Craddick Donor Snared In Siberian Bribery Scandal
A Virginia company that books high-dollar hunting expeditions is on trial for violating federal laws by allegedly bribing Russian government on behalf of a group of Texas big gamesman, including one of Texas’s top GOP donors, according to a story in this morning’s Houston Chronicle.
Houston energy czar Dan Duncan has given more than $75,000 just this year to a long list of allies of House Speaker Tom Craddick, from Aaron Peña to Bill Zedler, along with groups that support the Speaker’s favorites. In recent years, Duncan has also given tens of thousands of dollars to Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Governor David Dewhurst, and Attorney General Greg Abbott, as well as Craddick.
At issue is a 2002 hunting trip to Siberia. The Justice Department says the Virginia travel agent bribed Russian officials to let Duncan and others shoot moose and sheep from a helicopter, arguing that importing wildlife knowingly bagged in violation of another country’s laws is a no-no here, too. The defense claims the hunters were merely taking advantage of an “economic or humanitarian exemption” that allows for shooting from above “because it’s free meat.”
Posted on June 10, 2008 – 9:29 am by APR