Clooney made a little jab at Jack Abramoff at the Golden Globes, here's the video. On schedule, Jack Abramoff's father, Frank, says that the joke (pretty tame stuff, pointing out that being named Jack with a last name that ends in "off" is weird) made Jack's son cry. George Clooney doesn't respond himself, but his father does:
Clooney’s father, Nick Clooney, told the newspaper: “I understand what it is like to have one’s son criticized in a very public way. It’s very painful and it’s very difficult.â€
He added, “The difference here, and it must be said, is Mr. Abramoff’s son, instead of pursuing some positive efforts to do what he hoped would change the climate of the American politics, has confessed and has been convicted by that confession of subverting the political process.â€
First of all, it shows a certain amount of political sophistication on the Clooney's part to have dad answer dad. Secondly, Frank Abramoff sounds like he's still in denial:
“Your words were deeply hurtful to many innocent and decent people,†Abramoff wrote. “One day the truth about my son will come out and there will be a lot of people in your industry and others lined up to apologize for their efforts to destroy him and our family.â€
Dude, Frank... your son has admitted to criminal charges. He's admitted he's guilty of fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy to bribe public officials. You think that might have something to do with why your grandson teared up? I mean, Clooney might have been the trigger, but don't you think the knowledge that his father intentionally and maliciously corrupted the integrity of the United States Government (in a time of War no less!) might have a little to do with it?
Just as a for-instance, here's something Abramoff did: he took millions of dollars from China, pocketed a good chunk, and used the rest to convince people in Washington DC to prevent US Labor laws from applying to some of our South Pacific island territories near Guam. The upshot being that Chineese businesses could operate sweatshops there who's products could be fraudulently labelled "Made in the USA."
He's admitted to doing these things and has been working with investigators to report on who he bribed and how in order to keep his own ass out of jail.
Maybe this turn for state's evidence will be seen as heroic by future generations, but I think that's unlikely. It seems that Frank Abramoff has yet to accept the fact that his son criminally corrupted our government. Making a joke about someone's name may not be the nicest thing in the world, but it falls a few million rungs further down the moral ladder of wrongness.
