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Politics
White House official arrested in Abramoff probe


A White House official resigned on Friday and was arrested on Monday in connection with the probe into disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

David Safavian, the head of procurement policy at the White House Office of Management and Budget, is accused of lying to investigators and obstructing a federal probe into "Lobbyist A." News reports identified "Lobbyist A" as Abramoff, who is being investigated for allegedly bilking tribes out of at least $66 million and has been charged for bank fraud in a non-Indian gaming deal.

Safavian allegedly concealed his ties to Abramoff as he sought to help Abramoff obtain two pieces of government property in Washington, D.C. At the time, Safavian was chief of staff at the General Services Administration, the agency that deals with disposed federal property.

Safavian also allegedly lied to federal investigators about taking a golf trip to Scotland with Abramoff in 2002 [DOJ Press Release]. The GSA dealings occurred at the time of the trip, according to news reports.

Safavian worked with Abramoff at the Preston, Gates & Ellis firm. According to a September 1 article by Raw Story, Safavian's clients included the National Indian Gaming Association, the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians, the Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and non-Indian gaming interests.

In 2001, Safavian left the firm to work as chief of staff for Utah Congressman Chris Cannon (R-Utah), an opponent of all forms of gambling. According to Raw Story, Safavian then steered tribal gaming donations to Cannon.

Get the Story:
Bush Official Arrested in Corruption Probe (The Washington Post 9/20)
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Ex-White House Aide Charged in Corruption Case (The New York Times 9/20)
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Former Bush Administration Official Charged (AP 9/20)
Bush official quits, is arrested (The Salt Lake Tribune 9/20)
U.S. Prosecutors Open New Abramoff Front With Land-Deal Charges (Bloomberg News 9/20)
Key OMB official arrested (Government Executive News 9/19)

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