WASHINGTON - Lobbyist Jack Abramoff instructed an Indian tribe to make a $5,000 donation to Sen. Byron Dorgan shortly after the lawmaker signed a letter requesting federal money for a school program that Abramoff's tribal clients wanted, the tribe's lawyer said Monday.
The disclosure from the Louisiana Coushattas came as Dorgan, D-N.D., sharply criticized The Associated Press for reporting last week that he had collected $20,000 in donations from Abramoff's lobbying firm and tribal clients around the time of his Feb. 11, 2002, letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Reiterating comments his staff gave in the AP's story, Dorgan said he never met the lobbyist and his letter had nothing to do with Abramoff or the donations. He said he wrote the letter because he supported the tribal school construction program and believed tribes in his state might benefit. . . .
A tribe that sent money to both Dorgan and Burns three weeks after the 2002 letter said Monday that Abramoff instructed it to make the donations.
The Louisiana Coushattas' check ledger shows the tribe on March 6, 2002, wrote checks for $5,000 to Dorgan's political group, called the Great Plains Leadership Fund . . .
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.
Dorgan's official denial available here.
Dorgan denies that his support for certain legislation had anything to do with donations from Indian gambling lobbyists, yet he does not deny that he received donations from them and the lobbyists themselves claim that their donations were made at the behest of Abramoff.
Dorgan still has some wiggle room on this issue. There is, as yet, no "smoking gun" evidence of ethical violations here, but one thing is clear: Dorgan needs to step down from the Congressional investigation of this matter. He has been implicated directly in these corrupt dealings and regardless of his guilt of innocence he has no place in what is supposed to be an objective investigation of the matter.
North Dakotans can get in touch with Dorgan and request that he step down here.
On a related note, its interesting to note that North Dakota's other Senator, Kent Conrad, has also received donations from tribal interests linked to Abramoff.
Update:
Looks like Dorgan has been a little misleading about his personal relationship with Jack Abramoff.