It was the courage of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., that publicly exposed the Abramoff corruption.
As I watch the Abramoff scandal unfold in Washington, I am not surprised that the two people who had the guts to expose the scandal are now under attack by those they investigated. And I hope people understand what is going on.
McCain and Dorgan led the Indian Affairs Committee investigation of the bilking of Indian tribes of tens of millions of dollars by Jack Abramoff and others. The Justice Department's announcement of Abramoff's guilty plea last week confirms what McCain and Dorgan's hearings have exposed.
Now we see the attempt at retaliation orchestrated by some of the very people who were named in the investigation.
People close to the Abramoff operation like top Republican strategist Grover Norquist and others are attacking both McCain and Dorgan in print and on the national media.
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Once again the lesson is clear. If you have courage to investigate and expose corruption, you are going to be attacked.
For my part, I thank God we have public servants like McCain and Dorgan who are willing to go after the bad guys even though they know they will be on the receiving end of bogus charges.
Leadership often requires great courage. McCain and Dorgan have it. And I thank them for that.
George A. Sinner
(Governor, 1985-1992)
Fargo
