Former Rove aide pleads the Fifth on White House contacts with convicted lobbyist Abramoff

[Roland99]

Source: RawStory

Susan Ralston, the former executive assistant to top White House adviser Karl Rove, invoked her rights against self-incrimination while she was being asked to answer questions by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, the Committee's Chairman, Rep. Henry Waxman, announced in a memo Tuesday. The deposition for which she sat concerned contacts between convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff and Rove, as well as the White House more broadly.

"The subjects this morning that she will be unable to testify to...are the subjects of the relationship between Jack Abramoff and his associates and White House officials, including Ms. Ralston, and the subject of the use by White House officials of political e-mail accounts at the RNC," Ralston's lawyer, Bradford Berenson said, during the May 10 deposition. "She has material, useful information about both of those subjects."

According to Waxman's memo, which was sent to Oversight Committee members, Ralston is seeking immunity from prosecution.

"She is more than willing to provide it to the committee. However, she will, as we have previously discussed, require a grant of immunity before she is comfortable going forward," Berenson also said in the deposition.

Read more: http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Former_Rove_aide_pleads_Fifth_on_0522.html

---

Ah, Abramoff. The gift that keeps on giving!

[tsuki]

1. Ahhh, Republican sense of Personal Responsibility. n/t

[napi21]

2. I'd be more than willing to give Susan immunity. I watched her testify

before congress last year (I think) and it was obvious THAN that she was covering up THEN! This little twit could be a wealth of information, and if that statement "She is more than willing to provide it to the committee. However, she will, as we have previously discussed, require a grant of immunity before she is comfortable going forward," is factual, I'd give her immunity immediately!

[LSparkle]

3. Bring her in with Monica tomorrow!

Two-two-two twits in one (day).

[mwb970]

40. Surely Ralston is not as twittish as Goodling, though.

I don't think KKKarl would suffer gladly a weeping fool from a phony school.

[shanti]

10. you really think she'd be forthcoming even then?

not i....like the rest, she knows where the bodies are buried.

[napi21]

17. I think it's a strong possibility that she will tell at least some of what

she knows.

Think about it. Comey is a Pub. Did you really expect HIM to say all he said in his testimony?

Susay was working with Abranoff. He's in jail! I don't think she owes anything to the WH or any of the other AHs in this admin. If she gets immunity, I think she'll talk!

[aquart]

27. Comey? YES. I absolutely did.

[SharonRB]

24. I'll trade you one Susan Ralston for one Karl Rove

That's a no-brainer.

[aquart]

28. Absolutely. Make those canaries sing.

[wordpix]

43. after that, I'll up you one Dick Cheney & one Geo. Bush. Movin' up the food chain

:evilgrin:

[Dems Will Win]

44. I made pics of all her emails and put them in Chronological Order

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x946677

TAKE A LOOK!

[donkeyotay]

50. That's awesome. I missed it.

OMG. Their email series regarding their "problem at the White House". Who is Michael E. Williams?

"Like I said earlier, WH folks are getting really arrogant lately. Not sure who is driving that train but they need to remember who there (sic) friends are...or they risk the fate of Bush I."

There seem to be missing emails in the series. For instance, when Abramoff and Ralston discuss a business venture and out of the clear blue Ralston says that she might "lack the experience to run the day-to-day operations of a defense company," what the hell are they discussing? This is November, 2002.

[bobthedrummer]

51. ANOTHER KICK-and thanks again!

[Judi Lynn]

55. Thanks for making this available to those of us who missed it the first time. n/t

[bobthedrummer]

56. KICK.

[earthboundmisfit]

4. Give her immunity for sure - and possibly put her in protective custody

Even making the statement that she's "more than willing" to provide the info if she's granted immunity very likely puts her life in jeopardy from those she can expose, I'm afraid...

[OwnedByFerrets]

29. You are OH SO RIGHT!!

This criminal admin is capable of anything......and has surely already commited many unspeakable crimes to cover up their criminal activity.

