Burns changed vote on bill about the Marianas islands

[kpete]

Montana/Regional News

Burns changed vote on bill about the Marianas islands
By JENNIFER McKEE Missoulian State Bureau



HELENA - U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., met with a Marianas official who had close ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff in the weeks before Burns received an Abramoff-related $5,000 contribution from the Marianas and reversed his earlier position on a bill about the islands.

The politician, Gov. Benigno Fitial, has said he will cooperate with the Justice Department's ongoing investigation into potential bribery of public officials involving Abramoff, a man Fitial once described as a “close friend,” according to Pacific Magazine, a Hawaii publication that covers the Pacific region.

The Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands is a U.S. territory near Guam. Citizens there are U.S. citizens, although the island is exempt from many U.S. standards, including minimum wage.

..........

Burns has said the $5,000 donation from an Abramoff client had nothing to do with his 2001 change in stance on the bill. Rather, the senator told Lee Newspapers this month he was persuaded to vote against the measure after reading two government reports about the islands and meeting with Fitial, who was then speaker of the Marianas House of Representatives.

Initially, Burns said he didn't know why he changed his position on the bill.

http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2006/01/21/news/mtregional/news06.txt

[rpgamerd00d]

1. Burns is Burned.

[babylonsister]

2. Busted, Burns! But is anybody out there, listening? nt

[SillyGoose]

3. I hope the Marianas get a lot more attention in the Abramoff scandal.

That whole saga is really sleazy.

[Wilms]

4. .