Ralph Reed, the conservative Christian activist who is running for lieutenant governor of Georgia, knew that money he received from Jack Abramoff came from a gaming client, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Reed claims he never knew he was being paid with gaming funds. But e-mails uncovered by federal investigators show he was aware that eLottery, a non-Indian gaming company, hired Abramoff to defeat an Internet gaming bill. Abramoff then passed the money to Reed so he could lobby conservative religious Republicans.
Reed's explanations of his work for Abramoff has changed over time. At first he said he didn't know he was being paid by Abramoff's gaming clients, including wealthy tribes. Then he said he was told that the money he received was generated from non-gaming revenues.
After it became clear that he did receive gaming money, he said Abramoff lied to him about the source of the funds. "If I had known then what I know now, I would have turned that work down," he has said.
Get the Story:E-mails undermine Reed claim (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 3/4)
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