[progressoid]

37. I'm more concerned she'll pull an Ollie North.

[flyarm]

5. #5 K&R

[Patsy Stone]

6. I vote yes.

She has a juicy and interesting tale to tell, and I'd like to hear it. I'd also like to ask her about the 2004 election, but maybe that's just me?

[Capn Sunshine]

7. we are Nation of Laws

except if you're a member of the Bush administration

[fooj]

9. Wouldn't it be nice to start behaving as such?

Enough of this bullshit.

[McCamy Taylor]

8. But if she is given immunity, she will do an Oliver North and claim it was all HER idea.

[madrchsod]

11. she was`t in that position to claim it was her "idea"

plus jack was singing for his supper when he looked around and realized where he was....

[ChairmanAgnostic]

12. hey folks, enough. WHERE IS THE OUTRAGE?

How many CLinton advisors pled the 5th?
Where are the comparisons that show how culpable these people are, compared to the last administration? Why all the silence?

It this was a high ranking Clinton staffer pleading the 5th, all hell would be breaking loose right about now.

[Deep13]

13. How dare I assume Rove is guilty because remained silent?!

:shrug:

Oh well.

HE'S FUCKING GUILTY AS HELL! He did it. He did it. Lock his doughy ass up! He'd talk if he had nothing to hide. Guilty Guilty Guilty! And if somehow we can't prove this, then he's guilty of a bunch of other felonies. Put him away!


:argh: :grr: :nuke: :mad:

[Sapere aude]

14. She's probably part of the moral majority too.

[TroglodyteScholar]

15. NO immunity! Let this POS sink with the rest of the rats! n/t

[Faygo Kid]

26. Let's see - Susan Ralston or Karl Rove. Which would I rather have convicted?

She has the right under the Fifth Amendment not to self-incriminate. Granting her immunity removes that protection as superfluous, since she can't then be convicted. And, she must then testify under oath about her dealings with Rove. She is not protected against perjury. I will grant Susan Ralston immunity in exchange for testimony against Karl Rove - and getting ever closer to W. himself - any time. Would love to see her do the perp walk. But we are talkin' priorities here. I hope and pray the Dems have the guts to put Rove's sorry ass in a seat, before the Senate, under oath. I doubt it, but if this helps make it happen, I am willing to let the perp walk so as to get the bigger perp.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

16. She won't dare to tell

or else they may find her in a ditch?

[MasonJar]

18. The sooner she spills the beans the safer she will be. Remember

the agent in Florida who was going to expose Jeb.

[BrainGlutton]

20. Eh? What agent in Florida who was going to expose Jeb?

[Botany]

21. Ray Lemme

He got up one more and drove to Georgia and committed suicide in a motel
room that according to his credit card he had rented the night before ....


http://www.bradblog.com/ClintCurtisSummary.htm

Raymond Lemme was the investigator from the Florida Inspector General's office at the Florida Dept. of Transportation (FDOT) to whom Clint Curtis had initially reported his allegations of wrongdoing by Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL) and Yang Enterprises, Inc. (YEI).

Curtis reported in a sworn affidavit, released exclusively by The BRAD BLOG on December 6th, 2004, that Lemme had told him in June of 2003 that "he had tracked the corruption 'all the way to the top' and that the story would break in the next few weeks."

Two weeks after meeting with Curtis, Raymond Camillo Lemme was found dead in the bathtub of Room #132 of the Knights Inn motel in Valdosta, Georgia; a border-town some 80 miles from Tallahassee FL where Lemme lived and worked, his arm slashed twice with a razor blade near the left elbow.

Raymond Lemme supposedly killed himself while working on what he told his wife was a "big" case, a case that apparently involves vote-rigging and Jeb Bush's running mate in Bush's first campaign for governor of Florida. The investigation into the "suicide" does not include some photographs of the decedent, because of "technical problems", yet a blogger was able to recover those photographs, photographs which are inconsistent with the written "suicide" investigation report.

[Botany]

19. She will not be allowed to testify

look who she worked for Abramoff, bush, and Rove.

