WH Official Arrested for Lying about Relationship with DeLay's Abramoff

[BurtWorm]

Another scandal's breaking.

See also:

http://pogoblog.typepad.com/pogo/2005/09/abramoff_is_the.html
http://pogoblog.typepad.com/pogo/2005/09/safavian_the_lo.html
http://pogoblog.typepad.com/pogo/2005/09/top_procurement.html
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2005_09_18.php#006579
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2005_09_18.php#006577


http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Lobbyist-Probe.html?pagewanted=print

September 19, 2005
Former White House Official Arrested
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 7:24 p.m. ET

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.

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....


PS: Safavian is barely a "former" WH official. He was in charge of the GSA until last Friday!

[karlrschneider]

1. These people are operating on 3rd generation Teflon.

:grr:

[tom_paine]

31. If, by Teflon, you mean Nazi-style propaganda and media control

then yes.

It is clear in retrospect that Raygun's "Teflon" was merely prototype tests of the Bushevik Sub-Media & Lie Laundry (or whatever you wish to call it).

When they got away with the treason of Iran-Contra, it was the beginning of the end for the Old United States of America.

[Independent_Liberal]

36. It seems like the teflon is starting to melt away.

At least in my opinion.

[Scout1071]

2. He left the White House only roughly 72 hours ago?

Ruh-roh. Rove and Co are starting to get in some serious trouble.

[slampoet]

3. Yeah,

Please edit the ex-bush official thing.

"Ex" is just spin at this point.

His last paycheck hasn't even cleared w/o direct deposit.

[BurtWorm]

4. You're damn right about that.

Done. :thumbsup:

[Scout1071]

6. That's right and that information better be on full media blast.

They had to know those indictments were coming today. Somebody gave them what they hoped would be just enough time to create a little distance.

Are you listening media? He left the White House and was indicted roughly 72 hours later!

Edited due to typing while on sinus medication.

[AlCzervik]

5. I've been looking up Safavian's name on google with Norquist

and he's been a very busy man for the past 15 years.

[BurtWorm]

7. A very political man, I take it.

Can you summarize what you've learned?

[AlCzervik]

9. well you know Frank Gaffney right? I hate to agree with him on anything

but---he's been looking into Grover Norquist for a long time, i'm guessing they don't like each other very much and gaffney is conviced that Grover is fronting for some middle eastern groups ties to terrorisim, so anyhow, he's written some articles on grover and Safavian name comes up in those articles as someone else Gaffney suspects is helping our Grovers firneds, John loftus is also on to them or he thinks he is.

on edit
http://www.mega.nu:8080/ampp/gaffney_on_norquist.html

please disregard seeing David Horowitzs name ok?

[BurtWorm]

11. All I can say is

:wow:

On a little reflection, I'll add:

:wtf:

[AlCzervik]

12. you're disgusted with me for posting a link to Gaffney?

I knew it!!!
:cry:

[BurtWorm]

15. Nay, nay!

I'm marveling over Horowitz's knifing Norquist in the back. This is all news to me. I heard something about Norquist's Saudi connection recently, but I usually can't stomach more than two thoughts about him at a time so I didn't catch the whole story. But this is from Dec. 2003--nearly two years ago!

PS: No one should marvel over Horowitz knifing anyone in the back, on further reflection!

[AlCzervik]

16. it is kind of shocking though.

Gaffney has been tracking Norquist for at least 3 or 4 years now and i really wonder if Frank gave the gov. his file on him.

[BurtWorm]

18. It is shocking.

How does Norquist have any credibility with anyone anymore?

(Unless of course the Bushists are in cahoots with the Saudis....

NAAAAAAAH!)

[BurtWorm]

25. Hey, crs: There is a Norquist connection allright

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/20/politics/20lobby.html?ei=5094&en=0ef80d2a4261ad1e&hp=&ex=1127188800&partner=homepage&pagewanted=print

<Safavian> helped start Janus-Merritt Strategies, a consulting firm, with Grover G. Norquist, the head of the conservative advocacy group Americans for Tax Reform and a close political ally of the Bush administration.

[Celebration]

8. Come on guys, let's recommend this

This is an important story. The media should pay better attention!!

