Abramoff has had close ties with Republicans, who control Congress and the White House.
NEW YORK: Worried about a possible scandal, aides to US President George W Bush are trying to identify all the photos that may exist of the President and lobbyist Jack Abramoff together, a media report said on Monday.
Abramoff, who is facing fraud and bribery allegations, had recently agreed to cooperate with investigators in revealing the names of top politicians whom he is alleged to have bribed.
Bracing for the worst, Administration officials obtained from the Secret Service a list of all the occasions Abramoff entered the White House complex and scrambled to determine the reason for each visit, Time magazine reports in its upcoming issue.
An aide who has seen the list was quoted as saying that Abramoff attended Hanukkah and holiday events at the White House. Press secretary Scott McClellan told the magazine that the lobbyist might have attended large gatherings with Bush but added, “The President does not know him, nor does the President recall ever meeting him.” With the possibility that House Majority leader Tom DeLay could be indicted in the Abramoff case, the Administration fears that the scandal could tarnish all Republicans and even hand the House to the Democrats, Time said.
“They’re worried about the Congress,” an adviser told the magazine after talking to White House aides, “and they’re worried about themselves.” Although DeLay’s forfeiture of his leadership post makes things easier for the White House, the Abramoff saga, the report said, will continue to be a problem.
Republican officials were quoted as saying they are so worried about the Abramoff problem that they are now inclined to stoke a fight with Democrats over the confirmation of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court in an effort to turn the page from the lobbying investigation.
The report said that in the end Bush may be saved by the textured relationship he has long had with well-heeled donors, who raised $300 million for his 2004 campaign, the most expensive one in the nation’s history.
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