"The sheer scope of greed, corruption, dishonesty and outrageous hubris being revealed in a Senate Indian Affairs Committee investigation of possible fraud by lobbyist Jack Abramoff almost defies belief.
Abramoff is at the center of the hearings, along with Michael Scanlon, a public relations executive and former spokesman for House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas. The committee is investigating whether Abramoff misled the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians about his work on their behalf, mainly concerning casino gambling.
There are many lessons to be learned from an adventure in dishonesty of this size � including, we trust, severe punishment for the perpetrators of this latest outrage.
Native tribes succumbing to the easy-money allure of casino revenue should gain from the adage relearned by the Choctaw tribe in their foray into the sty of legalized gambling. You lie with pigs, you're gonna get dirty.
As the Choctaws of Mississippi have learned, there's a good reason for keeping close scrutiny on gambling operations figures. It's the same reason pigs are kept penned up. Greed."
Get the Story:
Greed gives hard lesson to Choctaw
(The Lincoln Journal Star 7/11)
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
Related Stories:
Choctaws billed for meals at Abramoff restaurant
(7/6)
Choctaws mum on donation to Christian Coalition
(7/6)
Choctaw cash flowed freely to Ralph Reed for
years (7/6)
McCain bashes Norquist for ripping off tribes
(7/6)
Opinion: Tribes share blame for Abramoff scandal
(7/4)
Time: Abramoff gave free dinners
to Congressmen (7/4)
Lobbying Report: Mississippi Band of Choctaw
Indians (6/27)
Choctaws hire three ex-Abramoff lobbyists
(6/27)
Senate committee plans to issue lobbying report
(6/24)
Under scrutiny, Choctaw tribe
goes into hiding (6/24)
Choctaws hire
lobbyist accused in Abramoff fraud (6/24)
Editorial: Reed lied about taking money from
Choctaws (6/24)
Opinion: Reed didn't
lie, he just followed the law (6/24)
Ralph Reed pressed by rival to document tribal ties
(6/24)
Column: Jack Abramoff's Choctaw
Nation (6/24)
Column: No limits to
Republican sleaze in Washington (6/24)
Editorial: Washington in worst lobbying scandal
ever (6/24)
Update on Senate hearing
into lobbying scandal (6/23)
Mississippi
Choctaws focus of Senate lobbying hearing (6/23)
Mississippi Choctaws at center of lobbying hearing
(6/22)
NIGA issues statement on
tribal lobbying scandal (6/22)
Coushatta
Tribe gave millions to lobbyists, campaigns (6/22)
Influence peddling on the rise in Washington
(6/22)
Another hearing on Abramoff
lobbying scandal (06/21)
Reed's story on
Tiguas doesn't match Abramoff's (06/20)
Opinion sought on GOP group's use of tribal
funds (06/16)
Other tribes attended
White House meeting with Bush (06/08)
Two tribes paid $50K to attend White House
meeting (06/07)
Miss Choctaws say gaming
cash not used to lobby (05/31)
Gaming
leads to new concerns about lobbyists (05/26)
Ralph Reed changes story on $1.15M tribal
donation (05/20)
GOP group funneled
tribal money to anti-gamblers (05/13)
Money tribes gave to Abramoff ended up in Israel
(4/25)
McCain plans to finish hearings
on lobbyist scandal (03/21)
FEC ruling
separates tribes from their businesses (03/14)
Tribe gave $75K to group founded by Norton
(3/14)
Mississippi Choctaw lawyer
referred Abramoff (11/22)
High-priced
lobbyist scam linked to lawmakers (11/18)
Choctaw Tribe's lobbying documents kept secret
(10/4)
Ex-tribal lobbyists slammed in
Senate hearing (9/30)
Busy Indian
Affairs Committee hits snag on big issues (06/17)
Indian Affairs Committee activity this week
(6/15)
Choctaw chief Martin defends
embattled GOP lobbyist (04/09)
McCain
pushing Choctaw tribe to cooperate with probe (4/8)
GOP lobbyist scores big with tribes
(04/03)
Opinion
Editorial: Mississippi Choctaws victims of own greed
Monday, July 11, 2005
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