Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal

File:Time Cover Abramoff.jpg

Lobbyist Jack Abramoff was featured on the cover of TIME magazine, the week of January 9 2006, after his guilty plea.

The Jack Abramoff lobbying and corruption scandal is a United States political scandal relating to the work performed by political lobbyists Jack Abramoff, Ralph E. Reed, Jr., Grover Norquist and Michael Scanlon on behalf of Indian casino gambling interests. The lobbyists are accused of orchestrating lobbying against their own clients in order to force them to pay for lobbying services.

In the course of the scheme, the lobbyists are accused of illegally giving gifts and making campaign donations to legislators in return for votes or support of legislation. Politicians implicated include Tom DeLay, Conrad Burns, Tom Harkin and Bob Ney. Repercussions of the investigation caused DeLay to decline to reseek his former position as House leader.

In addition to his involvement in the Indian Gambling scandal, Abramoff is under investigation by a grand jury in Guam over possibly illegal contract payments and money laundering and was indicted on August 11 2005 by a third grand jury in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for a $23 million bank fraud arising out of the purchase of the SunCruz Casinos boat company. Abramoff is also a 'person of interest' in the murder investigation of Konstantinos Boulis, the original owner of SunCruz.

On January 3, 2006, Abramoff pleaded guilty to three felony counts, conspiracy, fraud, and tax evasion, involving charges stemming principally from his lobbying activities in Washington on behalf of Native American tribes. In addition, Abramoff and other defendants must make restitution of at least $25 million that was defrauded from clients, most notably the Native American tribes. Further, Abramoff owes the Internal Revenue Service $1.7 million as a result of his guilty plea to the tax evasion charge.

The agreement alleges that Abramoff bribed public officials. One of the cases of bribery described in detail involves a person identified as "Representative #1," who was reported by the Washington Post to be Representative Bob Ney (R-OH). Ney's spokesman confirmed that Ney was the Representative identified, but denied any improper influence.[1] The agreement also details Abramoff's practice of hiring former congressional staffers. Abramoff used these persons' influence to lobby their former Congressional employers, in violation of a one-year federal ban on such lobbying. [2]

After Abramoff's guilty plea, investigations were shifted early January 2006 to focus on the lobbying firm Alexander Strategy Group, founded by a "close friend of DeLay's and his former chief of staff."[3]. The lobbying firm announced its closure come the end of the same month due to "fatal publicity"; it had represented such large firms as Microsoft and PhRMA.

Background

Abramoff, Reed and Norquist all served as officers in the College Republican National Committee (CRNC). In college, Reed would sleep on Abramoff’s couch. According to his book "Active Faith," he also introduced Abramoff to his future wife.

Abramoff was elected Chairman of the CRNC in 1983, and appointed Reed Executive Director of the CRNC in the same year, succeeding Norquist. Norquist had managed Abramoff's campaign for National Chairman and would later found Americans for Tax Reform, an anti-tax group which would later serve as a fundraising conduit in the Indian gaming scandal.

At the CRNC, Abramoff, Norquist and Reed formed what was known as the "Abramoff-Norquist-Reed triumvirate." Upon Abramoff's election, the trio purged "dissidents" and re-wrote the CRNC's bylaws to consolidate their control over the organization. Reed was the "hatchet man" and "carried out Abramoff-Norquist orders with ruthless efficiency, not bothering to hide his fingerprints." (Nina J. Easton, Gang of Five, page 142)

Greenberg Traurig and Preston Gates & Ellis Law Firms

Jack Abramoff was an employee of Greenberg Traurig and Preston Gates & Ellis law firms. [[4]]

Allegations of corrupt lobbying practices

Jack Abramoff testified before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee on September 29 2004, where he repeatedly refused to answer Senators' questions by "taking the fifth".

Abramoff and his partner Scanlon are alleged to have engaged in a series of corrupt practices in connection to their lobbying work for various Indian Casino gambling tribes. The fees paid to Abramoff and Scanlon for this work are believed to exceed $85 million.

In particular, Abramoff and Scanlon are alleged to have conspired with Washington power broker Norquist and Christian activist Reed to co-ordinate lobbying against his own clients and prospective clients with the objective of forcing them to engage Abramoff and Scanlon to lobby against their own covert operations. Reed was paid to campaign against gambling interests that competed with Abramoff clients. Norquist served as a go-between by funneling money to Reed.

