Lobbyist Minimizes Talks With Reid's Staff

Sat Feb 11, 10:12 PM ET

One of Jack Abramoff's ex-colleagues confirms he contacted Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid's office on behalf of the influential lobbyist but says he does not believe Abramoff's billing records accurately reflect the extent of his work.

Ronald Platt, a lobbyist who worked with Abramoff at the Greenberg Traurig firm between 2001 and 2004, said he contacted Reid's office in 2001, as the billing records show, about the timing of minimum wage legislation affecting one of Abramoff's clients, the Northern Mariana Islands.

"When Abramoff first arrived at Greenberg Traurig, I did a new colleague a favor by simply asking Reid staffers about when the minimum wage legislation affecting the Mariana Islands would be voted upon by the Senate. I communicated this to Abramoff," Platt said in a statement e-mailed Friday evening to The Associated Press.

The AP reported on Thursday that lobbying firm billing records obtained under public records law from the Marianas showed that Abramoff billed the islands for 21 contacts in 2001 with Reid's office.

The records listed the minimum wage as the issue and Platt as the point of contact for most of those contacts. Platt had registered with the Senate in 2001 to lobby for the Marianas as well as for some Abramoff tribal clients.

Reid's office confirmed this week it had "routine contact" with Platt over the years on lobbying issues such as the Marianas and American Indian tribes, but said it could not verify all the contacts listed in the billing records.

In his statement, Platt sought to minimize the extent of his lobbying of Reid's office on behalf of Abramoff, saying he never considered himself "part of Team Abramoff." Abramoff has pleaded guilty in a fraud and bribery case.

"These contacts were incidental, insofar as I simply bumped into Reid staffers at Democratic Party functions or occurred incidental to discussions regarding my clients, not Abramoff's," Platt said. "Any contacts that I may have had in regard to Abramoff's tribal clients would have been similarly incidental."

As for the 21 contacts listed in the billing records, Platt noted Abramoff has pleaded guilty to defrauding clients and said the references in the AP's story were inaccurate. He was not more specific.

Platt acknowledged he input his own time entries into his firm's billing system and that "any time billed to the Northern Marianas was to simply monitor the progress of the legislation." He said any help he provided with Abramoff's client ended in late 2001.

Audits of Abramoff's work for the Marianas during the 1990s, when he was with the Preston Gates lobbying firm, concluded that more than $1 million in expenses could not be substantiated.

The 2001 Marianas billing records cited by the AP were similarly audited and the island's government raised no concerns. In fact, the island's auditor concluded that Greenberg Traurig had provided "more lobbyist services ... in terms of time spent" for less money than had been seen in earlier years.

Platt also said the AP did not attempt to reach him for comment before its story moved Thursday.

The AP contacted Platt's new lobbying firm in late December seeking to interview him about the billing records and was referred to Greenberg Traurig.

Platt also did not return two phone messages Friday renewing a request for an interview. Instead, he sent the e-mail statement.

Greenberg Traurig declined comment. "Consistent with our ethical obligations to clients, our firm continues to cooperate fully with ongoing government investigations," the firm said.

LINK