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Reed's story on Tiguas doesn't match Abramoff's
Monday, June 20, 2005
Republican activist Ralph Reed's story about his efforts to close the Tigua Tribe's casino in Texas contradicts the one told by disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Reed, a close friend of Abramoff's, has admitted taking $4.1 million from the lobbyist for a public relations campaign against the tribe. His spokesperson told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that "he worked so hard to close" the casino, the subject of a lawsuit by the state of Texas.
But Abramoff, in an interview with The New York Times, said the money was directed towards the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe and that the Tiguas were merely "collateral damage." He then got the Tiguas to pay $4.2 million to his partner, Michael Scanlon, for a public relations campaign to support the casino.
Reed denies being part of this effort. Yet he took a private jet to an exclusive golf trip in Scotland aimed at convincing Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) to support legislation to reopen the casino.
Reed's actions will be the subject of a Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing on Wednesday. It is not know if Reed will be called to testify. Another Republican activist, Grover Norquist of the anti-tax group Americans for Tax Reform, has said he won't appear.
According to Newsweek, the committee plans to release more documents about Reed's efforts against gaming in Alabama. With the help of Abramoff Norquist, Reed took $1.1 million from the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians to help two Christian groups defeat gambling proposals.
Reed is currently running for lieutenant governor of Georgia. He won the endorsement of former Sen. Zell Miller, a Democrat.
Get the Story:
Golf trip raises doubts
(The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 6/19)
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Source of funds at issue (AP 6/19)
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Miller backs Reed's bid for lieutenant governor (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 6/18)
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Documents: Anti-Gambling Funds—From Gambling? (Newsweek June 27)
Relevant Links:
Century Strategies -
http://www.censtrat.com
Ralph Reed Stories:
Senate hearing to focus on Norquist and Reed
(6/9)
Ralph Reed played tribes
against each other (6/6)
Trail of
gambling cash leads to Republicans, even Bush (6/3)
Miss Choctaws say gaming cash not used to lobby
(5/31)
Column: Some questions Ralph Reed
needs to answer (5/23)
Ralph Reed
changes story on $1.15M tribal donation (5/20)
Editorial: Alabama Christians have lost credibility
(5/19)
Gaming money went straight to
Ralph Reed's pocket (5/18)
Editorials:
Christian activists have explaining to do (05/16)
GOP group funneled tribal money to anti-gamblers
(5/13)
Abramoff scandal an issue in
Georgia campaign (05/09)
Jack Abramoff breaks silence on lobbying scandal (05/02)
Saginaw
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One GOP group won't give records to McCain
(04/22)
McCain subpoenas GOP groups linked
to Abramoff (04/21)
GOP critic of McCain
received tribal donations (11/08)
Ralph
Reed paid $4.1M to oppose tribes (10/26)
Christian Coalition still after Poarch Creeks
(10/19)
High-priced lobbyist scam linked
to lawmakers (11/18)
Tigua Tribe tells
of lobbying horror story (11/18)
Tigua
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Tigua Tribe outraged over being played as
'moronic' (09/28)
Lobbyists worked for,
against 'moronic' Tiguas (09/27)
Group
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Bush strategist now knows source of tribal
funds (09/01)
Bush strategist claims no
knowledge of funds (08/31)
Bush-GOP
strategist admits taking tribal money (08/30)
GOP strategist denies secretly taking tribal
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Tribal money secretly
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