Murray, Cantwell plan to keep tribes’ money

Washington’s two senators said they have no plans to return money from clients of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, while Idaho Sen. Larry Craig’s staff is looking at campaign records before deciding what, if anything, to do with several contributions.

Abramoff, a powerful Washington, D.C., lobbyist who pleaded guilty on Tuesday and Wednesday to corruption charges, did not contribute directly to Craig or Democratic Sens. Patty Murray or Maria Cantwell, campaign records show.

But Indian tribes Abramoff represented did give money to all three during various campaigns.

Records prepared by the Center for Responsive Politics show Murray, Washington state’s senior senator, received nearly $41,000 between 2000 and 2004 from four different tribes, the Agua Caliente Band of the Cahuillas, the Saginaw Chippewas, the Coushattas and the Mississippi Choctaws. Of that total, $31,000 went to Murray’s separate leadership committee, M-PAC; the remainder went to her 2004 re-election campaign.

Alex Glass, a spokeswoman for Murray, said those contributions came directly from the tribes, not through Abramoff.

“Sen. Murray has been a strong and consistent advocate of tribal issues in Washington state and across the country,” Glass said. “She’s never had any contact with Jack Abramoff.”

Cantwell received a total of $10,000 between 2002 and 2005 from three tribes represented by Abramoff – the Agua Calientes, the Saginaw Chippewas and the Pueblo of Sandia – according to the center, which is based in Washington, D.C.

Spokeswoman Charla Newman said there was no connection between Abramoff and the tribal contributions.

“She’s on the Indian Affairs Committee, so there’s nothing unusual about any of these contributions,” Newman said, adding she knew of no meetings between Abramoff and Cantwell or her staff.

Craig received $1,000 from the Agua Calientes for his 2004 re-election campaign, plus an additional $2,000 from that tribe and $500 from the Mississippi Choctaws for his leadership PAC, the Alliance of the West.

Spokesman Sid Smith said Craig’s staff is studying the connections between the contributions and Abramoff’s former clients.

“He doesn’t have a relationship with Abramoff,” Smith said. But if anything seems improper about the donations, Craig would likely donate the money to an Idaho charity.

Not all campaign contributions from those tribes have a connection to the now infamous lobbyist, said a former congressional candidate who also appears on the center’s list.

Tom Keefe, who ran unsuccessfully for the House of Representatives against incumbent George Nethercutt in 2000, received a total of $5,000 from three tribes that were clients of Abramoff. But Keefe said he’s never talked with Abramoff and knows the contributions were a result of appeals made by national Indian leaders in recognition of some 25 years working on such issues as tribal sovereignty and Indian fishing rights.

Keefe said he’s glad that Abramoff is agreeing to testify in exchange for his plea bargain.

“I’m really interested in hearing what he has to say about this empire of corruption he created, in part with Indian gambling money,” Keefe said.