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Opinion
Horse Sense: Burns and Baucus 'cozy' with lobbyists


"Montana's two U.S. senators are making national news for their cozy relationships with Washington, D.C., lobbyists. The stories aren't flattering.

The Washington Post and Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper, last week reported that U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., last year applied pressure to direct a $3 million federal grant intended for poor Indian tribal schools to the Saginaw Chippewa tribe of Michigan, one of the wealthiest in the country. At the time, the tribe was a client of Jack Abramoff, a prominent Republican lobbyist now under investigation by the FBI and other agencies.

Abramoff, his lobbyist associates and his tribal clients have been major sources of Burns campaign funds, giving $137,000 raised by Burns, chairman of the Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, in 'soft money donations.'"

Get the Story:
Horse sense: Senators need logos to show their real bosses (The Billings Gazette 3/6)

Relevant Links:
Saginaw Chippewa Tribe - http://www.sagchip.org
Saginaw Chippewa Voices - http://www.scitmembervoices.com

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