Gabon's President Bongo's Oval Office Meeting

Convicted Felon superlobbyist Jack Abramoff in 2003 Sought $9 Million to Set up a Bush Meeting with the west central African nation Gabon's President Bongo. President Bush met with President Bongo in the Oval office in May 2004. This was documented in Abramoff's lobbying plan for Gabon written in 2003, ten month prior to the meeting. White House Spokesman Trent Duffy descibe the meeting as routine and the meeting setup as going through normal staffing channels.

Mllion of dollars were actually paid to the Maryland organization GrassRoots Interactive, though the California law offices of Robert Abramoff, brother of Jack Abramoff. This organization was set up by Edward B Miller, Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich's Deputy Chief of Staff. [[5]]

Allegation of double dealing

Reed repeatedly denied knowing the source of the money used to fund his campaign against the casinos until prosecutors released emails exchanged between him and Abramoff. According to emails, Reed and Norquist contacted Abramoff separately in 1999 to say they wanted to do business. Norquist complained about a "$75K hole in my budget from last year." Reed said he was counting on Abramoff "to help me with some contacts."

On February 7 2000, supposedly Abramoff warned Reed that an initial payment for antilottery radio spots and mailings would be less than Reed thought. "I need to give Grover something for helping, so the first transfer will be a bit lighter," Abramoff wrote. The transfer was apparently lighter than even Abramoff expected. In a note to himself on February 22, Abramoff wrote, "Grover kept another $25K!" Norquist claims he had permission.

In 2000, Abramoff forced the Choctaws to give the Alabama Christian Coalition $1.15 million in installments. Norquist agreed to pass the money on to the Coalition and another Alabama antigambling group, both of which Reed was mobilizing for the fight against a proposed Alabama state lottery.

In 2002, after Abramoff worked with Reed to close the casino of the Tigua tribe, he persuaded the tribe to hire him to lobby Congress to reopen the casino.

Of the $7.7 million Abramoff and Scanlon charged the Choctaw for projects in 2001, they spent $1.2 million on their behalf and split the rest in a scheme they called "gimme five."

Alleged spending irregularities

In 2004, Abramoff resigned from Greenberg Traurig amid a scandal related to spending irregularities in his work as a lobbyist for Native American tribes involved in gambling, namely The Mississippi Choctaw, the Louisiana Coushatta, the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, Sandia Pueblo, the Saginaw Chippewa and the Tigua of Ysleta del Sur Pueblo.

The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians paid $15 million to Abramoff and Scanlon's organizations. The bills were heavily padded. For example, in April 2000 he padded 2 hours with over 60 hours to achieve a "$150k minimum." [6] The funds were diverted to a number of projects, including the Eshkol Academy, an all-boys Orthodox Jewish school set up by Abramoff in Maryland, and to a friend who ran sniper workshops for the Israel Defence Forces.[7]

American international center

Part of the sums paid by the tribes for lobbying were paid to the American International Center, an organization presenting itself as a think tank headed by David Grosh, a lifeguard on the Delaware shore who operated it from his beach house. Grosh had no qualifications or work experience relevant to policy research and currently works as a construction worker. At a Senate hearing, Grosh admitted that he had abetted the deception and said that he was "embarrassed and disgusted to be a part of this whole thing."

Insulting (possibly racial) references to clients

In emails now made public by the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, who is investigating his activities, Abramoff repeatedly referred to Native Americans as "monkeys", "troglodites" and "idiots." [8]

Abramoff via email once asked his co-conspirator Scanlon to meet a client, saying, "I have to meet with the monkeys from the Choctaw tribal council. You need to close the deal... with the client..."

About one tribal client (date unknown) Abramoff wrote to Scanlon, "These mofos are the stupidest idiots in the land for sure." In another email message he wrote, "we need to get some money from those monkeys!!"

US Senator Jonh McCain (R-AZ)& Chairman Howard Dean (D-VT)

John McCain has said of the Abramoff scheme, "Even in this town, where huge sums are routinely paid as the price of political access, the figures are astonishing."

