WP: (Abramoff) Scandal Visits the White House

[UpInArms]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/blog/2005/09/20/BL2005092000753.html

The Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal reached into the White House yesterday, picking off President Bush's top procurement official -- who just barely had time to resign before being arrested.

The federal charges against David Safavian stem from his tenure as chief of staff of the General Services Administration, predating his arrival at the White House a year ago. But his arrest nonetheless draws renewed attention to the ongoing corruption and influence-peddling inquiry swirling around Abramoff, a lobbyist well known for his connections to conservative Republicans in the White House and Congress.

And for a White House so desperate to build public confidence in its ability to respond to the Gulf Coast disaster, it doesn't exactly help that the man who up until Friday was overseeing contracting policy for the multi-billion dollar relief effort has now been charged with lying and obstructing a criminal investigation.

...more...

(Note to Mods: I hope you do not consider this a "dupe" as it brings the Abramoff scandal and bribery and lying and corruption right into the door at 1600 Pennsylvania)

[gratuitous]

1. Ruh roh Raggy

"Barely had time to resign before being arrested."

Corruption? Influence-peddling? My goodness! Who ever heard of such goings-on in the squeaky clean Bush White House? Well, surely the Washington Post has a long, long list of their front page reporting on such sleazy endeavors, right?

{Crickets}

[sabra]

2. and the walls come tumbling down...

[electropop]

3. It's the first step in the March Of The Frogs!

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

:toast:

One by one, down they go.

[stillcool]

4. Holy crap!!

I din't know he just resigned on FRIDAY?...
and did you get a load of this....

>>"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 after Hurricane Katrina."

[sabra]

7. this whole administration needs to be removed top to bottom!

[0007]

38. Let the games begin

Drum roll please
Action, Camera
Marching Band

[UpInArms]

8. OMG! Does the nepotism

and corruption just run as thick as mud through every (and I mean - EVERY) level of this mal-administration?

:shakesheadindisbelief:

Thanks, stillcool47, for bringing that line to light. I think I shall make it bigger and bolder:

"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 after Hurricane Katrina."

[sabra]

are you trying to emphasize something? :-)

:sarcasm:

[calimary]

15. Hey, I'd be shouting it, too. :D

WELL worth raising a stink!

Especially now, since - in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, people are more aware than ever of the blatant cronyism in this White House.

[htuttle]

14. "Does corruption run through every level of the Bush administration?"

Of course it does. It's a mob operation. That's how they work.

[Chimpeach]

39. I'd feel better...

if Tony Soprano was runnin' the show!

The current administration is givin' me agita.

[jazzjunkysue]

43. That hurts my ears!

Where are my DU earplugs? lol! :rofl:

[Tiggeroshii]

9. Heh. We'll trust her

Noone better than the criminal's wife to head an investigation into criminal incompetence, right?

[Tiggeroshii]

10. Heh. We'll trust her

Noone better than the criminal's wife to head an investigation into criminal negligence, right?

[DoYouEverWonder]

11. They needed to be able to call him an ex-official

in the headlines.

[hang a left]

40. They obviously were given a heads up last week. nt

[Roland99]

5. 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.

[babylonsister]

6. Oooh, I'm just waiting for DeLay to get his! nt

[smoogatz]

23. Ney is toast. It's not just Bushco--the whole Republican party is rotten

to the core. These fucktards spend two generations scratching and clawing their way into a position of unchecked power and the first thing they do when they get there is line their freaking pockets. Despicable.

[malaise]

36. Which is why the original headline should be

Another scandal hits the WH. They are shameless but it is over. Down they come.

[UpInArms]

41. more on the Ney angle

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

excerpt:

Ney's trip was paid for by the National Center for Public Policy Research, a Washington-based group that describes itself as ``a conservative think tank.'' Its president, Amy Ridenour, testified in June to the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, which is investigating allegations by Indian tribes that were clients of Abramoff's that he defrauded them. Ridenour didn't return a phone call seeking comment.

