Advertise:   ads@blueearthmarketing.com   712.224.5420

Politics
Miss Choctaws say gaming cash not used to lobby


The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians spends millions on lobbying but none of that money comes from the tribe's successful gaming operation, an official said.

The unnamed official said the tribe keeps its gaming cash separate from its non-gaming cash. But the source of the funds is being questioned because $1.15 million in tribal funds ended up in the hands of two anti-gaming groups in Alabama.

"They [the Choctaw] have an ulterior motive in what they're doing," Dan Ireland, an anti-gambling leader told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Dollar for dollar, how do you know where the money came from? How can you follow the paper trail?"

The tribe's donation was arranged by Republican activist Ralph Reed, who opposes gaming. He says it is acceptable to take money from a gaming tribe as long as it wasn't derived from gaming sources.

Get the Story:
Funds tribe gave to Reed hard to trail (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 5/31)
pwday

Related Stories:
Gaming leads to new concerns about lobbyists (05/26)
Editorial: Congress should look at all lobbyist cash (05/26)
Column: Some questions Ralph Reed needs to answer (5/23)
Ralph Reed changes story on $1.15M tribal donation (5/20)
Editorial: Alabama Christians have lost credibility (5/19)
Gaming money went straight to Ralph Reed's pocket (5/18)
Editorials: Christian activists have explaining to do (05/16)
GOP group funneled tribal money to anti-gamblers (5/13)
Abramoff scandal an issue in Georgia campaign (05/09)
Saginaw Chippewa Tribe gave $25K to GOP tax group (04/25)
One GOP group won't give records to McCain (04/22)
McCain subpoenas GOP groups linked to Abramoff (04/21)
FEC ruling separates tribes from their businesses (03/14)
GOP critic of McCain received tribal donations (11/08)
Ralph Reed paid $4.1M to oppose tribes (10/26)
Christian Coalition still after Poarch Creeks (10/19)
High-priced lobbyist scam linked to lawmakers (11/18)
Tigua Tribe tells of lobbying horror story (11/18)
Tigua Tribe mum on Washington lobbyists (10/12)
Tigua Tribe outraged over being played as 'moronic' (09/28)
Lobbyists worked for, against 'moronic' Tiguas (09/27)
Group opposing Poarch Creeks tied to tribal lobbyists (09/16)
Bush strategist now knows source of tribal funds (09/01)
Bush strategist claims no knowledge of funds (08/31)
Bush-GOP strategist admits taking tribal money (08/30)
GOP strategist denies secretly taking tribal money (07/15)
Tribal money secretly funneled to GOP strategist (06/25)