[HowHasItComeToThis]

32. I NOTICE THAT THE REPUBLICANS ALL SEEM TO BE OF SMALL STATURE

OR IS IT JUST AN OTICAL ILLUSION?

[Phrogman]

61. Notice how bush is "leaning in" to be in the photo with Abramoff?

You don't see him leaning into too many photos.

[L. Coyote]

22. Rove aid seeks immunity "has material, useful information about" Abramoff and e-mails

Well, well, well, time for some yakkkity, yak, yak,
and the White House and KKKarl must be sweating this big time.

Abramoff can tell all about Abramoff, but not about the e-mails.

Her attorney's statement say, for all intents and purposes,
we won't admit guilt but we sure do have a story to tell.

[hang a left]

23. Waxman is not considering immunity yet...

If you click on to the memo link at the end of the story, you will see that they want to talk to several other people first. I think that she may eventually receive very limited immunity if they can get the goods from others.

I like that. She is just as much a criminal as Rove and Abramoff. If she has imminent charges hanging over her head the likelihood of her ginko biloba kicking in is much stronger.

[truthisfreedom]

25. You have to appreciate that the bush admin causes so much fear in its ranks, because

so many of the faithful have been thrown in front of a bus, that everyone is afraid to step out of line, and everyone does things that they know are probably illegal but are afraid to question.

[lovuian]

30. You only ask for Immunity or plead the fifth if your afraid

of going to jail

[HowHasItComeToThis]

31. WAITING FOR THE REPUBLITHUGS TO START CRACKING

WE ARE TAKING OUR NATION BACK

[LiberalFighter]

33. Just call her in for secret testimony.

Then let her know that if she doesn't testify truthfully at the public hearing the committee will announce publicly that she provided information on Karl Rove and Bush that will put them away for several lifetimes. Then let her go. And tell her that she is on her own and will not receive any protection.

Don't worry. You are safe. Just use a disguise and everything will be fine for you. Sleep with a gun under your pillow.

[MichaelHarris]

34. Fuck

give um all immunity, we're only after the one in the big white house.

[tiptoe]

35. Unwise to offer immunity to Ralston until after Goodling (at least) et al testify.

Who knows what Goodling might have to offer re Rove, Griffin, Gonzales, Sampson, Moschella et al (...maybe even Ralston?) wrt the fired USAs affair. (After all, Goodling was the office of the Attorney General's liason to the White House. The WH withheld its recent document dump until almost the very last day before Goodling's testimony, possibly to afford as little time as possible for Congressional investigative committee members to prepare for Goodling.)

Waxman denies Ralston immunity for now —Think Progress, DC,    May 22, 2007

More details on former Rove aide Susan Ralston. Ralston’s lawyer says that if she is granted immunity from prosecution, “she would testify about Abramoff’s relationships with White House officials and ‘the use by White House officials of political e-mail accounts’ at the Republican National Committee.”

Ralston has “useful information about both of those subjects,” Berenson told the committee, and “she is more than willing to provide it to the committee” under “a grant of immunity,” the memo said.

But Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) is going to deny immunity for now. “‘Providing immunity to a witness is a significant step with legal consequences for potential prosecutions.’ Before deciding on Ralston’s request, he said, the committee ’should seek to obtain information about the relationship between Mr. Abramoff and the White House from other sources.’”

UPDATE: Emptywheel has much more.

Shorter Henry: Nice Try, Brad Berenson by emptywheel, May 22, 2007 11:04 pm
...
So let me read the road map for you all:

1. Ralston would incriminate herself if she talked about Jack Abramoff's contacts with the White House.
2. Ralston would incriminate herself if she talked about the political emails at the RNC.
3. Ralston got frequent emails from people on Abramoff's staff discussing activities relating to "other officials in the White House."

But, Waxman says, Ralston isn't going to get immunity to talk about these things--there are plenty of people (like Michael Scanlon or the other Abramoff lobbyists who have flipped) who can testify about these things.

Curiously, Waxman doesn't say how he's going to get to the RNC emails without Ralston. But since Ralston says that, too, will incriminate her, I suspect her non-testimony has renewed Waxman's interest in getting the emails.

