The highest-ranking Filipino -American in the White House resigns as the House of Representatives examines her ties with disgraced Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Bloomberg reports that Susan Bonzon Ralston, top aide of Karl Rove,White House political director, is resigning a week after a House Government Reform panel’s report documented her role in arranging tickets to sporting events for Rove from the lobbyist.

“She recognized that a protracted discussion of the matters in the House Government Reform Committee’s report would be a distraction to the White House, and she chose to step down,” assistant White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said. “,Replica Chanel;We support her decision, and after a review of the report, we consider the matter closed.”

Malaya correspondent in Washington D.C. Jennie Ilustre reported the Fil-Am community is concerned that Ralston “might be used as a scapegoat.”

Ilustre quoted Eric Lachica, executive director of the American Coalition for Filipino Veterans based as saying hours after the news broke out, “We hope that the law will be fair to Susan. I’m worried that because she’s just a special assistant that she might be used as a scapegoat. Of course, we do not know all the facts at this point.”

Community leader Bing Cardenas Branigin stressed the law’s presumption of innocence. “Susan and Rove were recently cleared of wrongdoing in an investigation on a case whether administration officials deliberately leaked the name of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agent Valerie Plame. That’s important to note.”

Ralston was a former executive assistant of Abramoff, and later served in the same position to Rove, starting in 2001. In July 2004, Ms. Ralston was promoted as Special Assistant to the President and Assistant to the Senior Advisor (Rove) at the White House

Bloomberg said the House of Representatives report showed that Abramoff claimed at least 485 contacts with administration officials over the past six years, including nine with Rove. The report, based on billing records from Abramoff’s former law firm, showed he claimed 17 meetings,Wholesale Chanel, seven telephone conversations and 42 e-mail exchanges with White House officials; more than half were with Ralston.

The report showed that Abramoff routinely offered concert and sports tickets to White House officials, and that, in 2002, Ralston was the go-between on tickets to the NCAA basketball tournament for Rove, tickets Rove said he paid for.

Abramoff pleaded guilty Jan. 3 to conspiracy to corrupt public officials and is cooperating with a federal probe.

The investigation into Abramoff’,LV Wallets;s activities has already resulted in the conviction of former White House official David Safavian and an agreement to plead guilty to accepting illegal gifts in exchange for the performance of official services by Representative Robert Ney, an Ohio Republican.

Abramoff also was sentenced in March to five years and 10 months in prison in a separate Florida fraud case.

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