Freshman Sen. David Vitter (R-Louisiana) denied that disgraced Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff was behind language in an appropriations act that was beneficial to one of Abramoff's former clients.

Vitter added language to the 2004 Interior appropriations bill that discouraged the Jena Band of Choctaw Indians of Louisiana from seeking land for a casino. The landless tribe was looking at property hundreds of miles away from its current base.

At the time, the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana, one of Abramoff's former clients, opposed the Jena Band's request. But Vitter denies adding the language at Abramoff's behest and said he acted because he opposed the expansion of gaming.

Get the Story:
Vitter says action wasn't to aid lobbyist (The Baton Rouge Advocate 3/2)

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