Oh boy!
From a report by Philip Shenon for tomorrow's New York Times:
The former head of procurement policy for the White House budget office was indicted Wednesday on charges of obstructing investigators and lying about his ties to Jack Abramoff, the Washington lobbyist who is at the center of a federal investigation that has brought Representative Tom DeLay under scrutiny. The indictment of the former official, David H. Safavian, was the first to result from the Justice Department's larger investigation of Mr. Abramoff, a major Republican fund-raiser who was once among the most powerful lobbyists in Washington.
Administration officials acknowledged this week that the Justice Department had asked the British police to interview former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher about a meeting with Mr. DeLay during a 2000 trip to Britain arranged by Mr. Abramoff. It was the first public acknowledgment that Mr. DeLay's actions were also under investigation. Mr. DeLay stepped down as majority leader after he was indicted last week on conspiracy charges as a result of a separate, unrelated investigation in Texas. Mr. Safavian was accused in the indictment of lying about his contacts with Mr. Abramoff when Mr. Safavian was chief of staff at the General Services Administration, which is the government's property-management agency. He held that post from 2002 until 2004.
Not enough for you for one evening? There's more.
The Justice Department is investigating whether a naturalized U.S. citizen from the Philippines stole classified documents while he worked in the office of Vice President Cheney and provided the information to opposition politicians in Manila, Bush administration officials said yesterday.
Trouble pending, if we're smart
Kate Cambor posted this gem from Alexander Hamilton at TPM Cafe. It apparently was first posted by Dave Sirota at his blog.
"[The President] would be both ashamed and afraid to bring forward, for the most distinguished or lucrative stations, candidates who had no other merit than that of coming from the same State to which he particularly belonged, or of being in some way or other personally allied to him, or of possessing the necessary insignificance and pliancy to render them the obsequious instruments of his pleasure."
Trouble avoided, for the moment
The New York Times reports that there will be no investigation into former CIA officers, including former Director, George Tenet.
Porter Goss, the current director, has refused, in spite of recommendations from the CIA's Inspector General. Congress may continue to let this go, or it may not.
The 9/11 families may keep the pressure on. Goss will appear before the Senate Oxymoron Committee to explain his decision.
It might be a good idea to exert some public pressure on that committee.
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