Bush Met Father Of Pardoned Housing Scammer A Second Time, White House Pleads Ignorance
Bush Met Father Of Pardoned Housing Scammer A Second Time, White House Pleads Ignorance
Shortly after President Bush issued a pardon to real estate scammer Isaac Toussie, media reports revealed that his father, Robert Toussie, was a major Republican party donor. In response, Bush took the unprecedented step of revoking Toussie’s pardon, citing “information that has subsequently come to light.”
Despite the fact that Toussie’s pardon bypassed the Department of Justice, the White House insisted that neither White House Counsel Fred Fielding, nor Bush was aware that Toussie’s father was a significant Republican donor at the time of the pardon. White House spokesperson Tony Fratto reiterated the claim in today’s New York Daily News:
“The President found out that [Isaac Toussie] had a relative who had donated to the campaign when the Daily News informed us about it. Period.”
But the Bush administration’s continued insistence that no one in the White House was aware of Toussie’s father’s financial connections to the Republican party is looking increasingly doubtful. First, the New York Daily News unearthed a photo of the president shaking hands with Toussie’s father “during a high-dollar fund-raiser at the Manhattan home of top GOP donor Paul Singer, a hedge fund billionaire.”
And now, the Daily News has uncovered a second event, this one at the Bush ranch in Crawford, TX, at which Toussie’s father and Bush rubbed elbows. The Daily News reports:
Robert Toussie, who gave the Republican National Committee $28,500 in March, traveled to Crawford, Tex., to meet with Bush. … Toussie got to hang with Bush, as well as ex-President George H.W. Bush and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, at the cash bash. [...]
The White House insists talk of a pardon never came up. … The White House would not confirm the date of the Texas event. But details of the gathering mirror an April 12 Republican fund-raiser that raised $3.5 million and featured a roast of the two President Bushes by their wives, Laura and Barbara.
As the Daily News notes, at no point in the process of responding to the reversal of his pardon decision did Bush or his staffers make any “mention of the meetings Bush had with Toussie.”
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I don’t think it’s particularly noteworthy that the small amount of rich white leeches in this country all know each other and hang out in the same circles.
But I’d be interested to know just who it was that passed Toussie’s paperwork past the DoJ straight to Bush’s desk.
January 2nd, 2009 at 10:29 amHorse hockey! It costs over $57,000 to get a picture taken with President Bush and score a little private time. This was in Midland, TX in October 2008.
Someone ponied up big money to shoot a picture like that. The Bush team’s only competency may be tracking donations and doling out favors.
January 2nd, 2009 at 10:30 amWho else would a criminal like Bush pardon, except actual hard core criminals like himself?
January 2nd, 2009 at 10:43 amBush has never shown himself to be anything other than ethically challenged.
Everything he has ever achieved has been given to him via connections, donations, and other private deals.
That he continues to lie about the facts is further evidence of his deceitful and amoral nature.
January 2nd, 2009 at 10:45 amThese pictures and accompanying news stories should be made front and center with the msm – but don’t hold your breath.
They can only cover one news story in a day and they run with the singular news du jour 24/7.
stateofthedivision Says:
Horse hockey! It costs over $57,000 to get a picture taken with President Bush and score a little private time. This was in Midland, TX in October 2008.
Correct. The price list for a posed photo with the President was widely reported on the time. It’s standard practice and is unremarkable. But the photo was obviously taken after the donation was made.
Oddly enough, that kind of lets Bush off the hook – I’d be more concerned if it was a candid photo that really suggested they knew each other, rather than a stock posed handshake. This one suggests that Toussie Sr. was just another donor standing in line for a really expensive picture.
January 2nd, 2009 at 10:53 amOf course, Bush never remembered meeting Abramoff either, until all those pesky photos and visitors logs surfaced.
Amnesia seems to be the cornerstone of the GOP. Just ask Gonzo. Not that he’d remember.
And call me obsessed with old details, but we never did get a satisfying explanation of how Jeff Gannon/James Guckert got nearly unlimited access to the Bush White House and press conferences. Use an alias and no one notices? Secret Service? FBI? Sorry, the story still stinks.
PEACE
January 2nd, 2009 at 11:07 amI accept that being being photographed with a campaign donor implies nothing more than a technical relationship, and I accept that the someone such as Bush (whose presidency seemed to consist of as many photo-ops as it did days-off and destructive decisions)will not remember every sycophant he’s obliged to meet/
January 2nd, 2009 at 11:15 amBUT
As any contributor to a political party knows, the candidates staff keep track of donors, especially those who drop thousands into the campaign coffers. The flat denial by Bush’s representatives of any internal knowledge of Toussie beggars belief.
