Texan Denies Selling Access to Bush Aides for Library $$$

[MrMustang1965]

WASHINGTON — A House committee on Monday launched an investigation of Houston businessman Stephen Payne, probing whether he violated federal law by suggesting he could arrange access to top White House aides in return for a large donation to the Bush presidential library being planned in Dallas.

The development came a day after Payne was enmeshed in a sting operation set up by a London newspaper, which surreptitiously filmed him discussing library contributions during a meeting with a Central Asian politician and a reporter posing as an associate.

Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., the chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, informed Payne late Monday that his panel would look into a London newspaper report that the Texan solicited contributions from officials in the Central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan in return for high-level access.

"If true, this raises serious concerns about the ways in which foreign interests might be secretly influencing large donations to the library," Waxman wrote in a letter to Payne.

Payne, a GOP activist who has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for President Bush, told the Houston Chronicle that he had done nothing wrong and simply had hoped to sign the former president of Kyrgyzstan as a client.

"I was not there to raise money for the library, I have no interest in the library. I was there to get a client," Payne said.

Payne said the London reporter kept asking him leading questions and accused the newspaper of editing out sections of the conversation that would clear him of suspicion.

The saga unspooled after a meeting last week at a London hotel, where Payne met with a man known as Eric Dos, a Kazakh politician he first met on a pipeline project in 2005.

for more on the story from The Houston Chronicle, go to:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5887988.html

[RednBlue11]

greeeeaaaat

[smu diamond m]

drop in the pond.

[RednBlue11]

Herny Waxman does not know the legal drinking age, i wouldn't trust him to investigate 3 year old being called a meanie by a classmate...and why does he give a rats a-s-s about the library!?!

[dcpony]

Ain't news.

Everybody knows this library and "think-tank"is going to be funded by friends of the Bush family: US based oil guys, Middle-East, Central Asian, and African petro-dicatorships.

[dcpony]

Oh yeah and a lot of these foreign friends of Bush can't stand the US...

[RednBlue11]

it confuses me that congress would get upset over funding they they have no part in...please correct me if i am wrong

[dcpony]

It's politics. Clinton got the same treatment with his library. IMO I think every President should disclose where they get money to fund libraries etc...

[RednBlue11]

can i donate $5?

[dcpony]

I don't know. It seems like Republicans aren't really savvy with the net when it comes to fundraising...or with people who want to donate money on an small scale like you.


Looks like Don Evans or whomever is running this show is content to get all the money for this library from the "whales' to fund this thing.

I know in light of the story posted above W. announced that foreign donations to the library have been suspended...for now.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/presidentbush/2008/07/library-foreign.html

[RednBlue11]

the sultan of bruni will make a donation of more that $5 in a couple weeks when everyone has forgotten about this