Sharon Bush Denies Detailing Past Drug Use by President

Sharon Bush, the former sister-in-law of President Bush, has denied alleging in Kitty Kelley's new book on the Bush family that the president had used cocaine, the Washington Post reported Sept. 9.

In Kelley's book, "The Family: The Real Story of the Bush Dynasty," Sharon Bush is quoted as saying that the president used cocaine at Camp David.

"I categorically deny that I ever told Kitty Kelley that George W. Bush used cocaine at Camp David or that I ever saw him use cocaine at Camp David," said Sharon Bush, who is divorced from the president's brother Neil. "When Kitty Kelley raised drug use at Camp David, I responded by saying something along the lines of, 'Who would say such a thing?' Although there have been tensions between me and various members of the Bush family, I cannot allow this falsehood to go unchallenged."

Kelley's editor said the author has provided "confirmation" for the information. Doubleday, Kelley's publisher, also stands behind the author's account.

"Doubleday stands fully behind the accuracy of Ms. Kelley's reporting and believes that everything she attributes to Sharon Bush in her book is an accurate account of their discussions," said Suzanne Herz, associate publisher. "Ms. Kelley met with Sharon Bush over the course of a four-hour lunch on April 1, 2003, at the Chelsea Bistro in Manhattan."

The following day, Kelley talked with Sharon Bush in a 90-minute phone conversation in the presence of Peter Gethers, her Doubleday editor. Gethers confirmed the accuracy of Bush's comments.

"Kelley has notes to corroborate both these conversations," Herz said, and Bush "understood that anything she said could be used for publication."

Source: www.jointogether.org