Iowans giving away Abramoff donations - DM Register

[Debi]

Washington, D.C. — Four members of the Iowa delegation in Congress received campaign money from scandal-plagued lobbyist Jack Abramoff or Indian tribes he represented, and three are moving to give up the cash.

Aides to Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Ia., said Thursday that he will return $15,500 in campaign contributions to three tribes that paid Abramoff to lobby for them. Allison Dobson, Harkin's press secretary, said that the money was accepted legally and without strings attached at the time, but that it is now known that Abramoff defrauded the tribes.

Rep. Jim Nussle, R-Ia., will donate $6,000 to the United Way, aides said. Nussle, a candidate for the nomination for governor, during his years in the House accepted $6,000 from tribes that were Abramoff clients.

And Rep. Tom Latham, R-Ia., will donate $1,000 to the Greater Iowa Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. Latham in 1998 received the same amount directly from Abramoff.

<snip>

Harkin, who aides say also never met Abramoff, took in $9,500 from tribes for a political action committee that he heads called To Organize a Majority. His Senate campaign received $6,000 in 2002.

Harkin in 2002 and 2003 also used a skybox at the MCI Center in Washington, rented by Abramoff, for fundraisers. Aides to Harkin discovered this year that they had not properly accounted for the skybox use and reimbursed $3,700 to two tribes.

Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Ia., received $1,000 in donations from Abramoff and his wife, Pam, in 2003, Federal Election Commission records show. A political action committee controlled by Grassley called the Hawkeye PAC received $5,000 from Abramoff.

Grassley received $12,000 from three tribes, according to the nonpartisan Center for Public Integrity. The Associated Press has reported that it tracked more than $62,000 in Abramoff-related donations to Grassley.

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http://www.dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060106/NEWS09/601060349/1001

[IA_Seth]

1. "more than $62,000 in Abramoff-related donations to Grassley."

Wow. That should be some good ammo should Grassley try to step into any state elections this year.

Culture of Corruption, it has a good ring to it.

[Debi]

2. And I still think Grassley's story smells.

Unlike Harkin's involement with the Meskwaki Tribe dispute (which Grassley and Boswell also chimed in), Grassley butted into a casino deal in LA - allegedly on behalf of his constituent Isle of Capri.

I've already posted about Isle of Capri certainly having an interest in Iowa (five casinos) however, their corporate offices are not located here (In LA and moving to MO) and Bernard Goldstein, owner of Isle of Capri, lives in FLA.

http://www.sos.state.ia.us/corp/corp_search.asp?Corp=Isle+of+Capri&submittedcorp=1&btncorp=Search&cboRows=10

(just click on the corporation's number and then click on 'officers' - you will see Goldstein's listed addresses as the addresses of the casinos execpt one, which is his Boca Raton address).

Or you can go to Open Secrets and type in 'Goldstein' and 'Florida', pick an election cycle and see why Bernard gave money to and where he listed his address at.

http://www.opensecrets.org/indivs/index.asp

[rurallib]

3. Slightly off the message but

did any congresscritters give their Abramoff money to aid Katrina victims? Or are they just so yesterday? Did any return the money to that Indians who were screwed by Abramoff?

[Debi]

4. I think one Tribe is suing Abramoff

I don't know who is giving what to whom, but I wonder why anyone should have to give money back (or give it away) if they regularly received it from those Tribes.

Is Harkin to never accept campaign contributions for Tribes again? Bet the republicans will have their hands out in 2006!

[RubyDuby in GA]

5. Debi

Per DU copyright rules
please post only four
paragraphs from the
copyrighted news source.


Thank you.

RubyDuby in GA
Moderator

[Debi]

6. Sorry, I'd edit it if I could but it's too late..do you want to just

delete it? It's fine by me if you do.

Sorry about going over the limit.

[IA_Seth]

7. Shame, shame.. n/t

[Debi]

8. I'm a rebel rule breaker n/t