Ralston resigns from White House; Abramoff scandal claims another victim

October 6, 2006

Just seven days ago, we learned that disgraced GOP lobbyist Jack [tag]Abramoff[/tag] had far more contact with the Bush White House, particularly Karl Rove’s office, than had previously been acknowledged. In particular, we learned that Rove’s executive assistant, Susan [tag]Ralston[/tag], who was also Abramoff’s former secretary, was, as the New York Times explained, “instrumental in passing messages between Mr. Abramoff and senior officials at the White House, including Mr. [tag]Rove[/tag] and Ken [tag]Mehlman[/tag].”

Today, Ralston resigned. (thanks to reader J.C. for the heads-up)

A key aide to presidential political strategist Karl Rove resigned Friday in the wake of a congressional report that listed hundreds of contacts between disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and the White House.

Susan Ralston, special assistant to President Bush, submitted a resignation letter to him less than five weeks before congressional elections in which corruption and scandal are emerging as key issues for voters.

“She did not want to be a distraction to the White House at such an important time and so we have accepted her resignation,” White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino said. “We support her decision and consider the matter closed.”

Consider the matter “closed”? Not quite.

Realistically, after six years, it’s unlikely that Ralston stepped aside — late on a Friday afternoon — because she didn’t want to be a “distraction.” It’s far more likely, in light of the timing, that the Abramoff scandal has claimed yet another victim.

TP offers some helpful background.

* She worked at two lobbying firms with Abramoff prior to joining the West Wing.

* Jack Abramoff recommended her hiring to Karl Rove

* She had testified in the Valerie Plame leak investigation

* She once said she was “involved in much of what goes on at the White House“

One hesitates to assume anything, but given today’s resignation, it hardly seems like a stretch to wonder if Ralston has been indicted, or is about to be indicted. And if so, what might she have to say to prosecutors?

And have I mentioned lately how much I loath these Friday-night bombshells?

I loath them too CB, however, I anxiously await every Friday afternoon now, not just because it’s quittin time, but because you can pretty much guarantee something awful will crawl from under a rock, when said rock is lifted and exposed to daylight.

Its been a long time coming for her, so I cant say Im surprised, other than that it took so long already. She is in up to her neck, from what Ive read over the years. Intimately connected with the whole corrupt lot, and has profited handsomely from it all. She’s come across as loathsome in every article Ive read on the subject of JA.

  • This Administation is dying from a slow process of 1000 cuts. What part of the WH bodypolitik will be cut next in this slow bleeding scandal? -Kevo

  • This Administation is dying from a slow process of 1000 cuts. What part of the WH bodypolitik will be cut next in this slow bleeding scandal?
    kevo

    “You stupid b*****d. You haven’t got any arms left!”

    “Course I have.”

    “Look!”

    “What! Just a flesh wound.”

    “Stop that! I’ll have your leg!”

  • When is some news org going to realize that Friday is the biggest news day of the week? This is like pulling crabgrass. The roots are long and tangled. The policy of “forcing” lobbyists to hire Republicans and vice versa really worked out well for them. Until the Friday Nightlight shone on the crawly creatures.

    What a way to get past the secretary. Supply the secretary!

    Even given the timing of the release of this I think it has more impact right now because it is another bubble on the lava of corruption and everyone is already looking at the flow.

  • Even given the timing of the release of this I think it has more impact right now because it is another bubble on the lava of corruption and everyone is already looking at the flow.
    Dale

    Actually, Dale, if Susan Ralston has 1% name recognition, I’d be shocked. The damage is far greater than voter recognition. Susan is no “secretary” – she is Rove’s right hand, responsible for message crafting at the White House.

    This is a big wound, and really messes up re-election efforts. There is no way she just decided to leave “not to be a distraction, after an internal ethics investigation.” Think David Safavian, and that guy caught swindling money with fake receipts last winter. Both resigned just prior to being arrested or indicted.

    This will be big next week.

    CB, you may get to see Little Ralphie do the perp walk yet.

  • I think you’re right jc, it will be big (and more substantial) next week. Right now all people need to know are resigned/White House/Abramoff for its bubble effect.

    “Getting past the secretary.” is an allusion to the Salesman’s Dilemma of getting access to the buyer. Access is what this one is all about.

    Drain the GOP Swamp, Pelosi.

  • Given the GOP’s problems this past week, I’m surprised they didn’t put this out on Tues. Bush could have said, “After an internal investigation, I have asked for and received the resignation of Susan Ralston.”
    From there, Snow could have ‘refused to comment on a potential investigation’ until past the elections.

    They could have swept it under the rug, and put on an ‘accountability play’ all at once.

  • I would think that of all people, one of Rove’s creatures would know saying “Bye, I don’t want to be a distraction,” makes everyone sit up and say What distraction? Why should we be distracted? What did you do? I hear the pitter patter of saliva dripping from many a reporter’s mouth.

    I love the Friday releases because a lot more people read the Saturday and Sunday papers, not to mention all the talking head shows on the weekend. Thanks Susie Dog-Food!

