Abramoff Question

[hootinholler]

I've seen it repeated here J.A. was on the WH transition team. What role did he fill?

Aha, here it is:

With Norquist's help, Abramoff secured a spot on the transition team for the Interior Department after George W. Bush was elected president in 2000. He tried to place several officials in Interior, including an unsuccessful attempt to land a former Marianas official in the top spot overseeing U.S. territories.

So, when Scotty parrots:

“The President does not know him, nor does the President recall ever meeting him,”

Isn't Scotty also admitting that POTUS doesn't know the person he placed in charge of appointing executive level staffers in the Dept. of the Interior!

Folks I'm flabbergasted on which competing scenario is worse!

-Hoot

[boobooday]

1. Heckuva job, Jackie!

I bet Abramhoff even has a Bush-bestowed nickname.

Anybody have a guess what it might be?

[rpgamerd00d]

3. Prolly something simplistic, like "Big Jack". Bush is a moron after all.

[boobooday]

5. Yeah, it would have to be basic

Hungry Jack?

[Village Idiot]

8. Jack......Ass?

[FSogol]

2. I'll take a guess.

He was the Director of Secret Money Funneling?

[hootinholler]

4. I think this is important.

It needs to get out into the press.

-Hoot

[NVMojo]

6. Yep! He's not only a total liar but a stupid one.

[hootinholler]

7. Will this be Helen's next question?

I would be esctatic! This one needs to be asked.

How 'bout Keif? or John Stewart? or... ?

-Hoot

[EST]

9. Not only was he on the transition team,

but (I think it was on DU, yesterday) he was one of the producers for a Bush fund raiser in 1999, when he was preparing for his pretzeldunce run. Novak was the main man IIRC.

[hootinholler]

10. The point isn't that he was onthe transition team...

And therefore was known, it's that in claiming he's not known, he's admitting to incompetence in the POTUS not knowing who the POTUS appointed to hire his staff.

-Hoot

[EST]

11. Good point.

[onenote]

12. let's not get carried away

I have no doubt chimpy was quite aware of Abramoff and what he was doing. But the transition team angle doesn't really prove much. According to one story, there were at least 475 persons appointed to various Bush transition teams. http://www.mndaily.com/articles/2000/03/16/13663 No one expects a president to know everyone appointed to these teams. I have friends that were part of Clinton's transition who had never met him and didn't meet him during or after their service on the transition. They had expertise in a particular area and knew someone who knew someone who recommended them. The issue here is whether Abramoff had any particular expertise justifying his appointment to a transition team or whether it was just part of a you scratch my back I'll scratch yours spoils system that completely corrupted what should be the purpose of the transition process.

onenote

[hootinholler]

13. WCK

West Coast Kick.