Hayworth says FBI probe has ended

Former Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-Ariz.) said Thursday that the Justice Department is no longer probing his ties to jailed lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Hayworth told an Arizona radio show that Justice Department officials have informed his lawyers that they have decided not to pursue a formal investigation, the Associated Press reported.

{mosads}He also blamed the loss of his seat last year on Democrats’ focus on his ties to Abramoff and the wide-ranging corruption scandal. Hayworth lost his seat to Democrat Harry Mitchell.

Between 1999 and 2005, Hayworth, a 12-year veteran of the House, received $69,000 from Abramoff and his clients. The Center for Responsive Politics said he was the second-highest recipient of Abramoff-related contributions. He gave $2,250 that he received directly from Abramoff to Hurricane Katrina relief efforts in 2005.

Hayworth also used Abramoff’s skyboxes at Washington-area sports venues free of charge for five fundraisers. In 2004, months after Abramoff’s schemes to defraud Indian tribe clients of millions of dollars were exposed, Hayworth paid the Mississippi Band of Choctaws and the Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana nearly $13,000 for the use of the skyboxes.

Hayworth was scrutinized for his role in helping stop a proposal to tax Indian casinos and preventing a change in the law that allowed Indian tribes to contribute to an unlimited number of federal candidates with an aggregate cap in total contributions.

He was co-chairman of the Native American Caucus in Congress and represented several tribes in his district. Throughout the scandal, he maintained his innocence, arguing that his work on behalf of Indians was motivated by a desire to help his constituents.