"It is certainly outlandish that Mississippi gambling interests claim to have spent $13 million on Bob Riley's 2002 gubernatorial campaign.

That it is "patently false," as a spokesperson for the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians asserted last week, is a matter for deeper investigation.

Reports of large contributions from gambling interests making their way to Mr. Riley's campaign fund are not new � nor surprising when one considers the Native Americans gave disgraced Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his partner, former Riley spokesman Michael Scanlon, tens of millions of dollars to protect their nearby interests.

But a U.S. Senate committee report issued June 23 quotes a former vice chairman of the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana as saying Mr. Abramoff told him that the Choctaws spent $13 million to get Mr. Riley � a staunch gambling opponent � elected governor to protect the tribe's interests in Mississippi. Now that's real money."

Get the Story:
Editorial: More information needed on Riley campaign receipts (The Decatur Daily 7/3)

Senate Indian Affairs Committee Abramoff Report:
�GIMME FIVE�� INVESTIGATION OF TRIBAL LOBBYING MATTERS (June 2006)

Exhibits:
Pre-2001 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | Undated | Finance

Misisssippi Choctaw/DOI Letters:
Chief Martin/Jim Cason Correspondence

Relevant Links:
Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians - http://www.choctaw.org
Read About Reed - http://www.readaboutreed.com
Stop Ralph Reed - http://www.stopralphreed.com
Ralph Reed - http://www.ralphreed.com
Century Strategies - http://www.censtrat.com

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