Bush-Abramoff Photos Published

Bush-Abramoff Photos Published

11 February 2006 · No Comments

Time has them here.

Bush “has one of the best memories of any politician I have ever met,” Abramoff mused in the e-mail last month, adding that, He “saw me in almost a dozen settings, and joked with me about a bunch of things, including details of my kids.” The White House, however, has continued to assert that the President had no recollection of ever meeting Abramoff. When TIME reported in January that it had viewed unpublished photographs of Abramoff with Bush, aides responded that the pictures meant nothing since the President is photographed with thousands of supporters and White House visitors every year.

Now, finally, the first such photo has come to light. It shows a bearded Abramoff in the background as Bush greets an Abramoff client, Raul Garza, who was then the chairman of the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas; Bush senior advisor Karl Rove looks on. The photograph was provided to TIME by Mr. Garza. The meeting took place in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building adjacent to the White House on May 9, 2001. Told about the photograph in January, the White House said it had no record that Abramoff was present at the meeting.

Hmmm…there seems to be a difference between the White House’s recollection and the photographic record, doesn’t there?

This reminds me of a quote:

There will be no whitewash in the White House

– President Richard Nixon

Tags: White House