President Bush shakes hands with Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., left, during a Burns fundraiser on Monday, March 27, 2006 in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)It is time for another exciting episode of The Jack Abramoff Show! This one is going to be fun. From Yahoo News:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush expressed support on Monday for U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns (news, bio, voting record), who is under pressure over his links with Jack Abramoff, a Republican lobbyist at the heart of an influence-peddling scandal.
Speaking at a fund-raising event for Burns' re-election campaign at a Washington hotel, Bush praised the Montana lawmaker as a strong supporter on national security and tax relief.
"He's the kind of person the people of Montana need here. They need somebody who's steadfast when it comes to defending the country, who's wise about how we spend your money," Bush said.
"I'm proud to stand by this man. I strongly urge the people of Montana to reelect Conrad Burns to the United States Senate," he said.
Burns, who faces a tough fight for re-election in November, became ensnared in the corruption investigation involving Abramoff, who pleaded guilty to fraud in January and is cooperating with prosecutors.
In December, Burns said he would return $150,000 he had received from Abramoff-related sources over the past several years. Insisting they were "legal and fully disclosed," he said they had undermined public confidence in the government.
In Vanity Fair magazine's April edition, Abramoff said he worked closely with many top Republicans, despite their claims to the contrary. According to the article, Abramoff said Burns was especially cooperative.
You have got to love this! Bush is standing by his man Burns--even as Abramoff is singing to the federal prosecutors about all the scams and the dirty dealings Abramoff was involved in. How much do you want to bet that Burns' name came up in those conversations with the feds?
I'll also say that it is interesting that Bush is trying to play up Burns' record as a strong supporter for national security and tax relief. Burns is "somebody who's steadfast when it comes to defending the country, who's wise about how we spend your money," Bush said. National security and "defending the country," is about the only issue that Bush can play up to these corrupted Republican congressmen. I'm surprised that Burns even allowed Bush to speak at his fundraising event--is Burns in that much political trouble up in Montana?
Interesting day.
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