Howard Dean, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, has stated to CNN's Late Edition moderator Wolf Blitzer on January 9, 2006 that absolutely NO democratic national politicians received money directly from Abramoff. "DEAN: There are no Democrats who took money from Jack Abramoff, not one, not one single Democrat. Every person named in this scandal is a Republican. Every person under investigation is a Republican. Every person indicted is a Republican. This is a Republican finance scandal. There is no evidence that Jack Abramoff ever gave any Democrat any money. And we've looked through all of those FEC reports to make sure that's true." [9]

Ralph Reed and James Dobson's denials

From a television interview conducted on October 19 2005 in Atlanta

Ralph E. Reed, Jr. said he asked Abramoff's firm for assurances his pay would not be in gambling dollars.

"And I was provided with those assurances by the law firm," Reed said. "If we were paid with funds that derived from gambling activity, then it was contrary to my understanding and the assurances that I received." [10]

From the Chicago Tribune on January 5 2006,

Abramoff recruited prominent Christian conservatives James Dobson and Ralph Reed to campaign against the Jena Band's casino on the grounds it would expand gambling, even though Abramoff's clients were casinos. Dobson and Reed have said they were duped. [11]

Individuals Allegedly Involved

Abramoff has a reputation for largesse considered exceptional even by Washington standards. In addition to offering many Republican members of Congress expensive free meals at his restaurant, Signatures, Abramoff maintained four skyboxes at major sports arenas for political entertaining at a cost of over $1 million a year. Abramoff hosted many fundraisers at these skyboxes including events for politicians publicly opposed to gambling, such as John Doolittle. [12] Jack Abramoff never made a campaign contribution to a Democrat, and there is no evidence that he directed his clients to contribute to Democrats. In fact, the indian tribes who did give donations to polititions did so in a perfectly legal fashion.

U.S. Rep. & Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX)

Joining Abramoff on a vacation was Tom DeLay, whose airfare to London and Scotland in 2000 was charged to an American Express card issued to Abramoff, according to two sources who know Abramoff's credit card account number and to a copy of a travel invoice displaying that number. DeLay's expenses during the same trip for food, phone calls and other items at a golf course hotel in Scotland were billed to a different credit card also used on the trip by a second registered Washington lobbyist, Edwin A. Buckham, according to receipts documenting that portion of the trip.[13]

U.S. Rep. & Former Chairman of the House Administration Committee Bob Ney (R-OH)

Bob Ney also implicated

In 2002, after Abramoff and Reed closed the casino of the Tigua tribe, Abramoff persuaded the tribe to hire him to lobby Congress to reopen the casino. After Abramoff met with Bob Ney to ask him to push the legislation, the Tigua (by overnight mail) sent three checks to Ney's political committees, totaling $32,000. The apparent exchange of campaign contributions in return for Ney's support of an amendment to reopen the Tigua's casino could constitute bribery.

Emails between Abramoff and the Tigua's political consultant show that Ney solicited the Tigua to pay for part of a 2002 golf trip to Scotland, knowing full well that solicitation of travel is specifically prohibited by House rules. Shortly after Ney returned from Scotland, he was scheduled to meet with members of the Tigua tribal council. Prior to that meeting, Abramoff reminded the Tigua that "for obvious reasons" the golf trip would not be mentioned at the meeting, but that Ney show his appreciation "in other ways," which was, Abramoff pointed out, just what the tribe wanted. Although the tribe never ended up paying for the golf trip, Ney's attempt to tie the gift of the trip to the legislative assistance the tribe was seeking likely violates federal criminal law.

Ney (R-OH) lied when he said he was "duped" by Abramoff and lied again on financial disclosure forms when he said that a nonprofit had paid for the trip. However, Safavian, in an email to his government employer seeking permission to go on the trip, states that Abramoff personally extended invitations to all the guests. Ney also said he made the trip to speak to Scottish parliamentarians. But the Scottish parliament wasn't in session at the time he was in Scotland.

Ney is also implicated in the separate Abramoff SunCruz scandal.

