Abramoff Said to Claim Close Ties to Rove

Abramoff Said to Claim Close Ties to Rove
By JOHN SOLOMON and PETE YOST, Associated Press Writers

WASHINGTON - 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.

The White House said Monday that Rove remembers meeting Abramoff at a 1990s political meeting and considered the lobbyist a "casual acquaintance" since President Bush took office in 2001.

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.

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.


more at:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060214/ap_on_go_pr_wh/rove_abramoff

... issue a statement saying, "they weren't close. They weren't fucking each other or anything." :P

and they would probably get away with it too

... about everything else, so, that would be different? :P

Shocking, I say.