The Raw Story - Bush Management and Budget Procurement chief arrested...

[RSchewe]

"Developing..."

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. hmmm amusing

[CottonBear]

2. Oh my. This is very interesting. I wonder if this is a current official?

:popcorn:

[despairing optimist]

6. No. That's Bush's swing vote nominee for SCOTUS

[Gregorian]

7. Former.

Running out the door. But that's what it looked like.

[jbfam4]

35. No he is a" former "official

He resigned on FRIDAY...

[merwin]

3. Link here

http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0905/091905k1.htm

[UpInArms]

34. oops! self-delete

:blush:

[ShockediSay]

49. I read about some lobbyist, Jack Abramoff, and a Scotland golf trip.

Here's an idea! Let's get some of the evacuees out of their digs and give them a chance at an all expense paid trip to Scotland! Tom DeLay would have to love that.

[Patchuli]

66. Yeah and let him camp out

at a sporting arena for a while on a bleacher 'cause he thinks it's "kind of fun!"

What a not surprise this was.

[Tight_rope]

85. Can we say "BUSTED"!

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[cal04]

4. Link, it's up

David Safavian, who oversees $300 billion of annual federal purchasing as director of the Office of Management and Budget, has been arrested for three charges relating to obstruction of a GSA-OIG investigation. Raw Story earlier reported that ex-gambling lobbyist Safavian had, "quietly advanced the interests of former clients under the cloak of a vocally anti-gambling Utah congressman."

Though indictments for criminal misdoings are not uncommon, the physical arrest of an administration official is rare.

A Department of Justice press release, obtained today by Raw Story, follows

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Bush_Management_and_Budget_Procurement_chief_arre_0919.html

[xchrom]

5. lol -- and to think so many think this admin is so good.

[ClintonTyree]

8. Well, it's a start..........

but there's still an awful long way to go to the top where the REAL criminals are.

[DLnyc]

10. 1 down, several hundred to go!

[hardrainfallin]

16. Line em up!

[Katidid]

36. S I C ! !

eom

[electropop]

44. It's the first step in the March of the Frogs

:toast:

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[BR_Parkway]

21. "Though indictments for criminal misdoings are not uncommon"

Boy, that really says a lot about this misAdministration...

[DuaneBidoux]

9. Why hasn't MSM run with this?

[corporatemedia]

12. Please, my name is corporatemedia and my initials are CM....

there is nothing "main stream" about the media.

[Just Me]

19. *grin*

}(

[David Zephyr]

27. Thank you, corporate media.

I appreciate you helping with this MSM crap. I like your name.

[librechik]

40. you mean the CMB?

Corporate Media Bitches?

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

86. Umm...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/19/AR2005091901859.html

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=ad1pedpzWUm8&refer=us

http://www.thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/092005/brief1.html

All 133 related:

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&ie=UTF-8&ncl=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news%3Fpid%3D10000103%26sid%3Dad1pedpzWUm8%26refer%3Dus

Guess where Raw Story got its... story?

[MGKrebs]

11. This is more Abramoff fallout!

"Safavian allegedly misled GSA officials when he said the lobbyist "had no business" with GSA prior to the golf trip, when in fact Safavian had helped the lobbyist "in his attempts to do business with GSA," Justice said.

"The lobbyist, though not named in the Justice announcement, is likely Jack Abramoff, a Washington lobbyist who has been the subject of a long-running federal investigation. In August 2002, Safavian joined Abramoff, Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, former Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed and others on a trip to St. Andrews, Scotland."

[seafan]

20. Yes, it's Abramoff. Lookee what I found.

WP, September 28, 2004
Capitol Athletic Foundation's Funds Diverted From Mission
Records Detail Spending By GOP Lobbyist Abramoff

--snip

But tax and spending records of the Capital Athletic Foundation obtained by The Washington Post show that less than 1 percent of its revenue has been spent on sports-related programs for youths.

--snip

Travel was another major foundation expense, totaling $240,416 in 2001 and 2002, records show. More than half of that was spent in August 2002 on the chartered jet that flew at least six people -- including Abramoff, House Administration Committee Chairman Robert W. Ney (R-Ohio), lobbyist and former Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed, and then-General Services Administration chief of staff David Safavian -- to St. Andrews, Scotland, with a stopover in London on the way back.

None of those on the plane would say precisely how they spent their time, although two people confirmed that they played golf in St. Andrews. Ney spokesman Brian J. Walsh said Ney thought the trip's purpose was to raise money for the foundation, but Walsh did not cite any fundraising events.

