"Montana's two U.S. senators are making national news for their cozy relationships with Washington, D.C., lobbyists. The stories aren't flattering.

The Washington Post and Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper, last week reported that U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., last year applied pressure to direct a $3 million federal grant intended for poor Indian tribal schools to the Saginaw Chippewa tribe of Michigan, one of the wealthiest in the country. At the time, the tribe was a client of Jack Abramoff, a prominent Republican lobbyist now under investigation by the FBI and other agencies.

Abramoff, his lobbyist associates and his tribal clients have been major sources of Burns campaign funds, giving $137,000 raised by Burns, chairman of the Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, in 'soft money donations.'"

Get the Story:
Horse sense: Senators need logos to show their real bosses (The Billings Gazette 3/6)

Relevant Links:
Saginaw Chippewa Tribe - http://www.sagchip.org
Saginaw Chippewa Voices - http://www.scitmembervoices.com

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