“Forrest Gump” Defense Won't Work
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| U.S. District Court, District of Columbia photo Rep. Bob Ney and several other participants in an August 2002 golf trip to Scotland pause during play at one of the courses within the historic St. Andrews links. They are (from left) convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff, golf organizer Jason Murdoch, former Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed, former Bush administration official David Safavian and Ney, R-Heath. (via) |
Surprise, surprise, at
least the timing was for reporters, David Safavian has been convicted of
4 out of 5 counts, without Jack Abramoff's testimony.
Can you say, uh-oh, Bob
Ney? Because Safavian's conviction proves that the
“Forrest Gump style” defense won't work.
The jury found Safavian guilty of three counts of making false statements
— to the GSA Office of Inspector General, a GSA ethics official and the Senate
Indian Affairs Committee — and one count of obstructing the GSA inspector
general's investigation. He was acquitted of another charge of obstructing
an investigation by the Indian Affairs Committee.Each count carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000
fine. Safavian thus faces up to 20 years in prison for the four counts. He
is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 12 by U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman.(snip)
One such endeavor, an August 2002 trip by chartered jet to Scotland, included
golf at the Old Course at St. Andrews and other historic courses. Safavian,
then the GSA's chief of staff, was one of nine people, including Abramoff,
who went on the trip. Among the others were Ney, then chairman of
the House Administration Committee; Ralph Reed, a lobbyist and former leader
of the Christian Coalition; and Neil G. Volz, a lobbying associate of Abramoff's
who formerly worked on Ney's staff. The total cost of the trip came to more
than $130,000.(snip)
However, according to the indictment, Abramoff by then had repeatedly contacted
Safavian about the possibility of leasing the Old Post Office, a century-old
Washington building managed by the GSA, for his clients. Abramoff also had
secretly enlisted Safavian in an effort to acquire 40 acres of land on the
site of the GSA-managed Naval Surface Warfare Center – White Oak, a 600-acre
property in Silver Spring, Md. Abramoff wanted the land to use as a campus
for a Hebrew school he had founded.According to a criminal complaint, Safavian lied about his contacts with
Abramoff on three occasions after his initial false statement to the GSA ethics
officer about the trip to Scotland. …
Mr. Ney, wake up and smell the burning embers around you.
It's another good day for Sherrod
Brown.
But you've really got to wonder how the Golden Boy of the South, Ralph Reed,
is taking all this. It can't help his
Georgia campaign, which has been tanking for months. Sure, he's got Sean
Hannity taking pictures with him. But the last person Hannity backed didn't
do too well. In fact, it turned out that her husband was a felon and had actually
fathered a child while they were married. With help like that Ralph would be
better off alone. Considering the Republican Party of Georgia has walked away
from him, he is.
Documents in a Washington corruption trial Friday once-again highlighted
former Christian Coalition leader and lieutenant governor candidate Ralph
Reed's relationship with disgraced Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff.Scotland travel records read by an F-B-I agent showed that Reed joined Abramoff
and others — including one congressman — on a weeklong golf trip to Scotland
and England in August 2002.The travel records surfaced in the trial of long-time Abramoff friend David
Safavian — the former top procurement official in the Bush administration.F-B-I agent Jeffrey Reising testified that money for the trip came from Indian
tribes and a Russian liquor distributor and that it was paid to the Capital
Athletic Association — an Abramoff-controlled entity.The records show that the private jet chartered by Abramoff cost 92-thousand
dollars — while the golfing party enjoyed accommodations at luxury hotels
in Scotland and London that cost thousands of dollars for each participant.Records
detail Scotland golfing excursion by Bob Ney, Ralph Reed
Poor Ralph, he
just can't catch a break.
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