Noam Neusner, a spokesman for Safavian -- who has been nominated for a senior position at the Office of Management and Budget -- said the trip was "primarily for golfing." "It had no business orientation to it," Neusner said, noting that Safavian paid back $3,100 for his expenses.

--snip

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/09/28/AR2005040313081_pf.html

[BSDRebel]

13. Let it be the first card to fall in this house of corruption /NT

[bostonbabs]

14. I have a great big smile on my face......

more will come, because there is more ....we all know it.Delay, and Reed up next? Juicy........

[rateyes]

22. I certainly hope so...

Ralph Reed is running for Lt. Governor of GA. If he is involved with this, as I suspect he is, then goodbye Ralphie boy.

:popcorn:

[indepat]

26. Oh God, if that turns out to be the case, it couldn't happen to a sweller

feller.

[tanyev]

50. Sweet-faced Ralphie will be very popular in prison.

:bounce::bounce:

[usregimechange]

64. Dominos...

[Imagevision]

88. Kick and recommend

[speedoo]

15. Sounds like another incompetent political hack.

"During his confirmation hearings for his position as OFPP chief, Safavian said he worked as a lobbyist and consultant for a variety of organizations, including the Embassy of Pakistan, Microsoft and several Native American groups."

I feel confident further investigation will reveal that this dude was a big bushco $$$ cintributor/fundraiser.

[IndyJones]

18. Why would a LOBBYIST be put in a position like that???

Reminds me of the story of the snake and teaching about someone's true colors.

[Zhade]

28. Because that's what this administration is best at: corruption.

They're well-versed in lying and committing treason, too.

[OzarkDem]

90. Its deliberate, certainly

Lobbyists know where the money and the assets are. In Bush world, lobbyists are probably appointed to these jobs as "inside men" to better enable them to loot the treasury by helping RNC linked lobbyists.

[killbotfactory]

17. There are some agencies money can't buy

And for those situations, there's a Bush pardon.

[MGKrebs]

23. And Ralph Reed is connected again...

"During his confirmation hearings for his position as OFPP chief, Safavian said he worked as a lobbyist and consultant for a variety of organizations, including the Embassy of Pakistan, Microsoft and several Native American groups."

[Garbo 2004]

24. DOJ Sept 19 press release...

WASHINGTON, D.C.-A former General Services Administration (GSA) official was arrested on charges of making false statements and obstructing an investigation by the GSA’s Office of Inspector General (GSA-OIG), Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division announced today.

David Hossein Safavian was arrested today based on a three-count criminal complaint filed at federal court in Washington, D.C. The complaint charges Safavian with making false statements to a GSA ethics officer and the GSA-OIG, along with obstruction of a GSA-OIG investigation.

The affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint alleges that from May 16, 2002 until January 10, 2004, Safavian served as Chief of Staff at the GSA. During that time he allegedly aided a Washington D.C. lobbyist in the lobbyist’s attempts to acquire GSA-controlled property in and around Washington, D.C. In August 2002, this lobbyist allegedly took Safavian and others on a golf trip to Scotland.

The false statement and obstruction of the investigation charges relate to Safavian’s statements to a GSA ethics officer and the GSA-OIG that the lobbyist had no business with GSA prior to the August 2002 golf trip. According to the affidavit, Safavian concealed the fact that the lobbyist had business before GSA prior to the August 2002 golf trip, and that Safavian was aiding the lobbyist in his attempts to do business with GSA.

Since November 29, 2004, Safavian has served as the administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy at the Office of Management and Budget. http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2005/September/05_crm_490.htm

[Beetwasher]

29. The Golf Trip To Scotland: Wasn't Bugboy Delay on that Trip?

I do believe he was...Interesting...

[usregimechange]

61. Above is the DOJ release

[bigbrother05]

25. You're doing a heck of a job Brownie!!!!!

[W2Hague]

30. Comin' Unglued!

Next up, within 2-4 weeks I reckon, a certain Treasonous Porker named Karl will be indicted for Obstruction of Justice and Perjury.

Then there's the classified CIA 9/11 Report, that even REPublicunts are now demanding be De-classified. And when that happens, Mr. Tenet's already prepared, point-by-point rebuttal will surely Rock the house! Fuck a Medal of Freedom! There's only so much shit a man can swallow before he screams "NO MORE!"

