On January 4, 1999, Abramoff was hired to represent the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI).  Abramoff’s main mission was to stop legislation pending in Congress, which would have raised costs of clothing manufacture by the Tan family and other clothing manufacture interests there.

On February 21, 1999, Young led a Congressional Delegation the Marshall Islands at the behest of Abramoff, whose firm claimed it was responsible for organizing the Congressional Delegation’s visit and coordinating the delegation’s activities with the RMI military.

The trip was a so-called “CODEL,” or Congressional Delegation, meaning that it was an official trip by Members of Congress to a foreign country. But, according to a former Marshall Islands government official familiar with the trip and court documents filed in 2001, the trip was organized and arranged by Jack Abramoff.

Abramoff represented the local government of the Marshall Islands at the time of the trip. Young, as chairman of the House Resources Committee, had oversight responsibilities over working conditions in the Mariana and Marshall Islands.

As soon as he returned to Washington, DC, Young killed House Resolution 730, which called for the implementation of US labor laws in the Marshalls. (Blog Hints at Abramoff, Young link, Anchorage Daily News, February 19, 2006)

Some of the details later became public as the result of a lawsuit. The RMI retained Abramoff while he was at the law firm Preston Gates, from January of 1999 through February 2000. A dispute over the final fee of roughly $500,000 eventually led Preston Gates to file a lawsuit against the RMI in September 2001. In the suit, Preston Gates detailed their extensive services for the RMI, and the firm’s role in organizing the trip. Among them (emphasis added):

“Organizing a visit by a congressional delegation led by Representative Don Young (R-AK) to the RMI. This included drafting all RMI statements and press releases, organizing the delegation’s schedule, drafting all of the RMI’s official speeches, and coordinating the delegation’s activities with the RMI military.”

Elizabeth Fleming, the attorney who filed the suit for Preston Gates, confirmed that Jack Abramoff was the Preston Gates lobbyist who worked on the account.

The suit for $433,369.19, the outstanding balance on the RMI’s account, was ultimately settled out of court.

In 2001, Abramoff moved to the firm of Greenburg Traurig. In a January 4, 2001 proposal to represent the government of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Abramoff wrote about his confidence in Don Young’s ability to quash legislation prejudicial to the Tan family business interests.  Abramoff also complained about Young’s removal from the Chair of the House Resources Committee, saying, “The loss of Chairman Young’s authority cannot easily be measured or replaced.”