Former General Services Administration procurement official David Safavian was found guilty today on four of the five charges against him of lying and obstruction. The jury found him guilty of lying to the GSA Inspector General and the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, as well as obstructing the GSA Inspector General. He was acquitted of obstructing the investigation of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee.
Here's an article.
The first trial in the whole Abramoff scandal is nearing its end, with both the prosecution and the defense making closing arguments on Monday. The prosecution reiterated its contention that David Safavian lied about and covered up his association with Jack Abramoff:
David Safavian, the former chief of staff at the General Services Administration, "was trying to hide a secret, inappropriate and unethical relationship with Mr. Abramoff," prosecutor Nathaniel Edmonds told a federal jury in final arguments.
Edmonds said that every public official has "moments of truth" in which he can act ethically or unethically and that Safavian failed the test by lying to the GSA's ethics officer, the agency's office of inspector general and a Senate committee.
The Safavian trial is just the beginning of the legal portion of the Abramoff scandal, but it surely won't be the last. After the jury verdict in this case, much more justice remains to be handed down.
Former government procurement official David Safavian is just one of the public figures to be exposed in the Abramoff scandal. He went on a luxury golfing trip to St. Andrews in Scotland in 2002 with Abramoff, Bob Ney and others. There have been the recognizable rounds of public statements, lawyer's comments and excuses for his close relationship with the disgraced lobbyist.
As Safavian's legal case progresses, many papers have been covering the story; today's Washington Post reports:
The lawyer for Bush administration executive David Safavian plans a short defense to charges he concealed giving assistance from his government post to his former partner, Republican influence-peddler Jack Abramoff.
Prosecutors rested their case Thursday after a Senate investigator testified Safavian gave contradictory accounts last
year about whether or not he accepted free chartered jet travel on a 2002 golfing trip to Scotland that Abramoff arranged.
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