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Another tribe considers lawsuit against lobbyists
Thursday, October 7, 2004
The Saginaw Chippewa Tribe of Michigan is likely to file a lawsuit against two Washington insiders accused of bilking six tribes of at least $66 million.
Tribal leaders hired lobbyist Jack Abramoff and public relations consultant Michael Scanlon to represent their interests in Washington. They now say their money was wasted and that they got nothing out of the deal.
The Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana is also planning to sue to recover $32 million fees paid to the pair. But a lawyer for Abramoff said the tribes were provided with "valuable services" and that Abramoff "achieved demonstrable results" for them.
Abramoff resigned from the law/lobbying firm of Greenberg Traurig as the scandal was coming to light. Two clients, the Mississippi Band of Choctaws and the Meskwaki Tribe of Iowa, plan to stay with the firm, which says it knew nothing of Abramoff's relationship with Scanlon.
The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians of California, meanwhile, has gone to Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld. The firm has been representing the tribe in the lobbying investigation and will handle other legislative matters.
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Special Interests: Pair Under Inquiry May Face Tribal Action
(The Washington Post 10/7)
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In Plain Sight (The Legal Times 10/5)
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