A White House aide is caught at the center of two of Washington's most high-profile investigations: the CIA leak and the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal.

Susan B. Ralston worked for Abramoff at two different firms. She has been interviewed about Abramoff's lobbying activities on behalf of tribal clients.

She left Abramoff in 2001 to work Karl Rove at the White House. She has been interviewed about Rove's involvement in the leaking of the identity of a CIA covert agent.

Ralston is not implicated in either case, The New York Times reports. Her friends and associations include GOP activist Grover Norquist, who aided some of Abramoff's tribal clients.

Abramoff tried to use Ralston to lobby Rove on tribal issues but Ralston wasn't always cooperative. When he asked her to look into a gaming compact and land-into-trust application in Louisiana, she responded; "Karl and others are aware, but the WH is not going to get involved."

Get the Story:
Rove Aide's Name Appears in Two Washington Inquiries (The New York Times 10/27)
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