When asked by an unidentified colleague why Safavian was going on the Scotland trip, the lobbyist, in an e-mail, said, ``Total business angle. He's the new COS of GSA,'' referring to the chief of staff job that Safavian held at GSA.

Ney has been linked to another deal involving Abramoff. In August a federal grand jury in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, indicted Abramoff and an associate on wire fraud charges in relation to their purchase of a casino ship company. Ney inserted two statements into the Congressional Record supporting the purchase in 2000.

...more...

[WhiteTara]

28. Now I'd like to see his connection with

Grover Norquist really talked up. He was a lobbying partner of Norquist before his last job. These guys are so entwined that it should all be a big heap of criminals...gosh the pictures of Abu Ghraib just came into my mind...all the bushits piled up with their bare asses facing the sky...oh what a delicious thought...I am getting really weird here, so I'll stop.

[Roland99]

29. Yeah...getting weird...esp. considering your screen name!

;)

[smartvoter]

12. Where will it stop? Nowhere. The whole damned WH is corrupted. nt

[stillcool]

13. The White House...

The Pentagon...The Congress...The Senate...and every government agency on the map.

[al bupp]

16. I call it...

... "the best government that money can buy", which turns out to be very good at graft, corruption and influence peddling, but not much else.

[Jack Rabbit]

17. More outrage overload

In any other administration, this would be big news and the public would be outraged and rightly so.

In the Bush White House, it isn't news that somebody is crooked; it's news that somebody has been arrested.

Perhaps that somebody has been arrested should be thought of as good news?

We are on outrage overload. It is hard to be outraged at these crooks any longer.

[lala_rawraw]

18. Raw Story: Email from arrested White House official - Ney Lied

Email from arrested White House official suggests powerful congressman lied about trip

John Byrne

<snip>
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.

<snip>

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.

<snip>

"I (along with members of Congress and a few Congressional staff) have been invited by a friend and former colleague on a trip to Scotland to play golf for four days," Safavian wrote in an email to his government employer, seeking permission to go on the trip.

"The host of the trip is chartering a private jet to take the eight of us from BWI to Scottland and back. He is paying the cost of the aircraft regardless whether I go or not. In fact, none of the other guest will be paying a proportional share of the aircraft costs."

Read the whole thing here:
http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Email_from_arrested_White_House_official_suggests_powerful_congressman_lied_about_0920.html

[woodsprite]

19. Anyone thinking they may have arrested him to keep him alive to prosecute?

[smoogatz]

24. I doubt it. He's probably already out on bail.

I think they arrested him to pressure him into testifying against the big fish.

[calimary]

20. Makes you wonder what else was lied about, and by whom? And

for whose benefit? :evilgrin:

[rawstory]

22. This REALLY shouldn't be combined...

This story is about Ney -- Froomkin's is about the White House. My two cents. It's important we don't kill other stories here -- there are many, many facets.

[lala_rawraw]

26. Yep, I agree... what are mods doing?

[Massachusetts]

21. And how many Seasons are left for this Soap Opera?

[lala_rawraw]

25. Um... the mods moved the Raw Article here, even though they are not the

Same, what gives?

[Tellurian]

27. LIKE PREZ CLINTON said:

"The Bushes DON'T FIRE criminals; They HIRE THEM!"

[RSchewe]

30. Email from arrested White House official suggests powerful congressman...

lied about trip.

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.
Advertisement

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.

(...)

Source: The Raw Story - http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Email_from_arrested_White_House_official_suggests_powerful_congressman_lied_about_0920.html

[Scout1071]

31. And the hits keep coming. I hope they all go down over Abramoff.

[Merlot]

32. Popcorn please, and plenty of it!

Like we're supposed to believe that a congressman who knows the rules can be "duped." If anyone is stupid enough to believe these liars, then the liars almost deserve to get away with it.

And now the lies are unravelling.

[Beetwasher]

33. Sweet! Roll Over Safavian! Roll Over Safavian!

Hee Hee! Sing like a birdy! They'd fuck you over in a heartbeat if they could save their sorry asses, so don't even hesitate!

