Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota), the vice chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, returned $67,000 in donations from former tribal clients of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Dorgan said he did nothing wrong by accepting money from the tribes. But he acknowledged pressing the Interior Department to make favorable decision on behalf of the tribes around the same time he received donations from them.

"Even though those contributions were legal and fully reported as required by law, I will not knowingly keep even one dollar in contributions if there is even a remote possibility that they could have been the result of any action Mr. Abramoff might have taken," Dorgan said in a statement.

Dorgan is the ranking Democrat on the Senate Interior Appropriations subcommittee, which controls funding for Indian programs. The tribal donations were made prior to Dorgan taking over as vice chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee, which is investigating Abramoff.

Get the Story:
Democrat on Panel Probing Abramoff to Return Tribal Donations (The Washington Post 12/14)
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Democrat Returning Donations From Abramoff's Tribal Clients (The New York Times 12/14)
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Meet the Press:
John McCain, Thomas Kean & Lee Hamilton (December 4, 2005)

November 17, 2005, Hearing:
Video | Exhibits

November 2, 2005, Hearing:
Video | Exhibits | Witness List / Testimony

June 22, 2005, Hearing:
Video | Exhibits 1 | Exhibits 2 | Witness List / Testimony

November 17, 2004 Hearing:
Video | Exhibits | Witness List / Testimony

September 29, 2004 Hearing:
Video | Exhibits | Witness List / Testimony

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