Here's an excerpt:
"The story reports that the Choctaw Indian tribe did a fundraiser for me in a skybox in 2001 that the reporter claims was owned by Abramoff.
"The facts are, two Democrats from the Greenberg Traurig firm arranged the fundraiser and told my campaign it was a skybox owned by the Choctaw Indians. And that is the way we reported it on the Federal Election Campaign report. The fundraiser was perfectly legal and the Choctaw tribe has contributed to my campaign dating back to 1997.
"The story also cites a sentence that I included in a manager’s statement urging the Interior Department to make a decision on an application for tribal recognition by a Massachusetts tribe whose application had been pending for 29 years. That tribe made the request to my staff to include the language because I was the ranking Democrat on the subcommittee and they had secured support from Senators Kennedy and Kerry to ask that their application finally be considered. The letter from Senators Kennedy and Kerry to the Interior Department and the language that I added to the manager’s statement does not ask for a specific result. It only asked that their application be considered after 29 years. The news story tried to connect that action to future campaign contributions I had received. That is absurd and false.
"All campaign contributions I received were publicly reported as required by law. Indians have a right to fully participate in our democracy – to vote, to contribute to campaigns, and to meet with members of the Congress.
"The investigation Senator McCain and I are conducting has been a relentless one, and we will not be diverted from it."
Read the whole thing.
The problem I have with this situation is not that Dorgan neccessarily did anything wrong, but rather that it took some digging on the part of reporters to come up with these connections. Certainly someone who is involved with investigating the malfeasance of another individual should divulge his connections to that individual and the situation at hand, and certainly this should be done up front. Not in the middle of the investigation.
Being forthright with these connections probably would have resulted in Dorgan's disqualification from serving in the investigation into Abramoff's dealings, but that's how it should be. Dorgan has no place in these proceedings. Abramoff and his colleagues, whatever their crimes, are entitled to a thorough and objective investigation conducted by individuals who are removed from the dealings. Not individuals who were in the middle of them.
Dorgan needs to step down from this investigation. That is the only proper course at this point.
Get in touch with Senator Dorgan here and tell him what you think.