Ney is now setting up a legal defense fund for Abramoff. [14]

Ney has been confirmed to be "Representative #1," in Abramoff's January 3 plea agreement [15],[16]

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)

Between 2001 and 2004 Sen. Harry Reid received $61,000 from donors with links to Abramoff, Reid's office confirmed, and has decided not to return any donations. Reid sent a letter they wrote on March 5 2002, to Interior Secretary Gale Norton asking her to reject an application from the Jena Band of Choctaw Indians, which was seeking to open a casino outside its Louisiana reservation. An Abramoff client fighting the Jena casino, the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana, donated $5,000 to Reid's political action committee, the Searchlight Leadership Fund, the next day. There is no evidence that the tribe had requested that Reid write the letter in a quid pro quo arrangement with the indian tribe, nor is there any evidence that Jack Abramoff directed any campaign contributions to Reid.

Reid also has been linked to Abramoff through Edward Ayoob, who worked for Reid from June 1997 to March 2002 variously as legislative counsel, tax counsel, appropriations manager, foreign affairs adviser and chief aide on judicial nominations, according to a biography on his employer's Web site. Ayoob in 2002 was hired as a lobbyist by Greenberg Traurig LLP, where his work included teaming with Abramoff and other lobbyists on client matters. According to the Greenberg Traurig website, Greenberg Traurig has over 1400 lobbyists.

Abramoff left Greenberg Traurig in March 2004 after the Senate and the FBI began investigating his activities while Ayoob left Greenberg Traurig in spring 2005. Ayoob is now a senior lobbyist at Barnes & Thornburg LLP.

Reid downplayed Ayoob's role, saying Ayoob was a legislative assistant on his staff and not an adviser.

Ayoob and Reid met "from time to time" after Ayoob became a lobbyist, according to a Reid spokesperson. She said she did not know when they last spoke or how Reid would characterize their relationship today.[17]

U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND)

Senator Byron Dorgan, the senior Democrat on the Senate committee investigating Abramoff, advocated for programs pushed by Abramoff's clients around the time he accepted tens of thousands of dollars from associates and clients of Abramoff (though NOT from Abramoff[O'Reilly]). According to the National Republican Senatorial Committee, Dorgan received at least $79,300 from Indian tribe clients and lobbying associates of Abramoff. [18]

After several news articles appeared detailing the tribal donations[19], Dorgan wrote a news release replying to several claims he said were erroneous, including the allegation he received money directly from Abramoff. In the release, Dorgan said, "The fact is I have never met Abramoff and have never received a campaign contribution from him. If he was directing any of his clients to make a political contribution to me, it was done without my knowledge."[20]

Dorgan says, in the release, that his activities in support of several tribal programs are continuing his trend of supporting Native American issues since being elected, and do not stem from Abramoff-related campaign contributions.

In December 2005, Dorgan returned tribal donations totaling $67,000.[21][22]

U.S. Rep. Tom Feeney, III (R-FL);

Congressman Tom Feeney (R-FL) joined other Republicans on the now infamous golf trip to Scotland with Abramoff in 2003.

U.S. Rep. Richard Pombo (R-CA)

In 2003, Abramoff gave Richard Pombo's (R-CA) PAC $5,000. Abramoff also gave $2,000, the maximum allowed, to Pombo's congressional campaign committee that same year.

On January 8 2006 the LA Times reported that "Pombo helped one of Abramoff's clients, the Mashpee Indians in Massachusetts, gain official recognition as a tribe; the congressman received contributions from the lobbyist and the tribe in that instance."[23]

U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA)

According to the FEC, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) failed to account properly for two fundraisers he held in Abramoff’s skybox at Washington’s MCI Center in 2002 and 2003, according to filings with the FEC and the Iowa Democrat's spokeswoman.[24]

U.S. Rep. Mike Ferguson (R-NJ)

New Jersey Republican Rep. Mike Ferguson is not going to give back the $1,000 he received in 2001, according to his spokeswoman Abby Bird. [25]

U.S. Senator Conrad Burns (R-MT)

Conrad Burns (R-Montana) is an alleged recipient of illegal favors and $136,000 in campaign contributions from Abramoff. As the chair of the Interior Subcommittee on Appropriations, Burns received over $136,000 in campaign contributions through Abramoff and then directed $3 million to the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe of Michigan, an Abramoff client and one of the wealthiest tribes in the country from a program intended to help the neediest tribes fix dilapidated schools.

After initially claiming credit for the appropriation, Burns subsequently denied knowledge of it. "A lot of things happened that I didn't know about. It shouldn't have happened, but it did."

