"Even by the most cynical Washington standards, the tale of the Indian tribes and the fat-cat lobbyists is a doozie. Imagine: Interested in protecting their lucrative casino gambling interests, the tribes hire top-drawer Washington influence peddlers. Nothing unusual there.

In this case, maybe it even makes some sense that your lobbyists are Jack Abramoff and Michael Scanlon, two hired guns who liked to brag about their ties to powerful Republicans. All the better, right? Never mind that the pleasure of working with the two lobbyists may have cost one tribe more than $30 million and another about half that. Tribes thought they were buying fancy grass-roots and Washington lobbying services. Think again. Abramoff and Co., according to documents released by Senate investigators, were lining their pockets."

Get the Story:
Gloria Borger: E-mail trail of jeers leads to hired guns (The New York Daily News 6/26)

Committee Exhibits:
Part 1 | Part 2

Witness List/Testimony:
Oversight Hearing Before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on the In Re Tribal Lobbying Matters, Et Al (June 22, 2005)

Relevant Links:
Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians - http://www.choctaw.org

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