"In 2002, the Tigua Tribe hired [Jack] Abramoff and a secret partner, public relations operative Michael Scanlon, to help the tribe reopen its casino, which had been shut down after a federal court ruling. Ostensibly working for "free," Abramoff directed the tribe to hire Scanlon for $4.2 million, which the two surreptitiously split. What tribal leaders did not know is that Abramoff and Scanlon had played an important role in behind-the-scenes efforts to shut down the casino in the first place.

As Kamman relates, Abramoff convinced the tribe to spend $300,000 on a wide variety of campaign contributions, much of it going to the lobbyists' political friends. In short, these Washington sharks ate the tribe for lunch."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Lobbying greed (The Arizona Republic 2/8)

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