Reed Confirms Fees From Indian Casino Lobbyists

[orthogonal]

Apropos of nothing at all, I'm reminded of a joke often attributed to Winston Churchill:

A well-dressed man approached young woman and said, "Would you have sex with me for a million pounds?"
"For a MILLION pounds?!" she replied, more than a little stunned, "Of course I would!"
"Well, would you sleep with me for five pounds?"
"Five pounds? Don't be ridiculous! What kind of girl do you take me for, anyway?"
"We've already established what kind of girl you are; now we're just haggling over price."

And now the article from the Washington Post:

NEW YORK, Aug. 29 -- Ralph Reed, Southeast regional chairman of the Bush-Cheney '04 campaign and former executive director of the Christian Coalition, confirmed on Sunday that he accepted more than $1 million in fees from a lobbyist and a public relations specialist whose work on behalf of American Indian casinos prompted a federal investigation.

In addition to his role running the campaign in the Southeast, Reed is a liaison to the Christian evangelical community, and many of its leaders are adamantly opposed to gambling. Reed has been widely credited with leading the political mobilization of the Christian right since the late 1980s.
. . . .

In a statement to The Washington Post, Reed said: "I have worked for decades to oppose the expansion of casino gambling, and as a result of that, Century Strategies has worked with broad coalitions to oppose casino expansion. We are proud of the work we have done. It is consistent not only with my beliefs but with the beliefs of the grassroots citizens that we mobilized. And at no time was Century Strategy ever retained by, or worked on behalf of, any casino or casino company."

Asked if he had been aware of the clients paying Abramoff and Scanlon, Reed said, "While we were clearly aware that Greenberg Traurig had certain tribal clients, we were not aware of every specific client or interest."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45348-2004Aug29.html">. . . .

[Moderator]

1. dupe

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x786631