WASHNGTON, D.C., Aug. 28 (UPI) -- A task force is reportedly investigating allegations lobbyist Jack Abramoff hoped to hire an Interior official who had promised to block an Indian casino.
Abramoff had been hired by the Saginaw Chippewa tribe to boost its casino plans in Michigan. The Washington Post reported that the federal task force has interviewed Abramoff's associates and Interior Department employees to determine if any conflict of interest laws were violated.
Two former Abramoff associates told the newspaper that the lobbyist told them in 2003 that he wanted to hire J. Steven Griles. Griles was at the time deputy secretary of the department.
The Post said that in e-mails Abramoff said he believed Griles would use environmental concerns to block a Michigan casino proposed by Saginaw rivals, the Gun Lake tribe.
The criminal case against Abramoff involves a Florida deal to buy casino boats. But the dealings his firm, Greenberg Traurig LLP, had with Indian tribes have sparked a long-running Senate investigation.
