Feb 12 2006 - WASHINGTON
One of Jack Abramoff's ex-colleagues confirms he contacted Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid's office on behalf of the influential lobbyist but says he does not believe Abramoff's billing records accurately reflect the extent of his work.
Ronald Platt, a lobbyist who worked with Abramoff at the Greenberg Traurig firm between 2001 and 2004, said he contacted Reid's office in 2001, as the billing records show, about the timing of minimum wage legislation affecting one of Abramoff's clients, the Northern Mariana Islands.
"When Abramoff first arrived at Greenberg Traurig, I did a new colleague a favor by simply asking Reid staffers about when the minimum wage legislation affecting the Mariana Islands would be voted upon by the Senate. I communicated this to Abramoff," Platt said in a statement e-mailed Friday evening to The Associated Press.
The AP reported on Thursday that lobbying firm billing records obtained under public records law from the Marianas showed that Abramoff billed the islands for 21 contacts in 2001 with Reid's office.
The records listed the minimum wage as the issue and Platt as the point of contact for most of those contacts. Platt had registered with the Senate in 2001 to lobby for the Marianas as well as for some Abramoff tribal clients.
Reid's office confirmed this week it had "routine contact" with Platt over the years on lobbying issues such as the Marianas and American Indian tribes, but said it could not verify all the contacts listed in the billing records.
When lying liars lie
Clutching his hands to his heart Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., calls for lawmakers, especially Republicans, to clean up the tainted relationship between lawmakers and lobbyists in the wake of the scandal involving former lobbyist Jack Abramoff at the Library of Congress in Washington Jan. 18, 2006. From left to right are: Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., Reid, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.., and Rep. James E. Clyburn, D-SC.
