Now that the Abramoff probe has yielded a conviction that touches the White House, I wonder how they will spin it:
David H. Safavian, a former Bush administration official with close ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, was found guilty today in federal court of four of five felony charges against him in connection with the Abramoff corruption and influence-peddling scandal.
The verdict was announced shortly after the jury of two men and 10 women began their fifth day of deliberations in Washington following the trial of Safavian on charges of making false statements to federal officials and obstruction of justice.
Safavian, 38, a former chief of staff of the General Services Administration and top federal procurement officer, was accused of lying about a 2002 golfing trip to Scotland with Abramoff and obstructing an investigation by the GSA inspector general and other investigators. He was also charged with concealing his efforts to help Abramoff acquire control of two federally managed properties in the Washington area.
He became the first person to be put on trial in connection with Abramoff, who pleaded guilty in January to fraud and conspiracy charges. Four other former Abramoff associates also have pleaded guilty so far. As part of their plea deals, they have agreed to cooperate in an investigation of Rep. Robert W. Ney (R-Ohio) and other lawmakers allegedly embroiled in a broad public corruption scandal involving the acceptance of various inducements in return for official acts. Ney denies any wrongdoing.
Safavian had resigned from the White House on a Friday and was indicted on the follow Monday which indicates he resigned because of the indictment. I am sure the White House and the right-wing talking heads will try to say this doesn’t involve the White House, but they will be totally wrong. Safavian was the head of procurement and in charge of billions and that power is what led to his corruption.
Christie has a word to the wise that are under investigation in the Abramoff scandal:
Word to the wise: first one to cut the deal gets the better one — the longer you wait, the less likely you are to get a deal. I’m just saying. The squeeze is on, and those who fess up early will only have to deal with short penitentiary time. The longer you wait, the longer you get…try keeping that in mind the next time you look at your family and friends.
Oh, and Ralphie boy — they’ve got all those e-mails about your Texas gambling scam. You think that’s not gonna come out over the next few months of campaigning? Come to Jesus, Ralphie. And cough up everything you have on your co-conspirators. You’ll enjoy the confessional, and you might save something other than just your ass for a change. The public dime doesn’t need to be wasted on the likes of you.
The prosecutors are out to look for the bigger fish. Safavian wasn’t really one of those fish, instead he took a loosing gamble at his day in court and justice prevailed. We are now seeing that the investigators had built a solid case and they will continue to do so. With that being said, I would not be surprised if further plea deals are made and this keeps going higher up the chain in the Republican Party. Of course every day that goes by is a day closer to the mid-term elections and these cases only hurt the Republicans.