"It's a general rule in finance that money is fungible. In other words, one dollar bill is as good as any other dollar bill; money is money, and it doesn't matter where it came from.

That is, until it matters.

These days, some sections of congressional contribution records stand out as boldly as a scarlet A, the "A" standing not for adultery but for a suddenly infamous Washington lobbyist named Jack Abramoff.

After initially balking at returning some $146,000 in Abramoff-related contributions, mostly from Indian tribes represented by the lobbyist, Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., decided late last week to dump the money. Funds that came directly from Abramoff will go to a Native American charity, Burns said, adding that anybody who received such money should do the same. v The next day, Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., announced he was giving about $19,900 in campaign donations from Abramoff to Indian charities, and both the Montana Democratic Party and Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., were considering returning money they had received from the indicted lobbyist. On Monday, both said they'd return the cash."

Get the Story:
Editorial: A breather from nasty politics? (The Helena Independent Record 12/21)

Relevant Links:
Sen. Conard Burns - http://burns.senate.gov
Montana Democratic Party - http://www.montanademocrats.org

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