To John’s post below, I would just add that this story illustrates why the Abramoff scandals scare GOP insiders more than anything else right now. Remember these two things: practically every Republican in DC connects to Jack Abramoff, and practically everything he did was in some way illegal.
It shouldn’t surprise anybody that the Abramoff scandal reaches deep into the White House. Where did Karl Rove’s chief of staff, Susan Ralston, work before she joined Karl Rove’s staff? As Jack Abramoff’s secretary, of course. Anybody who thinks that she left her rolodex at her former job can kindly go sit in the corner. So we already knew that the White House was joined at the hip with Captain Sleaze. We’ve heard about another White House official, David Safavian, who faces jail time for obstructing one or another of the many Abramoff investigations. You had to know that it was only a matter of time before this or that shady Abramoff deal embarrassed the White House.
Keep an eye out as the pieces of this story start to fill in the larger picture.
One last point. As the Abramoff scandal starts to pick up steam in earnest, who will be the first to accuse Abramoff’s critics of anti-semitism? You know that it’s only a matter of time.
***Update***
Carpetbagger has more.