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Statement of Senator Durbin Regarding Campaign Contributions

Date: Jan. 4, 2006
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Criminal Justice Elections


STATEMENT OF SENATOR DURBIN REGARDING CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today made the following statement regarding campaign donations from individuals and organizations associated with Jack Abramoff:

"The corruption scandal associated with Mr. Abramoff is very serious. His actions threaten to further discredit our government and its leaders. I urge the Attorney General and the Department of Justice to continue to aggressively pursue the trail of corruption."

"I have no relationship - either personal or professional - with Jack Abramoff. I've never met Jack Abramoff; he's never been in my office; I've never had a meal with him or played golf with him. But in light of reports that my campaign received money from organizations associated with Mr. Abramoff, I have asked my staff to review my campaign accounts and my schedule for the entire time that I have served in the Senate."

"My office records show no meetings, phone calls or conferences with Mr. Abramoff in the eight years I have served in the Senate. In reviewing the financial records from my campaign, my staff found no record of any personal contributions from Mr. Abramoff to any of my campaign accounts."

"We did find seven contributions totaling $11,000 that came from organizations associated, directly or indirectly, with Mr. Abramoff (see below). None of these contributions were illegal and all were received and reported consistent with federal campaign finance laws. But because Mr. Abramoff's web of influence was so widespread and so corrosive, I have decided to donate these funds to two Chicago-area organizations serving Native Americans -- the American Indian Center of Chicago and the American Indian Health Service of Chicago."

for more information about the two Native American organizations:

www.aic-chicago.org and www.aihschicago.org

Contributions Returned from Organizations Associated with Jack Abramoff

Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe
06/24/03
$5,000.00
Prairie PAC

Agua Caliente Bank of Cahuilla Indians
07/23/02
$1,000.00
Friends of Dick Durbin

03/16/04
$1,000.00
Prairie PAC

04/29/04
$1,000.00
Friends of Dick Durbin

Greenberg Traurig PAC
09/12/01
$1,000.00
Friends of Dick Durbin

06/14/02
$1,000.00
Friends of Dick Durbin

09/26/03
$1,000.00
Prairie PAC

Total
$7,000.00
Prairie PAC

$4,000.00
Friends of Dick Durbin

=

$11,000.00

http://durbin.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=250249

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