By Bill Britt
Alabama Political Reporter
MONTGOMERY—In today’s Anniston Star, Del Marsh (R-Anniston) launched a campaign to cover-up his part in a money laundering scheme involving Indian gambling money. In the report by the Anniston Star, Marsh admits he met with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians (PCI) in 2010 but she says he did not ask them for money. According to the report by Tim Lockette, Marsh said,
“…he did meet with Creek leaders, at their request, before the 2010 election — but didn’t ask for money.”
This contradicts what the PCI Governmental Relations Advisor Robert McGhee told the Alabama Political Reporter in October 2012. The Star also reports that McGhee said in an email to the newspaper that,
“I do not recall Sen. Marsh specifically asking for a contribution.”
This also contradicts what McGhee told the Alabama Political Reporter in October.
Marsh said that he was sent on an errand by a third party. Who was the third party? Was it Mike Hubbard or someone else? Robert McGhee is on tape as saying that Marsh asked for the money. He said the funds were routed through the RSLC (Republican State Leadership Conference). McGhee’s statements totally counter Marsh’s assertions to the Anniston Star.
The PCI said that after the story broke in the Alabama Political Reporter in 2012 about Marsh requesting money from the PCI for the 2010 Senate races, that Marsh asked the tribe to change their story about him asking for the contributions, saying to the PCI,
“They will use this against me in the next election.”
It would seem that Mr. Marsh finally persuaded McGhee to amend his earlier statement.
In the Anniston Star report, Marsh also says that he had no involvement with with the money being sent to the RSLC. This is also contradicted by McGhee’s earlier statements.
The Alabama Political Reporter has tracked the money sent from the PCI to the RSLC back into Alabama campaigns. This money laundering by Marsh and then ALGOP Chairman Mike Hubbard is a part of an ongoing grand jury investigation.
The following is a transcript of our recording of Robert McGhee in October 2012:
Britt: I’ll tell you exactly the way I understand it…is that..y’all gave…the money was requested from you by Del Marsh…and
Del Marsh…y’all gave the money, I guess, to Del Marsh…or the money was delivered to Del Marsh and then he took it…
McGhee: Then sent it to the national headquarters, I believe.
Britt: Right, yes. But it was at the request of Marsh.
McGhee: Probably, yes, it wasn’t us.
Britt: Pardon me?
McGhee: It wasn’t at our request. It was probably at his request.
Britt: And then that was the $100,000
