Will the Bush gang cave on Abramoff info?

January 31, 2006

On Day 26 of the Bush gang’s stonewall over Jack Abramoff’s White House connections, a reporter noted to Scott McClellan that there are now several Republican lawmakers who believe the White House should come clean and release the materials. McClellan, predictably, dodged, and said, “Nothing has changed.”

According to an item in the Wall Street Journal, something may change soon.

With ethics questions swirling and pressure building from Republican allies on Capitol Hill, some within the White House are pressing for full disclosure of disgraced Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff’s meetings with White House staff.

One factor in the delay has been concern about diverting attention from Bush’s message in Tuesday night’s speech, according to a Republican close to the administration. A post-speech release appears increasingly likely, although no final decision has been made.

This is not without risk. If they had released the information earlier, as McClellan had promised, the Bush gang ran the risk of creating a distraction before the SOTU. By waiting to release the materials until after the speech, the Bush gang has, perhaps inadvertently, generated a dangerous combination of interest and suspicion by sitting on the information this long.

Keep an eye out for one of those late-Friday-afternoon document dumps the White House is so fond of.

If one’s able to summon up the sang froid to follow the ups and downs of Bush without challenging one’s blood pressure, then it’s interesting that some (see Steve Clemons) evidently believe that finally getting Alito onto the Court is a big win and will help the Bush cause (end his “lame-duck” phase).

I don’t think that’s true. Unfortunately, though, I think Bush-fatigue is also Washington-fatigue along with Iraq -fatigue and liberal-fatigue. I don’t think anyone is going to win from Bush’s losses anymore.

Each side has its tenacious partisans — those who want Bush to fail big-time vs. those who hate Bush opposers so much that if it were found that W eats newborn babies for breakfast they’d find an excuse to support him. Neither side will let go.

Still, as a leader sinks in the polls, faith in the system takes a hit. That’s the main reason why we need much higher quality candidates. And then we’ll need to recover the grace to support good people even when they’re not our political bedmates.

  • At some point, they may ‘cave’ and agree to turn over material. Then will begin the long and tedious process where they turn over only portions, and not the good stuff. Their goal will be, as usual, to wait them out. And without subpeonas (heck, maybe even WITH subpeonas), they can wait longer than we can ask.

    How, indeed, would be press know if they’re being jobbed by omission?

  • “How, indeed, would be press know if they’re being jobbed by omission?”

    Because the press has already seen the pictures in the private collections of individuals.

    The suggestion that “Some in the white house” wanted to wait until after the SOTU address seems to me to be last minute spin. They just did not realize how tenacious the white house press corps would be on this, or how damaging it would be with the public to stonewall. So now they want to suggest are reason for not releasing the pictures and visit logs earlier.

    Truly sad.

  • “How, indeed, would be press know if they’re being jobbed by omission?”

    Because the press has already seen the pictures in the private collections of individuals.

    True with respect to pix, but not with respect to visitation logs and meeting notes, which are far more important. Many of the latter have probably already been tanked or removed to safe waters.

  • I agree with drinkof – Yes and no. They will give just enough to make it look like they are “cooperating” and give cover to GOP congressional members, but I’d bet my last dollar that the really damaging stuff will not be among the paper sent.

  • They should have released the information earlier. The SOTU is virtually guaranteed to contain nothing but the usual administration spin, along with minor plot twists like personal health accounts which will just make people mad again and do nothing to help the GOP’s problems.

    So with the speech giving the public nothing but a collective shrug, the press will have nothing to distract them from the Abramoff revelations when they do come, which they will one way or another.

    Do White House strategists actually get paid for being this inept?

    Don’t say it, I already know. 🙂

  • VIDEO: Matthews Coaches DeLay Through Lies About Abramoff-Funded Golf Trip

    http://thinkprogress.org/2006/01/31/matthews-coaches-delay/

    On Hardball last night, Chris Matthews coached DeLay through lies about his 2000 trip to London and Scotland. Watch it:

    MATTHEWS: Do you think that’s unfair to say that you went over there [Scotland] on a junket?

    DELAY: It’s incredibly unfair.

    MATTHEWS: Why? Who paid for the trip?

    DELAY: A legitimate conservative organization.

    MATTHEWS: But wasn’t there a pass through?

    DELAY: No, there was no pass through.

    MATTHEWS: They came up with the money themselves.

    DELAY: That’s exactly right. They raised their money themselves.

    The trip — which was allegedly arranged through the National Center for Public Policy Research, a non-profit — was actually funded by Abramoff. DeLay’s airfare was charged to Jack Abramoff’s American Express card. (House ethics rules bar lawmakers from accepting travel and related expenses from registered lobbyists.)

    The Washington Post also reports, “Multiple sources, including DeLay’s then-chief of staff Susan Hirschmann, have confirmed that DeLay’s congressional office was in direct contact with Preston Gates [Abramoff’s lobbying firm] about the trip itinerary before DeLay’s departure, to work out details of his travel.”

    In short: the trip was a junket, it was not paid for by the non-profit, and there was a pass through. You just wouldn’t know that from watching Matthews show.

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