...the rest of the records documenting Jack Abramoff’s visits to the White House are in the custody of, well, the White House.
From Paul Keil:
"...the Secret Service transfers their more comprehensive visitor logs, called WAVES (Workers Appointments and Visitors Entry System) records, to the White House every 60 days. If Judicial Watch, or anyone else, wants to find out how often Jack Abramoff visited the White House, they'll have to FOIA (and then probably sue) the Executive Office of the President. All they'll get from the Secret Service are Access Control Records, which, as we found out last Wednesday, don't tell you very much.”Three predictions.
One, Bush stalls with releasing the records until after the November elections. The reasons for such are obvious. Discovering the many Abramoff visits will be bad enough. But also discovering the White House tried to cover it up or downplay it will be even worse. After that, a 35% approval will seem like a very high rating and completely out of reach for Bush and the GOP for quite some time.
Two, Judicial Watch FOIA’s the White House Records, receives them, and the records turnout to be incomplete much like the Secret Service records that were released last week. Only after a court order too mind you.
Three, the records turn up missing or lost, or Bush just flatly refuses to release them by claiming executive privilege. Hey, it won’t be the first time a Republican president claims he doesn’t have to turn over records that prove his association with convicted felons.
Again, though, I must state that there is no need to have a million visits to link Abramoff to Bush’s White House. Only one visit suffices to prove that Abramoff had access to Bush and the White House. The Secret Service records, as incomplete as they may be, confirm that Abramoff did indeed have such access. The only thing a FOIA on White House records will prove is the extent at which Bush tried to cover this up. It is doubtful that such FOIA requests will be accomplished before November, so it is pertinent to stress that Jack Abramoff, George Bush and the rest of the GOP did scratch each others backs.
3 comments:
"Discovering the many Abramoff visits will be bad enough."
Do you have inside information to prove this claim or is it more of another gut feeling? If so, I have just as many instincts that Jack was in bed with the Democrats. My evidence? All the breathless media reports about 'the Abramoff scandal' being 'A Republican scandal.'
BTW, President Bush gave all of his Abramoff-related cash to charity, as did Hillary.
This is a non-story, Brotha-from-anotha-Motha.
I don't have any inside information, I have public information. There are three visits that Bush has already admitted took place that were not documented by the Secret Service. So, including the two the Secret Service documented and the three Bush has already publicly admitted to, that makes 5 visits that are currently public.
Five visits within a two year time span (maybe three years, I'm not sure). I would bet every penny that I have that there is not one lobbyist that visited the White House more than 5 times in that two year span either. Thus, making Abramoff's five visits that are already confirmed, being the most visits by any lobbyist.
My allusion, and your question, pertain to there being more than the 5 that we know of, and do I have any proof is the question. Well, the burden of proof lies on the president, not me. If the president has nothing to hide, then why don't he turn over his records? I've never met Jack Abramoff, but the president has allowed him into the White House at least five times and his still withholding records that could prove me wrong. Looks like your questions should be directed at Bush. I suppose we'll just wait until after the FOIA's go through.
Thanks for reading Kent.
It's all a mystery to me.
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