The Christian Coalition of Alabama released a report [Link] on Friday clearing itself of accepting gaming funds in violation of its policy against accepting gaming funds.

The group accepted $850,000 from Americans for Tax Reform, a Republican anti-tax organization. The donation was arranged by Republican activist Ralph Reed, who never disclosed that it actually came from the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, a gaming tribe. The Choctaws gave another $300,000 that ended up in the hands of another Alabama group.

Christian Coalition policy states that it will not accept funds or services "direct or indirect" from "gambling interests." Even though the Choctaws are a gambling interest, the group said it didn't violate policy because the money came from the tribe's non-gaming enterprise.

But a law firm hired by the Christians had no concrete proof of this because the Choctaws "provided no information" for the investigation, the report states. Instead, the report relied on testimony to the Senate Indian Affairs Committee and information from Reed.

Get the Story:
Alabama group judges itself, Reed gently (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 7/2)
pwday
Report: Christian group didn't violate gambling funds policy (AP 7/2)
Coalition: Donation adhered to policy (The Birmingham News 7/2)

Relevant Links:
Christian Coalition of Alabama - http://www.ccbama.org

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

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