Someone Has To Go First

Let's start with this guy. NYTimes (09.20.05):

"A senior White House budget official who resigned abruptly last week was arrested Monday on charges of lying to investigators and obstructing a federal inquiry involving Jack Abramoff, the Republican lobbyist who has been under scrutiny by the Justice Department for more than a year. The arrest of the official, David H. Safavian, head of procurement policy at the Office of Management and Budget, was the first to result from the wide-ranging corruption investigation of Mr. Abramoff, once among the most powerful and best-paid lobbyists in Washington and a close friend of Representative Tom DeLay, the House majority leader." Ex-White House Aide Charged in Corruption Case

Jack, "a former lobbying partner of Mr. Safavian, was indicted last month in Florida on unrelated federal fraud charges." Florida is where Jack got mixed up in the SunCruz Casino caper. Pants on fire? "The Justice Department said Mr. Safavian had been specifically charged with making false statements to investigators about his efforts at the General Services Administration in 2002 to help Mr. Abramoff acquire two large pieces of government-owned property in the Washington area, including the historic Old Post Office Building on Pennsylvania Avenue." "The department said Mr. Safavian had also lied to ethics officials at the agency, which manages federal property, when he sought approval to accept free transportation from Mr. Abramoff for the golf trip to Scotland that summer. According to court documents, Mr. Safavian told the ethics office that Mr. Abramoff had no business with the agency at the time, an assertion that was repeated in a separate interview this May with the Federal Bureau of Investigation." LATimes (09.20.05):

"According to the affidavit made public Monday, Safavian assisted the lobbyist in trying to acquire 40 acres of land controlled by the GSA for the school. Nonetheless, Safavian told an ethics official that the lobbyist 'had no business before GSA and did all of his work on Capitol Hill.' The former GSA chief of staff 'also omitted the fact that [Abramoff] was actively seeking assistance from the GSA and that Safavian was aiding in that effort,' the affidavit said." Bush Appointee Is Arrested in Obstruction Case

The feds got emails. Jack emails Dave asking about the GSA and some property in Maryland. Dave emails Jack back "giving details of the property's status and suggesting that the two of them discuss the matter." Jack can't keep his trap shut, and tells "a colleague that Safavian was helping with the effort to secure the property." Jack then sends another email describing how he sent his wife to "to a meeting at the GSA...because he didn't want to attract attention due to his own 'high profile politically.' Safavian attended the meeting, according to the complaint." Dave also got caught giving Jack "specific advice on the drafting of a letter to the GSA regarding the property." Oooops!!! Ahhhh, Jack. Along with Mr. Safavian, Jack sure has worked with a lotta folks in this Administration: Jack and the Department of the Interior. Jack and Grover Norquist. Jack goes to Pakistan. Jack and the Northern Mariana Islands. Jack and the Indian Casino Gaming caper. Jack goes to Scotland. Jack likes basketball. Jack was a VeryBusyFella. Jack and his lawyer (Lawyer on the left)