Actually, the Post reported almost a year ago that Tom DeLay’s staff knew Jack Abramoff arranged the famous Scotland golfing junket. The trip was officially sponsored by the National Center for Public Policy Research (NCPPR), a conservative nonprofit.
What’s new here are the emails, which seem so darn conspiratorial:
“Our financial disclosure forms from the England/Scotland trip are due tomorrow afternoon. … I would appreciate if you would send me your information,” a DeLay aide wrote Abramoff’s firm.
The e-mails show Abramoff’s team provided then-DeLay chief of staff Susan Hirschmann a final cost figure of $75,600 for the weeklong European trip taken by DeLay; his wife, Christine; Hirschmann; Hirschmann’s husband; and Rudy.
The e-mails stated DeLay’s office could attribute the figures to “the final bookkeeping efforts” by [NCPPR]. Despite the figure from Abramoff, DeLay’s report to Congress put the cost lower, at just over $70,000.
[Abramoff’s assistant, Susan Ralston] wrote she had a follow-up conversation with DeLay’s office. Hirschmann wanted “a name” of someone at [NCPPR] who would attest to paying for the trip and was concerned whether the center’s executive director, Amy Ridenour, knew about the costs.
“She (Hirschmann) just wants to make sure that if someone starts asking questions that Amy Ridenour knows about these s,” Ralston wrote.
And yes, that Susan Ralston is the same one who’s currently Karl Rove’s assistant. Apparently she’s good at preparing for when “someone starts asking questions.”
