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As Mr. Abramoff entered guilty pleas on conspiracy, fraud and tax
evasion charges in a federal court in Washington, and later in a Florida
court, shockwaves were spreading through Congress.
In the months leading up to Mr. Abramoff's court appearances, lawmakers
were bracing for the impact, and some two dozen had returned money they
had received from the former lobbyist or his clients, who included Native
American groups.
Among the latest to do so was Republican House Speaker, Dennis Hastert,
who announced he would donate $69,000 received from Mr. Abramoff to
charity.
Similar announcements came from the former House Majority Leader, Tom
DeLay, and Congressman Roy Blunt, the Republican acting as temporary House
leader while Mr. DeLay fights criminal charges related to campaign
financing.
Republican Congressman Bob Ney, who is among at least half a dozen, but
possibly as many as 20 members of Congress believed to be the focus of the
federal corruption probe, also announced he would return funds.
Also on Wednesday, President Bush's 2004 re-election campaign announced
it is donating to charity $6,000 in contributions connected to Mr.
Abramoff.
In announcing that decision, White House Spokesman Scott McClellan
stressed that Mr. Abramoff's activities touched on Democrats as well as
Republicans.
"I think we are taking the appropriate steps in terms of this
individual, [it is] similar to what we have done with previous individuals
that may have been involved in wrongdoing that have contributed money
too," he said. "And I think in terms of others making those decisions, it
is up to them, but there are certainly people on both sides of the
[political] aisle that ought to take a look at that."
The federal corruption probe involving Mr. Abramoff has sparked calls
in both chambers of Congress for a new push to reform laws relating to
lobbying.
Efforts have been underway in the Senate and in the House to do just
that. Speaking in a telephone news conference, Democratic Senator Russ
Feingold says lawmakers were aware for some time that the Abramoff affair
would highlight the need for changes.
"It is typically the shame factor or the fear factor [when] members of
Congress realize that this is hurting their reputation that often leads
people to be willing to change the status quo,
so I think it will of course put some wind in our sails and help us get
the reform that is needed," he said.
In addition to the federal probe into Mr. Abramoff's activities,
Senator John McCain has been leading an investigation in a Senate
committee looking at activities involving Native American tribes.
The Abramoff guilty pleas have re-focused attention on mechanisms
Congress has to deal with corruption by lawmakers.
However, the House of Representatives Ethics Committee has been
virtually paralyzed over the past year amid political battles over
procedures, and it is unclear how the equivalent committee in the Senate
will deal with reverberations from the Abramoff
matter.
With Republicans who control Congress worried about the longer-term
effects of the scandal leading to mid-term elections next November, the
biggest political impact may be felt in the House, which returns to work a
few weeks from now.
There, Republicans must decide whether to hold a new leadership
election that would formally replace Congressman DeLay whose legal
troubles in Texas, and questions raised in the Abramoff investigation,
could effectively rule out his return to power in Washington. | 
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