After Feeney was exposed, after the FBI came knocking, and after reporters started calling, Feeney decided to consult with the Ethics Committee in 2005. He then wrote a personal check for $5,643, the alleged cost of the 2003 golf trip, and gave it to the U.S. Treasury. No punishment from the Ethics Committee; he just gave some money to the U.S. government. To make matters worse, the money he contributed represented only a fraction of the actual cost of the trip, which included the cost of of a private jet.

The criminal complaint against convicted Abramoff co-conspirator Mark Zachares, former Secretary of the CNMI Department of Labor and Immigration, reads:

16. From on or about August 9, 2003, through on or about August 14, 2003, ZACHARES, Abramoff and six other individuals, including a Member of the United States House of Representatives (Representative #3), traveled to Scotland to play golf on world-famous courses. Abramoff and his clients paid nearly all expenses for the trip for all participants, including ZACHARES and Representative #3, including costs in excess of $160,000 for private jet service between Maryland and Scotland, luxury hotel accommodations in Scotland, twice-daily golf at St. Andrews and other famous courses, meals, drinks, and local transportation.

Feeney is Representative #3. Let's see - 8 people went to Scotland, and the trip cost in excess of $160,000 so that makes each share come out to how much? He needs to donate a lot more than $5,643.

The Scotland junket wasn't the only trip Feeney took from a lobbyist. Since he became a member of the U.S. Congress in 2002, Feeney took 16 trips totaling $61,449 paid for by right wing think tanks, lobbyists, and other organizations.

In February 2003, Feeney took a trip to Asia paid for by Korea -US Exchange Council formed by Ed Buckham, former chief of staff for Tom Delay. The nine day trip included stops in Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong and China. The Korean - US Exchange Council was registered as foreign agent with the Department of Justice and is financed by the Korean Hanwha Group chaired by Sueng Youn Kim. Julie Doolittle, wife of Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA), also under investigation by the FBI, worked for the Korea - US Exchange Council.

Feeney traveled to West Palm Beach, Florida in November 2003. The trip was also allegedly paid for by a registered lobbying firm. In February 2007, Feeney accepted a $6,539.39 trip to Hamburg and Munich Germany paid for by the International Management and Development Institute run by APCO Worldwide lobbyist, Don Bonker. They also funded a 2003 trip to Paris, France and Stuttgart, Germany.

Feeney staffer Jason Roe said,

"Any assertion that this office knew Abramoff paid for the Scotland trip is a g--d----- lie," Roe wrote in the email being sought by the FBI. The email was quoted in a newspaper article last year."

It seems staffer Roe also enjoys traveling. Since serving for Feeney, has taken 17 trips paid for by think tanks and other organizations.

The St. Petersberg Times noted that Feeney didn't just like to accept money, he also threw money around:

Feeney paid the tab at Abramoff's Washington restaurant, Signatures, at least three times, twice when the costs were more than $2,000, according to Feeney's campaign finance reports.

Here is some background on Feeney's early political years. Tom Feeney started his political career in 1990 as a member of Florida's House of Representatives. In 1994 he ran as lieutenant governor on a ticket with Jeb Bush and lost. Feeney served as Florida's House Speaker. He played a prominent role in the Florida 2000 presidential election scandal helping to ensure that Bush stole the election from Al Gore. Feeney worked hand-in-hand with Katherine Harris, and the Abramoff's Greenberg Taurig firm hired to secure votes for Bush during the Florida recount. Raw Story reported:

Four of Abramoff’s colleagues—all of whom have left Greenberg in the wake of investigations surrounding Abramoff’s activities—were foot soldiers in the Florida recount. Two of them bragged of their recount work on their official online Greenberg biographies, which have since been removed.

Shawn Vasell noted that he was a “team leader” in Broward and Duval counties in his bio; Duane Gibson was photographed in the acclaimed “Brooks Brothers riot” of Republican operatives outside the Miami-Dade County polling headquarters; Todd Boulanger boasted of being on the Broward and Duval recount team in his profile. Also on the ground was former DeLay deputy chief of staff Tony Rudy.

Perhaps the meetings during the recount days led to Feeney's introduction to his idol, Tom Delay. Feeney was reportedly a loyal Delay follower, voting with him "almost all the time", and donating $5,000 to his legal defense fund.

Feeney was allegedly involved in a voting machine fraud scheme. The scheme involved controlling the vote in West Palm Beach, Florida. Feeney also led the controversial Florida congressional redistricting plan.

In 2001 the ACLU took Feeney to task for his "voting reform legislation". In 2002, he banned a Palm Beach Post reporter from the House floor for writing unflattering stories about Feeney's aide who used her state email account to contact lobbyists and Republican Party workers concerning Feeney campaign events.

Feeney created the Conservative check card, a wallet sized card with six conservative principles that members of Congress could check before they vote. Abramoff buddy Grover Norquist said this about the check card:

“The federal budget keeps ballooning in the face of more discussions about fiscal restraint...Conservative Check Cards make it less convenient for lawmakers to toss aside fiscal sensibility when it’s time to vote or craft legislation.”

Feeney also accepted over $5,000 in campaign contributions from Abramoff and his friends Tony Rudy, Edwin Buckham, and his wife Wendy between 2003 and 2006.

In July 2006 Feeney's real estate deals were exposed. In 2003 he bought rental property with a partner and failed to report it, which was a violation of the House rules.

Thankfully, Feeney was defeated by Rep. Suzanne Kosmos (D-FL) in the last election. Hopefully, he'll have the good sense to spare the people of Florida and not run again.

Feeney currently is registered as a lobbyist in Florida with Fowler O'Quinn Feeney and Sneed PA.

For an in-depth analysis on Feeney's case visit my friend at The Anti Corruption Republican.