National Desk

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun
NY Sun
NEW YORK SUN CONTRIBUTOR

WASHINGTON


FORMER CHIEF PROCUREMENT OFFICER INDICTED IN LOBBYIST PROBE


The Bush administration’s former chief procurement official was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury on charges of making false statements and obstructing investigations into high-powered Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff. The five felony counts in the indictment charge David Safavian with obstructing Senate and executive branch investigations into whether he aided Mr. Abramoff in efforts to acquire property controlled by the General Services Administration around the nation’s capital.


– Associated Press


SUPREME COURT RETURNS TO PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED SUICIDE


Chief Justice Roberts yesterday sharply questioned a lawyer arguing for preservation of Oregon’s physician-assisted suicide law, noting the federal government’s tough regulation of addictive drugs.


Chief Justice Roberts, hearing his first oral argument since succeeding William Rehnquist at the helm of the court, seemed skeptical of the Oregon law, and the outcome of this case was as unclear after the argument as it was before.


Voters in Oregon have twice endorsed doctor-assisted suicide, but the Bush administration has aggressively challenged the state law, the only one of its kind in the nation.


– Associated Press


DELAY AND BLUNT SWAPPED DONATIONS BETWEEN SECRETIVE GROUPS


Tom DeLay deliberately raised more money than he needed to throw parties at the 2000 presidential convention, then diverted some of the excess to longtime ally Roy Blunt through a series of donations that benefited both men’s causes.


When the financial carousel stopped, Mr. DeLay’s private charity, the consulting firm that employed Mr. DeLay’s wife and the Missouri campaign of Mr. Blunt’s son, all ended up with money, according to campaign documents reviewed by the Associated Press.


Jack Abramoff, a Washington lobbyist recently charged in an ongoing federal corruption and fraud investigation, and Jim Ellis, the DeLay fundraiser indicted with his boss last week in Texas, also came into the picture.


The complicated transactions are drawing scrutiny in legal and political circles after a grand jury indicted Mr. DeLay on charges of violating Texas law with a scheme to launder illegal corporate donations to state candidates.


– Associated Press


GUILTY PLEA ENTERED IN PENTAGON SPYING CASE


A top Pentagon analyst with expertise in the Middle East pleaded guilty yesterday to giving classified information to an Israeli embassy official and members of a pro-Israel lobbying group.


Lawrence Franklin, 58, said during a plea hearing that he was frustrated with the government and that he had hoped the two members of the lobbying group could use their connections at the National Security Council to influence American policy.


He also admitted giving classified information to a political official at the Israeli embassy, but said the information he received from the official was far more valuable than what he gave.


“I knew in my heart that his government had this information,” Franklin said. “He gave me far more information than I gave him.”


Franklin, of Kearneysville, W.Va., pleaded guilty to two conspiracy counts and a charge of unlawful retention of national defense information.


He faces up to 25 years in prison but is expected to get far less under federal sentencing guidelines. U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III set sentencing for January 20. Franklin, who was one of the Pentagon’s policy experts on Iran and the Middle East, was indicted in June on five charges.


The two officials at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee who allegedly received information also have been charged with conspiring to obtain and disclose classified American defense information.


AIPAC fired Steven Rosen, of Silver Spring, Md., and Keith Weissman, of Bethesda, Md., in April. Both the lobbying organization and Israel have denied any wrongdoing.


According to the indictment, Franklin met periodically with Messrs. Rosen and Weissman between 2002 and 2004 and discussed classified information, including information about potential attacks on troops in Iraq.


– Associated Press


CIA CHIEF: NO ACCOUNTABILITY REVIEW FOR 9/11 FAILURES


Contrary to recommendations from his own internal watchdog, CIA Director Porter Goss will not order disciplinary reviews for a former director, George Tenet, and other officials criticized for their performance before the September 11 attacks.


Mr. Goss said in a statement yesterday that the report from the CIA’s inspector general, John Helgerson, did not suggest “that any one person or group of people could have prevented 9/11.”


“After great consideration of this report and its conclusions, I will not convene an accountability board to judge the performances of any individual CIA officers,” Mr. Goss said. Half of those named in the report have retired from the CIA. “Those who are still with us are amongst the finest we have,” Mr. Goss said.


Lawmakers investigating the attacks asked the inspector generals of the CIA and other agencies to review whether any officials should be held personally accountable for failures before the suicide hijackings of September 11, 2001.


– Associated Press


SOUTH


TROPICAL STORM TAMMY FORMS OFF FLORIDA


JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Tropical Storm Tammy formed just off Florida’s east coast yesterday and could bring tornadoes, heavy rains, and coastal erosion to northern Florida and parts of Georgia and the Carolinas.


Tammy, with winds of 40 mph, was centered about 20 miles east of Cape Canaveral at 7:30 a.m. and was moving to the north-northwest at 16 mph. It is expected to parallel the coast and gradually slow its forward motion.


– Associated Press


SCIENCE


AMERICANS, FRENCHMAN WIN NOBEL PRIZE IN CHEMISTRY


Two Americans and a French scientist won the Nobel Prize in chemistry yesterday for developing a chemical “dance” that makes molecules swap atoms, a process now used to create medicines, plastics, and other products with more efficiency and less environmental hazard.


The $1.3 million prize will be shared by Robert Grubbs, 63, of the California Institute of Technology; Richard Schrock, 60, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Yves Chauvin, 74, honorary director of research at the Institut Francais du Petrole in Rueil-Malmaison, France.


– Associated Press


MIDDLE ATLANTIC


FILMMAKER SUES KERRY OVER DOCUMENTARY


PHILADELPHIA – A filmmaker has sued Senator Kerry and a one-time campaign aide, saying they defamed him as they sought to block the broadcast of an anti-Kerry documentary during the 2004 presidential election.


The lawsuit, filed this week on behalf of producer Carlton Sherwood and a Vietnam veterans group, is the latest salvo in the battle over the documentary “Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal.” The film contends that Mr. Kerry’s anti-war activities when he returned from Vietnam caused further harm to captured American soldiers. The Sinclair Broadcast Group canceled plans to air the documentary during the Bush-Kerry race and instead showed only portions of it as part of a broader program. The Democratic National Committee had complained that “Stolen Honor” amounted to an illegal in-kind contribution to President Bush’s campaign, and Mr. Kerry’s campaign asked for equal time. Mr. Sherwood’s suit alleges that Mr. Kerry directed the DNC to issue a statement that falsely said the film was produced and funded by “extreme right-wing activists.”


– Associated Press


WEST


FORMER PRESIDENT’S SON SEEKS NEVADA SENATE SEAT


CARSON CITY, Nev. – A son of President Carter, Jack Carter, says he’s considering a run against Senator Ensign, a Republican of Nevada, in 2006. Mr. Carter, 58, and his wife, Elizabeth, have lived in Las Vegas since 2003,operating an investment consulting firm. He said he began looking at the Senate race following Hurricane Katrina, adding he was offended by the federal government’s response to the disaster.


– Associated Press

NY Sun
NEW YORK SUN CONTRIBUTOR

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.


The New York Sun

© 2025 The New York Sun Company, LLC. All rights reserved.

Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The material on this site is protected by copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used.

The New York Sun

Sign in or  Create a free account

or
By continuing you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use