White House Comments on Abramoff Photo
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The White House acknowledged the authenticity of the first published photograph that shows President Bush and now-indicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff, emphasizing that the photo did not mean the two had a personal relationship.
The photo, in the New York Times and Time magazine, shows Bush shaking hands with an Abramoff client -- the chairman of the Kickapoo Indian tribe in Texas, Raul Garza -- with Abramoff’s bearded face in the background, small and slightly blurry.
White House spokesman Allen Abney said the photo was taken in 2001, when Bush dropped by a meeting of about two dozen state legislators to thank them for supporting tax relief.
The White House has said it had no record of Abramoff being at the meeting.
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