Notorious superlobbyist turned government reformer Jack Abramoff is currently exploring his legal options against the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which has been using his name to raise money against Republicans.
Six months after Abramoff pleaded guilty to charges of fraud, corruption and conspiracy, the DCCC purchased the domain name jackabramoff.com through GoDaddy.com on July 06, 2006.
Jackabramoff.com currently features the headline “We Didn’t Forget, Jack” and hosts a voicemail in which Abramoff seeks to arrange a deal with the organization to reclaim the Web address.
Abramoff filed a legal complaint with National Arbitration Forum, a national alternative dispute resolution service, looking to settle the matter outside of court. His claim was rejected, in part, on the grounds that he did not show that he had used his name as a trademark prior to his sentencing.
“I am weighing my options now,” Abramoff told The Daily Caller. “The commission does not offer an opportunity to appeal, so my next recourse would be the federal courts.”
“Like everyone who is subjected to identity thieves and malicious cyber-squatters, it is puzzling and offensive to me,” he said.
“I have been contacted by scores of other high profile individuals — including many Democrats, by the way — who have been similarly harassed by skullduggerous miscreants such as those at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee,” he said. “They pray that I prevail so they, too, can know a measure of relief from this kind of abuse.”
The DCCC’s page contains a link to a petition for users to indiciate they “remember his role in the Republican Culture of Corruption and will work to defeat ethically-challenged Republicans in 2012.” But while the site claims to seek government reform, Abramoff says the DCCC is doing the exact opposite.
“They are certainly part of the problem,” he said. “They are not interested in the work I am doing with reform groups – liberal reform groups, in fact – to reduce the tainted, special interest money in our political system, because they are very busy raising that very money. I continue to be a terrible inconvenience to them, and I guess they feel that stealing my online identity is a way to combat the reform I am proposing. They are wrong.”
“They seem to have a frat-boy mentality over there and consider the very real diminution of my privacy and rights — and, presumably, those of others similarly treated by their identity theft confederates — as a source of humor,” said Abramoff.
“Perhaps,” he said, “they are clinking their cocktail glasses at their corporate and union fundraisers with extra glee having seen the commission’s approbation of their reckless behavior?”
The DCCC did not return TheDC’s request for comment.