Although intially refusing to return Abramoff's donations,[26] Burns ultimately said that he would return or give away $150,000 he received from Abramoff and his clients.

In December, 2005, a leader of a tribe which gave $22,000 in campaign contributions to Burns in 2002 stated that they had done so solely at the request of Abramoff and believed the senator was part of “Abramoff's group.” [27]

U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX)

(R-Texas) On November 12 2001, Reed sent Abramoff an e-mail stating, "get me details so I can alert cornyn and let him know what we are doing to help him" [sic]. Similarly, on November 13, Reed wrote "I strongly suggest we start doing patch-throughs to perry and cornyn [sic]. We're getting killed on the phone." Also, on January 7 2002, Reed sent Abramoff an e-mail stating "I think we should budget for an ataboy for cornyn" [sic].

When John Cornyn ran for Senate, Abramoff contributed $1,000, the maximum amount legally allowed. Cornyn, who has spoken out against gambling, also received $6,250 in contributions from Las Vegas casino interests who oppose Indian gaming, some of which were made at the same time Cornyn was pushing to close the Tigua's casino.

U.S. Senator David Vitter (R-LA)

The Louisiana Jena Band of Choctaws offered testimony accusing Louisiana Senator David Vitter (R) of being in cahoots with Abramoff and his attempts to stymie the tribe's casino plans.[28]

U.S. Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA)

Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) is chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, one of several committees investigating the scandal. From 2001 to 2004, Grassley received over $62,000 in donations from groups related to the scandal. In March 2002 he sent a letter to Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton opposing the Jena casino. In April he received a donation of $1000 from Abramoff's firm. [29]

New Jersey State Senator William Gormley (R-Atlantic, NJ)

New Jersey State Sen. William Gormley, R-Atlantic, got $1,000 from Abramoff when Gormley was running for the U.S. Senate in 2000. [30]

Abramoff also gave $5,000 to the New Jersey Republican State Committee. New Jersey Democratic Party Chairwoman Bonnie Watson Coleman hopes this money will be returned to Abramoff. [31]

According to an analysis by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, Abramoff has contributed more than $220,000 in New Jersey since 1995, almost exclusively to Republican candidates and committees and only a "smattering" of those who received donations from Abramoff have returned them. [32]

Documents showed that Abramoff and his firm paid travel bills not only for Republicans like DeLay, but also for Southern Democrats like James Clyburn of South Carolina and Bennie Thompson of Mississippi.

Maryland Governor Ehrlich's Deputy Chief of Staff Edward Miller (R)

A federal grand jury issued a subpoena in 2005 to Edward Miller, the deputy chief of staff of Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich (R-Baltimore,MD), because of Miller's connection to Grassroots Interactive. [33]

The White House

George W Bush (R.)

Howard Dean has called on Bush to return to donors what he said was more than $100,000 in campaign contributions raised by Abramoff. [34] [35]

Although the White House insists President Bush never met Jack Abramoff (except maybe at large gatherings) the Texas Observer reports that in May 2001, Abramoff "charged two of his clients $25,000 for a White House lunch date and a meeting with the President." [36]

White House Deputy Counsel Timothy Flanigan (R)

Former White House Deputy Counsel Timothy Flanigan left his job in December 2002 to work as General Counsel for Corporate and International Law at Tyco International. He immediately hired Abramoff to lobby Congress and the White House on matters relating to Tyco's Bermuda tax-exempt status. Tyco subsequently alleged that the company had been defrauded and that the astroturf campaign they paid for had never been performed.

• Democrats Press Justice Dept. Nominee Anew The New York Times, September 24, 2005

• Tyco Exec: Abramoff Claimed Ties to Administration, The Washington Post, September 23, 2005

Deputy United States Secretary of the Interior J. Steven Griles (R)

Abramoff claims in emails sent in 2002 that Griles had pledged to block an Indian casino that would compete with one of his clients. Abramoff later told two people that he was trying to hire Griles.

