The Missoulian
Helena - US Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., changed his stance on a 2001 bill after receiving a $5,000 donation from a lobbyist's client who opposed the legislation, records show.
The client hired Jack Abramoff as a lobbyist to defeat the kind of bill Burns voted against. Prior to receiving the payment, Burns did not oppose an identical bill that unanimously passed the Senate in 2000, Senate documents show.
Burns, who is up for re-election next year, told the Missoulian State Bureau on Friday that the campaign contribution had nothing to do with his vote, but said it happened so long ago, he couldn't remember why he opposed the 2001 measure. Burns said he may have initially not opposed the legislation's unanimous passage because it was politically more expedient not to stand in the way of a popular bill.
"Any time you put a hold on a bill, you expend political capital," Burns said.
The Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post both have reported that Burns is among four lawmakers caught up in a US Justice Department investigation into Abramoff and his lobbying activities. The papers cited anonymous sources. Burns representatives have said the Justice Department has never contacted the senator.
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