Third Bush Administration Insider Indicted This Month on Criminal Charges

The indictment today of Vice- President Cheney's Chief of Staff Lewis Libby is the third just in October 2005 of Bush Administration insiders indicted on federal criminal charges.

Lewis "Scooter" Libby, October 28, 2005
Per the New York Times today, "A federal grand jury indicted Mr. Libby on one count of obstruction, two counts of perjury and two of making false statements in the course of an investigation that raised questions about the administration's rationale for going to war against Iraq, how it treats critics and political opponents and whether high White House officials shaded the truth."

Per AP, "If convicted on all five (counts), he could face as much as 30 years in prison and $1.25 million in fines."

Thomas Noe, October 27, 2005
Noe, Chairman of President Bush's 2004 re-election campaign in northwest Ohio, and a major fund-raiser for Bush's re-election campaign, was indicted by a federal grand jury on three counts for allegedly laundering money into President Bush’s re-election campaign.

Per the Toledo-Blade newspaper, "The three-count indictment says that beginning in October 2003, Mr. Noe contributed to President Bush’s election campaign 'over and above the limits established by the Federal Election Campaign Act.' The two other counts were for conspiracy and filing false statements.

The indictment alleges Mr. Noe’s actions caused false statements to the Federal Elections Commission and defrauded the United States and that he directed his conduit donors to fill out the false statements. Mr. Noe faces the maximum penalty of five years in prison on each count."

David H. Safavian, October 2005
Per MSNBC, "In October 2005, David H. Safavian, the top procurement official for President Bush, resigned. Three days later, he was arrested and indicted on five felony counts connected to criminal investigation of lobbyist Jack Abramoff. At the time the indictment covered, from May 2002 to January 2004, Safavian had been serving as the chief of staff at the General Services Administration. Case pending. "

The majority leaders of both houses of Congress, both close associates of the Bush Administration, are also currently facing criminal charges or pending investigation of criminal charges.

-- House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, who has "temporarily" stepped down from that position, was recently indicted on criminal charges of conspiracy to violate election laws in 2002 by a Texas grand jury. Soon after, he was also indicted on charges of money laundering by another grand jury.

-- Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist sold stock shares of a publicly held company, (which had supposedly been in a blind trust) two weeks before the company announced that earnings would not meet expectations. The U.S. Attorney has issued subpoenas to investigate the sale, and the SEC is investigating to determine if Frist engaged in "insider trader," which is illegal.
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