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Politics
Mississippi Choctaws turn over lobbying documents


The Mississippi Band of Choctaws agreed to submit documents to the Senate Indian Affairs Committee as part of the panel's lobbying investigation.

The tribe had been refusing to cooperate with the probe, according to earlier press reports. But Chief Phillip Martin met with committee staff on July 24 to discuss which documents would be provided.

The tribe paid Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff nearly $11 million since 1988. According to The Jackson Clarion-Ledger, the money was used to oppose efforts by the Poarch Creek Band to expand gaming in nearby Alabama.

Abramoff and public relations executive Michael Scanlon are the center of the Senate investigation for the high fees they charged tribal clients. Four tribes paid at least $45 million to the pair.

A hearing will be held September 29 on the matter.

Get the Story:
Tribes' lobbyists at center of probe (The Jackson Clarion-Ledger 9/11)

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