Abramoff, Rove Ties Examined:
Jack Abramoff contacted White House aide Karl Rove four times to arrange for his client, the President of Malaysia, to meet with President Bush, according to former associates of the disgraced lobbyist. The Los Angeles Times reports that the Malaysian government paid $1.2 million to the American International Center, a shell company set up by Michael Scanlon and Abramoff, to lobby the White House for a meeting between the two Presidents. President Bush eventually met with President Mahathir in May of 2002 after Rove approved the meeting, according to the Times source. The White House denies that Abramoff’s lobbying played any part in Mahathir’s visit, stating that “the meeting was arranged through normal channels.”