Stephanie Leger Short

Stephanie Leger Short is Lousiana Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco's Director of State/Federal Relations -- "working with the governor to develop and implement Louisiana's federal and fiscal legislative strategy" -- and also manages "the governor's Washington, D.C. office in the Hall of States." 

In December 2004, it was announced that Short, the former Stephanie K. Leger, was to "leave her current position with the DCI Group, a Washington-based public affairs firm for this position, where she is an associate in the government affairs division," and to officially begin "her work in Louisiana's Washington, D.C. office in January 2005."

A native of Lafayette, Louisiana, Short "has had experience as a congressional staff professional and a lobbyist. She is a 1994 graduate of Louisiana State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science, with a minor in English. For more than six years, Leger was a staff member for U.S. Senator John B. Breaux. Among her positions with the Breaux administration were Legislative Assistant and Legislative Counsel. While a member of Senator Breaux's staff, Leger earned her Juris Doctorate from Columbus School of Law at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C." 

Greenberg Traurig
Short was associated with Jack Abramoff at Greenberg Traurig, from which she was asked to resign. 

Greenberg Traurig announced October 15, 2001, that Stephanie K. Leger had "joined the firm’s Washington, D.C., office as an associate in the Government Affairs department.

"Formerly a senior legislative assistant for United States Sen. John Breaux, Leger managed energy, environment, native American and appropriations issues and served as a liaison with respective committees on behalf of the senator. She also drafted, submitted and discussed policy and legal memoranda and met with constituent groups, lobbying and public- interest groups, other members of Congress and staff to create legislative initiatives."

Abramoff-Reed Indian Gambling Scandal
In March 2002, "Breaux, whose legislative aide, Stephanie Leger Short, had just gone to work for Abramoff as a Coushatta lobbyist, sent [Secretary of the Interior Gale] Norton a stack of anti-Jena constituent mail. Breaux received $14,250 from the lobbyists and their tribal clients," Susan Schmidt reported in the March 13, 2005, Washington Post.

Josephine Hearn wrote in The Hill October 20, 2005, that "A principal lobbyist working on the account with Abramoff was Stephanie Leger Short, a Democrat married to Toby Short," a legislative assistant in Senator Byron L. Dorgan's (D-North Dakota) "personal office."

"It was unclear at press time whether the Indian Affairs Committee would call Leger Short as a witness in the upcoming hearing," Hearn wrote.

On March 25, 2005, a poster on the Politics LA Forum wrote:


 * "In an AP story today, the Louisiana Democratic Party talked about glass houses. The sound that you are hearing now is the Democrats and their Governor's glass house breaking. What they neglected to tell the AP reporter was the fact that the real Abramoff tie to Louisiana is Governor Blanco's top Washington, D.C. staffer, Stephanie Leger.


 * "Before working for Governor Blanco, Ms. Leger used to work for Jack Abramoff. She and her boss were both registered lobbyists for three Indian Tribes: Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana, and Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana. Currently, Mr. Abramoff is under federal investigation and is the subject of several U.S. Senate investigations into his dealing with these tribes.


 * "While some might dismiss her ties to Mr. Abramoff as past history, it is clear that the cloud over his investigation is continuing to follow Ms. Leger. Despite telling the Baton Rouge Advocate on March 6th that she was never brought into Mr. Abramoff's inner circle, the Washington Post reported differently a week later. The Washington Post cited emails between them showing a clear and direct link to each other on behalf of these clients."

Side Payments
"Four former Greenberg Traurig lobbyists besides disgraced former colleague Jack Abramoff took improper side payments in violation of company policy and have been referred to the Justice Department, a top law firm executive has disclosed," Julie Kay reported November 17, 2005, for Law.com. "The four other lobbyists now being questioned" are Kevin A. Ring, Jon W. van Horne, Michael D. Smith and Stephanie Leger."

SourceWatch Resources

 * "Team Abramoff"