Reply #97: Burns received more money from Mr. Abramoff than did any other Member

[L. Coyote]

http://www.beyonddelay.org/summaries/burns.php

...His ethics issues stem from campaign contributions he accepted in apparent exchange for exercising his authority as Chairman of an appropriations subcommittee and on a trip some of his staff members took to the 2001 Super Bowl. Sen. Burns was defeated in his November 2006 bid for re-election by Jon Tester.

Senator Burns and Jack Abramoff

Sen. Burns' campaign committees have received substantial contributions from former Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff, Mr. Abramoff's associates and Mr. Abramoff's tribal clients. In fact, Sen. Burns received more money from Mr. Abramoff than did any other Member of Congress. Between 2000 and 2002, these donors contributed a whopping 42% of the total money received by Burns' political action committee, totaling more than $137,000.

In apparent exchange, Sen. Burns applied pressure to the Interior Department to direct a $3 million federal grant intended for poor tribal schools to the Saginaw Chippewa tribe of Michigan, one of the wealthiest tribes in the country (each member of the tribe receives $70,000 annually) and a client of Mr. Abramoff's. When that failed, Sen. Burns earmarked the money for the Saginaw Chippewa in a 2004 Senate appropriations bill.

By trading legislative assistance for campaign contributions, Sen. Burns may have violated federal laws prohibiting bribery and honest services fraud as well as Senate rules......