NewsMax.com
Thursday, Aug. 26, 2004

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  "Ben Ginsberg ... was our outside counsel and also outside counsel to the 527 group," Rove added. "That's normal. The legal counsel for the Kerry campaign is counsel to 527 groups there. The DNC legal counsel is the legal counsel for MoveOn.org, as well. They're fulfilling a legal function, not a political -- they're not political consultants.

"But Ben Ginsberg, who's a great friend of this president and has been with him since he began to run for president in 1999, did -- was -- resigned from the Bush campaign in order to remove any possibility of being a distraction to his friend. He wants to see the president reelected.

"He knows that there's a hypocritical double standard on the part of some in the media, where a lawyer for the Bush campaign who is also the lawyer for a 527 is somehow suspect, where a lawyer for the Kerry campaign and the Democratic National Committee, who's also a lawyer for a 527 group is not. And he accepted that reality and decided he wanted to help his friend. And the best way he could help his friend was to resign."

Hume also pressed Rove on the subject of Bob Perry, the Texas businessman who gave Swift Boat Veterans for the Truth the seed money to rev up their campaign against Kerry ever assuming the role of commander-in-chief.

"I know Bob Perry," Rove explained. "I've known him for 25 years. When I moved to Texas, you can count the wealthy Republicans who are willing to write checks to support Republican candidates on the hand -- on the fingers of one hand. It would be unusual if I didn't know him, having been active for 25 years in Texas."

On the nettlesome subject of whether Rove ever discussed the Swift Boat group or Kerry and his military record, Rove responded to Hume:

"No, no, no. In fact, the last time I saw Bob was literally to say, "Hello, you're looking great. How are you doing? Hope to see you again soon." But I mean, anything -- he's a good friend of mine. I don't want to leave any misimpression, but he's not somebody that I've had, you know, any extended conversation with in years and certainly did not discuss with him or anybody else in the swift boat leadership what they're doing."

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