This is what I feared

[Edward Copeland]

AP has moved a story detailing more than casual and indirect contacts between Jack Abramoff and Harry Reid. If the story turns out to be true -- and there are a lot of details in it -- we have to toss him overboard so we aren't accused of hypocrisy.

A few excerpts:

WASHINGTON (AP) - Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid wrote at least four letters helpful to Indian tribes represented by Jack Abramoff, and the senator's staff regularly had contact with the disgraced lobbyist's team about legislation affecting other clients.

The activities _ detailed in billing records and correspondence obtained by The Associated Press _ are far more extensive than previously disclosed. They occurred over three years as Reid collected nearly $68,000 in donations from Abramoff's firm, lobbying partners and clients.

Reid's office acknowledged Thursday having "routine contacts" with Abramoff's lobbying partners and intervening on some government matters _ such as blocking some tribal casinos _ in ways Abramoff's clients might have deemed helpful. But it said none of his actions were affected by donations or done for Abramoff.

"All the actions that Senator Reid took were consistent with his long- held beliefs, such as not letting tribal casinos expand beyond reservations, and were taken to defend the interests of Nevada constituents," spokesman Jim Manley said.

But Abramoff's records show his lobbying partners billed for nearly two dozen phone contacts or meetings with Reid's office in 2001 alone.

Most were to discuss Democratic legislation that would have applied the U.S. minimum wage to the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. territory and Abramoff client, but would have given the islands a temporary break on the wage rate, the billing records show.

Reid also intervened on government matters at least five times in ways helpful to Abramoff's tribal clients, once opposing legislation on the Senate floor and four times sending letters pressing the Bush administration on tribal issues. Reid collected donations around the time of each action.

Abramoff's firm also hired one of Reid's top legislative aides as a lobbyist. The aide later helped throw a fundraiser for Reid at Abramoff's firm that raised donations from several of his lobbying partners.

And Reid's longtime chief of staff accepted a free trip to Malaysia arranged by a consulting firm connected to Abramoff that recently has gained attention in the influence-peddling investigation that has gripped the Capitol.


While Abramoff never directly donated to Reid, the lobbyist did instruct one tribe, the Coushattas, to send $5,000 to Reid's tax-exempt political group, the Searchlight Leadership Fund, in 2002. About the same time, Reid sent a letter to the Interior Department helpful to the tribe, records show.

Abramoff sent a list to the tribe entitled "Coushatta Requests" recommending donations to campaigns or groups for 50 lawmakers he claimed were helpful to the tribe. Alongside Reid's name, Abramoff wrote, "5,000 (Searchlight Leadership Fund) Senate Majority Whip."

The link to the full story can be found at my blog.

[Zenlitened]

1. How about giving us the link to the full story here?

:shrug:

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

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[KoKo]

4. Josh Marshall at TPM says this is pretty week stuff...........

AP to try to pull Sen. Reid into Abramoff story? Here's the piece just out on the AP wire. Pretty weak stuff, but John Solomon, the reporter, gives it the old college try. Give it a look, judge for yourself.
-- Josh Marshall

[DearAbby]

5. Didn't the Indian Tribes give money do the Democrats prior to

Abramoff? This is what I was led to believe. The FEC has no listing of direct Abramoff monies to any Democrat.

[Name removed]

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[blm]

7. Tribe money wasn't DIRTY UNTIL Abramoff BRIBED his pet Repubs with it.

GOP operatives are spreading this crap in efforts to confuse the media and the public.

Why are any Democrats buying into this BULLSHIT?

Don't tell me you don't know the difference between legal donations for standard representation expected of a senator with a significant Indian population and BRIBE MONEY FROM ABRAMOFF TO PET REPUBLICANS.

[Jane Austin]

8. That story is written very carefully, very cagily

to imply a lot more than it actually says.

Over and over again it says things like "from Abramoff's firm, lobbying partners and clients."

So let's see, Reid isn't supposed to take donations from any lawyer at that big firm, even thought it's not Abramoff? And Abramoff's clients? There's no indication that Reid didn't get more from those tribes even before Abramoff began to represent them.

And how did Reid vote on the Marianna issue? It would be helpful to know.

Is it possible that the OP is simply a piece of right-wing propaganda planted with AP?

[Innocent Smith]

9. How about a little patience?

Maybe we should just wait until all the facts play out before we do as you suggest: "have to toss him overboard."

[Edward Copeland]

10. I'm starting to be more relieved

It's looking more and more like the article got most of the facts wrong. I'm starting to be relieved. My apologies about not putting in the link before. I thought my name automatically clicked to my Web site like other places. Here is the link for this one: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/n/a/2006/02/10/national/w190422S92.DTL&type=printable

WASHINGTON (AP) -- One of Jack Abramoff's ex-colleagues confirmed Friday he contacted Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid's office on behalf of the influential lobbyist but said he doesn't believe Abramoff's billing records accurately reflect the extent of his work.

Ronald Platt, a lobbyist who worked with Abramoff at the Greenberg Traurig firm between 2001 and 2004, said he contacted Reid's office in 2001, as the billing records show, about the timing of minimum wage legislation affecting Abramoff's Northern Mariana Islands client.

"When Abramoff first arrived at Greenberg Traurig, I did a new colleague a favor by simply asking Reid staffers about when the minimum wage legislation affecting the Mariana Islands would be voted upon by the Senate. I communicated this to Abramoff," Platt said in a statement e-mailed to The Associated Press.