Criminal Ingratitude: Congressman Doolittle’s aide complains about poor view from stadium skybox

By Ken Silverstein

Here’s a lovely nugget from the fed’s indictment of Kevin Ring, the former aide to California Congressman John Doolittle who after becoming a lobbyist worked closely with Jack Abramoff. Ring was arrested yesterday “on conspiracy, fraud and obstruction-of-justice charges in connection with his alleged role in a four-year scheme to lavish tickets and trips on lawmakers and government officials in return for help for his clients.”

According to the indictment, in which Doolittle appears to be identified as “Representative 5″:

On or about September 16, 2002, defendant RING sent an email to Abramoff in which he reported that Representative 5’s Legislative Director was complaining that he was in a suite at which alcohol was unavailable and was “in a really low box in the end zone. View is obviously not very good.” Defendant RING asked whether that was “a mistake.”

On or about February 19, 2003, defendant RING sent an email to Representative 5’s Legislative Director in which he stated, “[I] also think we should discuss a [municipal client’s] post office soon. [T]hey didn’t do what they said they would.”

On or about March 7, 2003, after Representative 5’s Legislative Director had asked defendant RING for tickets to the first NFL game of the season and promised that he would never ask for anything again, defendant RING forwarded the email to Abramoff, stating, “So much for not asking for tix. . . . [Representative5]’s LD is looking for 2 tix for the Skins-Jets game.”

On or about March 13, 2003, defendant RING sent an email to Representative 5’s Legislative Director in which defendant RING submitted an earmark request for a client’s “interchange project.”