Former White House aide seeks immunity for Abramoff

Wednesday, May 23, 2007  

Susan Ralston, a former aide to top White House adviser Karl Rove, is asking a House committee to grant her immunity if she is called to testify about her involvement in the Jack Abramoff scandal.

Ralston went to work for Rove in 2001. She came directly from Abramoff's law firm, where she was his secretary.

Ralston resigned in October 2006, shortly after a House committee report linked her to the scandal. She is now being asked by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee about Abramoff and his ties to the White House.

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-California) issued a memo stating that Ralston answered questions about Abramoff during a deposition on May 10. But she "declined to respond to questions regarding contacts between Mr. Abramoff and White House officials" and her attorney said she would invoke her Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination. unless she is granted immunity.

Get the Story:
Former Rove Aide Seeks Immunity Pact (The Wall Street Journal 5/23)
Former White House Aide Seeks Immunity (AP 5/22)

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