Tribal Money Buys Election Process

By Kathryn Bowen

The Father of "Campaign Finance Reform" refuses to close the corrupt loophole of tribal contributions in U.S. campaigns as he embarks on his own presidential run.

Sen. John McCain chaired the Senate Indian Affairs Committee investigation into the Jack Abramoff case and has vowed not to accept tribal money. However, for his own Presidential run, McCain will accept donations from lobbyists representing tribal clients.

The issue of tribal money has been repeatedly raised to him by many colleagues in the House and Senate, along with thousands of citizens across the country. McCain has had ample opportunity to close the valve on tribal contributions in order to head off additional Abramoff scandals. Yet, he deliberately leaves the faucet running while this largesse of gambling dollars continues to shower more than willing congressional recipients with cash for their campaigns.

Members of Congress recognize that casino tribes are the largest contributors to state and federal elections, but apparently favor "cash over conscience" considering the McCain-Feingold bill's tribal loophole remains untouched. Over $21 Million Dollars have changed hands in the last two federal election cycles between casino tribes and ambitious political candidates.

With tribes not required by law to report campaign contributions, disclosure of funds comes only if candidates report donations received from Indian tribes. No checks and balances, no monitoring, and no disclosure mechanisms are in place to ensure compliance with minimal limits set on tribal contributions from a rapidly growing $23 Billion "corporate" industry that is able to shield itself behind "sovereign" government status.

The Federal Election Commission has made no attempt to improve disclosure of tribal contributions and searches for tribal donations are an endless maze of over 1,976 variations of 211 tribe names. According to Political Money Line, the filings of tribal donations included 78 variations alone for the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, one of the largest contributors to both state and federal elections.

By law, local governments, like counties and cities, cannot make financial contributions to political candidates. So why is it our U.S. elected officials are taking massive contributions from tax-exempt casino tribes asserting their "tribal government" status?

Even if there is a legal loophole allowing Indian tribes to conveniently exist as formal governments for everything except elections, evading U.S. laws intended to preserve the integrity of our political process cannot be allowed to continue.

In Sacramento, the majority of elected officials have taken substantial contributions from gambling tribes. In fact, $429,600 was poured into the campaigns of the fifteen assembly members who sit on the committee holding hearings on multi-billion dollar compact deals with the State and will be key in deciding the fate of the compacts.

How can state elected officials (who accept huge contributions and then vote in their capacity as state government representatives on contracts guaranteeing tribes gambling monopolies) get away with this gargantuan conflict of interest?

Congressional and presidential candidates have found an unregulated cache that all recent reforms have tried to address and only Congress has the power to change it. Tantamount to the fox guarding the hen house.

As casino tribes continue to negotiate for gambling monopoly compacts with our governments, they continue to enjoy sovereign immunity from suit, have no independent auditing or investigative oversight, and escape any requirement to divulge their financial records, even to their own membership.

While casino tribes continue with excessive demands for gambling expansion throughout the country, our elected officials continue to stick their greedy hands out to yet another special interest lobby that happens to be comfortably suited with a monopoly to "print" money that flows right back into the pockets of Congress.

It is astounding that one of the largest scandals to hit Washington, including members of Congress and $70 million dollars of spending by tribal interests via Jack Abramoff, continues to be swept under the congressional rug.

There is even a bigger question lurking for presidential candidates.

Should they accept tribal contributions when it might impede their ability to impartially handle the federal "trust" issue now pending in federal court? According to Alberto Gonzales, this issue is potentially carrying a price tag of over $200 billion for American taxpayers.

When Gonzales presented the 2006 budget for the Department of Justice, he requested $7.4 million and 18 positions to defend the United States in lawsuits filed by Indian Tribes. He stated the U.S. government's potential liability would be more than $200 billion.

The August Democratic Presidential debate, dubbed "Prez on the Rez", is planned for the first time in history in "Indian Country."

The question must be asked of candidates seeking the highest office in the United States.

Is accepting multi-millions of dollars from "sovereign nations" who are not bound by the U.S. Constitution, continue to remain outside regulatory laws and are not subject to fair taxation within our borders in the best interest of our country?

KATHRYN BOWEN: Author. Four year expert/activist on government regarding gambling across the country Issues include: tribal expansion, tribal sovereignty and immunity, political corruption due to unlimited funds from casino tribes both in local and state government, civil rights, equal protection issues communities struggle with due to representative government becoming too reliant on big gambling dollars. Member of the legal subcommittee team involving a lawsuit filed by Preservation of Los Olivos (POLO) and Preservation of Santa Ynez (POSY) against the federal government in 2005. This suit was filed as an appeal to the Bureau of Indian Affairs decision to accept privately purchased land by the Santa Ynez Band into federal trust status without proper representation of community interests. Writer/Producer of documentary "Big Gambling Dollars and Politics at Work"

judythpiazza@gmail.com

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