Posted on 12/13/2005 7:59:31 AM PST by SmithL
WASHINGTON -- The top Democrat on the Senate committee investigating Jack Abramoff's Indian lobbying is returning $67,000 in donations in response to Associated Press reports that he collected tribal money around the time he took actions favorable to those Abramoff clients.
While Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., never met Abramoff and didn't take any actions at the lobbyist's behest, he nonetheless wants to return the money to avoid any appearances that tribal money was directed to him by the controversial lobbyist, his office said Tuesday.
Dorgan is the senior Democrat on the Senate Indian Affairs Committee that has spent more than a year investigating alleged fraud in Abramoff's representation of Indian tribes, which were charged tens of millions of dollars in lobbying fees between 2001 and 2004.
AP reported in three stories over the last month that Dorgan did not disclose during the probe that he took actions favorable to Abramoff's tribal clients, often around the time he collected donations from Abramoff's firm or clients. For instance, Dorgan:
_Used Abramoff's arena skybox in March 2001 to raise money, letting one of Abramoff's tribes foot the bill for using the box. The senator says he didn't know at the time that Abramoff leased the box. He's recently reimbursed that money.
_Got Congress in the fall 2003 to press government regulators to decide, after decades of delay, whether the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe of Massachusetts deserved federal recognition. Dorgan met with the tribe's representatives and collected at least $11,500 in political donations from the Abramoff partner representing the Mashpee around the time of the help.
_Collected $20,000 from Abramoff's firm and tribes in the period around when he wrote a letter in 2002 urging the Senate Appropriations Committee to fund a school construction program that Abramoff's clients and other tribes wanted.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
The culture of corruption the Democrats were talking about?
Wow...now that really makes it okay now, doesn't it!?!
Culture of Corruption? Oh, wait, Dims aren't eligible.
Sen. Reid has already stated that he is keeping all of his donations.
Got caught red handed, huh?
Someone needs to hold that man down and shave off that comb over. That instead of prison.
He does have one of the more outstanding comb-overs in the Senate. But check out Senator Levin, too.
Democrat Corruption BTTT
If the republicans had any balls they would go after him NOW!
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