Via The Houston Chronicle, we learn that House Government Reform Chair Henry Waxman wil investigate the report that Bush pioneer Stephen Payne offered meetings with top Bush administration officials in exchange for contributions to the Bush Library:

Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., the chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, informed Payne late Monday that his panel would look into the report.

"If true, this raises serious concerns about the ways in which foreign interests might be secretly influencing large donations to the library," Waxman wrote in the letter to Payne.

Melanie Sloan provided some perspective to the Chronicle:

Even so, as as result of The Sunday Times report, the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a nonpartisan watchdog group, fired off a letter to Attorney General Michael Mukasey asking him to look into whether Payne violated federal laws that bar soliciting contributions in return for influencing government officials.

Melanie Sloan, executive director of CREW, said that "it is not permissible to sell meetings with Bush administration officials."

Sloan also said that it is unlikely that Payne would have made the pitch without approval from others close to or within the administration.

"He wouldn't get paid that way if he couldn't deliver," she said.