Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona), the chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, has been criticized by some Republicans for investigating disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Grover Norquist, head of the Americans for Tax Reform group, has said McCain is targeting Abramoff and his associates because they supported President George W. Bush in the 2000 Republican primaries. McCain lost the race.

But now McCain is fighting back, The Nation reports. "There's never been a shortage of blowhards and bores in this town," said Mark Salter, McCain's chief of staff. "I'm sure Grover is comfortable in their crowded ranks, but that hardly merits the attention he craves...Most Reagan revolutionaries came to Washington to do something more patriotic than rip off Indian tribes."

Get the Story:
The Gamblers Go Bust (The Nation 7/5)

Relevant Links:
Americans for Tax Reform - http://www.atr.org

Related Stories:
Opinion: Abramoff and Norquist like 'cat burglars' (06/09)
Two tribes paid $50K to attend White House meeting (6/7)
Opinion: Indian 'conservatives' pay to meet Bush (6/7)
Opinion: Christians should return tribal donation (6/7)
Ex-Coushatta leader paid $25K for White House meet (6/6)
Abramoff supporter in running for Coushatta chair (5/30)
GOP Activist Grover Norquist: 'McCain hates me' (05/23)
Coushatta tribal member went on DeLay golf outing (05/06)
Coushatta Tribe sues Abramoff, Scanlon in state court (04/22)
Coushatta Tribe hires law firm linked to DeLay (03/18)
Coushatta Tribe sues ex-lobbyists for $32M (11/17)
Coushatta Tribe to sue lobbyists for $32M (10/4)
Coushattas used lobbyists to spy on tribes, critics (09/13)
Senate hearing on tribal lobbying probe set (8/26)
Coushatta member threatened over recall effort (08/09)
Coushatta Tribe's lobbying records subpoenaed (07/23)
GOP strategist denies secretly taking tribal money (7/15)
Tribal money secretly funneled to GOP strategist (06/25)
Busy Indian Affairs Committee hits snag on big issues (06/17)
Indian Affairs Committee activity this week (6/15)
Indian Country awaits outcome of lobbying probe (05/18)
Coushatta treasurer accuses NIGC of lax oversight (04/12)
Coushatta leaders used tribal money to pay lobbyists (4/8)
Coushatta Tribe paid $32M to lobbyist Jack Abramoff (4/6)
McCain begins investigation into high tribal fees (3/4)
McCain calls for investigation into tribal spending (2/27)
Four tribes spent $45M on lobbying and PR firms (2/23)