WASHINGTON, April 7 (UPI) -- An Indian tribe says it will return a $3 million federal education grant it received with the help of U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., says a report.
Michigan's Saginaw Chippewa, a wealthy tribe once represented by former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, urged in a letter to congressional committees that the school construction grant be sent to other tribes, reports The Washington Post. The report said the tribe received it as a result of pressure exerted by Burns on Interior Department officials.
The Post quoted officials with a federal task force on congressional corruption that the panel is looking into actions by Burns and members of his staff in obtaining the grant. Burns oversees the budget of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Burns' office had no immediate comment on the tribe's decision, but the senator has said he sought the grant to improve conditions on Indian reservations, the report said.
