David Vitter: “the second of my amendments that will be voted on through a motion to table is with regard to the clear loophole in…”

“the second of my amendments that will be voted on through a motion to table is with regard to the clear loophole in campaign finance law about Indian tribes. We have talked about this and debated this. This has been widely recognized for quite some time. It is a loophole in the law that allows tribes to give to candidates directly, including gambling proceeds, without any necessity of forming a PAC and going through those rigorous requirements that corporations, labor unions, and other entities have to do. This is a loophole that has been widely recognized and needs to be closed. Certainly no legitimate argument exists that this is beyond the present debate. Think about the single biggest scandal that got us to this debate, the Jack Abramoff scandal. Indian tribes and their unfettered access to money, including gambling revenues, was at the center of the single biggest scandal that brought us to this debate. There is no legitimate argument that the amendment is somehow extraneous to the debate. If this is going to be a meaningful exercise about real reform, really cleaning things up, getting serious, not protecting sacred cows, then let's get real about it. One way we get real about it is closing this Indian tribe loophole which clearly exists and has no legitimate justification. I urge all Senators to vote against the motion to table because, again, this goes to the heart of the Abramoff matter.”