Say It Ain't So, Denny!
"The guilty plea by lobbyist Jack Abramoff could bring renewed scrutiny of a letter sent by House Speaker Dennis Hastert of Illinois to Interior Secretary Gale Norton urging her to block an Indian casino opposed by rival tribes represented by Abramoff just one week after the lobbyist hosted a fundraiser for Hastert's political action committee.
[...]
Indian tribes represented by Abramoff donated more than $20,000 to Hastert around the time of the fundraiser, which was held at Signatures, a Washington restaurant owned by Abramoff. Hastert's campaign committee did not pay the tab for the June 3, 2003, luncheon fundraiser until last year, following media inquiries about the unpaid check.
Hastert, who wields considerable influence as the top-ranking Republican in the House, was joined in his letter to Norton by three of the most powerful House Republican leaders: former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, then-Majority Whip Roy Blunt and Chief Deputy House Whip Eric Cantor, all of whom also received campaign contributions from Indian tribes represented by Abramoff.
[...]In all, Hastert received $69,000 in contributions from Abramoff and Indian tribes represented by the lobbyist, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan group that monitors campaign contributions. Hastert announced this week he would donate the money to charity.
The close connection between the fundraiser for Hastert and the letter the speaker sent to the Interior Department was first reported by the Associated Press in November. But the events take on a new significance following Abramoff's guilty plea."
Hastert apparently has lost his voice, but his spokesman says that the timing of Hastert's intervention immediately after his Signature's fund raiser was "a coincidence." Riiiight...............
posted by RJB at 9:57 PM
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