Official’s Help for Abramoff Described

A convicted lobbyist described Tuesday how he obtained insider information and advice from Bush administration procurement chief David Safavian to advance two projects for Republican influence-peddler Jack Abramoff, who then took the official on a lavish golf trip to Scotland.

Neil Volz, a partner of Abramoff’s at the time, also outlined in U.S. District Court how the Abramoff team received assistance from several Republican congressmen or their aides, including Reps. Bob Ney of Ohio, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Don Young of Alaska and Steven C. LaTourette of Ohio.

The government’s star witness against Safavian, Volz was a former chief of staff to Ney. Volz has pleaded guilty to conspiracy for some of the behavior he testified about. Facing an 18- to 24-month prison sentence, he hopes cooperation with prosecutors will win him probation instead.

Just weeks after the assistance, Safavian, Ney and two members of Ney’s staff accompanied Abramoff, Volz and other Abramoff associates on an August 2002 golf trip to Scotland and then to London. Volz said the bills for $500-a-night hotel rooms in London, $100 rounds of drinks, $400 rounds of golf, dinners and travel on a private Gulfstream jet were paid by Abramoff and his staff, and he never saw Safavian pay any expenses.

On cross-examination, Safavian’s lawyer Barbara Van Gelder got Volz to admit that Safavian told him in Scotland he was paying Abramoff $3,100 for his expenses.

She also got Volz to acknowledge he once said that figure was “low but reasonable.” But Volz said that by “reasonable” he only meant that reporters wouldn’t question it. “I was more concerned about spin than potential legal consequences,” Volz added.