Following Mr. Abramoff's guilty plea in January, President Bush and other
top White House officials issued repeated statements that Mr. Abramoff was
a virtual stranger to the White House. The documents reviewed by the Committee
tell a different story. They show that between January 2001 and March 2004,
there were 485 lobbying contacts between Mr. Abramoff and his associates
and White House officials.
These documents, if accurate, provide evidence that White House officials
took multiple actions that benefited Mr. Abramoff and his clients, including: ensuring
the release of $16 million for the construction of a jail for the Mississippi
Band of the Choctaw; pressuring a Senate office to advance legislation to
resolve a land dispute affecting the Sandia Pueblo of New Mexico; endorsing
or declining to endorse political candidates; and intervening to secure the
termination of a State Department employee who had taken positions
contrary to those advocated by Mr. Abramoff.
In addition, the records indicate that Mr. Abramoff and his associates billed
clients over $24,000 for meals and drinks with White House officials and
offered White House officials tickets to 19 events, including floor seats
to Wizards games and tickets to U2 and Bruce Springsteen concerts. At
current prices, the face value of some of the tickets exceeded $1,000.
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