"House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's ethics troubles threaten more than his own political future. They have the potential to create a much wider scandal over lobbying on the Indian gambling issue and to open a rift among socially conservative Republicans.
[T]he larger controversy lies beneath the surface. It involves a collision between the business interests of Republican lobbyists and the moral commitments of the party's large wing of social conservatives who strongly oppose the spread of gambling.
Perhaps the most bizarre example of this contradiction was detailed by Post reporter Susan Schmidt. When one Louisiana tribe, the Jena Band of Choctaws, won initial approval of a casino three years ago, another tribe, the Louisiana Coushattas, hired Abramoff to block the potential competition. Abramoff and an associate in turn paid $4 million to Ralph Reed, a Republican consultant and evangelical leader, to organize local anti-gambling sentiment against the Jenas. To get the job done, Reed worked with his fellow evangelical James Dobson."
Get the Story:
E. J. Dionne Jr.: Rolling the Dice on a GOP Rift
(The Washington Post 3/15)
pwpwd
Related Stories:
Griles fought casino opposed by Abramoff client
(3/14)
Tribe gave $75K to group founded by Norton
(3/14)
Tribe, gambling firm funded DeLay's overseas
trip (3/14)
Editorial: Facts don't look good for Senator
Burns (3/14)
DOI investigates contacts
with group started by Norton (03/03)
Vitter denies helping Abramoff's former client
(03/02)
Report: Former Norton organization
subpoenaed (3/1)
Tribes gave $175K to
group founded by Norton (2/28)
Tribal
lobbying scandal hurts ex-Abramoff firm (02/17)
Tigua Tribe settles dispute over Abramoff fees
(02/14)
Sag Chip recall targets
anti-Abramoff tribal leaders (2/11)
Editorial: Washington 'sharks' ate tribe for
lunch (02/08)
Donations funneled through
Abramoff unaccounted (2/7)
Commentary:
Tighten up lobbyist rules (01/18)
Commentary: Tribal lobbyist scandal is familiar
tale (1/13)
Probe sought of Congressman
linked to lobbyists (01/07)
Editorial:
'Shameful' dealings of Washington lobbyists (1/6)
Abramoff and Scanlon scandal won't go away
(12/20)
Editorial: Ney's judgment
'clouded' by Abramoff (12/20)
Ney to
meet with ethics panel over Abramoff ties (12/16)
Congressman subject of inquiry for Abramoff ties
(12/15)
Lobbyists say Abramoff probe has
run its course (12/13)
Congressman
questioned during lobbyist probe (12/10)
Editorial: Ney not exactly a victim in Tigua
case (12/03)
Abramoff 'totally in bed'
with anti-gaming forces (11/29)
McCain
eyes reform of lobbying disclosure laws (11/24)
Order freezing Abramoff's assets lifted in lawsuit
(11/24)
Mississippi Choctaw lawyer
referred Abramoff (11/22)
Former Ney
chief of staff worked with Abramoff (11/19)
Coushatta Tribe sues ex-lobbyists for $32M
(11/17)
Tigua Tribe to testify at Senate
lobbying hearing (11/16)
Abramoff's
assets frozen in employee case (11/15)
Vitter 'conned' by group opposing tribe (11/12)
GOP critic of McCain received tribal
donations (11/08)
Author: Abramoff,
Scanlon likely to be indicted (10/28)
Senate
panel asks Coushatta Tribe for tapes (10/27)
Ralph Reed paid $4.1M to oppose tribes (10/26)
Two more lawyers linked to lobbyist scandal
(10/21)
Online Chat: Abramoff 'close
friend' of DeLay (10/20)
Christian
Coalition still after Poarch Creeks (10/19)
Congressman denies knowing of tribe's backing
(10/18)
Opinion: Lobbyist scandal goes
all the way to Bush (10/15)
Congressman's
anti-gaming push backed by tribe (10/15)
Tigua Tribe mum on Washington lobbyists (10/12)
House Resources asked to investigate
