printer friendly version
Ralph Reed changes story on $1.15M tribal donation
Friday, May 20, 2005
Republican Christian activist and candidate for lieutenant governor in Georgia Ralph Reed has changed his story yet again on a $1.15 million donation from a gaming tribe that went to fight gaming.
After first denying that tribes were involved, Reed admitted in e-mails to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he took the money from the Mississippi Band of Choctaws and in order to fight gaming in Alabama. But his spokesperson said the funds came from the tribe's non-gaming enterprises.
"We knew that the firm that hired us as a subcontractor had tribal clients, that those clients would contribute toward the work in Alabama, and that the contributions would not derive from gambling activities," his spokesperson told the paper.
Reed, however, never told the Alabama Christian Coalition and Citizens Against Legalized Lottery that the money came from a tribal source much less a tribal gaming source. The groups have policies not to accept gaming money.
Reed's changing story is reminiscent of the one he gave regarding $4.2 million he took to fight gaming in Texas. First he said he didn't know it came from a tribal source. Then he said he knew it came from a tribe but not the tribe's gaming enterprises.
In both cases, disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff played a role because his clients -- the Mississippi Band and the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana -- were the source of the funds.
Get the Story:
Reed: Indians gave money
(The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 5/20)
Username:
indianz@indianz.com, Password:
indianz
Related Stories:
Editorial: Alabama Christians have lost
credibility (5/19)
Gaming money went straight
to Ralph Reed's pocket (5/18)
Editorials: Christian activists have explaining to
do (05/16)
GOP group funneled tribal
money to anti-gamblers (5/13)
Abramoff
scandal an issue in Georgia campaign (05/09)
Saginaw Chippewa Tribe gave $25K to GOP tax
group (04/25)
One GOP group won't give
records to McCain (04/22)
McCain
subpoenas GOP groups linked to Abramoff (04/21)
GOP critic of McCain received tribal donations
(11/08)
Ralph Reed paid $4.1M to oppose
tribes (10/26)
Christian Coalition still
after Poarch Creeks (10/19)
High-priced
lobbyist scam linked to lawmakers (11/18)
Tigua Tribe tells of lobbying horror story
(11/18)
Tigua Tribe mum on Washington
lobbyists (10/12)
Tigua Tribe outraged
over being played as 'moronic' (09/28)
Lobbyists worked for, against 'moronic' Tiguas
(09/27)
Group opposing Poarch Creeks tied to
tribal lobbyists (09/16)
Bush strategist
now knows source of tribal funds (09/01)
Bush strategist claims no knowledge of funds
(08/31)
Bush-GOP strategist admits taking
tribal money (08/30)
GOP strategist
denies secretly taking tribal money (07/15)
Tribal money secretly funneled to GOP
strategist (06/25)
Copyright © 2000-2005 Indianz.Com
