Bush, DeLay and Abramoff



As the picture suggests, there has never been any doubt that Bush and DeLay are tight as... But how close is Bush to DeLay's man Abramoff?

Scott McClellan quoted in TIME earlier this week:

"The President does not know him, nor does the President recall ever meeting him."

Today The Texas Observer blows that story out of the water with details of a White House meeting on May 9, 2001:

That meeting lasted for about 15 minutes and was not a one-on-one meeting. At the meeting, Bush made some general comments about Indian policy but did not discuss Indian gaming. Abramoff was at the meeting — for which he charged the Coushatta Tribe $25,000.

For anyone confused about this burgeoing scandal, the Observer piece, which focuses on how Abramoff and Grover Norquist charged clients for access to the Bush White House, is a very good introduction.

Click here for a flowchart showing the Bush-Delay-Abramoff money-go-round.