Don't Forget Norquist's Abramoff Ties
The Hill today carried a piece observing that Americans for Tax Reform president Grover Norquist has fully overcome his connection to the Abramoff scandal.
The overcoming is apparently so complete that the story does not mention any of the particulars of the connection, consigning the whole incident to the dusty archives. For those who do not remember, here's a brief reminder of the facts, as related by the final 2006 report by the United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs:
In late 1999, the Choctaw paid ATR $325,000. In a 2005 interview with The Boston Globe, Norquist said that ATR had sent $300,000 of that $325,000 to Citizens Against Legalized Lottery (“CALL”). Norquist explained that he sent the money to CALL because the Tribe wanted to block gambling competition in Alabama. Out of the Choctaw’s $325,000, ATR apparently kept $25,000 for its services. According to Rogers, Norquist demanded that he receive a management fee for letting ATR be used as a conduit[...]”