lobbyists (10/8)
Another tribe considers
lawsuit against lobbyists (10/7)
DeLay
rebuked yet again for flaunting influence (10/7)
Coushatta Tribe to sue lobbyists for $32M
(10/4)
Lobbyist scandal reaches to top
levels of GOP (10/4)
Choctaw Tribe's
lobbying documents kept secret (10/4)
Documents detail lobbyists' role in tribal
elections (10/4)
Salon: Tom DeLay allowed
tribes to be 'slickered' (10/4)
Pueblo
leader says lobbyists' high fees not worth it (10/1)
Texas AG asked to investigate Abramoff, Scanlon
(10/1)
DeLay rebuked for trading
influence on House floor (10/1)
Ex-tribal
lobbyists slammed in Senate hearing (9/30)
Abramoff mum at hearing while Scanlon a no-show
(9/30)
Column: Lobbyists lurked in
'cesspool of greed' (9/30)
Washington
lobbyists called before Senate panel (9/29)
Editorial: Send lobbyist hogs to the slaughterhouse
(9/29)
Tigua Tribe outraged over being
played as 'moronic' (9/28)
Tribes told
to donate to lobbyists' foundation (9/28)
Editorial: Actions of tribal lobbyists 'loathsome'
(9/28)
Lobbyists worked for, against
'moronic' Tiguas (9/27)
Group opposing
Poarch Creeks tied to tribal lobbyists (09/16)
Coushattas used lobbyists to spy on tribes,
critics (09/13)
Bush strategist now
knows source of tribal funds (09/01)
Bush strategist claims no knowledge of funds
(8/31)
Bush-GOP strategist admits taking
tribal money (8/30)
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)
Hearing on high
lobbying fees expected in September (07/16)
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)
Saginaw Chippewa leader who paid
lobbyists ousted (06/04)
Indian Country
awaits outcome of lobbying probe (05/18)
Tribal chairman says $120K fee to Abramoff worth
it (05/18)
Republican governors
report biggest donor in 2002 (05/04)
Saginaw Chippewa Tribe wonders where $14M
went (04/20)
McCain demands documents
from lobbyist, PR exec (04/12)
Coushatta treasurer accuses NIGC of lax
oversight (04/12)
Choctaw chief
Martin defends embattled GOP lobbyist (04/09)
McCain pushing Choctaw tribe to cooperate with
probe (4/8)
Coushatta leaders used
tribal money to pay lobbyists (4/8)
Coushatta Tribe paid $32M to lobbyist Jack
Abramoff (4/6)
McCain aggressive in
pursuing lobbyist records (4/5)
McCain demands documents for tribal lobbyist's
work (3/30)
Embattled lobbyist signs
deal with another firm (03/25)
Embattled tribal lobbyist gave to Conn.
Congressman (03/10)
Saginaw Chippewa
Tribe hires new lobbying firm (3/9)
McCain begins investigation into high tribal
fees (3/4)
Pueblo governor says $1M
fee to PR firm not worth it (3/3)
McCain calls for investigation into tribal
spending (2/27)
Four tribes spent
$45M on lobbying and PR firms (2/23)
GOP lobbyist scores big with tribes
(04/03)
Embattled tribe gets has
new lobbyist (12/13)
Column: Strange bedfellows in Abramoff scandal
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Trending in News
1 Tribes rush to respond to new coronavirus emergency created by Trump administration
2 'At this rate the entire tribe will be extinct': Zuni Pueblo sees COVID-19 cases double as first death is confirmed
3 Arne Vainio: 'A great sickness has been visited upon us as human beings'
4 Arne Vainio: Zoongide'iwin is the Ojibwe word for courage
5 Cayuga Nation's division leads to a 'human rights catastrophe'
2 'At this rate the entire tribe will be extinct': Zuni Pueblo sees COVID-19 cases double as first death is confirmed
3 Arne Vainio: 'A great sickness has been visited upon us as human beings'
4 Arne Vainio: Zoongide'iwin is the Ojibwe word for courage
5 Cayuga Nation's division leads to a 'human rights catastrophe'