State politicians have opposing views on Abramoff controversy

J. Craig Anderson

Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2006 | 8:13 a.m.

Jack Abramoff appears poised to surpass actor Kevin Bacon as the person who has crossed paths with the greatest number of famous colleagues.

But the degree of separation between former Washington lobbyist Abramoff, the central character in a massive congressional bribery scandal, and the politicians who received what is now viewed as tainted money from him, has become a matter of political strategy rather than a fun game to play on road trips.

Two Nevada congressional leaders appearing this week on "Face to Face With Jon Ralston," on Las Vegas ONE, Cox cable channel 19, offered vastly different views on how the public should regard the Abramoff scandal -- and how politicians who received donations from him should go about redeeming their good names.

Sen. John Ensign, a Republican who received nearly $10,000 in contributions from Abramoff and an associate also accused of wrongdoing, downplayed the difference between elected officials who took campaign money directly from Abramoff and those who accepted contributions from his clients and other affiliates.

"It's all coming via Jack Abramoff, and it's been given to people of both parties," Ensign said.

Rep. Shelley Berkley, a Democrat who received $2,500 in contributions from an American Indian tribe and three employees of a law firm that worked with Abramoff, stressed that most of the money came from good friends and longtime supporters.

"The money would have been given to me no matter what," she said. "There was no connection with Abramoff."

Berkley said the bribery scandal itself is a product of the current, Republican-dominated national administration.

"The American public should not tolerate this behavior," she said. "Right now it's the Republicans, and it's pervasive."

Federal prosecutors have accused Abramoff of bribing government officials, including a Republican congressman believed to be Rep. Robert W. Ney, R-Ohio, chairman of the House Administration Committee.

Abramoff also is charged with bilking millions of dollars from the tribes he represented.

Ensign, who appeared on "Face to Face" Tuesday, said he disagrees with politicians who have returned campaign money to contributors implicated in the Abramoff affair.

He instead donated an equal amount to the Nevada Patriot Fund, which benefits the families of Nevada military members who die or suffer permanent injuries in their service.

"By giving the money back, you know, that's, I mean, giving the money back to potentially somebody who was corrupt," Ensign said.

But Berkley, who returned a $500 tribal contribution but kept the remaining $2,000 in donations linked to Abramoff, said she never met or spoke to Abramoff and has no reason to suspect that anyone who gave to her campaign did anything wrong.

She said giving campaign money to charity is a violation of trust between candidates and their contributors.

"That money doesn't belong to us," Berkley said during a "Face to Face" program to air today. "It's not supposed to be used for purposes other than running for office."

J. Craig Anderson can be reached at 259-2320 or at craig@lasvegassun.com.