Perino: Bush ‘believes that he would have met’ Payne before.
Perino: Bush ‘believes that he would have met’ Payne before.
In yesterday’s press conference, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino continued to downplay the long relationship between President Bush and his longtime fundraiser Stephen Payne, who was recently revealed to be selling access to Bush administration officials:
QUESTION: Does the President know Steve Payne?
PERINO: I think — yes, he believes that he would have met him before. I don’t think that he knows him all that well, but he has met him before. Certainly he’s been — Steve Payne has been somebody who’s been involved in Texas politics for a long time and been a supporter of the Republican Party. So he knows who he is.[…]
QUESTION: You don’t know if he could carry through on promises to help people get in touch with people at the White House?
PERINO: In terms of — look, I’m sure that he probably knows a lot of people throughout the administration, given his history. But it would be inappropriate to say that he could — for anybody to say that they could get anything done or any meeting done in exchange for a contribution to the library, or to the party, or anything else.
Bush’s “belief” that he’s met Payne before is well founded, as he and Payne have known each other for at least 20 years. A photo montage of the Payne’s long relationship with Bush and the White House can be seen here.
Perino’s claim that Payne would not able to deliver on his “promises” is unconvincing. As Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington executive director Melanie Sloan notes, Payne couldn’t charge his six-figure fees “if he couldn’t deliver.”
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July 17th, 2008 at 10:56 ambought and paid for….(probably loaned from china)
welcome to the US of A
July 17th, 2008 at 10:57 amyes, it would be “inappropriate” all right…
and not just to “SAY that he could” bribe and extort for favors…
most inappropriate…
July 17th, 2008 at 10:57 amMan. There sure are a lot of people George and Dick don’t know. Jeff Gannon, Jack Abramoff….yet they won’t let anybody see the White House visitors list.
July 17th, 2008 at 11:01 amBush also believes an invisible god talks to him, and that the best thing to happen during his Presidency was catching a 7.5 pound perch.
July 17th, 2008 at 11:01 amThey are sooooo corrupt.
July 17th, 2008 at 11:05 amDharma Says:
One of my cats is named Dharma. You’re not her are you? :)~
July 17th, 2008 at 11:06 amGiven the long and demonstrated history of this administration and Republican congressional members/staff selling off the country, what else are we to believe?
July 17th, 2008 at 11:11 amDharma, don’t forget Ken Lay. I remember Bush dodging that close relationship also.
If Dick Cheney EVER get’s called out for any of the treasonous things he has done, expect George Bush to say that he may have met Cheney once or twice, but he can’t be sure. Plausible Deniability is quickly becoming Bush’s favorite two words. They still take second place to “Executive Privilege” though.
July 17th, 2008 at 11:18 amExit Stage Left,
Caught me! As soon as you leave, I get on the Internet, read politics and blog all day. But I’m good pussy, just the same.
July 17th, 2008 at 11:18 amAh yes. Honest George who suddenly gets amnesia about who he’s been hob-knobbing with the moment the legal heat comes down.
Kenny Boy Lay, think I met him once.
Jack Abramoff? Hmmm….can’t recall ever seeing him.
Sticky Fingers Claude Allen? Nope. Didn’t work for me.
J. Kenneth Griles? Someone else must have hired him.
Mark Foley……Never even an e-mail between us.
GWB=LSOS.
-GSD
July 17th, 2008 at 11:18 amI’m sure Mr. Bubble invites many strangers over to his ranch to help clear brush, truther21.
July 17th, 2008 at 11:19 amI was trying to think of all the people BushCo suddenly couldn’t remember ever knowing and there was quite along list. Ken Lay has to be the funniest, though. I wonder if George and Dick ever visit Ken in Dubai. Oops. I forgot, Ken had a fatal heart attack…with a closed casket and no autopsy.
July 17th, 2008 at 11:20 amI wonder if, one day, Bush will say he never met Karl Rove?
July 17th, 2008 at 11:22 amHe did not know Jack Abromoff, either.
July 17th, 2008 at 11:28 amThis reminds me how Pres Bush denied, for weeks when the scandal first broke, ever having met Abramoff.
Corruption and cronyism: Two of the hallmarks of this administration.
July 17th, 2008 at 11:29 amtroller 21
if you keep repeating it,
it will come true.
*
but only if you’re a republican.
:)
good luck.
*
July 17th, 2008 at 11:39 amBUSH..:” I don’t know this guy…I hired him after talking to him on the phone..I thought his name was ‘Pay’,and that was a good fit to collect money for my library…
JOURNALIST: ” And what do you think of him now”?
BUSH;”We did not see big money from him for the library like we expected..he turned out to be a ‘Payne in the Ass’ “. !