[Scout1071]

10. OK. Rec'd and kicked.

[tnlefty]

13. Bookmarked and kicked! Thanks.

:kick:

[McCamy Taylor]

14. They gave the WH 3 days to fire him so they could call him "former"

Isnt that sweet of them.

[in_cog_ni_to]

17. The slime is DEEP with these people. They're OBVIOUSLY all corrupt as hell

and their arrogance has finally caught up to them. They felt very comfortable in their great big corrupt world. They thought they could get away with anything they damn well pleased. Well, looks like they were wrong. It's FINALLY catching up to them. Finally.

[BurtWorm]

19. Correction: Safavian was in charge of the OMB's

Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) until Friday, when he must have been nudged the hell out.

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

As we noted in the previous post, David Safavian, current (since last Friday, the former) head of the powerful Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) and former chief of staff at the General Services Administration, has been arrested. Whether or not Safavian is guilty of the charges against him, he does shares some striking similarities with the disgraced former FEMA chief Mike Brown.

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 <acquisition reform>," 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.



The above quote comes from this article, published when Safavian was first appointed:

http://www.govexec.com/features/0604-15/0604-15newsanalysis4.htm

[Scout1071]

20. They had no experience in procurement and he was put in charge

of Procurement?


It's not news, but each and every day I'm astonished at the pure size of these guys' proverbial "balls."

[BurtWorm]

21. As Atrios or Josh Marshall (I forget whom) pointed out

he must have had something to do with the Katrina funds. They maybe dropped him just before he exploded in their hands.

[BurtWorm]

24. There is a Katrina connection

Someone in the WH knows about all this corruption shit. My theory: They cut Safavian loose before he let Katrina drag the admin even further down.



http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/20/politics/20lobby.html?ei=5094&en=0ef80d2a4261ad1e&hp=&ex=1127188800&partner=homepage&pagewanted=print

Mr. Safavian had recently been working on developing contracting policies for the multibillion-dollar relief effort after Hurricane Katrina.The Justice Department did not reveal details of Mr. Safavian's arrest, including where it occurred. The department also did not say why the criminal charges were brought directly by prosecutors, rather than by the Washington grand jury investigating Mr. Abramoff. The Justice Department often bypasses a grand jury when a criminal case is brought together hurriedly or when there is fear that a defendant may try to flee.

The F.B.I. affidavit, which was dated Friday and made public on Monday, said that Mr. Safavian had provided extensive, secret assistance to Mr. Abramoff in 2002, when the lobbyist wanted help on behalf of a client to arrange a lease on favorable terms for the Old Post Office Building, which was controlled by the General Services Administration. The affidavit said the client was one of several Indian tribes that Mr. Abramoff has represented.

The court papers said Mr. Abramoff had also sought Mr. Safavian's help in buying 40 acres at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in the Maryland suburbs of Washington to be the new home of a Jewish children's school that Mr. Abramoff had founded. That property was also under the control of the General Services Administration.

Local real estate records suggest that neither property was acquired by Mr. Abramoff or his clients, despite his repeated requests for help in e-mail messages sent to a private account maintained by Mr. Safavian.

...


His wife, Jennifer Safavian, is chief counsel for oversight and investigations on the House Government Reform Committee, which is responsible for overseeing government procurement and is, among other things, expected to conduct the Congressional investigation into missteps during Hurricane Katrina.

[Mabus]

27. More on Jennifer and David

From Michigan State Law school website:

Alumni David and Jennifer Safavian, who have both worked in Washington since marrying in 1995, have applied their legal educations to careers in public service. David, ’93, recently left his position as chief of staff to a U.S. representative, for a political appointment to the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA).

Jennifer, ’94, is counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce. She has been involved with a host of hearings investigating companies such as Enron, Global Crossing and Ford-Firestone. http://www.law.msu.edu/amicus/su_2002/safavian.html

[Scout1071]

28. Burtworm - I just posted at DKos and gave you a shout out.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/9/19/233153/710

[BurtWorm]

29. Thanks, Scout1071!

I noticed they were lagging on this story. So is Huffington Post. But I think they'll all be caught up tomorrow. ;)

[Scout1071]

30. I was surprised it took so long before a diary popped up over there.

I was thinking of starting one, but my HTML skills stink and I'm in a serious sinus med fog (or as we say in Kansas, "Phog") and couldn't get motivated.

