The same activity that has led Jack Abramoff to become a household name symbolizing congressional corruption once led to his dismissal from the top post of the College Republicans. The Boston Globe profiles Abramoff’s leadership of the RNC funded College Republicans organization in an effort to “remove liberals from power permanently” and build a strong and independently funded organization. Abramoff, spurred by a belief that the press, student associations, and liberal professors were undercover agents of Moscow, furiously campaigned to raise money for the organization despite protests from RNC officials, who he derided as moderates affiliated with George H.W. Bush. He created a separate group, the College Republican National Fund, to raise money and skirt tax laws. Abramoff also lied about his access to power in his direct mail appeals, according to the Globe, foreshadowing his future prevaricating. Abramoff’s oversized personality and actions eventually forced the RNC to push him out of the top spot at the College Republicans.

Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT), under fire from Montana Democrats for taking $155,000 from Jack Abramoff and his clients, released a new television ad attacking Democrats for impugning his character. The ad calls Democratic attacks “the worst kind of politics” and “a bunch of you-know-what”. Burns, speaking in the ad, also states that the Democratic ads are paid for by Jack Abramoff’s tribal clients. The Montana Democratic Party did receive $5,000 from one tribe represented by Jack Abramoff, but only after the Party sent out an appeal to tribes to help fund a get-out-the-vote effort among Indian tribes – something the staunch Republican Abramoff would certainly not direct money towards. The Missoulian notes that Burns’ assertion of the source of money for the Democrats’ attack ads is equally true about this very ad by Burns, considering that he received over 30 times the amount that the Montana Democrats did.