Abramoff tells reporter of contacts with Bush

WASHINGTON -- President Bush met Jack Abramoff almost a dozen times over the past five years and invited him to Crawford, Texas, in the summer of 2003, according to an e-mail message the lobbyist wrote to a reporter last month.

Bush ''has one of the best memories of any politicians I have ever met," Abramoff wrote to Kim Eisler of Washingtonian magazine. ''The guy saw me in almost a dozen settings and joked with me about a bunch of things, including details of my kids."

In an interview last night, Eisler confirmed the contents of the e-mail and said he recently provided portions of it to the liberal Web log ThinkProgress because he thought he was dealing with a fellow reporter.

The blog then posted the contents of the Abramoff-Eisler communication.

In the e-mail, Abramoff scoffs at Bush's statements that he does not recall ever meeting the disgraced lobbyist and former top Bush fund-raiser. ''Of course he can't recall that he has a great memory!" Abramoff wrote. Eisler, an editor for Washingtonian, said in the interview that the disgraced lobbyist was the source of his exclusive report last month that at least five photographs of Bush with Abramoff exist. Abramoff showed him the pictures, Eisler said. Abramoff has told others he will not release them publicly.

Bush has said he does not recall ever having met Abramoff or having posed for pictures with the Republican lobbyist at official events or parties.

The White House has refused to release the pictures or to detail Abramoff's contacts with officials over the past five years.

The White House press secretary, Scott McClellan, said yesterday that ''what the president said still stands."

''Mr. Abramoff is someone who was involved in wrongdoing," McClellan said. ''He acknowledged that himself. He is being brought to account." Abramoff would not comment last night.

Abramoff pleaded guilty last month in a bribery and corruption scandal that has rocked the Republican Party and threatened the careers of several legislators and aides. No evidence has emerged that Bush or his top White House aides did anything improper to aid Abramoff or his clients, according to people familiar with the investigation.

In mentioning the invitation to Texas in 2003, Abramoff appeared to have been alluding to a private barbecue Bush hosted for big fund-raisers at Broken Spoke Ranch, down the road from the president's compound near Crawford, on Aug. 9 of that year. About 350 Republicans who had raised at least $50,000 each for Bush were invited.

Abramoff was member of the exclusive group of top Bush fund-raisers known as the Pioneers, each of whom raised $100,000 or more for Bush. So it would not have been unusual for him to be invited to the barbecue. McClellan said that the photographs are no different from thousands Bush takes each year with visitors, supporters, and even reporters and that it would not be unusual for the president to not recall meeting Abramoff.

Eisler said Abramoff did not grant him permission to release the contents of the e-mail and is upset that he did.