Michael Scanlon - Scanlon and Tribal Lobbying

Scanlon and Tribal Lobbying

As of September 11, 2000, Scanlon was one of the lobbyists assigned to Abramoff's team lobbying on behalf of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan. After Abramoff left Preston Gates and went to Greenberg Traurig in January 2001, Scanlon formed his own public relations firm, Capitol Campaign Strategies (along with the dummy organizations American International Center, Atlantic Research Analysis, and Scanlon Gould Public Affairs). Abramoff and Scanlon used the firm to bilk tribal clients for millions of dollars in fees. Abramoff directed clients to use Scanlon's firm for political campaign services, without disclosing his own relationship with Scanlon. Scanlon's firm would then only perform part of the campaign services billed for, and would split the excess money received with Abramoff in a scheme known to the two as "Gimme Five".

Private communications revealed as a result of the Congressional enquiry into Scanlon and Abramoff's consulting business demonstrate a contemptuous attitude to both clients and supporters. Indian Clients were referred to as "troglodytes" and "monkeys", while Christian Conservatives were called gullible "wackos" who could be manipulated to vote on demand:

The wackos get their information through the Christian right, Christian radio, mail, the internet and telephone trees ... Simply put, we want to bring out the wackos to vote against something and make sure the rest of the public lets the whole thing slip past them.

Scanlon also emailed colleagues, saying:

This whole thing about not kicking someone when they are down is BS - Not only do you kick him - You kick him until he passes out - then beat him over the head with a baseball bat - then roll him up in an old rug - and throw him off a cliff into the pounding surf below!!!!!