WP: Abramoff used White House to oust government foe.

[kpete]

PULLING STRINGS
Abramoff Used White House To Help Get Rid of Roadblock

By R. Jeffrey Smith
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, June 19, 2008; Page A17

If lobbyists find the path to their clients' riches obstructed by an implacably hostile federal official, they might achieve success by an end run or an appeal to more senior authorities. But a more extreme solution -- if the foe has high-level support -- is to pull strings at the White House and orchestrate the official's removal.

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

Providing a rare glimpse of high-level, behind-the-scenes string-pulling, they show how Abramoff, now serving a prison term for fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy, relied on key White House contacts, including Susan Ralston, executive assistant to political adviser Karl Rove; Monica Kladakis, then deputy White House personnel chief; and Ken Mehlman, then the White House political director.

Each had ties to Abramoff and his aides. Ralston was an Abramoff assistant at Greenberg before joining Rove's staff in February 2001, Kladakis had worked in the House Republican whip's office with Abramoff aide Tony Rudy, and Mehlman went to Abramoff's house for a Sabbath dinner and saw him at Republican events. Another key participant was Matt Schlapp, then Mehlman's deputy.

Here is a sampling of their 2001 e-mail traffic:

Jan. 29: Rudy to a Greenberg colleague: "We need to get the background material on stayman to ken mehlman. . . . He said he would kill him."

Colleague to Rudy: "What???"

Rudy to colleague: "Mehlman said he would get him fired."

Colleague to Rudy: "Excellent."

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

June 26: Ralston to Schlapp: "Do you know anything about this?"

Schlapp to Ralston: "Yes, we are all over it. This is a problem."

June 29: Ralston to Rove: "I'm getting many calls from conservatives really angry about this. . . . State is lying about reasons for keeping Stayman on board."

July 2: Ralston to Stephen J. Hadley, then deputy national security adviser: "Karl asked me to pass this email (from Abramoff) on to you. . . . Can you help?"

much more at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/18/AR2008061803137.html?hpid=sec-politic

[Kool Kitty]

1. K & Rd.

Why am I not surprised?