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Alabama Governor Accused of Backroom Deal with Indian Casinos
MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA --
The feud over gambling in the state of Alabama has mushroomed into something quite ugly. Proponents of legalizing and regulating gambling in the state have accused Governor Bob Riley of having hidden ties to vested casino interests in neighboring states.
The group Sweet Home Alabama Coalition, which advocates allowing gaming in Alabama and taxing it to capture revenue currently fleeing to legal casinos elsewhere, took out television ads claiming Riley had taken campaign money from the Choctaw tribe which operates casinos in Mississippi.
In exchange, the commercials say, Riley promised to oppose any change in the state's strict gambling laws.
Riley reacted ferociously, denying any such deal or even having ever met a Choctaw in his life. Attorneys for the governor forced several television stations to pull the ads, threatening swift and harsh legal action otherwise.
But the rumors persisted, founded upon a release of a US Senate report from the investigation into disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. One section of the report noted that Abramoff had said the Choctaws had paid $13 million “to get the governor of Alabama elected to keep gaming out of Alabama so it wouldn’t hurt . . . his market in Mississippi.”
Alabama election laws make it impossible to trace the Choctaws millions that went to Political Action Committees, so it is unknown how much went to the Riley campaign.
Riley's former press secretary, Michael Scanlon, pled guilty in 2006 to crimes that were exposed by the Abranoff investigation.
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Recent Comments
| Posted by Bob Richards on 04/20/2009 03:03:00 AM EST |
President Obama needs to use the NSA (spy)system at Fort Meade like Bush appointees did and are still doing on high ranking Democrats. If Obama did, it wouldn't take long to see how corrupt government officials are in Alabama. The sooner that Obama gets rid of the Bush appointees and appoint some that will be faithful to his office the better the country will be. Please Mr. President start making you appointments first in Alabama. Our state is sick of voting fraud and the crooked politicians who's campaigns were funded by lobbyists Jack Abramoff and Michael Scanlon.
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