Abramoff Scandal | National | Politics

Donald Trump's campaign manager linked to Abramoff scandal

Thursday, September 3, 2015

Corey Lewandowski. Still image from YouTube

Corey Lewandowski, the campaign manager for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, is tied to the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal that costs tribes tens of millions of dollars.

Lewandowski served as chief of staff to former Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio). Although he wasn't implicated in any crimes, he eagerly defended the only member of Congress who convicted as part of the scandal.

“I had the privilege of spending 20 hours a day with Bob seven days a week for over three years,” Lewandowski wrote in a letter to the judge who handled the case against Ney, The Daily Beast reported. “In that time, I learned more about life, people, politics, friendships [sic] and the importance of family than I ever could have imagined. Bob served as a mentor to me, as a surrogate father, and as a best fiiend [sic] all in one.

Lewandowski had legal trouble of his own when he worked for Ney. He was charged with a misdemeanor for bringing an unloaded gun into a Capitol Hill office building and filed a lawsuit when he didn't get his firearm back, The New York Times reported.

Ney admitted accepting campaign contributions, trips, event tickets and other items of value from Abramoff in exchange for helping Abramoff's tribal clients. He took money from the Tigua Tribe of Texas and promised to pass legislation to reopen the tribe's casino.

Get the Story:
For His Unconventional Campaign, Donald Trump Looks to an Unorthodox Manager (The New York Times 9/4)
Donald Trump’s Campaign Chief Backed a Crooked Congressman, Called Him ‘My Surrogate Father’ (The Daily Beast 8/3)