The Players

Lady Thatcher and Tom DeLay Linked In "flights for favor" Scandal

US Justice Department Probe Looks at Congressmen receiving Free Foreign Holidays From Lobby Groups

Pip, pip; cheerio and all that sort of rot. Department of Justice officials have asked the Metro (London) Police to question former PM Margaret Thatcher concerning a meeting she had with Republican Tom DeLay in 2000.

A leaked document says that the probe centers on Jack Abramoff, a high profile lobbyist and film producer? (two fine blockbusters, Red Scorpion and Red Scorpion 2). Questions on whether he was involved with arranging and underwriting trips to London and Scotland in exchange for legislative assistance from public officials including Republican Tom DeLay are being investigated.

Abramoff along with PR czar Michael Scanlon were under investigation during the summer of 2004 by Congress and five different federal agencies including the FBI and the IRS. The investigation focused on possible illegal payments from Indian gaming officials. Michael Scanlon was a former spokesman for Congressman DeLay...Chet times