Congressional Report Shows Abramoff Had Far More Contact with White House than Previously Revealed

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT

Disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his firm had far more contact with the White House than previously disclosed, according to a new bipartisan report by the House Reform Committee. Republican Chairman Tom Davis has been conspicuously negligent in investigating Bush Administration corruption, but apparently the Abramoff connection was simply too blatant to ignore.

The 91-page report is based on 14,000 pages of Abramoff records and e-mail communications related to White House lobbying. An incredible 50-page spreadsheet reveals hundreds of internal billing records for Bush lobbying.

Particularly revealing from the full report is the incredible amount of access and influence with top officials that Abramoff and his staff received as a result of donations and personal connections. Karl Rove's executive assistant also happened to once be Abramoff's personal secretary. She was found to be the most frequently lobbied person in the White House by Abramoff, although many other officials worked with Abramoff on several occasions. Karl Rove himself frequently comes up in the report - he is referenced nearly 150 times - as does Ken Mehlman, a former top Bush staffer and current RNC Chairman.

The report cites several instances where Abramoff was able to successfully buy favorable results for his clients. For example, "Another Round of Donations" to Republicans achieved $16.3 million for a jail on a reservation, even though the old one was found to be sufficient. For his role in the deal, Mehlman was described as "a rock star" and "great" by Abramoff and his team.

Abramoff was also successful in getting the White House to hire, not hire, and fire a number of people for key positions. After Abramoff's firm lobbied to have a longtime State Department official sacked for advocating labor reforms - contrary to the interests of a client - Mehlman promised to "kill him" (later clarified to "get him fired").

Abramoff even managed to get the White House to appoint him to the Bureau of Indian Affairs transition team in early 2001.

The White House was all too happy to help Abramoff meddle in foreign affairs after he urged Bush not to support an opposing Republican candidate running for governor in Guam. After extensive lobbying, Abramoff received the following e-mail from the White House: "You win :). KR (Karl Rove) said no endorsement."

"As a policy matter," said Reform Ranking Member Henry Waxman, "the report underscores the need for fundamental reforms in the laws governing lobbying of the executive branch. Earlier this year, our Committee unanimously approved legislation that would require the disclosure of the White House contacts with lobbyists. This legislation, the Executive Branch Reform Act (H.R. 5112), should be a top priority for Congress in the lame duck session."

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT