Report: Abramoff had White House access

WASHINGTON, June 9 (UPI) -- A proposed U.S. House report says disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff had shaped some White House actions.

The report, drafted by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said Abramoff and his associates "had access and influenced some actions at the White House," The Hill reported Monday.

Abramoff is serving a 70-month prison term for his role in a fraudulent Florida casino deal. He faces sentencing in his scheme to bribe officials in Washington.

The committee said the report was "limited by potential Fifth Amendment claims by several White House officials and Abramoff lobbyists and the committee's accommodation of Justice Department concerns."

The report also says Abramoff had "personal contact" with President George W. Bush, and that high-level White House officials held Abramoff and his associates "in high regard and solicited recommendations from Mr. Abramoff on policy matters."

The report was issued by committee Chairman Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., and ranking Republican Tom Davis of Virginia.