Abramoff: Bush must tell all

2006-01-29 19:07

Washington - Republican lawmakers said on Sunday that President George W Bush should publicly disclose White House contacts with Jack Abramoff, the lobbyist who has pleaded guilty to felony charges in an influence-peddling case.

Releasing the records would help eliminate suspicions that Abramoff, a top fundraiser for Bush's re-election campaign, had undue influence on the White House, the Republicans said.

"I'm one who believes that more is better, in terms of disclosure and transparency," said Republican senator John Thune.

"And so I'd be a big advocate for making records that are out there available."

The president has refused to reveal how much access Abramoff had to the White House, but has said he does not know Abramoff personally.

Bush has said federal prosecutors are welcome to see the records of Abramoff's contacts if they suspect something inappropriate, but he has not released them publicly.

Bush's spokesperson has said Abramoff was admitted to the White House complex for "a few staff-level meetings" and Hanukkah receptions in 2001 and 2002.

The White House will not say how many times the lobbyist came in, who he met with or what business he had there.

Picture

Bush said he had his picture taken with Abramoff an unknown number of times, but he said he doesn't remember taking them and the two never sat down and had a discussion.

Bush said he has had his photo taken with thousands of people, but that doesn't mean he knows them well.

Republican senator Chuck Hagel played down the notion that Bush was beholden to Abramoff because of a few donations.

But Hagel said Bush should release the photos to avoid giving Democrats unnecessary political ammunition.

Democrats have complained about Bush's refusal to disclose White House dealings with Abramoff, who represented six Indian tribes with casinos and several other clients.

But the comments from the Republicans, who hold the majority in congress, show that it's not just Democrats who would like to see Bush come clean.

In a Washington Post-ABC News poll released on Friday, 76% of those surveyed said the Bush administration should provide a list of all meetings any White House officials have had with Abramoff.

Two in three Republicans joined with eight in 10 Democrats and political independents in favouring disclosure, according to the poll.

- AP