WASHINGTON — Disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff had hundreds more contacts with top White House officials than those Bush administration officials had previously acknowledged, according to a congressional report to be released on Friday. The report by the House Government Reform Committee, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters, said the panel found about 485 contacts between Abramoff and his associations and the White House, including 10 with Karl Rove, who is President George W. Bush’s top political adviser. The committee based its findings on 14,000 pages of e-mails and billing records spanning three years ending in 2003, the committee report said. The White House challenged the credibility of the report, saying it was based on material originally generated by Abramoff. Abramoff and associates have pleaded guilty to conspiracy, fraud and related crimes in an influence-peddling scandal that reached into the U.S. Congress. ‘The billing records that are the basis for this report are widely regarded as fraudulent in how they misrepresent Abramoff’s activities and level of access. There is no reason why they should suddenly be viewed as credible,’ White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said. The committee findings, first reported by ABC TV, found […]