Ralston – Behind the Probe of Bush’s “Architect”
October 28, 2005
Aside from the gratification that comes from serving your country at the highest levels, working in the White House can be a major boost for one’s résumé. Doris Matsui worked on economic issues for the Clinton White House and is now a member of Congress. Irene Bueno worked on policy issues for Clinton and has gone on to head her own consulting firm, the Nueva Vista Group, and to serve as executive director of the Asian American Action Fund.
Given the way these and other former Clinton staffers have landed on their feet after the legal troubles encountered by their boss, Susan Bonzon Ralston has to hope that there are good times ahead for her as well. Ralston serves as a top assistant to President Bush’s top aide, Karl Rove, and also served as an assistant to another major Washington lobbyist, Jack Abramoff. Both Rove and Abramoff are under scrutiny for activities that took place during Ralston’s tenure, however, so the future of Ralston’s political career is uncertain at this time.
According to a profile by Jenny Ilustre in Asian Fortune’s August 2004 issue, Susan Ralston is the eldest of four children of Teotimo D. Bonzon, originally from Rizal province in the Philippines, and Purificacion Lagman Bonzon of Quezon City.
Ms. Ralston, 37, is married to Troy Alan Ralston, regional director of operations for the Keller Graduate School of Management at DeVry University. Ralston received her MBA degree from Keller after earning a bachelor’s degree with honors from Loyola University Chicago.
In a 2003 interview with PeopleAsia magazine, Ralston said that she grew up in Jacksonville, Florida, and in Chicago, in a “very close-knit community with a lot of Filipinos.”
Here in D.C., she is known for being involved both in politics and policy. She serves on the Advisory Council of the Filipino American Republicans of Virginia, and served as the White House Liaison to the Bush-Cheney 2004 campaign, coordinating all activities between the campaign and the White House, including the Republican National Convention.
On August 2, ABC News reported that Ralston testified before the grand jury investigating the source of the leaking of Valerie Plame’s identity as a covert CIA operative. Whether or not she testified about Rove is unclear, but the National Journal reported on June 18 that, “If Karl Rove is Bush’s main man, then it’s Ralston who makes this White House go — because she’s indispensable to Rove.”
How did Ralston, without obvious ties to Texas, where most of the Bush team hails from, make the jump to the White House? According to Newsweek, when Rove first came to Washington and needed a trusted aide, Ralston was suggested to Rove by her boss at that time, lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who worked at Preston Gates and Ellis as well as the Greenberg Traurig law firm. He has made a name for himself in high Republican circles as a fundraiser and dealmaker. Some speculate that Abramoff figured he could increase his value to Rove and increase his ties to the White House by encouraging Ralston and other aides to work for the Bush Administration.
Abramoff is currently under investigation for activities that allegedly include non-reimbursed trips for lawmakers and taking money from Native American tribes who wanted to promote their casinos, while also working with Ralph Reed and Christian political groups to stop the spread of casinos.
A September 13 Washington Post article described the emotional and financial price paid by senior staffers, such as Susan Ralston, who must pay their own legal bills when grand jury probes force them to hire lawyers, even if they themselves are not the targets of the investigations. Government lawyers do not represent staffers in their personal testimonies before grand juries, and if any reimbursements are made, they never cover full costs, and can take years to arrive.
Susan Ralston and other high-level Asian Pacific American staffers are gaining the political experience our community needs to make Asian Pacific Americans more effective participants. Let’s hope that the storm clouds over the White House will not diminish the desire of the next generation of APA political activists to serve the public in the White House and other high-level positions.
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