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Abramoff report cites White House influence
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Filed Under: Abramoff Scandal

A forthcoming report from the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee documents contacts between convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff and the Bush White House.

The committee interviewed former White House officials who dealt with Indian issues. But Ruben Barrales and Jennifer Farley, who worked at the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, said they did not influence any decisions on behalf of Abramoff's tribal clients.

Farley, however, did accept gifts from Kevin Ring, one of Abramoff's associates who has been cooperating with federal investigators. She used the word "fruit" in e-mails to Ring when asking about tickets to sporting events and concerts.

The committee sought to discover how the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, Abramoff's biggest client, won a $16.5 million grant from the Department of Justice for a detention facility over the objections of top officials. Tracy Henke, a former official who was overruled on the matter, gave a deposition and said the department saw pressure from members of Congress. to award the money.

Robert E. Coughlin, a former DOJ official, recently pleaded guilty for his role in the scandal. He helped Kevin Ring secure the grant for the Choctaws.

Abramoff is already serving a sentence for bank fraud. He has pleaded guilty to defrauding tribal clients and is due to be sentenced in September, CBS News reported.

Get the Story:
Abramoff's Gifts Didn't Influence Bush, Report Says (The Washington Post 6/10)
Username: indianz@indianz.com, Password: indianz
Abramoff Influenced White House Actions, House Committee Concludes (The Legal Times 6/10)
House panel: Abramoff has White House clout (The Hill 6/9)
Abramoff To Be Sentenced In September (CBS News 6/9)
Report details Perdue aide's Abramoff ties (AP 6/9)

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Ex-DOJ official pleads guilty in Abramoff lobbying scandal (4/23)

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