Justice Probes ABRAMOFF TIES TO WHITE HOUSE-Including Rove

[kpete]

Justice Probes Abramoff Ties
To White House
By SCOT J. PALTROW
April 16, 2007; Page A7

The Justice Department's Public Integrity Section is investigating connections between disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and the White House, a probe that may be affected by missing White House emails.

Lawyers involved in the case said that beginning more than a year ago, federal prosecutors and Federal Bureau of Investigation agents interviewed Mr. Abramoff and other cooperating witnesses at length about numerous contacts between Mr. Abramoff and White House officials, including presidential adviser Karl Rove.

...................

Disclosures last week that large numbers of Mr. Rove's White House email messages and those of other White House officials were erased and possibly permanently lost raised concern on Capitol Hill about possible destruction of evidence relevant to the Abramoff-White House inquiry.

People with direct knowledge of the investigation say that all of Mr. Abramoff's email correspondence was preserved and turned over to prosecutors, including those with the White House. But it isn't clear to what extent Mr. Rove and others in the White House may have exchanged messages among themselves, or with others outside, pertaining to Mr. Abramoff, and whether any of these may have been erased. The White House didn't respond to requests for comment.

more at:
http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB117668592739670828-NtqMNcTNQjBgap7BI5jhmnL_xXM_20070423.html

[malaise]

1. Uh Oh!

The dam must be on the verge of breaking! :popcorn: :popcorn:

[kstewart33]

2. Great post kpete. Keep them coming! eom

[babylonsister]

3. Abramoff wants a reduced sentence? I hope he starts spilling

the beans, specifically about Rover's involvement. I hope that's a prerequisite to any sentencing Abramoff gets.
And pass the popcorn!

[MagickMuffin]

12. Of course CasinoJack is wanting a reduced sentence for his SunCruz scam

which is the sentence he is serving now. He hasn't even been tried for ALL his other scams. :hi:

As a side note I have been trying to comic blog the emails between Casino Jack and TurdBlossom. I think I have 3 or 4 published.

[underpants]

4. Justice Department's Public Integrity Section

:rofl:

[NewJeffCT]

5. I wonder if this investigation got started because...

Gonzales has been distracted with preparing for his big show tomorrow, and the rest of the higher-ups have also been a little less focused on pure partisanship, and instead on saving their own skins. Not to mention some of the turnover - Sampson, Goodling.

[rox63]

6. Justice Dept is headed by Abu Gonzales

Yep, that should be a thorough investigation. :sarcasm:

[Blackhatjack]

7. This is why you have not seen Abramoff testifying anywhere ....

... when you have a defendant cooperating under a plea agreement who acts as a guide and knows where the bodies are buried, their value to the investigation trumps any need to place them under oath in public.

People tend to forget that Abramoff was chopped off the ice floe by everyone with this Administration. (Remember the comment that 'we don't know much about him, except what we read in the newspapers').

He lost access to and support from everyone he had helped in the past, and was facing a long prison sentence. Just the right ingredients for an offer to him to cut a deal and unload all he knows.

I believe that the 'missing emails' will be protected at all costs by this White House, not because of what they show about the AG/US Attorney firing scandal, but rather what they reveal about more serious scandals that Abramoff and others have identified to investigators.

Sadly, because of the compromise of the DOJ I do not believe any serious public disclosure will occur until we have a new Democratic President, and the DOJ undergoes a 'housecleaning.'

[ChairmanAgnostic]

8. WAIT a sec, KPETE. We STILL HAVE a public integrity section in the DOJ?

you have to be kidding. How did that happen? unless they were ordered to investigate the "Democrat Party"?

[C_U_L8R]

9. Has Gonzo learned the art of blackmail?

Perhaps this is why he hasn't been fired yet?

[maine_raptor]

10. Those e-mails could be hiding a lot more.

Not only Abramoff, but also the Plame outing, the USA mess, and maybe even a few other things not currently on the radar.

[bobthedrummer]

15. Another confidential source prompted CREW to file another FOIA request today

CREW SENDS NEW FOIA TO WHITE HOUSE OFFICE OF ADMINISTRATION OF EMAIL RECORDS MANAGEMENT
http://www.citizensforethics.org/node/27688

Last year Alexis Simendinger compiled some data on the White House Staff for National Journal that comes in handy when sorting out all these criminal political networks-a lot of them have left, but they are still accountable-just look at this WH Salary List and think how many of them are loyal Bushies, part of Karl's shop, Regent grads, etc...yet criminals

http://nationaljournal.com/about/njweekly/stories/2006/0711nj1.htm

fair use cited

[Snotcicles]

11. We don't need a war czar, we need a governmental corruption czar.

One that packages all the investigations together and shows how it all fits together.

[bobthedrummer]

13. Since the DoJ also has a National Security Division (announced last month)

they can take down the spies and traitors within this corrupt criminal administration hiding in the DoJ-if they don't then we, the people will.

DoJ National Security Division announcement from John Young's Cryptome
http://cryptome.org/doj030707.htm

[bobthedrummer]

14. In 2004 the DoJ ordered copies of DoJ documents and manuals

about Asset Forfeiture and Money-Laundering held by LIBRARIES destroyed-anyone not see the pattern of these criminals investigating themselves sabotaging efforts of those not in league with them (ie loyal Bushies)?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x360539#441230

[bobthedrummer]

16. Anyone seen or heard about WH e-mail master John Davis Almacy lately?

He is a person of interest now.

[bobthedrummer]

17. kick