More Seditious commentary and the answer to the oft asked question:
"How does Dick Cheney maintain that aura of robust good health?" at:

___________________ http://www.bruindesign.com ___________________


Peace
D.L. Bruin

[TwentyFive]

31. Christian Mafia involved too.

Seems Ralph Reed of christian coalition fame was in on this fraudulent land deal too. Doesn't surprise me one iota.

[katinmn]

32. Cool, DeLay, you're next up!!!

May this be only the beginning.

}(

[RSchewe]

33. This looks like it is big. Daily Kos and Talking Points Memo are covering

the story.

Daily Kos - Sinking ship, Part II

(...)

Josh Marshall says that this is big.

Before this gig, Safarian worked for Jack Abramoff. And before that, he was a business partner of Grover Norquist.

(...)

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/9/19/174154/522



Talking Points Memo

Oh that's a good sign. The Office of Federal Procurement Policy handles procurement policy for the White House's Office of Management and Budget.

Until Friday the Administrator of the office was David Hossein Safavian.

Today he was arrested on a three count indictment.

This, from the DOJ press release ...

"David Hossein Safavian was arrested today based on a three- count criminal complaint filed at federal court in Washington, D.C. The complaint charges Safavian with making false statements to a GSA ethics officer and the GSA-OIG, along with obstruction of a GSA-OIG investigation."

(...)

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2005_09_18.php#006577

[ewagner]

47. Grover Norquist!!!!!!!!

Oh....

please, please, please, please.please, please, please, pleaseplease, please, please, pleaseplease, please, please, please

let this take that SOB DOWN!!!

Ralph Reed
Tom Delay
Grover Norquist


Damn!! This must be Christmas!

[RSchewe]

83. Mr. "Drown the governement in a bathtub" needs to be hauled away n/t

[rodeodance]

54. coincidence?--resigns on Friday and arrested on MOnday. cute.

[grahamhgreen]

37. Washington Post has it... link

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/19/AR2005091901141.html

[Rose Siding]

57. That's their AP link- Here's tomorrow's piece

Bush Official Arrested in Corruption Probe

The Bush administration's top federal procurement official resigned Friday and was arrested yesterday, accused of lying and obstructing a criminal investigation into Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff's dealings with the federal government. It was the first criminal complaint filed against a government official in the ongoing corruption probe related to Abramoff's activities in Washington.

The complaint, filed by the FBI, alleges that David H. Safavian, 38, a White House procurement official involved until last week in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, made repeated false statements to government officials and investigators about a golf trip with Abramoff to Scotland in 2002.

It also contends that he concealed his efforts to help Abramoff acquire control of two federally managed properties in the Washington area. Abramoff is the person identified as "Lobbyist A" in a 13-page affidavit unsealed in court, according to sources knowledgeable about the probe.

Until his resignation on the day the criminal complaint against him was signed, Safavian was the top administrator at the federal procurement office in the White House Office of Management and Budget, where he set purchasing policy for the entire government.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/19/AR2005091901859.html

I wonder is this is as high as Abramoff could deal.

[usregimechange]

70. Linked on their front page!

[banana republican]

38. So Many Targets; So Little Time n/t

[snippy]

42. The Bush administration is a target rich environment for prosecutors.

I just hope the career people at the Justice Department are allowed to do their jobs.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

46. The Flood of Floodgate continues

Technically this is not part of Floodgate. Maybe we should call this Bushgate, but actually it is as much or more about Republicans than about Bush. No need for Bush to become the fall guy, though he has much to fall for.

[DLnyc]

53. How about Steal-and-lie-gate?

Or Spin-and-fraud-gate

[Toots]

39. I hope these charges are severe enough to get Safavian to spill his guts

Turn States evidence for a lessor sentence. I really do wish for justice for America.

[progressivebydesign]

41. Is this the usual Republican "pants around the ankles" thing?

Or was this some type of corruption?

[msongs]

43. why is this original thread = LBN? no proof, no links...no beef nt

[Mr_Spock]

45. Where's the beef?

?

[struggle4progress]

48. Let Google be your friend. Some links:

Official, Abramoff associate arrested

David Hossein Safavian, the Bush administration’s top federal procurement officer in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), was arrested yesterday based on a three-count criminal complaint filed in federal court, according to a Justice Department statement.

The government alleges that Safavian, as chief of staff at the General Services Administration (GSA), helped an unnamed lobbyist acquire GSA-controlled property in and around Washington, D.C.

