Congressman Donors Tied to Tribal Dispute (Rep. Richard Pombo -CA)

[maddezmom]

By ERICA WERNER, Associated Press Writer
8 minutes ago



WASHINGTON - On Monday and Tuesday, the chairman of the House Resources Committee was raising money during baseball's All Star Game and its surrounding festivities. On Thursday, his committee will hold a hearing on land claims involving an Indian tribe bankrolled by his baseball hosts.

Spokesmen for Rep. Richard Pombo (news, bio, voting record), R-Calif., and for organizers of the fundraiser said the timing was coincidental.

"This fundraiser has been in the works for quite some time," said Pombo spokesman Brian Kennedy. He said there was no connection between Pombo's fundraising and his committee work.

But Common Cause, a political watchdog group, said the circumstances raise questions.

"Any reasonable person could conclude that Rep. Pombo is inclined to be more sympathetic to this tribe if he knows that the family who threw him these big fundraisers during the All-Star game is aligned with the tribe," said Common Cause spokeswoman Mary Boyle.

more:http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050712/ap_on_go_co/pombo_money_1

[acmejack]

1. More GOP ethics

That committee is going to have to put in a lot of overtime. or do a lot of overlooking.