Another Crony Appointment: Resigned, then Arrested

Friday David Safavian, head of the powerful Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Office of Federal Procurement Policy, resigned. Yesterday, he was arrested and charged with making false statements and obstruction of a federal investigation.

Government Executive magazine published an article when Safavian was appointed:

"He doesn't have a lot of background in procurement, so the hope is that he's a good learner," says Steven Kelman, who served as federal procurement administrator in the Clinton administration.

His qualifications for his position? As usual, his connections.

Did I mention that before he signed on with the Bush administration Safavian worked for Jack Abramoff at Preston Gates?

And his former business partner of Grover Norquist.

Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase 'flip-flop'.

Good overviews from the Project on Government Oversight Blog:

Top Procurement Official Safavian Arrested

Safavian the Lobbyist

And the hits just keep on coming.