Covering up ABRAMOFF. Who Visits The People's House?

[L. Coyote]

Dec 27, 2007 - http://www.theledger.com/article/20071227/NEWS/712270452/1036
Who Visits The People's House?


The American people are about to find out just how much contempt the Bush administration holds for open-government laws.

A federal judge ordered the release this month of White House visitor logs ......

The administration must now decide whether to appeal the decision - or hand over the records and end an especially embarrassing episode for the the White House.

In May 2006, President Bush quietly signed a "memorandum of understanding" with the Secret Service that declared the agency's records of visitors off-limits to public review. The action applied to all logs going back to the day that Bush took office.

The memorandum was issued amid an influence-peddling scandal involving disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. .............

When he arrived in the nation's capital, George W. Bush vowed to restore integrity to the presidency. But if he continues to wage his increasingly arrogant and destructive fight against the basic principles of open government, he raises more questions about his own integrity - and sets the stage for abuses of the public trust by future occupants of the White House.

[90-percent]

1. GWB

GWB is a "black hole" of integrity. He has integrity on the same level as a sociopathic serial killer.

-90% Jimmy

[Toots]

2. The last thing they want is for Americans to find out who is visiting them

We know the Bush family is on very good terms with the Bin Ladin family in Saudi Arabia along with most of the Saudi royal families..I think there is much more to it than just Abramoff, everyone already knows he is/was a large fund raiser for the GOP so it would be expected he would visit, probably many times. I don't think that is their biggest fear...

[L. Coyote]

3. The CREW suit centered on Abramoff. But, this issue goes back to the Energy Task Force list.

It will have, perhaps, surprising investigative utility.

[0007]

7. And who remembers Jeff Gannon and all his secret visits to

service our secretive closet leaders.

Pass the :popcorn: please!

[flashl]

4. Why don't they just squeeze David Safavian? n/t

[L. Coyote]

5. Personal About Politics: The White House Paper Shuffle

Personal About Politics: The White House Paper Shuffle
by Cheri Cabot - Dec 24, 2007 - http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977211717


Last week U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth ruled that visitor logs from the White House and Vice President Dick Cheney's residence are subject to Freedom of Information Act requests.

This comes after Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a watchdog group, sued for the release of the visitor logs. CREW was particularly interested in the number of visits by prominent religious conservatives James Dobson, Gary Bauer and Jerry Falwell, as well as lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Apparently Cheney was loath to let anyone know who had been visiting him, so in order to avoid any snooping, the Bush administration ordered the logs be turned over to the White House and treated as presidential records, which would protect them from public- records law.

Bush denied even knowing Abramoff after his fall from grace, and the WH stated he had attended only a few staff-level meetings. However, Henry Waxman, Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has reviewed thousands of documents from Abramoff's former firm, and raises questions about these assertions. (The Hill)

It is also of interest how many times religious conservatives visited Cheney, especially after the WH created federal faith-based offices. Earlier this year the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the WH, in the case of Hein v. Freedom From Religion Foundation. The Foundation sued because they felt the WH was using taxpayer's money to support it's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. They challenged the constitutionality of that office running conferences instructing religious organizations on how to apply for federal grants.

Of course the WH denies holding such conferences ..... http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977211717

[0007]

6. Fire, fire, fire, big fucking FIRE

Some of the files were in little dick's office and are being restored as junior is having lunch with Condi Rice this afternoon.

[Marr]

8. Is there any question that they'll appeal? C'mon--

these are the same people who appealed the hell out of releasing the Abu Ghraib photos, and 9-11 evidence for crying out loud. They suffered no backlash from our lapdog media on those issues, so of course they'll appeal this. Stall, stall, stall, and if it looks like you're going to lose, destroy the evidence.

[L. Coyote]

9. Rep. John "taking bribes from Jack Abramoff" Doolittle: Catch Me if You Can

Doolittle: Catch Me if You Can
By Paul Kiel - Dec 20, 2007 - http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/004955.php


Take heart, California's Fourth Congressional District. Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA) may be under federal investigation (http://tpmmuckraker.com/ref/doolittle.php) for taking bribes from Jack Abramoff, but he's got due process on his side. And he says he's going to litigate his way to at least one more term:

Rep. John Doolittle disclosed Wednesday that his attorney is fighting subpoenas issued to him for office records and that he believes the investigation of him will be on hiatus for one to two years while the constitutionality of the subpoena is fought out in the courts....

