REP. BOEHNER: No. Those tribes gave money to my political action committee. It had nothing to do with Jack Abramoff. I didn’t know Jack Abramoff.
I may have met him once. I had no relationship to him, and the money that I raised from those tribes had nothing to do with him. I worked with those Indian tribes and others on education issues, on labor issues, and he had nothing to do with it, so why would I—why would I give the money back?
MR. RUSSERT: But had you ever received a nickel from those tribes before they were represented by Jack Abramoff?
REP. BOEHNER: I have no idea.
MR. RUSSERT: The answer’s no.
REP. BOEHNER: I—well, no. Other people represented those tribes as well. Understand, Jack Abramoff, knowing that
MR. RUSSERT: But they didn’t give you—they didn’t give you money until they were represented by Abramoff.
REP. BOEHNER: No. I became chairman of the Educational Workforce Committee in 2001, where I began to work closely with them on their issues. I had nothing—Jack Abramoff didn’t like me. I didn’t do earmarks, the things that he exploited for his own political and financial gain.
MR. RUSSERT: According to his records, however, there were 17 contacts between his lobbying team and your staff and—and a meeting with you also.
REP. BOEHNER: Some of his under—underlings worked with some low-level employees in my office.
I’m telling you, I never met the man. The money didn’t come through him. And, frankly, I think four out of the five tribes have written us a letter at our request saying that the money they gave had nothing to do with Jack Abramoff.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11160479/page/2/