Spokesman says Abramoff won't release, sell photos of himself with Preside

[sabra]

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Spokesman_says_Abramoff_wont_release_sell_0126.html

Spokesman says Abramoff won't release, sell photos of himself with President Bush, as Democrats plan

In a tersely worded statement to RAW STORY late Thursday, a spokesman for fallen lobbyist Jack Abramoff hinted that he did indeed have the photos of himself with President Bush and said that he would not release or sell the images.

"To the extent that Mr. Abramoff has possession of any of these photos, he will not be releasing them, nor is he seeking to sell them or use them for any other purpose," spokesman Andrew Blum said in an email.

Asked if Abramoff actually had the photos in a followup call, Blum declined to comment.

"I've been asked a lot of questions about the photos in the last few days, and that's the comment I have about the photos," he said.

[babylonsister]

1. I dunno, Jack. You might need that dough for your legal

defense fund! :rofl:

[Caution]

2. Even while this asshole is on the hook as a result of the dirty dealings

of the very people he is now trying to protect he is still a kool-aid drinker. Pathetic.

[tridim]

3. This is such bullcrap

If Alito has pictures, the WH photographer has the negatives. Pictures taken in the WH belong to the people. FOIA anyone?

[onenote]

7. FOIA doesn't apply to the WH

The Supreme Court held in Kissinger v. Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, 445 U.S. 136 (1980), that the FOIA definition of "agency" does not include the Office of the President (which is also known as the White House Office). The Court stated that "he legislative history is unambiguous . . . in explaining that the 'Executive Office' does not include the Office of the President" because the legislative history plainly specified that "'the President's immediate personal staff or units in the Executive Office whose sole function is to advise and assist the President' are not included within the term 'agency' under the FOIA."

(By the way, I think you meant Abramoff, not Alito. Freudian slip?)

onenote

[Laura PourMeADrink]

4. Well, what about the screwed Indian tribesmen? Surely they

got a copy, No? They could probably use the bucks.

[onenote]

8. That's actually a very good point

Typically, someone gets the name/address of the folks who pose with the Pres so a copy can be sent to them. Only Abramoff would've gotten the holiday reception photos, but if he posed with his clients with chimpy, then you would expect that those clients would have gotten copies as well.

onenote

[superconnected]

20. I'm pretty sure all of his clients are worried they'll get indited

if they have ties to Abramoff. Bet they can't bury those pics fast enough.

[MADem]

25. Surely they have pics, and Abramoff's KIDS who were in the pic

have copies as well, signed with the autopen, no doubt. Abramoff could refuse to release his copy, but that doesn't stop his KID from doing it...or one of his ripped-off clients...

[central scrutinizer]

5. But, if there were pictures of Abramoff with, say, Harry Reid

they would be released immediately, be on every RW blog within 30 seconds, and be constantly on the screens at CNN, MSRNC, and Faux

[AlCzervik]

6. someone somewhere besides Abramoff and the WH has copies of these

photos, imo it's only a matter of time before they surface.

[colonel odis]

9. if he wants his family to stay alive, he won't release them.

jack's a crook, but he's not totally stupid.

[TheCowsCameHome]

10. Jackm-off, are you sure you've got the only ones?

Just askin'.

[rodeodance]

11. might be his trump card for a presidential pardon?

[MakeItSo]

12. more like life insurance

The bullet proof fedorah can protect only so much.

[wordpix2]

13. He might not release them due to the legal implications-he's in enough hot

water without a furor over the pix

[warsager]

14. Are they making out

in the pics? What's all the fuss about if there are pics of them?

[JanusAscending]

15. Same old, same old..........

Bush lied AGAIN...........said he doesn't know Abramoff.......never met him, blah,balh,balh,blah,blah!!!

[Ouabache]

16. Jack probably has been told it gets mighty depressing in high rise

hotels if you release stuff like this.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

17. Good thing he's "cooperating."

[leesa]

18. So obviously, he's confirmed that he knows the President, why do we need

the photos?

[wishlist]

21. What's important are the Abramoff/Rove deals involving White House

General public still has not heard about how Abramoff used his Rove/White House connection to promote getting payments from tribal casinos and other businesses such as Tyco who wanted to retain their offshore tax breaks.

Media has once again failed by not asking probing questions about what actions (favors) were done or promised by Rove and WH in return for all of the Abramoff contributions.

[meganmonkey]

19. Hey, Jack, if you don't want to sell them

why don't you jsut give them to me and I'll take care of it? I'll give half the proceeds to charity!

}(

[zann725]

22. The first time in his life he can't be 'bought?'

Guess he prefers to live.

[LiberalEsto]

23. You know those life-sized cardboard cutouts?

The ones of well-known people you can pose next to?
Washington DC, of course, has a number of places where tourists can pose next to cut-outs of current and former presidents, etc.

Wouldn't it be cool to get giant cutouts of B*sh and Abamoff together and let tourists - and next week's SOTU demonstrators - pose next to the two of them for pix?

[sofa king]

24. Does this mean that the photos really are for sale?

The cynic in me says that the never tell-the-truth-rule is still in effect, and could be a useful form of public discourse between Abramoff's lawyers and the White House. The feds have an eye on the GOP slush fund, waiting for it to jiggle, and Jackie Boy doesn't own an honest cent of his own.

But he's got photos he can sell... or threaten to sell, unless someone bucks up some heavy duty legal fees for Jack. All he has to do is say they're not for sale, and Richard Mellon Scaife is saying, "name your price."

Eh. Just a thought. Probably bullshit.