Now, which White House scandal is Susan Ralston attached to again? There are so many it’s sometimes difficult to keep up.
Oh right, the Abramoff scandal.
A former top aide to presidential adviser Karl Rove told Congress she will invoke her right against self-incrimination unless granted immunity to answer investigators’ questions about lobbyist Jack Abramoff’s contacts with administration officials.
It is the first indication that Abramoff-related probes, mainly limited until now to his dealings with lawmakers and federal agency officials, may be advancing into the White House. The former Rove aide, Susan Ralston, previously had served as a top aide to Mr. Abramoff.
Rep. Henry Waxman (D., Calif.), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, disclosed Ms. Ralston’s decision in a memo yesterday to fellow committee members.
This is not entirely unexpected, but let’s not lose sight of the significance of the development. The White House official who served as Karl Rove’s top aide is in the remarkable position of refusing to testify for fear of implicating herself in a crime.
Last fall, we learned that Abramoff had far more contact with the Bush White House, particularly Rove’s office, than had previously been acknowledged. In particular, we learned that Rove’s Ralston was, as the New York Times explained, “instrumental in passing messages between Mr. Abramoff and senior officials at the White House, including Mr. Rove and Ken Mehlman.” Shortly thereafter (late on a Friday afternoon), Ralston resigned.
Now she’s taking the 5th and wants a deal. And in an interesting twist, Waxman hasn’t said yes yet — though that might change.
The AP report notes that Ralston has some interesting information she’s willing to share if she has immunity.
At her May 10 deposition, Waxman’s memo said, Ralston said she would invoke her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination if asked about Abramoff’s contacts with White House officials, including Rove. However, her lawyer, Bradford Berenson, told the committee that if Ralston is granted immunity from prosecution, she would testify about Abramoff’s relationships with White House officials and “the use by White House officials of political e-mail accounts” at the Republican National Committee, the memo said.
Ralston has “useful information about both of those subjects,” Berenson told the committee, and “she is more than willing to provide it to the committee” under “a grant of immunity,” the memo said. (emphasis added)
Let’s also not forget that Ralston once admitted that she was “involved in much of what goes on at the White House.” If she’s ready to dish to save her skin….