    October Surprise theory of the hour: The entire GOP is going to immolate itself on the steps of the Capitol.

  • #10

    October Surprise theory of the hour: The entire GOP is going to immolate itself on the steps of the Capitol.

    We can hope

  • White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino said. “We support her decision and consider the matter closed.”

    “Over? Did you say over? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the German’s bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no! And it ain’t over now! Cause when the going gets tough.. The tough get goin’. Who’s with me?” – John “Bluto” Blutarsky in Animal House

    – Thanks jc for the inspiration.

  • You’re Karl Rove and you want to set up a pipeline to K St. via Jack Abramoff. You know Abramoff is crooked, hence you can’t deal with him directly because that could come back to bite you in the ass. But six years ago the public didn’t know this about Abramoff. In fact, the public didn’t know jack about Abramoff. So hiring Abramoff’s secretary, Susan Ralston, wouldn’t raise any red flags with anyone. All contact with the White House could go through her and when, not if, Abramoff finally was found out, Rove could let her take the fall. Today she took the fall.

    The good news is Henry Waxman isn’t buying it.

    It looks like the White House is trying to make Susan Ralston the scapegoat. … It is ludicrous for the White House to say it considers the review of Committee report “complete” when it has not provided answers to any of the most important questions involving Mr. Mehlman and other senior White House officials.

    Go the the polls in November so that Waxman will have subpoena power come January.

  • NJ: Rove Threw Bash at Signatures, Not Charged
    By Paul Kiel – October 6, 2006, 5:03 PM
    Whoops. Karl Rove threw a party for dozens of White House staffers at Jack Abramoff’s restaurant in January 2004, but was not charged, according to a new story in the National Journal (not available online).

    The senior White House adviser only paid his tab at Abramoff’s Signatures restaurant this May, the magazine reports — after Abramoff had pled guilty to multiple felonies, including conspiracy to defraud the United States.

    Approximately 50 operatives from Rove’s office attended the party, for which Rove was ultimately charged $995. NJ’s Peter Stone says they “munched on pricey hors d’oeuvres” as they listened to Rove give a pep talk. Rove made the reservation for the private room through Susan Ralston, his personal aide who resigned earlier today because of her ties to Abramoff.

    An unnamed administration spokesperson told Stone that they tried to pay for the room — they really did — but somehow they were never charged:

    When Rove’s office contacted Signatures the next day to inquire about the cost, the office was told that the bill came to $995.81, according to an administration spokesman. Rove and five of his deputies sent over their credit card numbers and assumed that the tab would be paid. But last May, more than two years later, after Abramoff had already pleaded guilty to three felonies, including fraud and conspiracy to bribe public officials, Rove’s office belatedly decided to double-check the status of the restaurant bill and learned that the credit cards had never been charged. With Signatures in liquidation, White House lawyers have in recent days found a way for the debt to be paid, a spokesman said: Rove will take care of it out of his own pocket.
    Ethics rules bar White House officials from accepting gifts worth more than $20. The restaurant appears to have charged Rove $19.92 per event attendee.

    The revelation comes after a congressional report last week that uncovered dozens of meetings between Abramoff’s lobbying team and Rove’s office. One email exchange released by the committee showed Ralph Reed saying that he’d successfully stifled a nomination at the Interior Department for Abramoff by talking with Rove.

  • This happened Friday evening during a week dominated by the Foley story. If you ask me that means that they really don’t want anyone looking under the rocks.

    There is some mention of Ralston suingthe Abramoff skybox, but what else are we going to find out about?

  • I suppose the shock would be if the White House said, ” We consider this matter open and ongoing. We are going to get to the bottom of this pit that seems to open like a maw below us so regularly.” Or something.

  • Here is a nugget from the Saturday WP:

    “The White House counsel’s office conducted a review of the report, but with Ralston’s departure it closed its inquiry yesterday. “Nothing more will come from the report, no further fallout from the report,” Perino said.

    A senior administration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the counsel’s office reached no conclusion about whether Ralston violated gift limits because her resignation made the point moot.”

    This sounds to me like an admission of guilt. She/they knew that if an investigation went forward there might be charges, so the ‘departure it closed its inquiry’ and ‘ the counsel’s office reached no conclusion’.

    I think Perino’s statement “Nothing more will come from the report, no further fallout from the report,” is premature.

    “

  • I agree with Dale above: this Ralston story is the biggest one of the week, and we shouldn’t wait for Henry Waxman to hold hearings in January. We can put the heat on Rove now before the election just as we are doing on Hastert. Putting Rove on the defensive will help win the election. If the MSM won’t pick up the ball, I hope our blogger friends like Carpetbagger will.

  • And God said let there be light… and so it was.

    And Perino said let the matter be closed… and so what.

    This particular Friday was a good one considering a lot of the folks in the banking business have today off as well.

  • Riiiiiight…… she didn’t “resign” because she got caught. She resigned because a liberal plot!

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