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Executive Investigations of U.S. Legislators: A Comparison of Abscam and the Land Fraud Schemes

NCJ Number
125966
Journal
Police Studies Volume: 13 Issue: 1 Dated: (Spring 1990) Pages: 14-25
Author(s)
F M Kaiser
Date Published
1990
Length
12 pages
Annotation
There are a number of important parallels between two highly visible, controversial Federal criminal investigations involving members of the United States Congress: i.e., Abscam during the Carter administration and the land fraud investigations under Theodore Roosevelt's presidency.
Abstract
But their results and political effects differed markedly. Using contemporary and historical sources, this comparative analysis identifies the factors that determine such a sensitive executive-initiated operation and the congressional reaction to it. In so doing, the study also provides insights into what constitutes political corruption, the conditions that support efforts to combat it, and the manifest and latent functions of these investigations. 3 notes and 56 references. (Publisher abstract)