A former White House official who was arrested as part of the probe into disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff also has ties to Republican anti-tax activist Grover Norquist and once represented foreigners with alleged links to terrorism and human rights abuses.

David H. Safavian initially failed to disclose his lobbying work for suspected terrorists and reputed dictators when he went before the Senate for his confirmation at the White House Office of Management and Budget. The Senate confirmed him anyway in late November 2004, The Washington Post reported.

The questionable lobbying work occurred at the Janus-Merritt Strategies firm, which Safavian formed with Norquist after working with Abramoff at another firm. Norquist has been linked to the Abramoff scandal many times.

Safavian's wife is the chief counsel for oversight and investigations on the House Government Reform Committee, which is investigating the federal government's response to Hurricane Katrina. While at OMB, Safavian was in charge of federal procurement.

Democrats say the arrest of Safavian raises conflict-of-interest issues because he may have made procurement decisions affecting Katrina. Democrats also questioned whether Safavian was qualified for the job.

Safavian was arrested on Monday for allegedly obstructing the probe into Abramoff and lying about his involvement with a government deal that involved Abramoff. He resigned his OMB post on Friday. He was previously the chief of staff for the General Services Administration.

Get the Story:
Aide Was Reticent on Lobbying for Foreign Clients (The Washington Post 9/21)
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Democrats Say Relief Effort Needs Independent Inquiry (The New York Times 9/21)
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Arrest of top Bush official makes wife a political issue for Dems (The Hill 9/21)
Cannon Former Chief Of Staff Arrested (AP 9/21)

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