The Seattle Times: Abramoff tribal clients donated thousands to state lawmakers

By Hal Bernton and Alicia Mundy
Seattle Times staff reporters

When it came to his own campaign contributions, lobbyist Jack Abramoff was a fierce partisan, shoveling more than $200,000 to Republican candidates and political groups since 1999, federal election records show.

But Abramoff's largely tribal clients had a more bipartisan approach to their giving. Their contributions included more than $34,000 to Sen. Patty Murray, and smaller donations to Sen. Maria Cantwell and three other Washington Democratic congressmen, records analyzed by the Center for Responsive Politics show. The center is a nonpartisan research group that tracks money in politics.

It is unclear, however, how much — if any — of this money was donated at the direction of Abramoff, who pleaded guilty this week to fraud and corruption charges. All the Washington Democrats who received the tribal money say they were never approached by Abramoff to do any favors for his clients and do not plan to return any of the donations.

"The contributions have come directly from the tribes to Sen. Murray," said Alex Glass, the senator's spokeswoman. "She's never had any contact with Abramoff."

Only one Washington state congressman, former Republican Rep. George Nethercutt of Spokane, received money directly from Abramoff since 1999. The lobbyist gave him $1,000 during Nethercutt's unsuccessful 2004 campaign to unseat Murray.

Nethercutt, now a lobbyist in Washington, D.C., also denies any knowledge of Abramoff's lobbying agenda. Nethercutt now works in a lobbying firm with Steven Griles, a former Interior Department official who testified in the Senate in November about his ties to Abramoff.

The campaign contributions to members of Washington state's delegation are part of a much broader flow of cash that is receiving new scrutiny following Abramoff's guilty plea to three felony charges on Tuesday and bank-fraud charges Wednesday. The Justice Department says Abramoff used campaign contributions, expensive trips, meals and entertainment as part of an illegal scheme to win influence for clients and his own business interests.

And Justice Department officials have made clear that now that Abramoff — as part of his plea — has agreed to cooperate, they will widen their investigation of Capitol Hill corruption.

During the past six years, more than $4.2 million in congressional campaign contributions came from tribes and casinos that — at least at some point during that time period — were clients of Abramoff. About $2.6 million of that money went to Republicans, and about $1.5 million to Democrats, the Center for Responsive Politics says.

Most of that money came from tribes with casino interests, which have become increasingly high-profile campaign contributors.

One major congressional contributor has been the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan. It employed Abramoff during a two-year period that ended in December 2003. During that time, the tribe gave more than $12,000 to Murray and a political-action committee she headed.

In an interview Wednesday, a Saginaw Chippewa tribal spokesman said the Murray contributions were not directed by Abramoff but reflected the senator's longtime record in support of tribal sovereignty.

The spokesman said the tribe donated to Murray before Abramoff went to work for the tribe and continued to give after the lobbyist left.

The Agua Caliente Band of the Cahuilla Indians in California was another contributor to Washington Democrats. Some of its money also was donated before Abramoff went to work for the tribe.

While Abramoff worked for the Agua Caliente Band, his lobby firm, Greenberg Traurig, did suggest which politicians should receive donations, said Steve Ross, a lawyer representing the tribe. But Abramoff wasn't the only lobbyist directing the tribe's contributions, Ross said. Some recommendations also came from a Greenberg Traurig lobbyist who worked with Democrats.

According to a review of lobbying records and federal campaign contributions, tribes while under contract with Abramoff donated $3,000 to Cantwell. An aide to Cantwell said that money was a small part of much larger contributions from tribes that rallied around the senator before and after she successfully toppled Republican Sen. Slade Gorton in 2000. Many tribes thought Gorton's policy positions would weaken tribal sovereignty.

Tribes that contracted with Abramoff also contributed $2,000 or less to Reps. Adam Smith, D-Tacoma; Norm Dicks, D-Bremerton, and Jay Inslee, D-Bainbridge Island.

The three congressmen all say they had no dealings with Abramoff.

"Before this story broke, I never even knew that he existed," Smith said. "These were legitimate campaign contributions."