A new
AP Story is moving on the wire that ties Karl Rove to Jack Abramoff:
Three former associates of Jack Abramoff said Monday that the now-disgraced lobbyist frequently told them during his lobbying work he had strong ties to the White House through presidential confidant Karl Rove.
Over the last couple of weeks, I've written about the Office of Strategic Initiatives (OSI). It is THE political office of the Bush White House. Rove's think tank of lies--for domestic and foreign policy. It is where the messages are crafted and dispersed through a network of GOP politicians, talking heads and lobbyists.
Up until the Feb. 2004 Washington Post story, Jack Abramoff was one of Rove's key allies. The story is oozing out.
And the AP doesn't even mention Barry Jackson (see the above link to my Diaries for more details).
More on the Jump.
The OSI is ran by Barry Jackson. And he is one of those long-time shadow GOP thugs we should know. Here is his profile from a June 2001 National Journal article about the key players in the Bush White House:
Barry Jackson
Director of Strategic Initiatives
202-456-2108
Although its initials sound like those of some sort of Cold War intelligence service, the Office of Strategic Initiatives, headed by Jackson, is responsible for coordinating the planning and development of long-range strategies for achieving presidential priorities. Jackson said that his office "serves somewhat as a think tank" in the White House, where staffers are frequently absorbed in short-term goals and daily events. During the campaign, he worked on the Republican National Convention program, and he first worked with Rove when he orchestrated the 25-state barnstorming tour of GOP governors who stumped for Bush two weeks before the election. Jackson was also one of the legions of Republican operatives who traveled to Florida during the recount battle. Jackson, 40, was a former longtime top adviser to Rep. John A. Boehner, R-Ohio. He helped organize and implement the 1994 House Republican campaign manifesto, the Contract With America. Jackson was born in Washington, D.C., but grew up in Ohio. He earned a bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communications from the University of Iowa (Iowa City).
An item from the Nov. 19, 2005 National Journal shows how the OSI works:
Drumsticks and Prescription Drugs
Faced with reports that seniors are wary of the new Medicare prescription drug program, and looking to counter vocal Democratic criticism, the White House has asked friends on K Street to use the Thanksgiving holiday to explain the program to family members and friends, and to help those who are eligible enroll. The administration is also encouraging lobbyists to talk up the prescription program with GOP lawmakers and their staffs. At a November 10 meeting, officials from the White House and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services briefed 20 to 30 lobbyists on how the program works and how to sign up. They also previewed the public service announcements and nationally televised town hall meeting planned for the holiday weekend.
One lobbyist thought that administration officials called the meeting because they "don't want the perception to take hold that they aren't aggressively promoting [the new benefit], or that it's overly complicated." Another called the session "a well-rounded tutorial on how to be an echo chamber for the White House and the administration."
According to participants, White House Director of Public Liaison Rhonda Keenum opened the hour-long meeting. Other speakers were CMS Administrator Mark McClellan; Julie Goon, CMS director of Medicare Outreach; and Kathleen Harrington, director of the CMS Office of External Affairs. Barry Jackson, head of the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives, closed the session.
Now, as I've mentioned in past Diaries, Jackson was the point man for many policies, like Medicare Part D and Social Security Reform. I'm sure that last November was not the first time the OSI used a conference call to get Lobbyists behind a policy or to get out talking points.
I'm sure they've done this since the beginning. There may have been hundreds of these calls. And you can be certain that Jack Abramoff was a key player on these calls up to that moment when the Washington Post ran their Abramoff story in Feb. 2004.
That is a rich new source of Abramoff/White House links. Jack did not have to be physically at the White House complex for every policy meeting. He could phone in.
Today's AP Story adds some new details (including when Karl met Jack):
Three former business associates of Abramoff, who worked with the lobbyist in various roles between 2001 and 2004, told The Associated Press that Abramoff routinely mentioned Rove when talking about his influence inside the White House.
One said he was present when Abramoff took a call from Rove's office to confirm a White House meeting had been approved between Malaysia's prime minister and Bush in May 2002. Abramoff was being paid by Malaysia for helping it in Washington, according to evidence the Senate has made public.
All three associates would describe the Abramoff comments only on condition of anonymity, citing the ongoing investigation of Abramoff's work and fears that speaking out could affect their current businesses. At least one said he had been interviewed by the FBI.
Abramoff was a $100,000 fundraiser for Bush and lobbying records obtained by the AP show his lobbying team logged nearly 200 meetings with the administration during its first 10 months in office on behalf of one of his clients, the Northern Mariana Islands. [snip]
Abramoff's former assistant, Susan Ralston, went to work for Rove in 2001. Abramoff's legal team declined comment Monday night. [snip}
"Mr. Rove remembers they had met at a political event in the 1990s," White House spokeswoman Erin Healy said. "Since then, he would describe him as a casual acquaintance."
And Karl's Deputy, Barry Jackson has ties to Abramoff going back to at least 1983. One can be certain that Jack met with the OSI in person and via the phone. So the question for Scotty is:
Did Jack Abramoff ever have any contact with Barry Jackson or attend a meeting or conference call of the Office of Strategic Initiatives?
2006 is now. It is way past time to take our country back.
It is time to connect Abramoff to the White House through policy initiatives. This is far more than photos. Let's do it.
And please take a moment to demand a Special Prosecutor for all things Abramoff. We can not trust the Bush Team to investigate this scandal.