Bush must return dirty Abramoff, Noe "Pioneer" Money

Disturbing White House Trend

Return Indicted $$$, not $$$ raised!

BUSH MUST RETURN ABRAMOFF, NOE

PIONEER MONEY

For Immediate Release                                                          January 4, 2006

Contact: Brian Rothenberg, Comm. Dir.                 Phone: 614-221-6563

COLUMBUS – There they go again. The White House yesterday announced that they would be returning $6,000 to indicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff, but remained silent on the over $100,000 Abramoff raised as one of Bush’s fabled “pioneers”.

In late October, Pioneer Thomas Noe was indicted with three felonies accusing him of illegally funneling more than $45,000 into the Bush/Cheney re-election campaign.

The Bush campaign recognized both Noe and Abramoff as “pioneers” who raised at least $100,000 toward the President’s re-election campaign.

“The Abramoff case, like the Noe case is about a major donor to the President using their influence in a pay-to-play atmosphere through their donations,” said Chris Redfern, Chair of the Ohio Democratic Party. “These cases aren’t just about direct donations, but about the influence Jack Abramoff and Tom Noe attempted to wield through the money they raised for the President. President Bush needs to return the “pioneer” money as well as direct donations.”

“I’ve said before and I will say again, it is wrong for George Bush and the Ohio and National Republican Party to profit from the cozy relationships and crimes of insiders like Jack Abramoff and Tom Noe,” Redfern said. “The culture of corruption in our nation’s politics does not stop at Ohio’s borders, but is clearly infiltrating even the walls of the White House.”

-30-