Rep. John Doolittle (R-California), who praised and defended Jack Abramoff as a friend and a Republican, inserted comments into the Congressional record that praised the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, one of the disgraced lobbyist's former clients.
On September 16, 1998, Doolittle called the tribe a "national leader in exercising its self-determination to build a strong tribal government and reservation-based economy," according to the statement [PDF].
"I commend Chief Martin for believing in his tribe and taking the risk to develop the enterprises
on the Choctaw Reservation," it reads.
Doolittle admits that Kevin Ring, one of Abramoff's associates at the time, told him that Martin was headed to Washington that week "and so I took the opportunity to say something positive about the tribe," the congressman said in an interview with The Sacramento Bee.
"Chief Martin is a real fine man, too. I got to know him," he said.
But Doolittle said he doesn't support the tribe's gaming enterprise because "I am not in favor of gambling." He said he supports the Choctaws because "they are very free-enterprise oriented" and have created thousands of jobs -- mostly for non-Indians, he points out.
"This free enterprise has enabled them to generate the revenue to provide governmental services in terms of health care, education and so forth," he told the paper. So I think they are a great example of what our Republican philosophy can do for a group of people."
Get the Story:Doolittle lauded Abramoff client (The Sacramento Bee 1/19)
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Doolittle: Scandal is troubling (The Sacramento Bee 1/18)
John Doolittle, in his own words (The Sacramento Bee 1/18) Relevant Links:
Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians - http://www.choctaw.org Related Stories:
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