GrassRoots Interactive

GrassRoots Interactive (GRI), now defunct, was a small Silver Spring, Maryland, United States, lobbying firm controlled by Jack Abramoff. It was founded "with a $10,000 investment" by the company's sole owner, Republican lawyer Edward B. Miller, in May 2003, "a month after he began work as a senior official in the state Department of Business and Economic Development." Miller, then a lawyer at DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary, is a former aide to Governor of Maryland Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. and "was promoted to deputy chief of staff in the governor's office" in early 2004.[1][2][3][4]

Documents, including copies of canceled checks, show that millions of dollars flowed into GrassRoots Interactive in 2003, the year it was created, and then flowed out again to unusual places. At least $2.3 million went to a California consulting firm that used the same address as the law office of Abramoff's brother, Robert. A separate check for $400,000, from GrassRoots, was made out to Kay Gold LLC, another Abramoff family company.[5]

In September 2003, Miller sold Grassroots to Samuel Hook, an associate with indicted lobbyist and Republican fund-raiser Jack Abramoff at the law firm Greenberg Traurig.[2]

  1. ^ Lobbyist Sought $9 Million to Set Bush Meeting - New York Times
  2. ^ a b Andrew A. Green, "Abramoff tied to contracts. Indicted lobbyist helped get work for firm founded by Ehrlich adviser, testimony says," Archived 2007-03-10 at the Wayback Machine Baltimore Sun, October 7, 2005.
  3. ^ Matthew Mosk, "Top Ehrlich Aide Assisting Abramoff Probe. Deputy Had Ties to Firm That Received Fees Allegedly Misspent by GOP Lobbyist," Washington Post, September 23, 2005.
  4. ^ Josephine Hearn, "Abramoff duo quits U.S.," Archived 2006-01-16 at the Wayback Machine The Hill, July 13, 2005.
  5. ^ Lobbyist Sought $9 Million to Set Bush Meeting Archived 2006-08-22 at the Wayback Machine