Records Detail Senator’s Links to Abramoff’s Clients

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) wrote at least four letters helpful to Indian tribes represented by Jack Abramoff, and the senator’s staff regularly had contact with the disgraced lobbyist’s partners about legislation affecting other clients.

The activities -- detailed in billing records and correspondence obtained by Associated Press -- are more extensive than previously disclosed.

They occurred over three years as Reid collected about $68,000 in donations from Abramoff’s firm, lobbying partners and clients.

Reid’s office acknowledged last week having “routine contacts” with Abramoff’s lobbying partners and intervening on some government matters, such as blocking some tribal casinos, in ways Abramoff’s clients might have deemed helpful. But it said none of Reid’s actions were affected by donations or carried out for Abramoff.

“All the actions that Sen. Reid took were consistent with his long-held beliefs, such as not letting tribal casinos expand beyond reservations, and were taken to defend the interests of Nevada constituents,” Reid spokesman Jim Manley said.

Reid has led the Democratic Party’s attacks portraying Abramoff’s lobbying and fundraising as a Republican scandal.

Abramoff’s records show his lobbying partners billed for about two dozen phone contacts or meetings with Reid’s office in 2001 alone.

Most were to discuss Democratic legislation that would have applied the U.S. minimum wage to the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. territory and an Abramoff client, but would have given the islands a temporary break on the wage rate, the billing records show.

Reid also intervened on government matters at least five times in ways helpful to Abramoff’s tribal clients, once opposing legislation on the Senate floor and four times sending letters pressing the Bush administration on tribal issues. Reid collected donations about the time of each action.

Ethics rules require senators to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest in collecting contributions when they take official acts benefiting donors.

Abramoff’s firm also hired one of Reid’s top legislative aides as a lobbyist. The aide later helped throw a fundraiser for Reid at Abramoff’s firm that raised donations from several of his lobbying partners.

Reid’s longtime chief of staff accepted a free trip to Malaysia arranged by a consulting firm connected to Abramoff that recently gained attention in the influence-peddling investigation.

Abramoff has pleaded guilty in a fraud and bribery case and is helping prosecutors investigate the conduct of lawmakers, congressional aides and administration officials his firm lobbied.

Abramoff spokesman Andrew Blum declined to comment on the Reid contacts.

Reid has criticized Republicans’ ties to Abramoff while refusing to return any of his own donations.

He argues there is no need to return the money.

“Sen. Reid never met Jack Abramoff and never has taken contributions from him, and efforts to drag him into this are going to fail,” Manley said. “Abramoff is a convicted felon, and no one has suggested the other partners we might have dealt with have done anything impermissible.”