White House on Elliott Abrams

Excerpt from White House press briefing for December 17, 2002. 

Q Ari, last week I asked why is the President appointing convicted criminals like Elliott Abrams to policy positions at the White House, and you said that you disputed the premise of the question. What part of the question do you dispute?

MR. FLEISCHER: Did you call him a war criminal?

Q No, I didn't.

MR. FLEISCHER: That's right, you called Henry Kissinger, the Nobel Prize winner, a war criminal.

Q Convicted criminal.

MR. FLEISCHER: Oh, you didn't call him a war criminal?

Q I did not. I said, why is the President appointing convicted criminals like Elliott Abrams to policy positions at the White House?

MR. FLEISCHER: Russell, we can go round and round. I know if you were President, you would not have appointed Mr. Abrams. The President believes that Elliott Abrams is a superb choice for this position. He has tremendous faith and confidence in Elliott Abrams. And the President, I think, is going to be proven correct as Elliott Abrams has worked to improve democracies.

End excerpt.

Further information from the DC Bar on Elliott Abrams' conviction.