Waxman: Committee Releases Proposed Abramoff Report

And it's a long time coming. Nothing new here but it is about time Abramoff scandal and Abramoff's influences in the White House is finally being exposed. Maybe that explained why one of McCain's adviser linked to Abramoff bailed from the camp. Not good news for Karl Rove.

Chairman Waxman and Ranking Member Davis issued a proposed Committee report on White House contacts with Jack Abramoff that concludes that Mr. Abramoff had personal contact with President Bush, that high-level White House officials held Mr. Abramoff and his associates in high regard and solicited recommendations from them on policy matters, that Mr. Abramoff and his associates influenced some White House actions, and that Mr. Abramoff and his associates offered White House officials expensive tickets and meals.

Documents and Links

Proposed Report: Jack Abramoff's Contacts with White House Officials (287 KB)
Memo: Full Committee Business Meeting on Proposed Abramoff Report (40 KB)
The 2006 Abramoff Investigation
Deposition of Ruben Barrales (2 MB)
Deposition of Jennifer Farley (2 MB)
Deposition of Tracy Henke (2 MB)
Deposition of Monica Kladakis (1 MB)
Deposition of Ken Mehlman (3 MB)
Deposition of Matthew Schlapp (4 MB)
Deposition of Padgett Wilson (3 MB)
Greenberg Traurig Documents (1 MB)
White House Documents (3 MB)
State Department Documents (294 KB)
White House Photos (5 MB)

On a side note from TPM:

The Committee uncovered extensive contacts between Abramoff team and the White House, including access to Rove and direct influence on White House policy, from unseating Department of Interior official Alan Stayman to affecting nominating processes:

One action that White House officials took at the request of Mr. Abramoff was to intervene to force the removal of a State Department official, Alan Stayman. In a previous position at the Office of Insular Affairs in the Department of the Interior, Mr. Stayman had advocated positions opposed by the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, then a client of Mr. Abramoff. Mr. Stayman was appointed to his position at the Department of State during the Clinton Administration.

In a recent Committee deposition, Monica Kladakis, then-Deputy Associate Director in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel (OPP), confirmed that OPP became involved in Mr. Stayman's removal after White House officials were contacted by Mr. Abramoff's team.