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House Committee Details Abramoff Connections to Bush White House
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform released a "proposed" report this morning finding that Jack Abramoff did indeed have "personal contact with President Bush" and that Abramoff and cohorts were "held in high regard" by White House officials.
The proposed report also finds that Abramoff and his associates "influenced some White House actions" and gave White House officials "expensive tickets and meals."
The report (.pdf), technically a draft of the committee's findings, will be marked up and voted on by committee members in a meeting on Thursday.
We'll be looking through the report and bringing you updates, but in a first read through here are some findings that stuck out.
Abramoff and team gave gifts to Carlos Bonilla, at the time a Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and now an economic policy advisor for John McCain:
On October 18, 2001, Kevin Ring sent an unknown number of tickets to an unknown event to Mr. Bonilla by courier. In addition, in response to an offer from Kevin Ring, Mr. Bonilla requested and was provided with two tickets to sit in the Abramoff suite for the November 20, 2001, Washington Wizards game.
The report confirms much of what was already known about the Abramoff-led effort to oust Department of Interior official Alan Stayman, Abramoff's nemesis on issues involving his client, the Mariana Islands:
One action that White House officials took at the request of Mr. Abramoff was to intervene to force the removal of a State Department official, Alan Stayman. In a previous position at the Office of Insular Affairs in the Department of the Interior, Mr. Stayman had advocated positions opposed by the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, then a client of Mr. Abramoff. Mr. Stayman was appointed to his position at the Department of State during the Clinton Administration.In a recent Committee deposition, Monica Kladakis, then-Deputy Associate Director in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel (OPP), confirmed that OPP became involved in Mr. Stayman's removal after White House officials were contacted by Mr. Abramoff's team.
Late Update: McCain Camp: Advisor Linked to Abramoff No Longer with Campaign
Josh
Zachary
THIS IS EXCELLENT NEWS FOR MCCAIN!!!!
June 9, 2008 12:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
Re: Bonilla (Abramoff -> Bush -> McSame)
Is it just me or is it literally astounding how they don't even bother to try to hide the outrageous criminal impropriety.
June 9, 2008 1:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ah, to see a Democrat with street smarts, like Henry W. (or his staff) getting a "draft" report released before the GOP try to immaculate it! May I have some more please?
June 9, 2008 12:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
immaculate as in conception or emasculate as in ripping off their dangling participles?
June 9, 2008 2:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks; I intended dangling participles. I before E except here.
June 9, 2008 2:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
As fugly as he is, i have such a man-crush on Waxman. My wife doesn't understand it. It's just his whole hearted goodness and penchant for kicking some wing-nut ass now and again.
June 9, 2008 1:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
I was just reading the sub-headline, "Bush-Abramoff Photograph Deep-Sixed?" from 01.26.06 and the last paragraph jumped out at me:
"Did the White House send out the word to deep-six those Bush-Abramoff pics?
Scott McClellan won't answer our questions. But this mystery would not be difficult to solve by a press outlet with sufficient juice to get a question answered by Scott McClellan. Has the White House or anyone working at the White House's behest instructed Reflections Photography to destroy or remove from its archives photographs of President Bush and Jack Abramoff?"
Now that McClellan is talking, maybe he'd be willing to shed some light on this the second time around.
June 9, 2008 1:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
I like the way you think!
TPM's Josh Marshall broke the Abramoff-Bush photo coverup story in January 2006. At that time, they'd admit NOTHING.
Citizens For Ethics In Washington eventually obtained the photo. At the time, it was a bombshell.
June 9, 2008 3:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
IMO, the best Waxman and his counterparts in both House and Senate can at this late point in the game is to keep churning out info, like this, that paints an ugly picture for those repugs up for re-election to answer to. It may be enough to swing red states to the blue state column for the Presidential as well as Senate and House races.
June 9, 2008 2:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Short of impeachment -- and this would be the way to build the case for impeachment anyway -- these drip-drip-drip reports, hopefully building to a flood, is the way to go.
Is it likely Bushit will issues pardons anyway, even if not faced with impeachment?
At very least, keep the results of investigations coming, at regular intervals -- like, you know, one in the morning, one in the afternoon. And then one overnight. The accumulation should be a tsunami, topped by the under oath/transcripted testimony of McLellan.
So far, he's earned a degree of respect that Addington, Bolten, Miers, Rice, and Rove have preferred to do without.
Keep the dirt coming and the pressure on. And you go, Kucinich!
June 10, 2008 1:18 PM | Reply | Permalink