Tony Rudy

Tony C. Rudy, with Ed Buckham's Alexander Strategy Group which shutdown January 9, 2006, served as Deputy Chief of Staff (and former counsel) to House Majority Leader Thomas D. DeLay (R-Texas) until 2001, when he took a job with Jack Abramoff. 

Career
Rudy worked as the Deputy Chief of Staff in the leadership offices of Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas) from 1998 to December 2000. From January 2001 to July 2002, Rudy worked with Abramoff as a lobbyist for the Preston Gates lobbying firm. 

Guilty Plea
Rudy appeared in federal court in Washington, D.C. March 31, 2006, and pled guilty "in a case stemming from the corruption probe of lobbyist Jack Abramoff, bringing the scandal closer to the door of his one-time boss, Representative Tom DeLay," Bloomberg News reported. ("The case is USA v. Rudy, 06cr82, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.")

Rudy "promised to cooperate with a federal investigation of bribery and lobbying fraud that has so far netted three convictions and prompted calls for ethics reform in Congress," the Associated Press reported. "He faces up to five years in prison, but could receive much less based on the extent of his help with the investigation, U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle told Rudy at a court hearing in Washington."

"Rudy, who resigned as DeLay's deputy chief of staff in 2001, is the first person to plead guilty to charges in the case since Abramoff pleaded guilty to fraud charges in January. Michael Scanlon, a former DeLay press secretary who later became a lobbying partner with Abramoff, pleaded guilty to bribing public officials in November," the AP said. "The plea agreement contains no allegations that DeLay, who it describes as Representative 2, did anything wrong."

Influence Peddling
"Investigators are looking into whether Rudy aided Abramoff's lobbying clients while he was working on the Hill, ... and are reviewing payments from Abramoff clients and associates to Liberty Consulting, a political firm founded by Rudy's wife, Lisa. The Washington Post reported [in October 2005] that Rudy, while on DeLay's staff, helped scuttle a bill opposed by eLottery Inc., an Abramoff client, and that Abramoff had eLottery pay a foundation to hire Liberty Consulting," Susan Schmidt and James Grimaldi, reported in the November 26, 2005, Washington Post.

DeLay Loyalist
"[F]ormer Deputy Chief of Staff Tony Rudy, who is now with the Alexander Strategy Group, told National Journal, 'There is a lot of discussion about how we can help Republican candidates and expand the majority.' As for DeLay, Rudy added, 'As long as he wants me, I'll be there for him.' ..." 

No list of top Washington lobbyists "is complete without Rudy, lobbyist extraordinaire." 

2000 Florida Recount
"Four of Abramoff’s colleagues—all of whom have left Greenberg [Traurig] in the wake of investigations surrounding Abramoff’s activities—were foot soldiers in the Florida recount. Two of them bragged of their recount work on their official online Greenberg biographies, which have since been removed," John Byrne reported in the May 5, 2005, Raw Story.

"Shawn Vasell noted that he was a 'team leader' in Broward and Duval counties in his bio; Duane Gibson was photographed in the acclaimed Brooks Brothers riot of Republican operatives outside the Miami-Dade County polling headquarters; Todd Boulanger boasted of being on the Broward and Duval recount team in his profile. Also on the ground was former DeLay deputy chief of staff Tony Rudy.

"Boulanger drafted a letter DeLay signed urging the Interior Department to favor Abramoff’s client in June 2003—a letter cosigned by the House Republican leadership, including Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO)," Byrne wrote.

SourceWatch/Congresspedia Resources

 * Lisa Rudy
 * "Team DeLay"
 * Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas)
 * Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio)
 * Jack Abramoff, lobbyist convicted of corruption-related charges.

External Resources

 * Tony Rudy reference page, TPMmuckraker.
 * Information filing for Rudy's guilty plea, TPM Document Collection, March 31, 2006.
 * Factual proffer in Rudy's guilty plea, TPM Document Collection, March 31, 2006.

Articles

 * "Star Rainmakers: The Hill's list of top lobbyists," The Hill, March 26, 2003.
 * "Political Contributions by DeLay Alumni During the 2003-2004 Election Cycle," Tech Politics (CQ Weekly, Federal Election Commission downloaded March 2005.)
 * John Byrne, "Bush Florida 2000 recount committee still owes lobbyist's former firm $314k. White House directs queries to RNC," The Raw Story, May 5, 2005.
 * John J. Judis, "Meet Team DeLay. Tammany Fall," The New Republic (Theocracy Watch), June 20, 2005.
 * "Four congressmembers role in Abramoff lobbying scandal probed," The Raw Story, November 25, 2005.
 * Susan Schmidt and James Grimaldi, "Lawmakers Under Scrutiny in Probe of Lobbyist. Ney and DeLay Among the Members of Congress Said to Be a Focus of Abramoff Investigation," Washington Post, November 26, 2005.
 * Mark Sherman, "Former DeLay Aide Pleads Guilty," Associated Press (ABC News), March 31, 2006.
 * Philip Shenon and David Stout, "Former DeLay Aide Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy," Washington Post, March 31, 2006.
 * Terry Frieden and Kevin Bohn, "Ex-DeLay aide pleads guilty to fraud," CNN, March 31, 2006.
 * "Ex-DeLay aide to plead guilty in US lobbying scandal," Reuters, March 31, 2006.
 * John Byrne, "Former DeLay aide paid thinktank to advance Washington lobbying efforts. Policy nonprofit where Abramoff was director funded DeLay's overseas junkets," The Raw Story, April 12, 2006.