political position their "friends."

The KSPN reporter asked Fitial, "What kind of feedback did you get from those you spoke to about federalization?"

Fitial responded, "Some members of the Senate were never aware of this particular legislation. Now that they are, they share the sentiments that we have."

Who are these members that share their sentiments?

The governor said Jack Abramoff and Tom Delay were also his "friends." A January 6, 2007, Saipan Tribune story states:

"Gov.-elect Benigno R. Fitial has also been linked to the lobbying scandal. He is believed to have received assistance from Abramoff in his bid to become speaker of the 12th CNMI House of Representatives in 2000. He has issued a public statement calling Abramoff and former U.S. minority leader Tom DeLay, who is also involved in Abramoff's corruption case, his “friends.”

When Abramoff was to be sentenced, Governor Fitial wrote a letter to the Florida judge on official CNMI stationary. The letter asked for leniency in sentencing:

"Before Wednesday's sentencing hearing, more than 260 people — including rabbis, military officers, a professional hockey referee, a congressman and a U.S. territorial governor — wrote letters asking for leniency from the federal judge.

Though auditors in the U.S. territory of the Northern Mariana Islands questioned his lobbying expenses as excessive, Abramoff was a "personal friend and political champion" of the "beleaguered" Pacific islands, its current governor wrote.

"He was a natural crusader and political activist, with great sympathy for our un-represented Commonwealth," Marianas Gov. Benigno R. Fitial wrote in a letter penned on official government stationery."

In the end, the governor may not be such a good "friend" to Mr. Abramoff. Months after Fitial wrote the letter of support for his "friend," he claimed that the CNMI government was cheated by Abramoff. He stated his intention to sue the lobbying firm claiming that Abramoff over-billed the CNMI government.

No worry, the governor has other "friends" from his dealings in Washington, D.C. Here are some of his "friends" with links that detail each one's relationship with Governor Fitial: Congressman John Doolittle (R-CA), former Congressman John Sweeney (R-NY), former Speaker of the House Denny Hastert (R-IL), former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS), Congressman Don Young (R-AL)Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (D-CA), former Senator Conrad Burns (R-MT), former Congressman Richard Pombo (R-CA), and former Congressman Bob Schaffer (R-CO). Many on this list are being investigated by the FBI for their participation in the Abramoff corruption; some have resigned from the Congress, and others have announced they will not run again.

Mark Zachares, former CNMI Labor and Immigration Secretary, was a "friend" of Governor Fitial. He even attended the governor's inauguration ceremony and festivities before he was arrested for his part in the Abramoff corruption scandal.

I am surprised that the current members of Congress are befriending Governor Fitial considering his involvement in the Abramoff scandal. There seems to be a pattern of the governor's "friends" being involved in scandals and investigations by the Department of Justice and F.B.I. The governor, himself, is also under investigation for his involvement with Jack Abramoff. In fact, it is believed that several of the "friends" mentioned above will be joining Mr. Abramoff in prison soon.