Ed Buckham
Encyclopedia
Edwin A. Buckham is a former congressional staffer and lobbyist, who presently is under investigation in various scandals surrounding high-profile lobbyist Jack Abramoff
and former Congressman Tom DeLay
. Those associated with Abramoff are of special note, because Justice Department prosecutors have systematically pursued guilty pleas from such lower associates seeking testimony against Members of Congress. Buckham has said little, but maintains his innocence.
Buckham became chief of staff to then Majority Whip Tom DeLay
from approximately 1995 to 1998. Buckham had run the House Republican Study Committee
in the early 1990s, while Tom DeLay
was the Committee's Chairman. There, Buckham also hired Jim Backlin, also of Maranatha Campus Ministries
, now Vice President for Legislative Affairs for the Christian Coalition previously run by Ralph Reed
.
He is a lay (non-ordained) evangelical
minister, who served as an elder of the Washington DC chapter of the controversial and politically-active church, Maranatha Campus Ministries, then later as a deacon
of a small church in Frederick, Maryland
.
Most of the $3.02 million in revenues of the U.S. Family Network
came from clients of Jack Abramoff
. More $1 million of that money was then paid by USFN to Buckham and his wife, Wendy, during a five-year period ending in 2001, via their lobbying firm, the Alexander Strategy Group
.
In January 2006 Buckham closed Alexander Strategy Group, and left the lobbying business. Buckham said that the company was fatally damaged by publicity about the ongoing federal investigation into the affairs of Abramoff.
Jack Abramoff
Jack Abramoff is an American former lobbyist and businessman. Convicted in 2006 of mail fraud and conspiracy, he was at the heart of an extensive corruption investigation that led to the conviction of White House officials J. Steven Griles and David Safavian, U.S. Representative Bob Ney, and nine...
and former Congressman Tom DeLay
Tom DeLay
Thomas Dale "Tom" DeLay is a former member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Texas's 22nd congressional district from 1984 until 2006. He was Republican Party House Majority Leader from 2003 to 2005, when he resigned because of criminal money laundering charges in...
. Those associated with Abramoff are of special note, because Justice Department prosecutors have systematically pursued guilty pleas from such lower associates seeking testimony against Members of Congress. Buckham has said little, but maintains his innocence.
Buckham became chief of staff to then Majority Whip Tom DeLay
Tom DeLay
Thomas Dale "Tom" DeLay is a former member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Texas's 22nd congressional district from 1984 until 2006. He was Republican Party House Majority Leader from 2003 to 2005, when he resigned because of criminal money laundering charges in...
from approximately 1995 to 1998. Buckham had run the House Republican Study Committee
Republican Study Committee
The Republican Study Committee [RSC] is a caucus of over 170 conservative members of the Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives...
in the early 1990s, while Tom DeLay
Tom DeLay
Thomas Dale "Tom" DeLay is a former member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Texas's 22nd congressional district from 1984 until 2006. He was Republican Party House Majority Leader from 2003 to 2005, when he resigned because of criminal money laundering charges in...
was the Committee's Chairman. There, Buckham also hired Jim Backlin, also of Maranatha Campus Ministries
Maranatha Campus Ministries
Maranatha Campus Ministries was a Charismatic/Pentecostal-oriented Christian ministry founded by Bob Weiner which existed from 1971 to 1990. Its primary outreach was to college and university campuses....
, now Vice President for Legislative Affairs for the Christian Coalition previously run by Ralph Reed
Ralph E. Reed, Jr.
Ralph Eugene Reed, Jr., is a conservative American political activist, best known as the first executive director of the Christian Coalition during the early 1990s. He sought the Republican nomination for the office of Lieutenant Governor of Georgia but lost the primary election on July 18, 2006,...
.
He is a lay (non-ordained) evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
minister, who served as an elder of the Washington DC chapter of the controversial and politically-active church, Maranatha Campus Ministries, then later as a deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
of a small church in Frederick, Maryland
Frederick, Maryland
Frederick is a city in north-central Maryland. It is the county seat of Frederick County, the largest county by area in the state of Maryland. Frederick is an outlying community of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of a greater...
.
Connections to the Abramoff scandal
Most of the $3.02 million in revenues of the U.S. Family Network
U.S. Family Network
U.S. Family Network, Inc. was founded in 1996 by Ed Buckham, who also served as the organization's consultant. USFN was a tax-exempt 501 corporation founded in Virginia, with its principal offices located in the District of Columbia in the same building as Buckham's consulting firm Alexander...
came from clients of Jack Abramoff
Jack Abramoff
Jack Abramoff is an American former lobbyist and businessman. Convicted in 2006 of mail fraud and conspiracy, he was at the heart of an extensive corruption investigation that led to the conviction of White House officials J. Steven Griles and David Safavian, U.S. Representative Bob Ney, and nine...
. More $1 million of that money was then paid by USFN to Buckham and his wife, Wendy, during a five-year period ending in 2001, via their lobbying firm, the Alexander Strategy Group
Alexander Strategy Group
Alexander Strategy Group was an American lobbying firm involved in the K Street Project, founded by Ed Buckham and his wife Wendy. Buckham is a former chief of staff of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, and the firm openly promoted its access to DeLay. Its chief lobbyist was Paul Behrends.In...
.
In January 2006 Buckham closed Alexander Strategy Group, and left the lobbying business. Buckham said that the company was fatally damaged by publicity about the ongoing federal investigation into the affairs of Abramoff.
External links
- George Loper, "Elections 2000: National Republican Congressional Committee Funds National Right to Life Committee and U.S. Family Network," Loper.org, December 1999.
- Jim Burns, "Democrats File RICO Suit Against DeLay," USConservatives, May 3, 2000.
- "GOP group pays $280,000 campaign fine," Associated Press (MSNBC), April 9, 2004.
- "NRCC busted for illegal 'soft money' donations," The Carpetbagger Report, April 9, 2004.
- "Political Contributions by DeLay Alumni During the 2003-2004 Election Cycle," Tech Politics (CQ Weekly, Federal Election CommissionFederal Election CommissionThe Federal Election Commission is an independent regulatory agency that was founded in 1975 by the United States Congress to regulate the campaign finance legislation in the United States. It was created in a provision of the 1975 amendment to the Federal Election Campaign Act...
downloaded March 2005.)