Say Anything Blog

This is a cross post from Taking Back North Dakota. I've found a couple of new things. 1. The money that Senator Dorgan fought for was for impoverished tribes only. 2. Senator Dorgan's had at least two stories explaining how he happened to borrow Jack Abramoff's box.

Senator Dorgan had a letter in today's Herald refuting claims that he was rewarded with campaign donations by a client of Jack Abramoff. Senator Dorgan calls the story, completely false. I think Senator Dorgan's digging himself in deeper trouble with this response.

The article in the Herald Friday said:

"One of Abramoff's client tribes, the Mississippi Choctaw, was using the program, and his team was lobbying furiously to extend it for other tribal clients, including the Saginaw Chippewa of Michigan. The Saginaw prevailed the next year. The Burns-Dorgan letter specifically mentions the Choctaw.

Nine days later, Dorgan's campaign got $2,000 from the Choctaw, and by late spring had received $17,000 more from three other Abramoff tribes and his firm. In all, Dorgan got nearly $95,000 in Abramoff-related money between 2001 and 2004."

Senator Dorgan claims that he did nothing wrong because he's always supported Indian Tribes:

[B]ut I have received reelection support from Indian tribes long before Abramoff got involved with Indian tribes. They supported me because I have worked hard in the Senate to address the crisis that exists in education, housing and health care on Indian reservations.

Indian schools are in serious need of repair and rebuilding, and the Cost Share program lets tribes get earlier funding if they agreed to pay 50 percent of the costs from tribal funds

But as I wrote about August 11th the Washington Post had a different take on it March 1st 2005.

A $3 million grant from a federal program intended for impoverished Indian tribal schools went to one of the richest tribes in the country under pressure from Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.), who oversees the budget of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

The tribe that last year received the money for a new school, the Saginaw Chippewas of Michigan, was at the time a client of Jack Abramoff, a prominent Republican lobbyist whose practices are the subject of multiple federal investigations. Abramoff, his associates and his wealthy tribal clients have been an important source of Burns's campaign funds, providing 42 percent of the contributions to his "soft-money" political action committee from 2000 to 2002, according to federal election records.

Burns pressed for the appropriation over the objections of Interior officials, who said that the grant was not intended for such a purpose. Sen. Byron L. Dorgan (D-N.D.), ranking minority member on the appropriations subcommittee, supported Burns's effort to exempt the Saginaw Chippewas from requirements that would have prevented them from getting the money. emphasis mine

So Senator Dorgan took money meant for impoverished tribes and gave it to tribes that could help him back. In 2003 the Saginaw tribe of Michigan contributed to Senator Dorgan.

Senator Dorgan conveniently fails to mention that a tribe that didn't need the money got money that should have gone somewhere else.

Senator Dorgan claims that the money wasn't a quid pro quo. Maybe that's true but according to Friday's Herald:

Jimmy Faircloth, a lawyer for the Coushattas, told the AP that all the checks, including those to Dorgan and Burns, were written at Abramoff's behest. "I am confident of that fact," Faircloth said.

Senator Dorgan is doing his best to distance himself from Jack Abramoff. The best time to do this of course would have been before this all started not after. The Associated Press writers found an interesting fact. There were more than a dozen lawmakers that showed up with the Abramoff connection. Senator Dorgan received much more than his share. From the Herald:

As a group, they collected more than $440,000 from Abramoff, his firm or his tribal clients between 2001 and 2004, when Abramoff represented the tribes.

Nine days later, Dorgan's campaign got $2,000 from the Choctaw, and by late spring had received $17,000 more from three other Abramoff tribes and his firm. In all, Dorgan got nearly $95,000 in Abramoff-related money between 2001 and 2004. emphasis mine.

So Senator Dorgan who had supposedly had nothing to do with Abramoff received twenty-two percent of the money handed out. Follow the money.

Senator Dorgan claimed in his letter that he "never received a campaign donation from Abramoff." Well Senator as readers of this Blog, the Fargo Forum and the Washington Post know that's just not true. Senator Dorgan just wishes we didn't know about the connection.

The Washington Post said:

In March 2001, Dorgan held a fundraising event during a hockey game in a skybox leased by an Abramoff company at MCI Center. But the senator said he believed that the box was controlled by Greenberg Traurig. The event was organized by Smith, the Democratic fundraiser, he added.

(Greenberg Traurig is/was Jack Abramoff's employer. Abramoff was one of the key lobbyists for them)

But the Fargo Forum said:

In fact, Dorgan had been told the skybox belonged to the Mississippi Band of Choctaw and he dutifully reported to federal elections officials that he had received a donation in kind from the tribe for the use of the box, Piatt [Dorgan's spokesman] said.

So Senator did Abramoff's employer own the box or did the Choctaw own the box? First one story and then another.

Senator Dorgan said in his letter that he "never received a compaign contribution from Abramoff." Here is proof that the Senator telling a flat-out lie. At this time he knows that Jack Abramoff owned that luxery box. Has Senator Dorgan corrected his false report to the Federal Elections Commission? Why does the Senator not want us to know about the connection?

Senator Dorgan also claims that he's never met Jack Abramoff. I find that hard to believe since he's taken money directed by the guy and he's borrowed his suite at the MCI center. I find it really hard to believe when Senator Dorgan's investigating the guy. Hasn't he been up in front of his committee. I know that if Dorgan was a Republican the media would be going nuts trying to find a picture with the two of them in it. Well Old-Media, Senator Dorgan's challenged you, get working.

Senator Dorgan also has a couple silly statements. First of all he claims that a committee staffer doesn't work for him. Let's see Senator you're the Vice-Chair, would you accept it if one of the committee staffers didn't do what you told him to do?

Secondly Senator Dorgan let's us in on his paranoid conspiricy theories. As readers of this Blog know Senator Dorgan has a tendency to go for the wacko theories. In fact he's cited as a source for Micheal Moore.

And we have uncovered a disgusting tale of greed and outright fraud. It's not surprising that from the sleazy world of those who defrauded the Indian tribes, we have seen bogus charges against those of us who are doing the investigating. But our investigation will continue....

I'm not surprised that some will try to spin a web of deception to smear and discredit those of us who are investigating the wrongdoing of Abramoff and others in this scandal. But I'm not going to let it stand.

Gee Senator, we're not against you personally. We just want to know what our representatives are doing in Washington. It'd be a whole lot quicker if you'd just tell the truth.