White House withholds 600 pages of Abramoff docs.

[babylonsister]

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/10/31/white-house-withholds-600-pages-of-abramoff-docs/

White House withholds 600 pages of Abramoff docs.

Today, House Oversight Committee chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) wrote to White House Counsel Fred Fielding and requested that the administration hand over more than 600 pages of documents relating to the White House’s activities with fallen lobbyist Jack Abramoff. From Waxman’s letter:

Despite the refusal of key witnesses to provide testimony, the Committee has learned that some senior White House officials had regular contact with Mr. Abramoff. Former White House political director Matt Schlapp cooperated with the Committee’s investigation and provided voluntary testimony in a deposition. Mr. Schlapp estimated that he had “monthly” contact with Jack Abramoff on subjects that often involved official government business. He also told the Committee that Mr. Abramoff and his associates “had many friends in the administration”; that Mr. Abramoff was regarded as a “point of information” because of “his knowledge and his experience and his judgment on issues surrounding politics and policy and how the town works”; and that Mr. Abramoff’s lobbying team was “viewed by many as a very respected lobbying team.” <…>

The withholding and redacting of documents that describe internal White House deliberations relating to Mr. Abramoff is not appropriate. As you know, the Committee takes the position that responsive documents that are relevant to the Committee’s investigation cannot be withheld unless the President makes a valid assertion of executive privilege, No such assertion has been made in this case. Therefore, I request that you provide these documents to the Committee by November 6,2007.

[underpants]

1. This is just absurd at this point

:puke:

[pinto]

2. Keep digging Waxman.

:kick:

[Forkboy]

3. Now why would they do that?

[babylonsister]

4. Or, what are they hiding, and why? nt

[ck4829]

9. "Mollify the arabs for the upcoming war on Iraq"

Said by Jack Abramoff, in another email, in March of 2002. Even before Congress voted to authorize the use of force against Iraq.

[Botany]

5. Because bush didn't know him.

Just how close was the relationship between the White House and disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff? The Bush Administration again faced questions about those ties after an e-mail Abramoff sent a journalist friend surfaced last week in which Abramoff wrote that he had met President Bush almost a dozen times over the past five years, and even received an invitation to the President's Crawford, Texas, ranch along with other large political donors. Bush "has one of the best memories of any politician I have ever met," Abramoff mused in the e-mail last month, adding that, He "saw me in almost a dozen settings, and joked with me about a bunch of things, including details of my kids." The White House, however, has continued to assert that the President had no recollection of ever meeting Abramoff. When TIME reported in January that it had viewed unpublished photographs of Abramoff with Bush, aides responded that the pictures meant nothing since the President is photographed with thousands of supporters and White House visitors every year.
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Now, finally, the first such photo has come to light. It shows a bearded Abramoff in the background as Bush greets an Abramoff client, Raul Garza, who was then the chairman of the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas; Bush senior advisor Karl Rove looks on. The photograph was provided to TIME by Mr. Garza. The meeting took place in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building adjacent to the White House on May 9, 2001. Told about the photograph in January, the White House said it had no record that Abramoff was present at the meeting. Shown the photograph today, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said the White House had still found no record of Abramoff's presence but confirmed that it is Abramoff in the picture. McClellan told TIME: "The President has taken countless, tens of thousands of pictures at home and abroad over the last five years. As we've said previously a photo like this has no relevance to the Justice Department's investigation ."

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1158908,00.html

[babylonsister]

6. I would LOVE for Waxman to get his hot little hands on those papers!

They must contain some really good stuff, or are being shredded or have already been shredded.

[Botany]

7. Well Abramoff was getting tips about the upcoming war and was telling ...

.... his "clients" what stocks to buy and where to invest in which defense industries.

bush did seem real worried about all "that investigating stuff by congress" yesterday.

[babylonsister]

8. AHHH! That's right! Maybe he's finally sweating it! We can hope! nt

[Botany]

11. and follow it up too!

ATTN Nancy, Harry Reid, & Steny Hoyer

It is not about 2008 it is about holding this crooks accountable for their actions.

[Venus Dog]

10. I agree - it was a veiled threat to backoff investigating him and his cronies

Kinda reminded me when Poppy brought up the Kennedy assassination at Ford's funeral.

[lovuian]

12. Thats Rove baby

they got em