Proud Says:
Marc Rich….ring a bell. Oh yea his pardon was just fine.
Bush revoked the pardon, take it up with him.
January 2nd, 2009 at 11:18 amProud Says: Marc Rich….ring a bell. Oh yea his pardon was just fine.
Ever seen anyone here defend the Mark Rich pardon? I don’t think so.
January 2nd, 2009 at 11:19 amRichard Nixon…ring a bell. Oh yea his pardon was just fine.
January 2nd, 2009 at 11:21 amRepublicans are avoiding Obama’s inauguration. Oh, boo hoo. Don’t let the door hit your fat ass on the way out.
January 2nd, 2009 at 11:25 amOf I suppose Arthur O’Bryan’s pardon was just fine as well
January 2nd, 2009 at 11:26 amOh
January 2nd, 2009 at 11:27 amdoes zuckerman/daily news have a bone to pick w/ dubya?
i thought they were part of the cheerleading team?
better late than never…
January 2nd, 2009 at 11:31 amProud Says:
Marc Rich….ring a bell. Oh yea his pardon was just fine.
Trust me, we won’t be talking about Toussie eight years from now.
Personally, I recognize it’s just a plain fact that there are no known legal restrictions on the power of the President to pardon anyone he damn well pleases, unless and until the Supreme Court rules otherwise. But I don’t have to like it.
January 2nd, 2009 at 11:32 amWhite House Pleads Ignorance
It’s really not necessary, we’ve been aware now for 8 years…
January 2nd, 2009 at 11:37 amPleading ignorance is about all BushitCo has left in it’s lameassduck arsenal.
January 2nd, 2009 at 12:01 pmLike to see them try it at Den Hague…
Bush is smiling big time in the picture….
January 2nd, 2009 at 12:12 pmlooks like the check has been received and cleared.
Isn’t there an old saying that Money talks and BS walks?
Why isn’t W walking?
January 2nd, 2009 at 12:29 pmLooks like it’s getting harder for Bush to keep dancing the Wha’-Toussie.
January 2nd, 2009 at 12:38 pmHey, Prod, can you explain why you seem to justify right-wing behavior by the worst of Democrats have done, yet judge liberals by a much more strict code of conduct which relies primarily on assumption and has nothing to do with an established pattern of conservative governance?
Just curious.
January 2nd, 2009 at 1:00 pmNo one here has defended the Mark Rich pardon, but the repugs have not stopped talking about it in 8 years.
January 2nd, 2009 at 1:27 pmNow that Bush has made news with his pardon, that he tried to take back, then lied, denying any conneciton to the family, Proud thinks we should not talk about it.
It’s tough being repugniscum these days isn’t it.
#23, ralph,
Apparently IOKIYAR
When it comes to Bush –
January 2nd, 2009 at 1:32 pm1. everything is legitimate,
2. or has a good reason,
3. or was simply forgotten,
4. or was a completely innocent mistake.
So say all repugs – this is on their list of talking points to be memorized. They are free to choose their own numbered selection.
“White House Pleads Ignorance”
It’s about time…
January 2nd, 2009 at 1:52 pmCan you imagine being related to such an incompetent boob as the lesser Bush? Now H.W. and Jeb both will be forced to deny that they know Toussie. That or they will be forced to confess that they have zero contact with the black sheep of the family. This will continue until the Bush name is no more.
January 2nd, 2009 at 1:54 pmFor crying out loud!! So Bush and his White House have been caught in another lie. Stop the presses!! The real news would be if Bush ever made a statement without a lie attached.
January 2nd, 2009 at 4:24 pmThe White House can plead ignorance and stupidy for the last 8 years; but ignorance is no excuse, put them in jail.
January 2nd, 2009 at 6:34 pmAnd ProudMoron goes with the But…but…but, Clinton defense most popular with his category of brainwashed cretins
January 2nd, 2009 at 7:05 pmDid the White House spokesperson plead the ignorance from under a table or behind a curtain?
Or was this all done while e-mail’s were being deleted and numerous paper shredders sprinted to destroy all those pesky words and numbers that could get people in trouble after January 20?
January 3rd, 2009 at 1:47 amthis reminds me of how Obama went to Jerry Wright’s racist church for twenty years but never heard a word the man said. wow!!!
January 16th, 2009 at 8:04 pm