President Met Disgraced Lobbyist At Least Six Times

June 9, 2008 — -- The White House had stronger ties to disgraced superlobbyist Jack Abramoff than it has publicly admitted, according to a draft congressional report released Monday.

President Bush met Abramoff on at least four occasions the White House has yet to acknowledge, according to the draft report by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

And White House officials appeared as comfortable going to Abramoff and his lobbyists seeking tickets to sporting and entertainment events, as they did seeking input on personnel picks for plum jobs, the report found.

President Bush himself met Abramoff on at least six occasions, the report said, citing White House documents; the White House had previously acknowledged only two.

When questions were first raised about Abramoff's connection to Bush officials in January 2006, then-White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Bush had personally met Abramoff on just two occasions, both at White House Hanukkah receptions.

McClellan told reporters there had also been "a few staff-level meetings" between officials and Abramoff and his team, but declined to provide more information.

That number was significantly higher, White House lawyer Emmet Flood indicated in correspondence to committee chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., two years later, according to the draft report. Flood's letter identified six photographs of Bush with Abramoff or Abramoff's family members, which the White House provided (http://oversight.house.gov/documents/20080609142441.pdf) to investigators.

"Give me a break," responded White House spokesman Tony Fratto when asked about the apparent discrepancy. "Do you know how many people get their picture taken with the President of the United States?"

McClellan, now publicizing his kiss-and-tell memoir, "What Happened," did not respond to a request for comment made to his publicist. "What Happened" does not mention Abramoff.

The committee's draft report is based on documents it obtained from the White House and Abramoff's old lobby firm as well as with interviews with former White House officials. At least three former officials declined to answer some or all of the investigators' questions, citing their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, the draft report said.