lobbying

NYTs: McCain and Indian Gaming Ties

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Three of the top ten gaming donors to McCain are tribal (here).

The main article from the NYTs:

Senator John McCain was on a roll. In a room reserved for high-stakes gamblers at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, he tossed $100 chips around a hot craps table. When the marathon session ended around 2:30 a.m., the Arizona senator and his entourage emerged with thousands of dollars in winnings.

A lifelong gambler, Mr. McCain takes risks, both on and off the craps table. He was throwing dice that night not long after his failed 2000 presidential bid, in which he was skewered by the Republican Party’s evangelical base, opponents of gambling. Mr. McCain was betting at a casino he oversaw as a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, and he was doing so with the lobbyist who represents that casino, according to three associates of Mr. McCain.

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Local Lawmakers Receive Large Contributions from Gaming Interests

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

The Detroit News reports that several local lawmakers receive big contributions from non-Indian gaming interests. From the article:

Some of the biggest names in the gambling world are betting on the congressional futures of Detroit Democratic Reps. John Conyers and Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick.

There has been a sudden surge in contributions to the two lawmakers from casinos and, for Conyers, professional gamblers — two groups that want to expand their reach by allowing online poker for money in the United States.

Federal law prohibits U.S. financial institutions from processing payments for gambling, thereby shutting out U.S. players and businesses from the highly profitable and popular Internet gambling market.

Abramoff-Related Conviction Reversed by D.C. Circuit

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

The case is US v. Safavian, and the opinion is here.

From the news coverage:

WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court overturned the conviction of a former White House official Tuesday in a significant defeat for prosecutors who are overseeing the investigation into the Jack Abramoff influence-peddling scandal.

David Safavian was convicted in 2006 of four charges related to statements he made to officials who were investigating Abramoff, a former lobbyist who pleaded guilty to conspiring to bribe lawmakers and bilking his Indian-tribe clients out of millions of dollars.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit threw out two felony-concealment charges against Safavian, saying he had “no legal duty to disclose” details about his relationship with Abramoff to General Services Administration ethics and inspector-general officials. At the time, Safavian was the GSA’s chief of staff and helped Abramoff attempt to buy two GSA-managed properties in the Washington area.

Abramoff Fallout Hitting Saginaw Chippewa

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

From the Missoulian:

Justice worked Burns investigation regardless of election calendar
By CHARLES S. JOHNSON

HELENA – The recent announcement that former Sen. Conrad Burns is no longer under criminal investigation by the Justice Department came as a welcome relief to him.

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