Created: 1/10/2006 12:30:30 PM 
BRUNSWICK, GA (AP) -- U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Savannah, said he would donate to charity $17,000 he received from disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and Indian tribes affiliated with his group. "Not one dime of the money was tainted," Kingston spokesman Rob Asbell said Tuesday. "But he decided that rather than fight, he preferred to give the money to charity."
Kingston had refused to give up the money last week, when several members of Georgia's congressional delegation returned or donated at least part of the contributions they had received from the once-influential lobbyist who has pleaded guilty to criminal charges.
Kingston changed his mind after a barbecue event with his constituents in Hinesville last weekend. He wished to avoid losing their support, Asbell said. Kingston received more from Abramoff and the tribes he represented than any other Georgia member of Congress, according to the independent Center for Responsive Politics.
In 2001, when Kingston sat on a House subcommittee that made several domestic decisions, including those on the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Abramoff gave the congressman $1,000 directly, and Indian tribes contributed $16,000, Asbell said.
Abramoff pleaded guilty Jan. 3 in Washington to federal conspiracy, tax evasion and mail fraud charges. He agreed that he engaged in a conspiracy involving "corruption of public officials." Prosecutors say he schemed to provide campaign contributions, trips and other items to lawmakers in exchange for favors and conspired to defraud Indian tribes that hired him.
Kingston's donations will go to several charities in Georgia's first district, Asbell said.
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