Norquist accuses McCain of lying in Abramoff report
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Republican anti-tax activist Grover Norquist is accusing Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) of "lying" about his group's involvement in the Jack Abramoff scandal.
Norquist's Americans for Tax Relief was used as a conduit by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, the Senate Indian Affairs Committee said in its Abramoff report. The tribe passed more than $1 million through ATR in order to fund anti-gaming efforts in the Gulf Coast.
Norquist said the report mischaracterized the arrangement as shady. "The idea that we were paid to obscure the transfer of the money is wrong," Norquist told NewsMax in an interview. "McCain knew that the Choctaws' own testimony refuted that."
Norquist admits he took about $100,000 of the Choctaws' money but he says this was consistent with the tribe's contributions to ATR. "The Choctaw Indians are long-term supporters of ATR," Norquist said.
The Senate report recommended an investigation into non-profits like ATR. Norquist said the investigation is a way for McCain to get back at him because he opposed McCain in the 2000 Republican presidential primary.
"He has told people I personally spent $12 million to defeat him in South Carolina. He is delusional," Norquist said.
Get the Story:
Grover Norquist Accuses Sen. McCain of 'Lying,' Says Report 'Dishonest'
(Newsmax 6/27)
Relevant Links:
Americans for Tax Reform -
http://www.atr.org
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