Evans, Nussle move to donate funds from lobbyist's clients
By Edward Felker, efelker@qconline.com

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WASHINGTON -- U.S. Reps. Lane Evans, D-Rock Island, and Jim Nussle,R-Manchester, moved Wednesday to donate campaign cash given by clientsof disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Rep. Evans' spokesman, Steve Vetzner, said the 12-term lawmaker woulddonate $2,000 to the Community Caring Conference of Rock Island, equalto the amount he accepted in 2003 from the Saginaw Chippewa tribe ofMichigan.

Rep. Nussle said he would donate $6,000, based on 1998-2002contributions of $5,000 from the Agua Caliente Band of CahuillaIndians and $1,000 from the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.

The congressmen were joined by U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., theSenate's assistant minority leader, who said he would donate $11,000in Abramoff-related contributions to two Chicago-area American Indianorganizations.

Mr. Vetzner said Rep. Evans thinks the donation is "the right thing todo," though he maintained that the contribution was proper. Hestressed Rep. Evans has never met Mr. Abramoff and had no contact withhim.

Mr. Vetzner said the contribution from the Saginaw was solicited byRep. Evans' campaign though a mailed fundraising letter. He said thecongressman has not played a role in tribal affairs or tribal gamblingissues, though, as ranking member of the House Veterans AffairsCommittee, Rep. Evans has taken an interest in American Indianveterans.

Rep. Nussle's campaign manager, Nick Ryan, said, in a statement that,while Rep. Nussle "believes these contributions were legal andpublicly reported at the time, it is the right thing to donate them tocharity" and that "to remove even the remote appearance of conflict,all contributions will be donated immediately to various charities."

He also stressed that Rep. Nussle, who is chairman of the House BudgetCommittee, never has had a relationship "at any level" with Mr.Abramoff.

Sen. Durbin said in a statement that he, too, had no contact with Mr.Abramoff during his eight years to date in the Senate and that all ofthe contributions from Abramoff clients were legal and reportedaccording to campaign finance laws.

Still, he said he decided to donate the money because Mr. Abramoff's"web of influence was so widespread and so corrosive."

With their decisions, Reps. Evans and Nussle and Sen. Durbin joined arapidly growing number of lawmakers and the Bush administrationannouncing charity donations equaling the donations made by Mr.Abramoff, his clients and his associates.

Mr. Abramoff at one time was a powerful, brash Republican lobbyistwith close ties to former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas,and prominent conservative GOP activists.

But federal and state investigations led to charges that he bilkedtribal lobbying clients of millions of dollars and sought to bribemembers of Congress beginning in 2000. The probes also led to criminalcharges from his purchase of SunCruz Casinos in Florida.

Mr. Abramoff pleaded guilty to a number of charges in both cases thisweek and has pledged to help prosecutors in ongoing investigations.

Scores of lawmakers accepted campaign donations stemming from Mr.Abramoff. Most were Republicans, but a number of high-rankingDemocrats, including Sen. Durbin and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reidof Nevada, also took contributions.

Other Iowa and Illinois lawmakers who accepted Abramoff-relateddonations took a variety of positions by late Wednesday. House SpeakerJ. Dennis Hastert, R-Yorkville, announced this week he would give tocharity thousands in dollars in contributions.

A tally by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics listed$69,000 in contributions to Rep. Hastert from Mr. Abramoff and hisassociates and clients, while the AP has put the total at $118,500.

No comment was available from U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, whoaccepted $15,500 from Abramoff clients from 2002-2004.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, has no plans to return any moneyfrom Mr. Abramoff or his clients, spokeswoman Beth Pellett said.

Sen. Grassley accepted $2,000 from Mr. Abramoff in 2004 and $12,000from his tribal clients, the CRP reported, and a total of $62,200 fromall Abramoff-related sources through 2004, according to the AP.

Ms. Pellett said Wednesday that Sen. Grassley considers thecontributions acceptable because they met his longstanding fundraisingrequirements that donations be "legal and with no strings attached."

Both Sen. Grassley and Rep. Hastert, beginning in 2002, joined otherlawmakers in protesting possible approval of a off-reservationLouisiana tribal casino that would have competed with a client ofAbramoff's in Mississippi.