The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and a gambling firm funded House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's overseas trip, The Washington Post reported on Saturday.

Disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff suggested DeLay (R-Texas) take the trip, which included a visit to a golf course in Scotland. Then he arranged for his clients, the Mississippi Band and eLottery Inc., to foot most of $70,000 bill.

DeLay, an opponent of gambling, previously disclosed to the House that the trip was sponsored by the nonprofit National Center for Public Policy Research. But the center confirms that Abramoff, a member of the board, secured the financing by asking the tribe and eLottery to contribute $50,000.

If DeLay knew that the trip was funded by a lobbyist, he may have broken House rules. But he has said that he was told the center paid the bill.

Still, two months after the trip, DeLay voted against a bill opposed by the Choctaws and eLottery. Six months later, he inserted into the Congressional record [PDF] an Indian Country Today editorial praising Choctaw Chief Phillip Martin.

Get the Story:
Gambling Interests Funded DeLay Trip (The Washington Post 3/12)
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Lobbyist's Clients Bump Into DeLay Flap (The Los Angeles Times 3/13)
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Money: So Where Did It Go? (Newsweek 3/13)
Congress bunkered over Scots junkets (The Scotsman 3/13)
As DeLay's Woes Mount, So Does Money (The New York Times 3/13)
DeLay faces noisy debate on ethics (The Houston Chronicle 3/14)
DeLay Ethics Allegations Now Cause of GOP Concern (The Washington Post 3/14)
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