Ralph Reed, realizing that he was getting nowhere fast with his “I don’t know what you’re talking about” defense against charges that he plotted and successfully carried out a money-laundering scheme, has now changed that defense to “It was the Indians’ fault.”
Reed, you will recall, has been accused of using Jack Abramoff’s Indian casino money to pay for Christian anti-gambling campaigns. The true “Christian” purpose of these campaigns was to wipe out any competing gambling outfits. Yesterday, Reed–who is running for the office of lieutenant governor of Georgia–said during a debate:
I would have been happy if they [Abramoff’s tribal clients] paid me directly. They were the ones who made the decision that I would be paid through nonprofits.
In other words, the Indians did it.
Perhaps the most startling fact of all is that Reed and his opponent, Casey Cagle, are said to be in a dead heat for the lieutenant governor’s race.
The Alabama-Coushatta Tribe has filed a lawsuit against Reed. He calls it “nonsense” and maintains it is an example of why “I’m in favor of tort reform.” Nice try, Ralph.