''Capitol Punishment: The Hard Truth About Washington Corruption From America's Most Notorious Lobbyist'' is a non-fiction 300-page memoir by former American

lobbyist In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...

Jack Abramoff Jack Allan Abramoff (; born February 28, 1959) is an American lobbyist, businessman, film producer, writer, and convicted felon. He was at the center of an extensive corruption investigation led by Earl Devaney that resulted in his conviction ...

, published by WNDbooks in November 2011. In December 2011, ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' described the book as an "account of his political triumphs, serial lawbreaking and unethical conduct", details the author's life in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

as a power broker and lobbyist. In its last chapter, titled "Path to Reform", Abramoff lists a number of proposals to eliminate bribery of federal government officials.

Writing process

Abramoff wrote ''Capitol Punishment'' in four weeks after having served four years in a federal prison for corruption connected to his lobbying. When

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

asked Abramoff why he wrote the book, he said, "When I was in prison, I started thinking about how to fix the system that is there. Because, obviously, throwing Jack Abramoff in jail didn't clean up the system", adding "I had something to give back, some way to make some recompense for what I was by telling what is going on in Washington – from the point of view of somebody who rose very high in that industry – and what goes on behind those doors, and how horrible it really is."

Content

The book details the inner workings of

that Abramoff knew. It discusses Abramoff's relationships with powerful congressional leaders, including

Tom DeLay Thomas Dale DeLay (; born April 8, 1947) is an American author and retired politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Texas's 22nd congressional district from 1985 until 2006. He was Republic ...

and

Bob Ney Robert William Ney (born July 5, 1954) is an American politician from Ohio. A Republican, Ney represented Ohio's 18th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 until November 3, 2006, when he resigned. Ney's resignat ...

, and shares the names of senators who, according to Abramoff, took tens of thousands of dollars, but offers no significant new details beyond what was known before, and "doesn't help identify the people he corrupted who are still on the

Hill A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct summit. Terminology The distinction between a hill and a mountain is unclear and largely subjective, but a hill is universally considered to be not a ...

", as ''

The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

'' notes. Some of the people he accuses of having taken money from his team and clients, particularly members of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee and Democratic Party politicians, have denied the allegations, calling Abramoff "a liar". The book is meant to expose what Abramoff considers the real problem of Washington, D.C.-based lobbying. The real problem, according to Abramoff, is not what is illegal in Washington, D.C., but rather what is legal. In the last chapter of the book, Abramoff portrays himself as someone who supports genuine reform. He suggests to shut the "

revolving door A revolving door typically consists of three or four doors that hang on a central shaft and rotate around a vertical axis within a cylindrical enclosure. Revolving doors are energy efficient as they, acting as an airlock, prevent drafts, thus de ...

" between Capitol Hill and the K Street offices of the biggest lobbying firms by banning legislators and their aides for life from becoming lobbyists. He also proposes barring lobbyists from giving gifts to lawmakers, and prohibiting lobbyists and special interest groups from making political donations. In addition to this, he advocates instituting term limits for representatives and senators.

References

External links

* {{cite book, url= https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781936488445, title= Capitol Punishment: The Hard Truth About Washington Corruption From America’s Most Notorious Lobbyist, location= Washington, D.C., publisher= WND Books, year= 2011, author= Jack Abramoff, isbn= 978-1-936488-44-5, url-access= registration
''After Words'' interview with Abramoff on ''Capitol Punishment'', January 7, 2012
2011 non-fiction books American memoirs American political books