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Obama camp backs White House denial of ‘quid pro quo’ |
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By Sam Youngman
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Posted: 11/11/08 04:10 PM [ET] |
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President-elect Barack Obama's transition team said
Tuesday that President Bush did not suggest a “quid pro quo” agreement on the
Colombia free trade agreement and a second stimulus package, backing up an
earlier White House denial of such talk. John Podesta, co-chairman of Obama’s transition team,
said in a briefing to reporters Tuesday afternoon that there was “no link” made
by Bush on the two subjects, and that he talked early Tuesday with White House
Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten, and they both agreed that reports to the contrary
were inaccurate.
White House press secretary Dana Perino said Tuesday
morning that reports in The New York Times and The Washington Post were inaccurate, and the president
never suggested a deal that would link the two proposals.
Podesta, speaking to reporters in the transition team’s
enormous headquarters in downtown Washington, said he and Bolten held a
"parallel" meeting while Bush and Obama were in a private meeting in
the Oval Office, and that Bolten also broached the subject of trade agreements,
but did so independently of a discussion on another stimulus.
“The topic of Colombia came up,” Podesta said. “The
president did not try to link Colombia to the question of an economic rescue
package going forward.”
White House officials were reportedly furious that parts
of the private conversation were leaked, but Perino said she just wanted to
clarify that the unnamed source in the reports was wrong and there was no link
made between the two policy proposals.
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