Jack Abramoff: ‘Reform Bills Are Jokes’

Jack Abramoff: ‘Reform Bills Are Jokes’

Jack Abramoff: ‘Reform Bills Are Jokes’

The former “killer lobbyist” and convicted felon explains that although it will be difficult, the system he exploited must be changed.

Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky
Pocket
Email

The former “killer lobbyist” and convicted felon explains that although it will be difficult, the system he exploited must be changed.

Self-proclaimed “killer lobbyist” and convicted felon Jack Abramoff had a lot of time to think about the system of influence peddling that rules Washington while he was in prison. In this episode of Nation Conversations, Abramoff argues that reforming the lobbying world will certainly be difficult, but it will also be absolutely necessary because the system he exploited for so long is not “a system that, whether one’s on the Right or the Left, one can look at and say, ‘This is good for the country.'”

Subscribe to Nation Conversations on iTunes for exclusive audio of Nation editors and writers digging into the topics and issues that shape the magazine. Check back for a new episode each Thursday.

Erin Schikowski

Time is running out to have your gift matched 

In this time of unrelenting, often unprecedented cruelty and lawlessness, I’m grateful for Nation readers like you. 

So many of you have taken to the streets, organized in your neighborhood and with your union, and showed up at the ballot box to vote for progressive candidates. You’re proving that it is possible—to paraphrase the legendary Patti Smith—to redeem the work of the fools running our government.

And as we head into 2026, I promise that The Nation will fight like never before for justice, humanity, and dignity in these United States. 

At a time when most news organizations are either cutting budgets or cozying up to Trump by bringing in right-wing propagandists, The Nation’s writers, editors, copy editors, fact-checkers, and illustrators confront head-on the administration’s deadly abuses of power, blatant corruption, and deconstruction of both government and civil society. 

We couldn’t do this crucial work without you.

Through the end of the year, a generous donor is matching all donations to The Nation’s independent journalism up to $75,000. But the end of the year is now only days away. 

Time is running out to have your gift doubled. Don’t wait—donate now to ensure that our newsroom has the full $150,000 to start the new year. 

Another world really is possible. Together, we can and will win it!

Love and Solidarity,

John Nichols 

Executive Editor, The Nation

Ad Policy
x