Sources say the lobbyist is likely Jack Abramoff, who has been indicted by a grand jury in Florida. Safavian and Abramoff worked together at Preston, Gates and the two traveled with Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) and others on a golf trip to Scotland in 2002. <snip>

http://www.thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/092005/brief1.html


Key OMB official arrested
By Kimberly Palmer
[e-mail]

<snip> Safavian is charged with making false statements to a General Services Administration ethics officer and the GSA inspector general's office. Safavian served as chief of staff at GSA before moving to OMB. <snip>

Safavian allegedly misled GSA officials when he said the lobbyist "had no business" with GSA prior to the golf trip, when in fact Safavian had helped the lobbyist "in his attempts to do business with GSA," Justice said. <snip>

http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0905/091905k1.htm


Top federal procurement official arrested
By CHRIS GOSIER

<snip> The three-count complaint filed Sept. 16 in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. accuses Safavian of making false statements to a GSA ethics officer as well as the GSA inspector general while serving as the agency’s chief of staff from May 2002 to January 2004. <snip>

http://federaltimes.com/index2.php?S=1112781


Safavian the Lobbyist


<snip> Neither Safavian nor Brown had much relevant professional experience before they received their political appointments. As Government Executive wrote last summer about Safavian:

"He doesn't have a lot of background in procurement, so the hope is that he's a good learner," says Steven Kelman, who served as federal procurement administrator in the Clinton administration. "I don't know where David Safavian comes out on ," says Allan Burman, another former procurement chief. Angela Styles, who held the top acquisition post until last September, says Safavian has "no apparent philosophy" on procurement issues.

What Safavian did have plenty of was lobbying experience and political connections. <snip>

http://pogoblog.typepad.com/pogo/2005/09/safavian_the_lo.html

[rodeodance]

52. "charged with making false statements"--Martha syndrome?

from IP:
......Safavian is charged with making false statements to a General Services Administration ethics officer and the GSA inspector general's office. Safavian served as chief of staff at GSA before moving to OMB.

Safavian resigned as head of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy effective Friday, an OMB spokesman said. Robert Burton, associate administrator of OFPP, will head the office on an interim basis, the spokesman said.

The Justice Department announced that Safavian "allegedly aided a Washington, D.C., lobbyist in the lobbyist's attempts to acquire GSA-controlled property in and around Washington, D.C.," and that Safavian joined the lobbyist on a Scotland golf trip.

[TroubleMan]

51. JENGA!! JENGA!! JENGA!!!

[Rose Siding]

55. Some info on this guy

whose wife is 'Chief counsel on oversight and investigations on the House Government Reform Committee.' :eyes:

from the Post in January:

Teaching Uncle Sam to Be a Better Buyer
New Procurement Administrator Will Oversee How Federal Contracts Are Awarded

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24738-2005Jan20.html

[RSchewe]

56. Atrios has more regarding the related stories.

Reconstruct This

So, the guy who oversees federal contracts gets arrested. Turns out he's a good buddy of Jack "Love Me Some Tom DeLay" Abramoff. As he was on the job through last week he must've had a hand in setting the Katrina procurement procedures, including allowing people to go ahead and charge up to $250,000 at a time on their credit cards. He's also, well, another hack with http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2005_09_18.php#006579">no experience in his field.

Mr. Safavian's wife? Oh, that's Jennifer Safavian. Her job? Chief counsel on oversight and investigations on the House Government Reform Committee.

Their latest job? Heading up the sham Katrina investigation...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24738-2005Jan20.html">Here's fairly recent article on Safavian which someone should start poking through. Note the headline on the Bush Administration Post Article.

http://atrios.blogspot.com/2005_09_18_atrios_archive.html#112717410691516492

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

58. Hey, dude was a lobbyist for gambling. Who could have known he

was involved with corruption? :shrug:

[usregimechange]

59. Kick, the boat gets another hole.

[insane_cratic_gal]

60. Jack Abramoff a BushCO Pioneer

Rangers are an elite class of fundraisers created for the 2004 election cycle who have bundled at least $200,000 for the Bush campaign. Pioneers are those who have pledged to gather $100,000. For the 2004 campaign

http://www.whitehouseforsale.org/ContributorsAndPaybacks/pioneer_search.cfm

a snip from the previous article.. I knew that name looked familiar.

The lobbyist, though not named in the Justice announcement, is likely Jack Abramoff, a Washington lobbyist who has been the subject of a long-running federal investigation. In August 2002, Safavian joined Abramoff, Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, former Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed and others on a trip to St. Andrews, Scotland.