[L. Coyote]

10. Doolittle Fighting Subpoenas Issued In Abramoff Probe

Doolittle Fighting Subpoenas Issued In Abramoff Probe
By John Bresnahan - Dec 20, 2007 - http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/12/20/politics/politico/thecrypt/main3634903.shtml


(The Politico) Rep. John Doolittle (R-Calif.) told the Sacramento Bee that he is challenging the constitutionality of subpoenas issued to him and his staff as part of the Justice Department's probe into his ties to imprisoned former lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

.......

Doolittle's home was raided earlier this year by FBI agents as part of the Justice Department's investigation. Doolittle's wife, Julie Doolittle, did consulting work for Abramoff while the California Republican wrote to federal officials on behalf of Abramoff's Indian gaming clients. The Doolittles have denied engaging in any improper or illegal activity, but House GOP leaders forced him to resign from the Appropriations Committee folllowing the raid.

[L. Coyote]

11. Muckraker's Reference Section = John Doolittle

The Muckraker's Reference Section - John Doolittle
http://tpmmuckraker.com/ref/doolittle.php


Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA) is one of four congressmen whom the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal have both named as being investigated for their ties to Jack Abramoff. Doolittle and Abramoff are accused of trading favors by using Doolittle’s wife as an intermediary.

The AP reported in September 2007 that prosecutors subpoenaed "virtually every record including legislative records" of Doolittle's for the past eleven years. According the Sacramento Bee, this document sweep includes subpoenas for six of Doolittle's staffers, including Doolittle's senior executive assistant.

........................

[L. Coyote]

12. Muckraker's Reference Section - Jack Abramoff

The Muckraker's Reference Section - Jack Abramoff
http://tpmmuckraker.com/ref/abramoff.php


Jack Abramoff is a lifetime GOP operative. He has pleaded guilty to conspiracy, tax evasion, and a variety of frauds.

On March 29, 2006 Abramoff was sentenced (http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/03/29/abramoff.sentence.ap/) to 5 years and 10 months in prison for fraud in the purchase of a Florida casino cruise line, SunCruz. He reported to a medium security federal prison in Cumberland, Maryland in November 2006.

Abramoff's larger case relates to bribing public officials and defrauding the Native American tribes who were his clients. Abramoff pleaded guilty (http://talkingpointsmemo.com/docs/abramoff-plea-deal1.html) January 3rd, 2006 to three counts: Conspiracy to Defraud the United States, Mail Fraud, and Tax Evasion. A status conference is scheduled for December 7, 2007, after several postponements, meaning Abramoff will likely not be sentenced for his bribery conviction until 2008. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and $250,000 in fines, but federal prosecutors will recommend a sentence of 9 1/2 - 11 years total if he continues to cooperate.

Abramoff became chairman of the College Republicans in 1981, succeeding Grover Norquist. Norquist, Abramoff and Ralph Reed worked together .....

.............

[L. Coyote]

13. Legal Battle for Secret Service Logs Detailing Abramoff White House Visits

Legal Battle for Secret Service Logs Detailing Abramoff White House Visits
By Tom Fitton - Dec 20, 2007 - http://www.nationalledger.com/artman/publish/article_272617812.shtml


Convicted felon and former lobbyist Jack Abramoff has been out of the news of late, but Judicial Watch has not forgotten about him or his visits to the White House. JW continues to battle for Secret Service logs detailing those visits. To date, we have already forced the release of documents detailing at least eight visits by Abramoff to the White House. The Secret Service admits additional records do exist, but refuses to comply with a court order to release the records, citing, as you might have guessed, privacy exemptions.

This according to the December 1, 2007, report by Pete Yost of The Associated Press: The Bush administration is laying out a new secrecy defense in an effort to end a court battle about the White House visits of now-imprisoned lobbyist Jack Abramoff. The administration agreed last year to produce all responsive records about the visits "without redactions or claims of exemption," according to a court order. But in a court filing Friday night (November 30, 2007) administration lawyers said that the Secret Service has identified a category of highly sensitive documents that might contain information sought in a lawsuit about Abramoff's trips to the White House.

***

The Justice Department, citing a Cold War-era court ruling, declared that the contents of the "Sensitive Security Records" cannot be publicly revealed even though they could show whether Abramoff made more visits to the White House than those already acknowledged.

As I told the newswire, this is an extraordinary development .....