From Senator Boxer's office:
Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA), John Kerry (D-MA) and Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) today offered an amendment expressing the sense of the Senate that the White House should provide the public with a thorough account of the meetings the President, his staff, and senior executive branch officials had with disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Boxer said, “The public’s confidence in the government has been rocked by widespread reports of corruption involving Jack Abramoff and federal officials. Despite the President’s rhetoric in his State of the Union address, the White House’s refusal to fully disclose information about their dealings with Jack Abramoff simply exacerbates the problem. It’s not just George Bush’s White House– it’s the people’s White House– and it is long past time they got an unobstructed look into their own government. If the President has nothing to hide, there shouldn’t be a problem.”
On January 3, 2006, Abramoff pled guilty to conspiracy, fraud, and tax evasion charges, and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in their investigation of a number of public officials.
According to White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan, the President does not know and does not remember meeting Jack Abramoff. But documents show that in May 2001, the White House arranged an event on behalf of the group “Americans for Tax Reform” that both the President and Abramoff attended . There is also a trail of documents that show that Abramoff asked some of his clients for $25,000 to go to the event with the funds going to Americans for Tax Reform.
In addition, according to press accounts, Jack Abramoff and his lobbying team had nearly 200 contacts with the Bush Administration in the first 10 months they were in office. Still, the White House has refused to fully disclose information.
Kerry said, “The American people have a right to know what influence Jack Abramoff had on the President and his Administration. We can’t restore faith in government and reform Washington, if Americans see the White House refusing to answer the most basic questions about their connection to a corrupt lobbyist. It’s important to the country to let the sunshine in and get the truth out.” Kerry sent a letter to White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card and every Cabinet Secretary on January 20 requesting this information, as well as an explanation of any changes in federal policy based on administration officials’ contacts with Abramoff.
Lautenberg said, “The President needs to clear the air and answer these questions about his relationship with Jack Abramoff. The claim that the President didn’t know Mr. Abramoff doesn’t seem to hold water. The American people need to know if the White House knew that Jack Abramoff was charging his clients $25,000 to meet the President.”
A BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT
http://www.buzzflash.com/alerts/06/02/ale06016.html
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