Oh and his long list of crimes that surround the GOP

http://www.whitehouseforsale.org/ContributorsAndPaybacks/pioneer_profile.cfm?pioneer_ID=834

[SidDithers]

63. Bob Ney, the moran who brought Freedom Fries...

to the House cafeteria.

Sid

[RSchewe]

81. I wonder if this is why he has changed his tune lately.

Who knows if he saw this coming down the pike.

[usregimechange]

62. Nominate this guys, mediablast as well, lets do it, it is up to us!

[usregimechange]

65. White House Press Release on his Appointment!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 2003-44
November 4, 2003
PRESIDENT TO NAME DAVID H. SAFAVIAN ADMINISTRATOR FOR FEDERAL
PROCUREMENT POLICY, OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET

The President announced today that he intends to nominate David Hossein Safavian, of Michigan, to be Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy, Office of Management and Budget, Executive Office of the President. Mr. Safavian currently serves as Chief of Staff for
the General Services Administration in Washington, D.C. Prior to this position he served as Chief of Staff for Congressman Chris Cannon. Earlier in his career, Mr. Safavian served as a Shareholder and Managing Partner for Janus-Merritt Strategies, L.L.C. and as an Associate Attorney for Preston, Gates and Ellis in Washington, D.C. He earned his bachelor's degree from St. Louis University, his J.D. from the Detroit College of Law, and his LLM from the Georgetown University Law Center.

For more information, please contact OMB Communications at 202-395-7254 or visit our Web
site at www.omb.gov
gov.
# # #

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/pubpress/2003-44.pdf

[usregimechange]

67. Keep this kicked!

[usregimechange]

68. kick

[usregimechange]

69. Come on guys...

[usregimechange]

71. kick

[Independent_Liberal]

72. Kick!

[Digit]

73. kick

[usregimechange]

74. MSNBC Now covering

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9402070/

[Name removed]

75. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[nonconformist]

76. Nominated. nt

[RSchewe]

77. Just noticed the AP report on this issue.

Former White House Official Arrested

By MARK SHERMAN
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A former Bush administration official was arrested Monday on charges he made false statements and obstructed a federal investigation into his dealings with lobbyist Jack Abramoff, according to court documents and government officials.

David Safavian, then-chief of staff of the General Services Administration and a former Abramoff lobbying associate, concealed from federal investigators that Abramoff was seeking to do business with GSA when Safavian joined him on a golf trip to Scotland in 2002, according to an FBI affidavit and the officials.

At the time, FBI agent Jeffrey A. Reising said in the affidavit, a lobbyist - identified separately as Abramoff - had enlisted Safavian's help in trying to gain control of 40 acres of land at the Federal Research Center at White Oak in Silver Spring, Md., for a private high school that Abramoff helped establish and supported.

(...)

Source: Former White House Official Arrested - http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/L/LOBBYIST_PROBE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2005-09-19-18-54-24

[barbaraann]

78. Microsoft connections:

The Microsoft Network

News: Bill insists he wants to avoid politics. Meanwhile, he's waged a quietly massive attack on the other Washington.
Plus: Washington Wide Web: Microsoft's lobbyists and their power ties.

Mother Jones
By Ken Silverstein
January/February 1998 Issue

Noticeably absent from White House guest rosters, nonexistent on lists of big political contributors, and a man who rarely even visits the other Washington, Microsoft CEO Bill Gates has managed to keep an extraordinarily low political profile.
...
A small army of lobbyists from both political parties helped Microsoft win the tax break. Chief among them: Grover Norquist, the high-profile head of Americans for Tax Reform. Hired by the company in 1996, Norquist earns a $120,000 yearly salary from Microsoft alone. He is among the best-connected conservatives in Washington, and the nonprofit ATR has been called a virtual adjunct of the Republican Party. (The GOP is currently in trouble for funneling $4.6 million to the group in 1996 for political agitprop.)
...
Norquist's ties to pro-family organizations, for example, helped him win his first fight on behalf of Microsoft. Proposed immigration legislation in 1996 would have jeopardized the status of the numerous legal immigrants Microsoft employs. Norquist, despite ATR's reputation as virulently anti-immigrant, helped cobble together a coalition of high-tech libertarians, pro-immigrant conservative family groups, and liberal organizations to successfully fight the changes. It's also worth noting that the new lobbying firm Norquist founded in 1997 with lawyer David Safavian, the Merritt Group, has taken on the American Immigration Lawyers Association as a client. (Ira Rubenstein, Microsoft's senior corporate attorney, is on the AILA's board.)
...
http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/1998/01/silverstein.html

