Ex-Bush official hid ties to Abramoff, US says

[tocqueville]

By Deborah Charles
32 minutes ago


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal prosecutors said on Wednesday that a former Bush administration official lied to investigators and hid his ties to Jack Abramoff, the lobbyist at the center of an influence-peddling scandal.

In opening statements at the first trial in connection with the Abramoff scandal, prosecutors tried to paint David Safavian as a liar while his lawyer denied the charges and accused the government of basing its case on "guilt by association."

Justice Department lawyer Peter Zeidenberg said Safavian took advantage of his position to help his friend, a former top Washington lobbyist with strong ties to leaders in Congress, particularly in the Republican Party.

"He worked first and foremost to further the interest of one particular individual -- a rich and powerful lobbyist and personal friend of the defendant, Jack Abramoff," Zeidenberg told 12 jurors and two alternates.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060524/pl_nm/crime_safavian_dc_4

hope it's not a dupe

[neoblues]

1. But when will they report the more important truth...

That "Bush Hid Ties to Abramoff". The bordering on humorous--utterly absurdly revised/incomplete records (or convenient absence of records) of Abramoff's visits to the White House are but the tip of an iceberg here. They're just too clever--they have to screw up and get caught somehow. On this or something else, one can hardly wait.