"The White House logs would answer a basic question about the extent of Abramoff's ties to the White House, Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton said. The records "may show 30 visits by Jack Abramoff to the White House, or they may show three visits." "The point is we need to get all of the facts on the table about this admitted felon's contacts with White House officials," Finton said. The lawsuit was filed last week." "Lobbying records obtained by the AP show his lobbying team met nearly 200 times with administration officials during the first 10 months of Bush's presidency on behalf of one of his clients, the Northern Mariana Islands."
And after Abramoff's contacts with Ashcroft, Fred Black, the long time senior Justice Dept prosecutor in the Marianas, who was investigating one of those clients for fraud, was demoted by Ashcroft, is still forbidden to handle fraud cases and officials at Justice and Interior who were helping him were silenced or forced out. Be nice to see if Abramoff was buzzing about in the White House at the same time and who the log says he was there to see. Pays to have friends in high places...if you are a crook...with lots of money. Did I mention Abramoff's Marianas clients paid for vacations (oops...fact finding trips) for DeLay and other Republican luminaries. David Bier http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060228/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_abramoff_foia_suit Group Sues to Get White House Visitor Logs By MARK SHERMAN, Associated Press Writer1 hour, 38 minutes ago A public-interest group has sued the Secret Service for access to White House visitor logs that the group says would show how often lobbyist Jack Abramoff met with President Bush and his staff. Judicial Watch filed suit in U.S. District Court in Washington under the federal Freedom of Information Act, claiming that the Secret Service failed to meet a Feb. 21 deadline for releasing the records or indicating how much more time it would need. Secret Service spokesman Tom Mazur said Tuesday that the agency was unaware of the lawsuit. He had no other comment. Abramoff pleaded guilty in January to federal charges stemming from his lobbying practices and pledged to cooperate with investigators. The White House has refused to say how many times Abramoff, who raised $100,000 for Bush's re-election, has been to see the president or his aides. Bush's spokesman has said Abramoff was admitted to the White House complex for "a few staff-level meetings" and Hanukkah receptions in 2001 and 2002. The president has said he does not know Abramoff personally. The White House logs would answer a basic question about the extent of Abramoff's ties to the White House, Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton said. The records "may show 30 visits by Jack Abramoff to the White House, or they may show three visits." "The point is we need to get all of the facts on the table about this admitted felon's contacts with White House officials," Finton said. The lawsuit was filed last week. One photograph has been made public, its authenticity acknowledged by the White House, that shows Bush and Abramoff. In the 2001 photo, Bush is shaking hands with the leader of an Indian tribe that was an Abramoff client. The lobbyist is in the background. In an e-mail Abramoff sent to a magazine editor, he said he had brief conversations with Bush almost a dozen times and the president knew him well enough to make joking references to Abramoff's family. Lobbying records obtained by the AP show his lobbying team met nearly 200 times with administration officials during the first 10 months of Bush's presidency on behalf of one of his clients, the Northern Mariana Islands. The contacts between Abramoff's team and the administration included meetings with Attorney General John Ashcroft and policy advisers to Vice President Dick Cheney, the AP reported last year. Three former Abramoff associates also have told The Associated Press that the lobbyist frequently told them he had strong ties to the White House through presidential confidant Karl Rove. Rove has described Abramoff as a "casual acquaintance" since Bush took office in 2001, White House spokeswoman Erin Healy has said. -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 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