Abramoff Used White House To Help Get Rid of Roadblock

June 11: Rudy to Kladakis: "Stayman is a term appointment and his current term ends June 23. If not renewed, that would be it for Al. Any news?"

June 14: Rudy to Kladakis: "Here is a perfect candidate for stayman's job."

June 18: Rudy to Schlapp: "There is a Clintonista . . . scheduled to be renewed on the 23rd of this month unless action is taken. . . . Is there any way you can weigh in presidential personnel?"

Schlapp to Kladakis: "How do we fix this?"

Kladakis to Schlapp: "I need to know if Stayman is a career or a political appointee. . . . I think we can do something about it, but I'm trying to figure out what is the best way to go about it. I don't want a firing scandal on our hands."

June 20: Kladakis to Schlapp: "Good news -- State is going to inform Stayman that his term is not going to be extended, so as of June 30 he will be gone. I will let Tony Rudy know."

June 25: Abramoff to Ralston: "We have been informed that [Stayman] . . . may be retained . . . by the Bush Administration. . . . We think Mr. Stayman's retention would be a serious mistake." The e-mail cited allegations that aides to Stayman in a previous job were involved in improper political efforts and that Stayman had donated money to Democrats. "We urge you to intercede and block the appointment."

June 26: Ralston to Schlapp: "Do you know anything about this?"

Schlapp to Ralston: "Yes, we are all over it. This is a problem."

June 29: Ralston to Rove: "I'm getting many calls from conservatives really angry about this. . . . State is lying about reasons for keeping Stayman on board."

July 2: Ralston to Stephen J. Hadley, then deputy national security adviser: "Karl asked me to pass this email [from Abramoff] on to you. . . . Can you help?"

July 5: Rove to Schlapp: "where are we on this?"

July 6: White House personnel official Stuart W. Holliday to Jack Oliver, then deputy chairman of Republican National Committee: "We pulled the plug on him -- he will be cycling out."

July 9: Ralston to Abramoff: "He'll be out in 4 months."

Abramoff to Ralston: "Great. Thanks."

Stayman told the committee that his State Department boss informed him only that "politics" was behind the decision not to extend his contract. Ralston resigned from the White House in 2006, a week after the House committee revealed that she had accepted tickets to nine sporting and entertainment events from Abramoff.

Mehlman said in a House committee deposition in December 2007 that he had a "general recollection of yeah, there was some guy they didn't like, but I don't remember a lot of the specifics." Kladakis confirmed in an April 2008 deposition that she spoke to Kelly about Stayman. She said lobbyists had contacted the White House personnel office "from time to time" about hiring or firing federal officials.