AUSTIN Texas -- Clinton Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt adopted these rules over the objections of several state leaders, including Texas Governor George W. Bush, who argued that Babbitt's rules exceeded his legal authority. Less than two years after Babbitt adopted these rules, the big chief in Austin became the big chief in Washington.

Chief Bush then began enforcing the Babbitt rules he once decried. Last year, Bush's Interior Secretary notified Texas that she would use Babbitt's rules to process the Kickapoo gambling application. Texas Attorney General Abbott retaliated by filing a lawsuit against the Interior Secretary. That pending federal lawsuit echoes Bush's gubernatorial claim that the Interior Secretary lacks independent authority to process the Kickapoo gaming application. One of many U.S. attorneys of record defending the Bush administration from this lawsuit is U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton, the same Bush appointee who is prosecuting the old Kickapoo regime.

The president's spokesman, Scott McClellan, said that the presence of the lobbyist and Mr. Raul Garza at the meeting, which was organized to thank a group of state legislators who supported the president's 2001 tax cut program, did not suggest that Mr. Abramoff had any special influence at the White House.

Mr. Bush has said he cannot recall having met Mr. Abramoff, though the White House has not disputed accounts that Mr. Abramoff visited the White House on several occasions.

Mr. McClellan said that Mr. Abramoff's name had not appeared on the invitation list of the May 2001 meeting and that it was unclear how the lobbyist had entered the White House grounds.

A spokesman for Mr. Abramoff had no comment on the photograph or on his contacts with Mr. Garza.

It is not clear how Mr. Abramoff might have gotten Mr. Garza included in the president's meeting. White House records show the meeting was also attended by Grover Norquist, a friend of Mr. Abramoff's who is a leading conservative strategist and president of the group Americans for Tax Reform, which was helping to rally support for Mr. Bush's tax cuts.

A spokesman for Mr. Norquist declined to comment on Mr. Norquist's involvement in the meeting.

(Bloomberg) Jan. 22 -- White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said last week that Abramoff attended White House Hanukkah receptions in 2001 and 2002 and ''a few staff-level meetings''. McClellan refused to say who Abramoff met with or what the meetings were about.

Abramoff, 46, pleaded guilty Jan. 3 to conspiracy to corrupt public officials and has agreed to cooperate in a federal investigation into influence peddling in Washington.

Fund Raising

Abramoff raised at least $100,000 for Bush's 2004 campaign, qualifying him for the ''Pioneer'' donor club.

Garza's meeting with Bush took place in 2001 in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, next to the White House. Garza said the session was arranged with the help of Abramoff and Grover Norquist, a Republican activist, the magazine reported.

Garza's tribe owned a casino in Bush's home state of Texas, and there is no indication the administration acted to benefit the Kickapoo tribe at Abramoff's behest, Time said.