Posted on 04/14/2006 8:23:45 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - A batch of 278 e-mails between lobbyist Jack Abramoff and a Bush administration official show a highly inappropriate relationship where gifts and business interests mixed freely and frequently, federal prosecutors said Friday.
The prosecutors hope to use the e-mails in the criminal case against David Safavian, who is accused of lying and obstruction of justice in connection with investigations of an Abramoff-sponsored golf outing to Scotland in August 2002.
The e-mails show that Abramoff and Safavian, then chief of staff at the General Services Administration, were in frequent contact, played golf often and traded workplace gossip. Abramoff showered Safavian with offers of meals, invitations to parties as well as the trip to the fabled St. Andrew's golf course in Scotland.
One message from Abramoff, sent July 23, 2002, asks Safavian, "golf Friday? golf Sunday? golf Monday? golf, golf, golf!!"
At the same time, Abramoff is peppering Safavian with questions and requests for his help on a variety of projects, including obtaining parcels of federal land that were managed by GSA for Abramoff's charitable groups.
"The e-mails demonstrate that Mr. Safavian's relationship with Mr. Abramoff was highly inappropriate," prosecutors wrote in a court filing accompanying the e-mails.
Prosecutors and Safavian's attorneys are engaged in a legal fight over how much of this material should be shown to the jury during Safavian's upcoming trial, which is scheduled to begin May 22.
Barbara Van Gelder, a lawyer for Safavian, described the court filing as "a press release that allows the government to place inadmissible hearsay documents into the public record right before trial."
Van Gelder said that while Abramoff offered Safavian meals, trips and sports tickets, the "evidence shows that Mr. Safavian either declined the offers or paid for the expense with his own money. There is no conspiracy. There is no agreement. This is the government's attempt to inflate a flat case with hot air."
Sometimes Safavian responds to Abramoff with an invitation of his own, insisting in one instance that they play golf at Safavian's club in Springfield, Va. On another occasion, just after the Scotland trip, Safavian told Abramoff that he recommended the lobbyist to an architectural and engineering firm that wanted to become eligible for federal contracts. He titled his e-mail, "Client Development."
When Abramoff invited Safavian and his wife to have their anniversary dinner at Abramoff's Signatures restaurant in downtown Washington, Safavian declined, saying he was preparing veal cutlets a la suisse at home.
Van Gelder has said that the government has been trying to pressure Safavian to provide information about Abramoff and others who are part of the wide-ranging investigation of lobbying fraud and public corruption.
Abramoff is cooperating with federal investigators. He pleaded guilty in January to federal charges of conspiracy, tax evasion and mail fraud.
The e-mails also reveal that in early 2002 Safavian thought about leaving his congressional staff job for Abramoff's firm, Greenberg Traurig. Abramoff strongly supported that idea, but Safavian apparently never received an offer, according to the e-mails.
"Just spoke with Fred. He asked what I am going to do. I told him I was leaning towards GSA, but was waiting to hear back from GT. Unfortunately he didn't talk any numbers," Safavian wrote Abramoff on April 30.
An hour later, Abramoff replied: "This is crap. Should I call Fred right now? you should get a ... offer!!! Idiots over here!!"
Instead, Safavian moved from Congress to the General Services Administration.
The two men also looked for opportunities to get Abramoff together with GSA Administrator Stephen A. Perry. Safavian tells Abramoff the GSA July 4 party would be a good place to meet Perry. Abramoff at one point suggests bringing Perry along to Scotland. Perry was not part of that trip.
I have personally never heard of this "Bush Aide". And I follow politics rather closely.
Oh the corruption!!!
Going for 20,000 so soon?
Calling some guy in the GSA "a Bush Administration official" is like calling the guy at the corner newsstand a New York Times official. How much time do Presidents spend with people at GSA? Do they talk to them about motor pool issues?
Its AP, it must true. This just in, the world is flat, global warming only occurs when the sun is out, otherwise its global cooling, and thermonuclear bombs are only a threat to mankind if they are stored in an SUV.
Doesn't sound like he was a check signer. A staff guy is my take.
AP is carrying the Democrat's "Culture of Corruption" water.
and yes, a tree does make a sound when it topples even if no one is around. ;-)
Can't tell where one ends and the other begins.
He wrote and adminstrated pages 3000 to 3060 of the 20000 page Federal Procurement Policy.
Would be interesting to see where these guy had a desk. I'm betting it's not anywhere near 1600 Penn.
I'd bet you're right. My guess would be a windowless office somewhere east of Andrews Air Force Base.
The phone sez:
Office of Federal Procurement Policy 725 17th Street, NW, Room 352 Washington, DC 20503 Telephone: (202) 395-5802 FAX: (202) 395-3242
Not even in the Old Exec. Guess Bush has to take walk when he wants to see his "aide"...
From the article, I can't see that Safavain did anything wrong. Now, he may have lied to investigators about something, but I see no harm in anything described in this article. Am I missing something???
Yeah, Bush and Safavian are nearly inseparable, I hear.
Yes! You are missing the GOP Culture Of Corruption!!! < /sar>
at this point, not sure but you may be right,
I suspect its a way for ap to toss mud in the air and see if it sticks to anyone
giving access to any "news org" before trial seems kind of skinky to me..
Probably just part of the Friday Afternoon Dump.(Holiday weekend etc.)
Thank you for taking my call.Here's the headline the Washington Bureau put on it
E-Mails Cited in Lobbyist, Bush Aide TiesSee this link and you'll see that DC's headline based on all the copies:
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&ie=ISO-8859-1&ncl=http://www.forbes.com/entrepreneurs/feeds/ap/2006/04/14/ap2671714.htmlHere's OMB's org chart
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/omb_org_chart.pdfHere's the address:
Office of Federal Procurement Policy 725 17th Street, NW, Room 352 Washington, DC 20503 Telephone: (202) 395-5802 FAX: (202) 395-3242Sarafin worked a block AWAY from the White House and a couple of levels down in OFPP/OMB.
To call him an aide to Bush is a gross distortion. Based on past distortions out of AP's Washington Bureau I have observed, I do not concur that it's perhaps a mistake.
In the past, when I call the National Desk, I am told to call the DC Bureau. That's like calling the police and being told to call the robbers and ask if they'll bring my TV back.
Someone needs to at least take a look at DC's output. If I am correct, they will give AP a reputation for bias like the New York Times or CNN. If ignored, someone will set up www.apwatch.org like there is www.timeswatch.org for the NYT. Believe me, there's enough that I see myself to stock such a website.
Often, I call Joe Natoli, publisher of both papers in Philly (Inquirer and Daily News) and Paul Mikle, editor at the Trentonian to pass along my observation on questionable stories out of the DC Bureau. Both answer their own phones and they listen. I'll hold off on this one awaiting a reply.
Thanks again reviewing this complaint.
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