Originally published February 6 2006
Contributions from Abramoff may unseat many politicians in upcoming elections
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Senators Byron Dorgan and Conrad Burns have returned contributions made by lobbyist Jack Abramoff, the subject of a federal corruption investigation involving contributions given to legislators in return for political favors, and the Senators' actions seem to be catching on as more politicians plan to distance themselves from their old friend Abramoff as elections draw nearer.
The announcement by two senators last week that they would return $217,000 in contributions linked to the indicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff has produced calls for other members of Congress, Republicans and Democrats, to follow suit or risk being tainted by the money in next year's elections.
Mr. Abramoff, a major Republican Party fund-raiser who is the focus of a federal corruption investigation in Washington involving gifts to lawmakers, was long among the most generous lobbyists in the capital in directing political contributions to lawmakers who could help his clients.
The money, most of it from Mr. Abramoff's Indian tribe clients and their lucrative casino operations, was eagerly accepted by members of Congress until this year.
Mr. Burns, who is facing a difficult re-election fight next year in part because of news coverage back home about his links to Mr. Abramoff, called for other lawmakers to return donations from the lobbyist, who is also under indictment in Florida on unrelated fraud charges.
Mr. Mitchell said in an interview that the disclosures had given the party a clear opportunity to unseat at least one of the state's Republican House members, Representative J. D. Hayworth of Scottsdale.
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, a research group in Washington that monitors the influence of money in politics, Mr. Hayworth was the largest single Congressional recipient of donations from Mr. Abramoff and his family, his associates, his Indian tribe clients and a gambling cruise ship line that he owned, with more than $101,000 going to Mr. Hayworth and his political action committee since 1999.
The Center for Responsive Politics, which did not include donations from Mr. Abramoff's lobbying partners in its calculations, found that since 1999 Mr. Burns received $49,590 from Mr. Abramoff's Indian tribe clients.
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