Abramoff Cited Aid Of Interior Official, The Washington Post, August 28, 2005

US GSA Chief Procurement Officer David Hossein Safavian (R)

On September 19 2005, David Safavian, who served as the head of the federal procurement policy at the Office of Management and Budget, was the first arrest of the scandal and was charged with lying to investigators and obstructing the federal inquiry of Abramoff. Lobbying disclosure forms show that in 2004 that Safavian was in the employment of Abdurahman Alamoudi, a fierce supporter of Hamas and Hezbollah. Prosecutors have also discovered evidence that Alamoudi has links to al-Qaeda.[37]

Campaign contributions returned or donated

Many politicians have returned or donated all or part of the money received from Abramoff or his clients though only two lawmakers have given some of this money to Native Americans. According to CBS, over 100 law makers have donated Abramoff related money to charitiy. It is not yet clear if donating the money will give them tax advantages in a way that returning the money would not or if these charities have a history of donating money or aiding favorable lawmakers in other ways.

President George W. Bush (R)

On January 4, 2005 President George W. Bush announced that his campaign will donate $6000 to the American Heart Association. The $6000 is the sum of the donations by Abramoff, Abramoff's wife, and the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan. Other funds raised by Abramoff, but not directly contributed by Abramoff will not be returned [38]. Abramoff was one of President Bush's Bush Pioneer an honorific given to campaign fundraisers who raised at least $100,000 in bundled contributions–and thus received special favors from the Bush Administration. On January 4, 2006 the group Texans for Public Justice urged the presidential campaign to disclose the sources of the $100,000 or more that Abramoff raised for the re-election effort, arguing that the public should know if the money came from Abramoff clients.[39]

Howard Dean has called on Bush to return to donors what he said was more than $100,000 in campaign contributions raised by Abramoff. [40]

Republican Governors Association

On January 12, 2006, The Boston Globe reported paraphrased Massachusetts Governor, Mitt Romney, saying that "the Republican Governors Association would donate to charity $500,000 in contributions it received from a donor entwined in the Abramoff investigation."

U.S. Rep. J.D.Hayworth (R-AZ)

Rep.J.D. Hayworth the largest single recipient of "Abramoff Related Money" and co-chairman of the Congressional Native American Caucus (Because he's from Arizona), has received more than $150,000 from Indian tribes once "represented" by Abramoff. These "donations" Hayworth has said he will keep because they were given independently of Abramoff's influence. He donated to charity $2,250 he got directly from from Abramoff.

U.S. Senator Jim Talent (R-MO)

On October 26 Sen. Jim Talent returned a $2,000 contribution made to his 2002 Senate campaign by Abramoff. Talent also returned a $1,000 contribution that Abramoff's former law firm made to Talent's re-election campaign earlier this year. [41]

U.S. Senator Max Baucus (D-MT)

Sen. Max Baucus gave $18,892 in Abramoff-related money he received to tribal colleges in Montana.

U.S. Senator Conrad Burns (R-MT)

Sen. Conrad Burns the fourth largest recipient of "Abramoff Related Money" some $60,000 announced that he would return or donate $150,000 he received from Abramoff and his clients. His spokesman had previously claimed that the money could not be returned as the committee that received it was shut down and the money was "already spent".[42] It should be noted that these numbers don't make add up.

U.S. Rep. Dennis Rehberg (R-MT)

Rep. Dennis Rehberg returned $20,000.[43]

U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND)

On December 13, 2005 Sen. Byron Dorgan reported that he would return $67,000 in questionable donations from Abramoff's clients (the entierity of "Abramoff Related Money" which he has). Dorgan was quoted as saying he would not "knowingly keep even one dollar in contributions if there is even a remote possibility that they could have been the result of any action Mr. Abramoff might have taken." [44]

U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ)

On August 18, 2005, Rep. Frank LoBiondo said he plans to give back the $1,000 contribution he received in 2001 from Abramoff.

U.S. Rep. Jim Saxton (R-NJ)

On August 18, 2005 Rep. Jim Saxton also returned a $1,000 contribution Abramoff made in 2001. [45]

U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY)

On January 5, 2006, Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign announced that it would contribute $2,000 in donations from American Indian tribe clients of lobbyist Jack Abramoff to a New York charity. [46]

U.S. Rep. & Former Chairman of the House Transportation Committee Ernest Istook (R-OK)

On January 9, 2006, Rep. Ernest Istook announced he is giving $23,000 that was donated to his re-election campaign or his PAC to the Boy Scouts of America. This is in addition to $6,000 in Abramoff-related donations given to Indian health research last month. In December 2005, Rep. Ernest Istook, said he would donate a $1,000 campaign donation he received from Abramoff to the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation for Indian health research. A $5,000 donation to a political action committee Istook was involved with will also be given to the OMRF. [47]

U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio(D-OR)

On January 9, 2006, the office of Rep. Peter DeFazio announced he will return $1,500 he received from out-of-state Indian tribes represented by disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.[48]

U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA)

As the Virginia Democratic Party called on all Virginia Republicans in Congress to dump Abramoff's contributions, Virginia Representative and chief deputy Republican whip Eric Cantor announced that he would donate almost 10,000 of Abramoff money to charity on January 4.

