WP: Papers Show Tribe Paid to Influence Bill (Sen. Dodd involved)

[kskiska]

Thursday, November 18, 2004; Page A01

A Texas Indian tribe desperate to reopen its shuttered gambling casino paid two Washington insiders $4.2 million to persuade Sen. Christoper J. Dodd (D-Conn.) and Rep. Robert W. Ney (R-Ohio) to slip crucial language into a bill, according to documents released at a congressional hearing yesterday.

The language did not end up in the 2002 Election Reform Act, but the tab for doing business in Washington came due anyway for the Tigua tribe of El Paso. The millions went to lobbyist Jack Abramoff and public relations executive Michael Scanlon, who are embroiled in investigations by Congress and a federal grand jury over the $82 million in lobbying and public relations fees they collected from six tribes that operate gambling casinos.

The documents also show that the Tiguas paid $25,000 into Ney's political action committee, gave $300,000 to the two political parties and signed on to a plan to enlist the vice chairman of the Democratic National Committee to approach Dodd on their behalf.

Yesterday, Tigua representatives told the Senate Indian Affairs Committee that it is unclear what Abramoff and Scanlon did in return for the multimillion-dollar payment.

Dodd issued a statement saying he never agreed to help the Tiguas. Ney, who has been close to Abramoff but now says he was duped by him, said he agreed to help the Tiguas only because Abramoff told him it was something Dodd wanted. The two men were chairmen of a House-Senate conference committee finalizing the election reform bill.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58703-2004Nov17.html

[kskiska]

1. Kick

:kick:

[demgrrrll]

2. What a load of crap. I only became involved because I thought Dodd

wanted to be involved. Absolve yourself of responsibility and smear someone at the same time. I detest these people with the fire of 1000 suns.

[kskiska]

3. Wasn't Ney the guy who gave us Freedom Fries

in the Congressional Cafeteria?

[demgrrrll]

4. Yes and Freedom Toast per a quick google search. What a maroon.

.

[DireStrike]

5. Dont ya mean "Moran"?

=p

[Rose Siding]

6. This has DeLay and Ralph Reed connections

...and lobbyists taking the fifth before Congress. My my my. I hope Dodd isn't involved anymore than it looks. That both were chairing the election reform bill committee gives my beat-up dem heart worries about peeps up to no good.

[yellowcanine]

8. I bet that Ney slipped the provision into the bill on behalf of Delay.

To keep Delay's fingerprints off the deed. Isn't Ney from Ohio? What the heck is he doing getting goodies for a tribe in Texas? Nail Ney and he will turn on Delay. Hey - it rhymes!

[Democat]

7. Most legislation is paid for and written by big money groups, what's new?

Same old story.