Thanks for the updates here.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

22. A most excellent thread title

I wish more people chose such pointed and specific thread titles. "Former" is just a quibble. He was undoubtedly "invited" to resign. What reason did he give? Was it "In the interests of preserving my thumbs I have decided to screw myself by resigning"?

The Republican web of corruption is unravelling. It seems that Katrina blew away the last few shreds of the emperor's clothes and now he and the Republicans are becoming more exposed by the minute.

[swag]

23. Couldn't be purer homepage material.

Bush Thievery Corporation at its Barest and Best.

Kicked and Recommended. It's emblematic.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

26. From Washington Post: Dude resigned when the charges came down.

"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.

The arrest occurred at his home in Alexandria. A man who answered the phone there yesterday hung up when a reporter asked to speak to Safavian."

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

[starroute]

32. Here's some other weird stuff on Safavian

I feel a little funny posting this, because it comes from one of those groups that is anti-immigrant to the point where it verges on racism. But given what else is coming out about Safavian, it may be credible:

http://www.projectusa.org/ezine/2005/04-12-bribery.html

I'll show how <Rep. Chris> Cannon set up Section 527 political groups for no purpose but to enrich himself, first by fleecing the rubes through conservative-cause-of-the-month fundraising come-ons, later as a way for corporate donors, Indian tribes, and Internet gambling concerns to send chunks of unregulated cash his way. I'll show how his first 527 group was set up with two questionable characters: 1) a woman named Bethany Noble who, at least on one occasion, raised money for Cannon, and 2) his chief of staff at the time, David Safavian.

<snip>

I'll show how, even before the Western Leadership Fund, the 527 group, was set up in June, 2001, Noble and Safavian had a long and deep connection to Grover Norquist and Norquist's lobbying firm, Janus Merritt. I'll show their connections to indicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff and the lobbying firm he worked for, Greenberg Traurig. I'll show how Noble and Safavian both lobbied for the Marianas Islands, a U.S. territory exempt from U.S. wage and immigration laws, and the center of one of the controversies swirling around both Tom DeLay and Abramoff.

<snip>

I'll show how money reported by the Western Leadership Fund as being paid to other Chris Cannon 527s never shows up on the books of those other 527s. I'll produce two separate lists of the donors at the same fundraising event--one list complete, and one shorter list showing the donations that are actually reported.

I'll show all this and a lot more. But it isn't even Chris Cannon who is the main target here, though he is going to cause all sorts of problems for the Republicans, I think, and, in my view, certainly belongs in jail. The main target begins to come into focus when you discover where David Safavian and Bethany Noble are today.

See also http://www.projectusa.org/ezine/2005/04-18-cannon-minutemen-agjobs.html

[BurtWorm]

33. Look at Cannon's opensecrets.org page!

I've never seen one as opaque as this:

http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.asp?cycle=2004&cid=N00006349

[WiseButAngrySara]

34. Whoa! What a story. K and R. Hope to see more along these lines! n/t

[rainbow4321]

35. 2 from "Abramoff's team at Preston Gates" got jobs in the chimp regime

http://cbs2chicago.com/politics/politicsnational_story_126223654.html

Most of the contacts were handled by Abramoff's subordinates, who then reported back to him on the meetings. Abramoff met several times personally with top Interior officials, whose Office of Insular Affairs oversees the Mariana Islands and other U.S. territories.

In all, the records show at least 195 contacts between Abramoff's Marianas lobbying team and the Bush administration from February through November 2001.

At least two people who worked on Abramoff's team at Preston Gates wound up with Bush administration jobs: Patrick Pizzella, named an assistant secretary of labor by Bush; and David Safavian, chosen by Bush to oversee federal procurement policy in the Office of Management and Budget.

"We have worked with WH Office of Presidential Personnel to ensure that CNMI-relevant positions at various agencies are not awarded to enemies of CNMI," Abramoff's team wrote the Marianas in an October 2001 report on its work for the year.

[texpatriot2004]

37. Check this out, a DeLay house of scandal.

http://www.houseofscandal.org/main.html

[BurtWorm]

38. kick

[Scout1071]

39. Kick!

[Amonester]

40. Kick again (n/t) (I'm left speechless...) - eom