[Mb-civic] Bush Official Arrested in Corruption Probe - Washington Post

[William Swiggard]

Bush Official Arrested in Corruption Probe

By R. Jeffrey Smith and Susan Schmidt
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, September 20, 2005; Page A01

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.

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.

Abramoff was indicted by federal prosecutors in Miami last month on 
unrelated charges of wire fraud and conspiracy. He remains the linchpin 
of an 18-month probe by a federal task force that includes the Internal 
Revenue Service, the Interior Department and the Justice Department's 
fraud and public integrity units. His lawyer did not respond to phone 
calls seeking comment.

Abramoff's allegedly improper dealings with Indian tribes -- which 
netted him and an associate at least $82 million in fees -- prompted the 
federal probe. But investigators have found that his documents and 
e-mails contain a trove of information about his aggressive efforts to 
seek favors for clients from members of Congress and senior bureaucrats.

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