Hayworth defends tribe gifts

By Mark Flatten
Tribune

Rep. J.D. Hayworth, R-Ariz., said Wednesday that the financial backing he has earned from American Indian tribes — roughly $100,000 since 1999 — is being used to unfairly portray him as a major beneficiary of disgraced Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Hayworth said he did nothing wrong in accepting money from three Indian tribes once represented by Abramoff, who pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal charges of fraud, conspiracy and tax evasion. Tribes throughout the nation have long backed Hayworth’s congressional campaigns because he has championed Indian sovereignty since he was elected to Congress in 1994, Hayworth said.

"I have stood up repeatedly for tribal sovereignty," said Hayworth, who is cochairman of the congressional Native American Caucus. "It’s not a mystery when you represent the people who live in your congressional district, or when you represent Native Americans and consistently stand for tribal sovereignty and their rights."

When he was first elected, Hayworth’s district covered most of northeastern Arizona and about a quarter of his constituents were American Indians, he said. His reconfigured district includes Scottsdale, Tempe, Chandler and part of Mesa; as well as the Fort McDowell Indian Community and part of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.

Abramoff, once among the most powerful lobbyists on Capitol Hill, pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal charges of fraud, conspiracy and tax evasion. Part of his plea agreement requires him to cooperate with investigators who continue to probe his relationships with members of Congress.

A study released last month by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics listed Hayworth as the top recipient of money from Abramoff, his associates or clients. The center calculated Hayworth has received $101,620 from Abramoffrelated interests since 1999.

Hayworth slammed that study Wednesday, saying the center is biased and improperly lumped donations from tribes that have historically supported him with money from Abramoff and his cohorts.

Abramoff directly gave a total of $2,250 to Hayworth’s campaign through separate payments in 1998 and 1999, the congressman said. Abramoff’s associates gave another two contributions of $500 each, Hayworth said.

Hayworth will donate $2,250 — the amount given to his campaigns by Abramoff — to the Salvation Army’s Hurricane Katrina relief fund.

Hayworth said he will keep the money he received from three out-of-state tribes that once employed Abramoff. All three have sent him letters urging him not to return the donations because they were given to support his efforts to protect Indian communities.

Larry Noble, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, said the organization never suggested members of Congress did anything wrong in accepting money from Abramoff-connected clients. All the study did was identify who received the money, he said.

Abramoff was a big fundraiser who frequently told clients to donate to certain politicians as a way to "get you in the door," Noble said.

"Most lobbyists’ power comes from their ability to fundraise, not their ability to give their own contributions because they are limited to what they can give," said Noble, former general counsel for the Federal Election Commission.

Noble said the center, and its study, are not partisan. Both Republicans and Democrats were ranked based on the same criteria, he said.

Larry Rosenthal, consultant for the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan, said Abramoff had nothing to do with the decision to contribute to Hayworth. The Saginaw tribe had supported Hayworth before it hired Abramoff in 2001, Rosenthal said.

"J.D. has been a solid friend of Indian country for a long time," Rosenthal said. "The thing about J.D. and others is they don’t need a Jack Abramoff to get money from Indian tribes. They support him because of his past record."