Bush Meets Abramoff: Photographic Evidence

The New York Times and Time magazine have caught the Bush Administration in a tall tale indeed. After having denied having records of President Bush ever meeting Jack Abramoff, both outlets have blown the doors off this one.

Time has a WEB EXCLUSIVE: First Photo of Bush and Abramoff

Abramoff is visible to the left as Bush greets former tribal chairman Garza

NYT has a somewhat better photo: Photograph Shows Lobbyist at Bush Meeting With Legislators

President Bush shaking hands in 2001 with Chief Raul Garza of the Kickapoo tribe of Texas. In the background at left is the lobbyist Jack Abramoff; Karl Rove, the president's top adviser, is at the right.

Folks, I’ve been closer to President Bush than that. If you asked him, he wouldn’t remember meeting me, either.

Update: Mike Krempasky weighs in. “They had to put a red circle around Abramoff? That’s it? Bahahaha.”

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James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is a Professor of Security Studies. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.

Comments

  1. Eneils Bailey says:

    This proves it to me…BUSH is guilty…
    If you examine the photo closely, you can see Abramoff giving Bush that secret look and Bush flashing back the secret sign.
    Build the gallows, buy plenty of rope, everyone in the White House, except the pastry chef is involved.
    Is Harry Reid available to spring the trap door?

  2. DeWaun says:

    Oh, good grief. There’s no guilt here. There’s no association, either. If this is all they’ve got. Case closed.

  3. G A PHILLIPS says:

    Do you think the Chief is handing him money too? I call for a full investigation, we must know the truth!

  4. Eneils Bailey says:

    Yeah, GAP, bet the Chief’s fist is full of heap big wampum.

  5. legion says:

    A couple of points here, guys…
    a) This isn’t the _only_ photo, it’s just the first. Nobody’s put forth that this is “all there is”.
    b)A larger issue here is that the White House instinctively _lied_ in saying (and insisting even after being contradicted) that there was “no evidence” the two had ever met.

    Abramoff, Abu Ghraib, torture, wiretaps, global warming, fed response to hurricaines, Medicare drug program, Social Security “reform”, No Child Left Behind failures… It may not always be as bad as as we Dems think, but it’s _never_ as good as you lot (and the WH) play it up to be.

  6. Jonk says:

    I am sure the White House schedule for that day says something about 5 minutes with the Chief Garza, and nothing more. Maybe the Secret Service security detail logs have a list of who was going to be there, but not the Office of the President. So maybe the SS should be investigated…

    Pfft.

    I bet you can pull out several photos of Dems with Mr. A in the background…big deal. My god, he was in Washington at the same time as…as…wait…nm…

  7. G A PHILLIPS says:

    Legion, everything you have stated as a failure is somthing you and your’s have made up ,obstructed, and or had a hand in. I’ll try to sum up the way you and yours look to me,-only-lied”no evidence”-never-“reform””all there is”. It must suck to get your own donkey poo used against you!

  8. Maggie says:

    Geeeeez, here I was expecting a pic of Abramoff in the “receiving line” wearing a damn beret and smooching the Prez….oooops, wrong president.

    Sorry.

  9. SgtFluffy says:

    Wow, he was hiding all the time next to thos darned buddhist monks drinking tea…

  10. TBIRD1107 says:

    Scrappleface has the best picture yet:

  11. mary says:

    Excuse me, how old are you all? It is no wonder people do not respond…

  12. LJD says:

    Too bad the Dems don’t have anything better to do with their time. Just think of all the positive things they could achieve for their constituents if they didn’t spend so much of it fabricating ‘evidence’ to ‘prove’ the President’s ‘crimes’.

  13. Herb says:

    You guys got things all wrong.

    I was standing on the side of the road when the Presidental motorcade drove by. At that very moment, a photo was snapped and I was in the photo observing the motorcade.

    Guess you didn’t know that Bush and I are very chumy and the best of friends. Eat your heart out everyone.

  14. He’s visible with the naked eye.