July 17th, 2008 at 11:40 amBut it would be inappropriate to say that he could — for anybody to say that they could get anything done or any meeting done in exchange for a contribution to the library, or to the party, or anything else.
Inappropriate to say, maybe, but untrue is a different matter.
http://progressiveworldreview.com
July 17th, 2008 at 11:42 amI have seen other pictures of Payne with Bush at the ranch and also one of him standing with Bush in the WH.
I am sure they will surface again ….. unless they were surgically removed by BushCO.
Just like the emails and the embarassing vids of McDepends that they want to go a way.
Repugs have the uncanny skill of rearranging history to their liking.
July 17th, 2008 at 11:45 am# 20 tarazan
BUSH;”We did not see big money from him for the library like we expected..he turned out to be a ‘Payne in the Ass’ “. !
You’re not going to be here all week are you? And no I’m not going to try the veal and I will forget to tip my waitress!
:)
July 17th, 2008 at 11:47 amBut it would be inappropriate to say that he could — for anybody to say that they could get anything done or any meeting done in exchange for a contribution to the library, or to the party, or anything else.
LOL This is what ‘conservatives’ do and have done for years. Good old Jack Abramoff could be considered a founder of these ‘new’ methods of getting things done.
Also remember those closed door meetings with Big Oil!
July 17th, 2008 at 11:57 amTruther21, They keep all the best pictures of the neocon daisychains in Cheney’s safe.
July 17th, 2008 at 12:06 pmIf we had one actual journalist left they would tell Dana that the question required a simple yes or no answer.
July 17th, 2008 at 12:11 pmIs it me, or is this the worst job of Purina lying EVER? She goes from “he believe he would have known him,” and then her little brian starts to realize that he has been involved in Texas Rethuglican politics for years so that she has to admit that, yes W would have HAD to have known him.
They’re clearing brush on W’s ranch, home of his proudest moment during his occupation of the White House, CATCHING A FISH!!!!
July 17th, 2008 at 12:31 pmWhite House visits for sale…
Drop your anonymous contributions in bundled, unmarked bills behind the service entrance, please.
All contributions over $250,000.00 will receive an autographed picture of the President in his jumpsuit with codpiece.
Lesser contributions will receive a gold leaf thank you note.
Fight Terrorism! Secure America! Build the liebary & they will come.
July 17th, 2008 at 12:48 pmYet another reason to get the visitor logs.
July 17th, 2008 at 1:23 pmI think — yes, he believes that he would have met him before. I don’t think that he knows him all that well, but he has met him before.
Ok,let me get this straight. Bush clears brush off his land with someone he “barely knows”? Wow. They have pictures of him with Bush, so why bother to lie about it?
July 17th, 2008 at 2:12 pmI wonder if George and Dick ever visit Ken in Dubai. Oops. I forgot, Ken had a fatal heart attack…with a closed casket and no autopsy.
Actually, it wasn’t a “closed casket”, they supposedly cremated his remains less than 24 hours after his death. I wonder if anyone is keeping an eye on his wife to see how often she leaves the country. Wouldn’t it be sweet if he was caught. Not only would he have to pay the time for his crimes, he would also have committed insurance fraud by pretending to be dead.
July 17th, 2008 at 2:18 pmWhat I found interesting about the original article on Payne offering access for a contribution was that he asked for $750,000 of which $250,000 was for the library. So that means Payne got a half a million dollars for collecting $250,000 for the Bush LIEbrary. That’s a pretty sweet gig. Do you think I can get in on it?
July 17th, 2008 at 3:13 pmI wish this would be addressed. No one asks Dana what she “thinks” yet, she always answers with well “I think” etc.
This is not the Dana Perino opinion page, this is the WH Press Conference where the Press gets to ask do’s and don’t. What is the WH position on…
Not What does Dana THINK about something.
July 17th, 2008 at 3:30 pmtruther21,
July 17th, 2008 at 5:33 pmWhat do YOU think the people were paying him $250,000 for?
Of course Bush knows Payne. “Would have met his before” is simply grammatical soft peddling. How much do I have to spend to get a little of Condi Rice’s time?
With the Middle East ready to erupt in flames yet again, it likely would be on the golf course. “Four”! It helps to have more spotters to find the right target. Funny, the U.S. is sending diplomats to Iran. Will they find the flag for Condi or set up a false flag operation?
So many questions and so few answers. It truly has become a pain, or should I say Payne?
July 17th, 2008 at 7:17 pmThe word “believes” covers every single possibility: Lies, false inferences, discreet attacks, crimes, even religious issues. It’s the Bush administration’s favorite word! Just listen to them, and you’ll understand why they use it in nearly every sentence they utter.
No one could have predicted!
July 18th, 2008 at 1:33 am