DU thread

Monica Goodling

Political and legal career

Ms. Goodling worked...alongside Tim Griffin as an opposition researcher for the Republican National Committee during the 2000 presidential campaign. She joined the Department of Justice's press office after George W. Bush was elected president. She moved to the department's executive office, which is responsible for budgeting, management, personnel management and evaluation, later becoming deputy director of the executive office.<3> After less than a year, Goodling moved again, to the attorney general’s office, working as the the White House liaison.<3> According to David Ayres, senior chief of staff to Attorney General John Ashcroft, "She was the embodiment of a hardworking young conservative who believed strongly in the president and his mission".<4> But according to H. E. Cummins III, one of the fired prosecutors who is a republican from Arkansas, “She was inexperienced, way too naïve and a little overzealous".<3>

After moving to the Attorney General's office, she retained some of her executive office authority over personnel matters. Goodling's authority over hiring expanded significantly in March 2006, when Attorney General Gonzales signed an unpublished order delegating to Goodling and Kyle Sampson, Gonzales's then chief of staff, the power to appoint or dismiss all department political appointees besides United States attorneys (who are appointed by the President). The delegation included authority over interim United States attorneys (who are appointed by the Attorney General) and heads of the divisions that handle civil rights, public corruption, environmental crimes and other matters.<3><5><6>

Susan Ralston

White House Career
Ralston was hired in 2001 as the most senior assistant to Karl Rove.

Ms. Ralston was the Special Assistant to the President and a deputy to Karl Rove, the Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor at the White House for almost six years. She was responsible for managing the activities that comprised the Office of the Senior Advisor, including the development of policy, strategic planning, political affairs, public liaison, and intergovernmental affairs efforts of the White House. She was also responsible for the development and production of presidential and major surrogate events.
...
During the 2004 re-election campaign, Ms. Ralston was the White House Liaison to Bush-Cheney ’04, coordinating the activities between the two entities. She also served on the Advisory Committee for “W Stands for Women,” the campaign’s outreach effort to women.

Investigations and questioning
On January 3, 2006, Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty to conspiracy, and related charges, and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in a corruption probe in Washington. <1>

On July 29, 2005, Susan Ralston testified before federal grand jury prosecutor, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, investigating whether government officials illegally disclosed the identity of CIA officer Valerie Wilson. Matthew Cooper made a call sometime in July of 2003 to Karl Rove but there were no records of the call. Susan Ralston claimed there were no records because they had transferred his call. <2>
...
In May 2007, Susan Ralston attempted to seek immunity before testifying in front of Representative Henry Waxman's House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Ralston was deposed in private before asking for immunity. The request is currently being looked at by the Justice Department, who may or may not recommend that she be granted immunity from prosecution for her testimony. <3>

[Roland99]

36. Great post. This scandal is getting bigger and casting a wider net every day.

[salin]

38. Isn't Ralston essentially admitting that she has done something(s)

that she could be prosecuted for - hence the fear of self-incrimination. She needs to be forced to testify to determine if the things she could be prosecuted for were from when she was working for Abramoff or when she was working for Rove in the WH.

[tiptoe]

41. What has she offered (has she more to offer) re *other parties of interest* to investigators?

Immunity for Ralston may be predicated on further concessions by her, all the while the committee will be "seeking testimony from..." (see below), i.e. independent of the "useful information" her lawyer asserts his client can provide, if she is given immunity. It's premature for Waxman's investigation to take that step.

Again, from emptywheel's posting (emphasis added):

...
Waxman provides a helpful map of what happened. Ralston gave a deposition on May 10 -- over a month after Waxman first invited her to visit. While there, she "testified on a number of subjects unrelated to the Abramoff matter." [Note to Novak and Rove--that bit's just there to make you sweat.] But as for the rest, Waxman describes what sounds like an unsuccessful attempt on the part of designated firewall defense lawyer Brad Berenson to convince Waxman to give Ralston immunity for stuff she's still under investigation for with the DOJ probe.
...

