The lawyer for a former White House official says his arrest is an attempt to coerce him into cooperating with the probe into disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

David Safavian, 38, is accused of lying to investigators about his dealings with Abramoff in the summer of 2002. As chief of staff at the General Services Administration, he allegedly failed to disclose that he advised Abramoff about obtaining surplus federal land at the same time he went on a golf outing to Scotland with Abramoff.

Safavian's lawyer says the charges are bogus and will be contested. The lawyer questioned the Department of Justice's handling of the case, calling it a "creative" attempt to force cooperation of the Abramoff probe.

After leaving the GSA, Safavian went to work at the White House Office of Management and Budget as the agency's top procurement official. He resigned abruptly on Friday and was arrested on Monday.

Get the Story:
Lawyer of Ex-Official Sees Coercion in His Arrest (The New York Times 9/22)
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Ex-OMB official will fight criminal allegations (Government Executive News 9/21)

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