Jackgate: Get the White House Entry Logs

[Laura PourMeADrink]

http://davidcorn.com/

January 19, 2006
Jackgate: Get the White House Entry Logs
From yesterday's White House press briefing:

Q Scott, just quickly back to Abramoff. Can you give any more specificity on those meetings , when they were, years, times?

MR. McCLELLAN: No, this is sticking with our past policy. We're not going to engage in a fishing expedition.

Q Not even years? I mean, you're talking about --

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, the Hanukkah receptions were back in 2001 and 2002.

Q Okay, you talked about the Hanukkah receptions. Can you talk about the staff-level meetings and what years those were, or --

MR. McCLELLAN: No --

Q And why would you tell us the Hanukkah --

MR. McCLELLAN: I did a check for you all, to provide you that information. But we're not going to engage in a fishing expedition. I know that there are some that want to do that. But I don't see any reason to do so.

Q Can you explain why you wouldn't want it out there?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, this has been in keeping with past practice, in terms of what -- in similar incidents. In terms of why we wouldn't want what out there?

Q Why wouldn't you want to just clear up who these meetings were with, who was there, who wasn't --

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think there are some people that are insinuating things based on no evidence whatsoever. I said if you have a specific issue of concern, then we'll be glad to take a look into that. But no one has brought anything like that to my attention.

Q You could clear up all the insinuation that you say is going on?

MR. McCLELLAN: Like I said, people are insinuating things based on no evidence whatsoever. And remember, this is a gentleman who contributed, either through himself or through his clients, to both Democrats and Republicans. This was not --

Q Not many Democrats.

MR. McCLELLAN: Oh, there's significant amount, if you look at some of the media reports, that has been contributed by his clients to Democrats.

Q Far more Republicans.

After hearing part of this exchange on the radio, a former staffer for Lawrence Walsh, the Iran-contra independent counsel (back in the days when we had independent counsels), called me to offer this suggestion: White House reporters should ask for all the entry logs at the White House that refer to corrupt superlobbyist Jack Abramoff. The White House entry logs keep track of everyone who visits the White House and note whom they are visiting (Karl Rove, say). They are obviously computerized (as they were back during the Iran-contra investigation). It probably would not take a White House intern too long to produce a printout of all Abramoff references on the entry logs. We're not talking about a fishing expedition. "This is a rather specific request," the past Iran-contra staffer says.

If McClellan doesn't like all the speculation--"insinuation," as he puts it--about Abramoff's contacts with the White House, he could provide this information. Then there would be no need to speculate. Rather, we could move ahead to guessing what happened when Abramoff was at the White House.

Posted by David Corn at 12:22 PM | Comments (239)

[phoebe]

1. they wouldn't give them up over Gannon - be surprised if they give them up

on this one..

[MADem]

2. They are more than computerized, they are key-carded

You get card number, who it is assigned to, time in and time out. It's how they got Gannon....

[phoebe]

3. clarification - no revealing details other than when Gannon gained entry

- we still don't know who Gannon met with and why he stayed overnight at the WH on numerous occasions, correct??

sorry, my post did not make that clear!..

[MADem]

4. Wasn't he using an "office" pass? One assigned to the Press Sec?

Which means he was meeting, or "meating" with Scotty....where he went from there, only Scotty knows for sure....

[gimama]

7. Google Gannon..?

I recently wrote my congressman, "WHY is my guvment spying on ME, when they can't explain how that Gannon-guy had regular access to Mr.bush,in the WH,possibly a REAL security risk? WHO was that guy?"

btw,on the Google refusal to turn over records..You can STILL Google "MISERABLE FAILURE" and it STILL comes up: "GWB WhiteHouse"! :}

[FreedomAngel82]

6. So maybe the same can be done for Jack?

I think the only press people with the balls enough to do this would be either David Gregory or Helen Thomas.

[MADem]

8. Easily, they would have to FOIA the info

And if they were smart, they'd send the request registered mail, and follow up with a hand delivered copy, then fill out an affadavit stating that they had so done.

Even with that, the bums at the WH would probably claim they never got it, and blame the post office!!!

[jimshoes]

5. Peckerhead,

but they'll take the time to fish through tens of thousands of US citizens phone and internet search records. Now that's a fishing expedition.