Fraters Libertas

Fat Cat Lobbyist In Bed With Politicians & Indian Gaming Interests?

No, we're not talking about Jack Abramoff. We're talking about the late Pat O'Connor, who, as Thomas Lifson points out at The American Thinker, was using tribal money to grease political wheels long before Abramoff's misdeeds came to light:

But Abramaoff is not the first lobbyist to work to defeat opening a gambling establishment on behalf of other Indian gambling interests. My friend Gary Larson covered the storyof the late Pat O'Connor, which was remarkably similar to Abramoff's supposed crimes.

The Gary Larson that Lifson mentions is of course a long-time FOF (Friend of Fraters) as well, and he has done extensive work covering the Indian gaming scene. Currently he's on assignment in the back woods of New Hampshire doing God knows what (maybe on the letters to the editor desk?).

Lifson goes on to point out that, despite the apparent similarities, there are some key differences between Abramoff and O'Connor:

1. Sums of money. Abramoff did it, i.e., "represent" tribes, for millions. O'Connor did it for hundreds of thousands, and then got nicked for only $85 grand in sanctions (for obstruction of justice).

2. Results. O'Connor (the founding O in O'Connor & Hannan, St. Paul and Washington, D.C.) got results. The Bureau of Indian Affairs on Babbitt's watch killed a rival Indian casino planned for the now-closed Hudson dog track. Payoff to O'Connor's clients, the Shakopee Sioux and St. Croix Ojibwe bands? Hundreds of millions over years, maybe billions, in unshared profits. O'Connor got peanuts compared to Abramoff.

Let's see now, what other difference? Oh yeah, O'Connor & his friends lobbing for the rich tribes were "Ds" while and presumably Abramoff and Scanlon are "Rs." Some would argue that's all the difference in the world.