[CP @ DKos]

Documents released today by the Senate Indian Affairs Committee again confirm the reach of Jack Abramoff and his associates in the White House.

A February 21, 2001 e-mail from CREA Director Italia Federici to Eric Ruff, then-Communications Director to Gale Norton at CREA notes Abramoff associate Ralph Reed’s reach in the White House:

From what I have been told, Ralph is working with Doolittle (don’t know whether for free or as a paid consultant), and has been bending the ear of Karl Rove and possibly even the President about land-in-trust and gaming issues.
    Doolittle and Abramoff

John Doolittle (R-CA) received some $7,000 in campaign contributions from Abramoff from 1999 to 2001.

Doolittle also used Abramoff’s skyboxes for personal gain. From the WaPo:

For most politicians, fundraising is a dreaded chore. But until recently, Rep. John T. Doolittle of California and other members of the House Republican leadership had adopted a painless solution: fundraising events in luxury sports boxes leased largely with the money of Indian gaming tribes, where supporters snacked on catered fare in plush surroundings as they watched the Wizards, Caps, Redskins or Orioles.

Doolittle, a Mormon, is an ardent opponent of casino gambling, so it is somewhat ironic that he would invite supporters to watch the Wizards play the Sacramento Kings from an MCI Center suite paid for by casino-rich Indian tribes. But the plaque at the door to Suite 204 did not say Chitimacha or Choctaw. It said “Jack Abramoff,” a name synonymous with largesse and influence in the GOP-controlled Congress.

Doolittle still serves the 4th District of California.

Doolittle failed to mention his use of the skyboxes to the FEC, as have Reps. Hayworth, Ney and DeLay. Doolittle’s wife, Julia, and her firm, Sierra Dominion Financial Solutions (SDFS), Inc., set up fundraisers for Abramoff’s Capital Athletic Foundation. SDFS received some $28,000 for setting up the fundraisers.

His wife’s ownership of SDFS was not known to the FEC until it subpoenaed SDFS’ financial records during its investigation of Abramoff.

    Abramoff’s reach into the WH

There are several connections between the WH and Abramoff.

  • Susan Ralston, former personal assistant to Karl Rove. Ralston was previously an executive assistant to Abramoff. Recently, she reinterviewed by Patrick Fitzgerald in the CIA leak case. Ralston also screened Rove’s calls through Grover Norquist, she would “take messages for Rove at the White House, then call [Grover] Norquist to tell her whether she should put the caller through.”
  • Karl Rove. Abramoff bragged to then-Tyco counsel Timothy Flanigan that “he had contact with Karl Rove.”

Recently it’s been learned that in 2003 Abramoff advertised a meeting with the President for $9 million to the President of Gabon. Ten months later, the President of Gabon met with Bush though no evidence of a payment to Abramoff has come to light.

    Abramoff & DoI/CREA

Abramoff gained access to Dept. of Interior secretary Gale Norton and deputy secretary Steven Griles through Norton’s former company, the Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy (CREA). In a newly-released e-mail, Abramoff states:

Todd, did we not request money for CREA from them? That’s our access to Norton.

CREA, founded in 1998, is essentially a corporate-friendly anti-environment front which lobbies against costly environmental legislation for various industries. The Natural Resources Defense Council called CREA “a group sponsored by mining, chemical and chlorine industries.”

Abramoff also donated funds to members of Congress to send letters to Norton advocating the views of Abramoff’s tribal clients, among them Dennis Hastert, Eric Cantor, Harry Reid, John Ensign, Tom DeLay, Roy Blunt, and Deborah Pryce. (Source).

During today’s testimony to the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, Federici was said to have been living in a ‘fairy tale’ in not believing there was a connection between CREA and lobbying for Abramoff’s clients.

An the e-mail batch released today, Federici also notes how essential Abramoff was in bilking tribal clients out of funds for hit pieces on Senate Democrats who were vocal in their opposition to CREA priorities:

We are going to highlight environmentalist support and we are also going to do something mean to Senator John Kerry. We have a video of him after he spoke against ANWR at Earth Day 2000, behind the staging area getting into a chauffer driven SUV between several limousines….We are asking people to call Kerry and tell him they are not impressed by his conservation ethic and not to filibuster ANWR and hold everyone in the Senate hostage. Or they can call Daschel [sic] and tell him not to be tricked by Kerry’s PR stunts. We want a vote on the Bush Balanced Energy Plan ASAP…

We have transferred the video to beta for Hannity and Colmes, O’Reilley [sic], etc….and we have help distributing from interested friends whom I’m sure you can guess.

I am letting EVERYONE know that you are the only reason we have the funding to do this….THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Abramoff also picked up the tab at several CREA fundraiser/dinners at Signatures.

Federici was very close to deputy secretary Steven Griles and frequently passed along information in support of Abramoff’s tribal clients and their interests. Abramoff frequently called on Federici to ‘squelch’ pending matters which were not in the interest of Abramoff’s clients. Typically, Griles would rely on “insufficient” Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) to stall pending casino projects.

In 2003, the DoI promoted, Aurene Martin, a member of the Chippewa tribe, one of Abramoff’s clients, as Acting Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs. In 2001, the DoI hired her as Counselor to the Assistant Secretary.

In July of 2003, Abramoff’s influence in the DoI was severed. Griles, through reports in the media, had grown increasingly distant from CREA and Abramoff. An e-mail from Federici to Abramoff shows her frustration in attempts to lobby Griles:

Steve is nothing but a gentleman and great guy to me, but he can’t (or at least won’t) discuss any of my clients with me. The problem is that, since he won’t do so, and since you are not able to chat with him now, I am left in a real dilemma. I can’t deliver anything from Interior for my clients. It is as if the Clinton guys are back in power. I don’t know what to do.

In today’s hearing, Senator McCain told Federici:

“Any objective observer would see that there is a clear connection between contributions to your organization and work that you would have been doing on behalf of Mr. Abramoff with the Department of the Interior.”

Late today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington called on the DoJ to investigate Federici for lying to the Indian Affairs Committee earlier today.

    Abramoff & Reed

Ralph Reed is formerly the head of the Christian Coalition and is set for a run for Georgia’s Lt. Gov next year. Reed’s contact with Abramoff dates back to 1981, when he interned for Abramoff at the College Republican National Committee. Most recently, Reed was regional campaign chairman for the Bush 2004 re-election campaign. Reed lobbied for Abramoff on legislation in Texas (recently implicating then-Attorney General John Cornyn), Louisiana, Alabama and elsewhere.

Beginning in 1998, Reed lobbied on behalf of Abramoff’s tribal clients. Reed would receive $4.2 million for his efforts. Much of the money would go to Reed through Grover Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform.

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