Tom DeLay denies making phone call to Abramoff

Abramoff Scandal
Tom DeLay denies making phone call to Abramoff
Thursday, December 15, 2005

Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas), the deposed House majority leader, denies making a personal phone call to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, The New York Times reports.

An e-mail from Abramoff's assistant suggests otherwise. The message claims DeLay himself called the Greenberg Traurig office to ask Abramoff "about the President's dinner contribution that you owe."

Abramoff then edited the message and sent it to Marc Schwartz, a consultant for the Tigua Tribe of Texas. He pressed the tribe to make a donation, citing a "Choctaw check" -- as in the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians -- that had already been sent.

But DeLay denies contacting Abramoff. "Tom DeLay did not make that call," his attorney told The Times. The lawyer did not appear to deny that DeLay may have solicited Abramoff through other means.

The Tigua Tribe never gave to the "President's dinner," a June 19, 2002, dinner in Washington, D.C., that featured a speech by President Bush. The Choctaws, however, contributed $25,000, The Times reported.

Get the Story:
In Messages, Lobbyist Says DeLay Pressed for Donation (The New York Times 12/15)
pwnyt

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

Relevant Links:
Rep. Tom DeLay - http://tomdelay.house.gov