KLTV 7 Tyler-Longview-Jacksonville, TX: Lawyer: no deal yet for Abramoff

WASHINGTON A lawyer close to plea negotiations in a probe of high-profile lobbyist Jack Abramoff says a deal "ain't done yet."

The lawyer -- who's close to the talks between Justice Department officials and Abamoff's lawyers -- says efforts are being made to try to reach a plea deal by the end of the year.

Officials want Abramoff to cooperate in a big corruption investigation. Even without Abramoff's cooperation, a person familiar with the investigation says the Justice Department is focusing on as many as 20 lawmakers and aides.

In a five-year span ending in early 2004, Indian tribes represented by Abramoff rolled (M) millions of dollars in casino income into congressional campaigns.

Many lawmakers are scrambling to return or give away campaign donations tied to the probe.

A former aide to ex-House Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas already has pleaded guilty in the probe. Court papers in the plea by former DeLay aide Michael Scanlon say Scanlon and Abramoff "provided a stream of things of value to public officials in exchange for a series of official acts."