"It�s an old, old adage, but that doesn�t make it any less true: follow the money. And in Rep. Richard Pombo�s case, that money leads to some very interesting places, such as Abramoff, oil and Indians.
According to the nonpartisan Open Secrets website, which monitors campaign contributions, Pombo received some $10,000 from the Keep Our Majority PAC, which is supported by disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. The former Capitol Hill power broker and convicted felon is also one of the six top donors to Pombo�s RICH Political Action Committee. And Pombo has received more than $500,000 in donations from Indian tribes, members and lobbyists, despite the fact that there are no Indian tribes in the 11th congressional district. Two of the tribes linked to Abramoff, the Saginaw Chippewa and the Mississippi Choctaw, have given Pombo more than $10,000.
Pombo spokesman Wayne Johnson, not surprisingly, disagrees both with CREW and those alleging that such donations are an indicator of any impropriety. He asserts there was a lot of �sloppy reporting� that in the original Abramoff stories that made a lot of unsubstantiated allegations. �There are Congress members who had a relationship with Jack and Richard was not one of �em,� he stated. �Abramoff gave Pombo $7,000 over a number of years and that was returned as soon as Abramoff was exposed.� As far as the Indian tribes go, Johnson says they supported Pombo because he helped the tribes get federal recognition, not because of any connection with Abramoff."
Get the Story:
Tim Kingston: Follow the Money
(The San Francisco Bay Guardian 4/26)
Relevant Links:
Rep. Richard Pombo - http://www.house.gov/pombo
House
Resources Committee - http://resourcescommittee.house.gov
Related Stories:
Staffers paid by Interior but work for Rep.
Pombo (03/01)
Pombo starts
investigation of DOI royalty program (2/16)
Pombo says Abramoff 'never lobbied me on
anything' (02/14)
Pombo has accepted
more than $500K from tribes (01/30)
Pombo takes on Indian issues but avoids
Abramoff (12/20)
Pombo gives Abramoff
cash to Red Lake Boys & Girls (12/16)
Pombo pressed to investigate Abramoff's work
(12/15)
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe donated
$32K to Pombo (12/06)
Mashpee Wampanoag
Tribe active in Washington (12/1)
Mashpee chair gave Abramoff e-mails to FBI
(11/29)
Group: Pombo donations linked to
tribal hearings (11/29)
Mashpee chairman
happy with Abramoff work (11/22)
Pombo
has received $90K from tribes this year (10/20)
Pombo has taken $71K from tribes so far this
year (07/14)
Shinnecock Nation backers
hold Pombo fundraiser (7/13)
Pombo
schedules New York land claims hearing (07/11)
Pombo asks DOJ to widen investigation of
Abramoff (07/06)
Pombo supports
settlement of Cobell trust fund case (06/27)
Democrats look for candidate to run against
Pombo (06/09)
Pombo asked again to
investigate Abramoff (4/15)
Pombo brings off-reservation hearing to
California (6/7)
Pombo continues
hearings on off-reservation gaming (05/02)
Pombo collected $40K from tribes so far this
year (04/25)
Pombo asked again to
investigate Abramoff (04/15)
House
committee takes up off-reservation gaming (03/18)
Off-reservation gaming hearing set by Pombo
(3/15)
Congress steps into
off-reservation casino fight (3/14)
Pombo circulates draft of off-reservation bill
(3/11)
Pombo took on controversial topics
in 108th Congress (12/16)
Pombo took $5K
from tribe with bill before committee (07/19)
Pombo accepts money from tribes, tribal
lobbyists (06/22)
Pombo visit to South
Dakota highlights tribal issues (04/20)
Pombo invited to buffalo hunt on Rosebud
Reservation (04/09)
House chairman
shares common concerns (11/18)
House
chairman supports self-governance rider (10/14)
House panels change hands in 108th
Congress (01/10)
Follow Pombo's money to oil, Indians and Abramoff
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
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