"Jack Abramoff may be the most notorious and crooked lobbyist of our time. He was at the center of a massive scandal of brazen corruption and influence peddling.
As a Republican lobbyist starting in the mid 1990s, he became a master at showering gifts on lawmakers in return for their votes on legislation and tax breaks favorable to his clients. He was so good at it, he took home $20 million a year.
How corrupt is lobbying in Washington, DC? Enough to get "60 Minutes" correspondent Lesley Stahl angry when she hears how Jack Abramoff bribed and influenced legislators.
It all came crashing down five years ago, when Jack Abramoff pled guilty to corrupting public officials, tax evasion and fraud, and served three and a half years in prison.
Today he's a symbol of how money corrupts Washington. In our interview tonight, he opens up his playbook for the first time.
And explains exactly how he used his clients' money to buy powerful friends and influence legislation.
Jack Abramoff: I was so far into it that I couldn't figure out where right and wrong was. I believed that I was among the top moral people in the business. I was totally blinded by what was going on."
Get the Story:
Jack Abramoff: The lobbyist's playbook
(CBS News 11/6)
Also Today:
Abramoff the reformer? Notorious lobbyist writes a call to action to stop special interests
(AP 11/7)
Related Stories:
Abramoff claims Sen.
Inouye forced ouster at lobbying firm (11/02)
Federal Eye: Court orders
Abramoff book profits to go to tribes (10/17)
In The Loop: Jack Abramoff working on his tell-all
lobbying book (10/07)
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