U.S. Rep. Thomas M. Davis, III (R-VA)

At the same time, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that "Rep. Thomas M. Davis III, R-11th, planned to give to charity money from the Abramoffs and tribal clients, possibly totaling $4,500, according to an aide who was uncertain of the exact amount.

U.S. Rep. J. Randy Forbes (R-VA)

Rep. J. Randy Forbes planned to give to charity $1,000 from the Abramoffs;

U.S. Senator and Chairman of the Armed Services Committee John W. Warner (R-VA)

and Sen. John W. Warner, $1,000, from an Indian tribe." [49]

Campaign contributions to be kept

Some politicians who received campaign contributions from Abramoff's clients, but not from Abramoff himself, have decided to keep donations in cases where it was not possible to determine if Abramoff had anything to do with the contributions.

U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA)

Sen. Patty Murray received $35,000 from tribal donors who once used Abramoff's services. Murray will not return the donations, saying in a letter to the Seattle Times, "I will not rush to scapegoat those tribes who have already been victimized by Jack Abramoff."

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)

Sen. Harry Reid received $61,000 from donors with links to Abramoff, Reid's office confirmed, and has decided not to return any donations. [50]

U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY)

Rep. Charles Rangel of Harlem, who received $36,000 in donations from Abramoff clients, says he's keeping the money. A Rangel spokesman say Abramoff's guilty pleas won't affect Rangel's decision. [51]

U.S. Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA)

Rep. John Doolittle Who the fifth highest recipent of Abramoff directed money and has more gotten more money from this source than any two Democrats combined has refused to return the donations explaining that the money is his.

Ramifications

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, since 1999, at least 250 members of Congress have accepted campaign funds from Abramoff or his Indian clients. "This could be the biggest investigation of 2006," says Stephen Hess, professor of media and public affairs at George Washington University. [52]

Howard Dean, chairman of the DNC, has claimed "There are no Democrats who took money from Jack Abramoff, not one, not one single Democrat. Every person named in this scandal is a Republican. Every person under investigation is a Republican. Every person indicted is a Republican." A CNN search of FEC records confirms no personal donations from Abramoff were made to Democrats [53] while $172,933 was given for Republican candidates and $88,985 to Republican causes.

According to the Center, the bulk of the money at issue is from Abramoff's clients, amounting to more than $4.4 million since 1999. At least 65% of the money went to Republican candidates and party organizations, and approximately 35% went to Democratic candidates and organizations.

It should be noted that of the money given by Abramoff himself 100% went to Republicans.

Timeline

August 11th, 2005

• Abramoff is indicted by a third grand jury in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for a $23 million bank fraud arising out of the purchase of the SunCruz Casinos boat company.

January 3rd, 2006

• Abramoff pleads guilty to federal conspiracy, fraud and tax evasion charges. According to NPR, this puts Abramoff on the prosecutor's side and he is expected to cooperate in the continuing investigation that could involve "up to 20 members of Congress" NPR. The court filing is available as a PDF [54].

• Al Gore states "The Abramoff scandal is but the tip of a giant iceberg that threatens the integrity of the entire legislative branch of government."

External links

• who in the Abramoff scandal is guilty of what?
• The Abramoff Galaxy: Washington Post Graphic
• Bush men race to return Abramoff cash
• "How Abramoff Spread the Wealth". December 12, 2005. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |org= ignored (help)
• "The Fast Rise and Steep Fall of Jack Abramoff". December 29, 2005. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |org= ignored (help)
• "Unraveling Abramoff". January 3, 2006. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |org= ignored (help)
• Jack Abramoff and Grover Norquist Billing Clients for Face Time with G.W. Bush
• Abramoff and Congressional Reform, JURIST