[texpatriot2004]

34. Check this out, a DeLay house of scandal - Abramoff & Ney

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

[donkeyotay]

35. my kingdom for a civil servant

What an unsightly mess all this privatized, GOP looting has become:

And for a White House so desperate to build public confidence in its ability to respond to the Gulf Coast disaster, it doesn't exactly help that the man who up until Friday was overseeing contracting policy for the multi-billion dollar relief effort has now been charged with lying and obstructing a criminal investigation.
. . .

"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 after Hurricane Katrina."

[Wilms]

37. kick n/t

[AlinPA]

42. I 'll bet the "cable news" channels did not cover this. Did they? n/t

[jazzjunkysue]

44. But what prison can hold them all?

What happens when all the rat traps are full? Wonder how many "suicides" are underway at this very moment? When you whack a hornet's nest to get one hornet, what do all the other hornets do?
Who will Cheney protect, and who will be served up as the next appetizer? Think Judith Miller is smiling from her jail cell tonight?
Which kind is Safavian: Kindler, or gentler? How will thy find a way to blame this on Clinton?

[wishlist]

45. Great news that the Repub financial corruption is finally being exposed

I have always thought that there must be lots of kickbacks and unethical financial dealings and violations of campaign financing involving all of the corporate lobbying, cronyism and awarding of lucrative govt contracts to Bush friends.

[Ignis]

47. This is how they'll be brought low.

"I am not a crook."

[Raiden]

46. When are all these scandals going to blow up!?

The Downing Street Minutes
Lying to Congress and the UN
The Valerie Plame Affair
Abu Ghraib
9/11 MIHOP/LIHOP
Voter Fraud in '00/'04
Halliburton
Gannon/Guckert
Abramoff Lobbying
Katrina Mismanagement
General Ineptitude and Plain ol' Stupidity


This is the worst presidency in American History--worse than Monica; worse than Whitewater; worse than Iran-Contra; worse than Watergate; worse than Teapot Dome; worse than the Whiskey Ring


WTF do you have to do to lose your job in America!? Don't we have any accountability in our government!?

[emad]

48. Update:

Ex-Bush aide didn't reveal lobbying
Arrested ex-official initially didn't tell panel about work
Susan Schmidt, R. Jeffrey Smith, Washington Post

Wednesday, September 21, 2005


SNIP:

The record of Safavian's confirmation shows extensive questioning by the committee staff about his alleged lobbying for local Muslim leader Abdurahman Alamoudi, who in October 2000 made widely publicized comments supporting Hezbollah and the Islamic Resistance Movement, or Hamas, at a rally in Lafayette Park.

Lobby disclosure forms originally filed by Safavian's firm, Janus-Merritt Strategies, show that it represented Alamoudi, a prominent Muslim activist, until 2001. Alamoudi has since been convicted and imprisoned for accepting money from the Libyan government as part of an alleged plot to assassinate the crown prince of Saudi Arabia.

Janus-Merritt Strategies changed its lobby disclosure forms in 2001 to indicate that its client was not Alamoudi but Jamal Barzinji. In March 2002, Barzinji was named in a search warrant affidavit filed by a Customs Service official as "the officer or director" of a group of entities in Northern Virginia "controlled by individuals who have shown support for terrorists or terrorist fronts." No charges have been filed against Barzinji, and he has denied any wrongdoing.

Safavian told the committee in an April 16, 2004, letter that he and his firm had never done any work for Alamoudi. He said the firm had lobbied at Barzinji's request to gain U.S. support to free the former deputy prime minister of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim, who was imprisoned for six years.

Safavian also told the committee that he had "overlooked" two other clients while preparing his initial submissions for the OMB position. He did not initially mention work as a registered foreign agent for Gabon, a country persistently rated by the United States as having a "poor" human rights record, or his work as a registered foreign agent for Pascal Lissouba, the former president of the Republic of Congo who has been tried in absentia for treason and embezzlement.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/09/21/MNGRSER31B1.DTL

[goforit]

49. LOL!!!!.......Ya, W, bring it on!!!!

One out of a thousand crooks........
it's a start.