The Republican bribe machine has truly turned into the gift that keeps on giving. The Associated Press
reports that:
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.
(...)
New questions have arisen about Abramoff's ties to the White House since a photo emerged over the weekend showing Abramoff with Bush. Also surfacing were the contents of an e-mail from Abramoff to Washingtonian magazine claiming he had met briefly with the president nearly a dozen times.
More on the flip...
The AP
article continues:
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.
The structure of the AP article suggests it was spurred on by a press release by the Abramoff camp. The key question we should be asking is whether we believe that the Abramoff legal team is just acting independently or whether other players are entering the game and "aiding and abetting", especially on the Republican side. Despite the extroardinary discipline enforced by Rove and demonstrated by the wingnut rank-and-file politicians and the RWNM in the past few years, there are deep divisions within the GOP... and there's nothing like the sight of blood and the perception of weakness to get a pack of sharks in a feeding frenzy... It would be a wise investment for the NetRoots to research who is who and who's with who in the Republican party. It could inform our own response to the impending world of trouble the Bush White House is rapidly getting into.
The adages are truer today than ever:
Know thy enemy, know thyself.
The enemy of my enemy is...