northern mariana islands

How much longer can Bush claim he knew nothing about this?

An Interior Department official who has acknowledged receiving meals and tickets to sporting events from former lobbyist Jack Abramoff has been charged with filing a false financial disclosure report.

Roger G. Stillwell, an employee of the department's Insular Affairs Office, was charged with a single misdemeanor count of making a false filing, according to papers filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court. Federal officials said he is expected to enter a guilty plea at a court appearance set for July 21 before Magistrate Deborah A. Robinson.

Stillwell is an officer on the desk that handles the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. territory whose government hired Abramoff as a lobbyist. The Washington Post reported in December that Stillwell was among the Interior officials whom Abramoff's team tried to cultivate

So Mr. President, if you don't know what is going on in your administration, then who is in charge?

Last week after the Abramoff story exploded, the White House went into a
defensive mode:

On Wednesday, McClellan called Abramoff’s actions “outrageous” and
reiterated to reporters that Bush was not friends with the lobbyist and does
not recall ever meeting him—though he said it was possible that Bush met
Abramoff at a fund-raising function or at a White House holiday party.
(According to McClellan, Abramoff was a guest at three White House Chanukah
receptions.) When asked about Abramoff’s contacts with other White House
officials, McClellan said, “I don’t keep track of staff.”

View complete article
here.

Now here is what

USA Today is reporting this morning

WASHINGTON (AP) — In President Bush's first 10 months, GOP fundraiser
Jack Abramoff and his lobbying team logged nearly 200 contacts with the new
administration as they pressed for friendly hires at federal agencies and
sought to keep the Northern Mariana Islands exempt from the minimum wage and
other laws, records show.

The meetings between Abramoff's lobbying team and the administration
ranged from Attorney General John Ashcroft to policy advisers in Vice
President Dick Cheney's office, according to his lobbying firm billing
records.

View complete article

here.