[usregimechange]

79. kick

[RSchewe]

80. Wow, the pile on continues, here is MyDD on it. This is likely to be big.

Criminal Administration
by Scott Shields

I have to admit, I always kind of expected it. It was always just a matter of the other shoe dropping. I figured if anyone from the Bush administration was going to end up behind bars, it would be Rove as a result of the Plame matter. Little did I know it would be David Safavian as a result of the Abramoff matter. Josh Marshall is on it like white on rice, but a bit of pile on is probably called for in this case.

Safavian, who until Friday was the head of Bush's Office of Federal Procurement Policy, has been arrested on three charges of making false statements and obstructing an investigation. Here's some key info from an AP wire report:

"David Safavian, then-chief of staff of the General Services Administration and a former Abramoff lobbying associate, concealed from federal investigators that Abramoff was seeking to do business with GSA when Safavian joined him on a golf trip to Scotland in 2002, according to an FBI affidavit and the officials.

At the time, FBI agent Jeffrey A. Reising said in the affidavit, a lobbyist -- identified separately as Abramoff -- had enlisted Safavian's help in trying to gain control of 40 acres of land at the Federal Research Center at White Oak in Silver Spring, Md., for a private high school that Abramoff helped establish and supported.

For his part, Safavian edited a letter the lobbyist was preparing to send to GSA, and arranged and attended a meeting involving a GSA official, the lobbyist's wife and others to discuss leasing the property, the affidavit said."

Josh's theory, which seems right on to me, is that Safavian was arrested with the intent of getting him to testify against Abramoff. The DOJ obviously thinks they've got a decent shot if they're targeting him specifically. Safavian's something of a GOP lobbyist Zelig, having ties to not only Jack Abramoff, but also Grover Norquist, Ralph Reed, Joe Allbaugh, Rep. Chris Cannon, and Rep. Bob Ney. His wife Jennifer Safavian is "chief counsel for oversight and investigations" for Rep. Tom Davis's House Government Reform Committee.

As hard as it may seem to believe, I have a strange feeling that this investigation may uncover a vastly more widespread culture of corruption than we can even imagine.

Source: MyDD: Criminal Administration - http://www.mydd.com/story/2005/9/20/01334/4289

If this keeps up there is going to be an avalanche in the Republican party, and we haven't even heard from Fitzgerald yet regarding Rove.

[Up2Late]

82. Oh, this is getting GOOD! Hey Tom Delay! Their coming for Ya!

:popcorn: WooHoo!:woohoo:

[Deja Q]

84. Another link here

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/19/AR2005091901859.html

[usregimechange]

87. kick

[OzarkDem]

89. Ohio Rep. Ney knows nothing, sees nothing

Nine people, including Rep. Bob Ney, a St. Clairsville, Ohio, Republican, made the trip and played golf on the fabled Old Course at St. Andrews. Safavian paid $3,100 for the travel, "in the exercise of discretion," he said, as quoted in the affidavit. The total cost was more than $100,000, the affidavit said.

The Plain Dealer reported that Ney spokesman Brian Walsh said the Southeast Ohio Republican has "no relationship" with Safavian and not been contacted by "any federal investigators look ing into this or any other matter related to Jack Abramoff."

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1127213780296080.xml&coll=2

[Roland99]

91. Email from arrested WH official suggests powerful congressman lied

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Email_from_arrested_White_House_official_suggests_powerful_congressman_lied_about_0920.html

WASHINGTON -- News of David Safavian's arrest Monday ricocheted through the Washington political scene like a gunshot.

Safavian, 38, who oversaw $300 billion in federal procurement for President George W. Bush, quit Friday after an FBI operation alleged he obstructed an investigation and tried to finagle a government deal for a friend. He was appointed in 2004.

Yet what is most significant about Safavian's case isn't Safavian himself. It’s the fact that he was arrested—and that emails he sent to conservative superlobbyist Jack Abramoff indicated that those on the trip knew that a trip to Scotland in 2002 was being paid for by the lobbyist.

An email sent by Safavian appears to indicate that the powerful Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH) lied when he said he was "duped" by Abramoff and lied again on financial disclosure forms when he said that a nonprofit had paid for the trip, RAW STORY has found.