Providing immunity to a witness is a significant step with legal consequences for
potential prosecutions. Before further considering the request of Ms. Ralston for immunity, the
Committee should seek to obtain information about the relationship between Mr. Abramoff and
the White House from other sources. As the next step in this investigation, the Committee will
be seeking testimony from (1) individuals who worked as lobbyists with Mr. Abramoff and (2)
former and current White House and Administration officials who may have knowledge about
Mr. Abramoff's contacts with the White House. In addition, the Committee will request relevant
documents from the White House and federal agencies.

[tiptoe]

39. correction: meant "DOJ" document dump (not "WH") nt

[whistle]

42. Does immunity apply if these people have committed a felony?

....Prior to this request there was Monica Goodling who claimed she would take the 5th unless given immunity. So congress granted immunity only to learn that she now refuses to release requested documents and emails important to the U.S. attorney firings. Now along comes Susan Ralston who most certainly would have the goods on Karl Rove's criminal activities and could very well have been an integral part of vote fraud and she is pleading the 5th unless given immunity. All of these people swore to uphold the law when they took their public positions, yet it appears they have knowingly been breaking the laws of the land, and most certainly their public trust. :wtf:

[Buns_of_Fire]

62. Can immunity be revoked?

To my not-a-lawyer mind, the idea is that they say, "OK, in return for your telling us all we wish to know, we won't prosecute you personally." If one (like Class President Goodling) reneges on that agreement, can't they just declare it null and void and see how she fares as "Cell Block D Class President?"

On edit: I'm not suggesting that there be an ex post facto situation here. I'm just saying that it seems to me this is like a contract. If someone like Class President Goodling fails to live up to her side of the bargain, all bets are off from that point forward...

[gratuitous]

45. Why doesn't the President order her to testify?

I seem to recall that George was all law-and-order earlier in his term. Wanted to know who was leaking, and solemnly promised that even the appearance of wrong-doing wouldn't be tolerated in his White House. And yet, here's all these worker bees demanding immunity before they'll talk about what they did at their jobs on the people's payroll.

Mr. Bush?

[bobthedrummer]

46. .

[bobthedrummer]

47. ...

[bamacrat]

48. Pleading the 5th has been the mantra of this administration

yet they want to eliminate our rights to free speech, odd.

[slowry]

49. NO MORE IMMUNITY FOR CRIMINALS

How about someone actually does some detective work, instead of relying on the useless testimony of professional criminals? Seriously, these committees need to get off their asses and poke around a bit, or pay someone qualified and non-corrupt to do so.

[bobthedrummer]

64. !

[bemildred]

65. Word. Bring back the rule of law, it's been gone far too long. nt

[martymar64]

52. Here's a strategy tip

Grant the immunity and schedule the testimony. we know the day prior to the testimony will come the document dump from the WH. On the scheduled day of testimony, postpone it for two weeks. We'll have the documents at that time and will have additional time to go through them while the WH sweats.

[Qutzupalotl]

57. Good idea! nt

[Supersedeas]

53. when will the Corp Media Establishment begin to see the pattern!?!

[bobthedrummer]

54. .

[donkeyotay]

58. In light of what we've learned about justice not being so blind after all,

I still have to ask why the Abramoff investigation has produced so little and taken so long. As another potential dot in that picture, I came across the fact that the Dept. of (cough) Justice, or Just Us, Criminal Division was being run by Micheal Chertoff from 2001 to 2003. He got anointed to Homeboy Security in 2005. I don't know about 2004.

[bobthedrummer]

59. Most likely suspect, Chertoff protege and lead Abramoff "investigator" Alice S. Fisher

"Alice S. Fisher is still hanging in the Gonzales DoJ Criminal Division"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3294810#3294851

on edit: everyone can do their own investigating concentrating on the WH in this thread
"A DU criminal investigation thread: Bush's White House Staff"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1020760

[bobthedrummer]

60. kick

[bobthedrummer]

63. ... _ _ _ ...