Jennifer Safavian

Jennifer McLaughlin Safavian, is one of twelve counsels for oversight and investigations on the United States Congress House Government Reform Committee, which is responsible for overseeing government procurement.

Marriage

Jennifer is the wife of David Safavian, a former White House official and former chief of staff at the United States General Services Administration. David Safavian was caught up in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal, and in 2006, was convicted of one count of obstruction of agency proceedings (18 USC sec. 1505) and three counts of making false statements (18 USC sec. 1001). However, on June 17, 2008, the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia reversed these convictions.

Jennifer married David Safavian in 1995, and they have a school age daughter. David and Jennifer are both alumni of the Michigan State University College of Law.

Education

Jennifer Safavian is a graduate of Saint Louis University. In law school she served as a Managing Editor of the Law Review. From July 1997 until March 2000, she worked for the House Government Reform Committee where, in March 1998, she was named Chief Counsel and later named Deputy Staff Director for the Subcommittee on the Census. During her tenure at the Subcommittee on the Census, Ms. Safavian conducted oversight of the Department of Commerce's census operations and participated in negotiations with the Administration to resolve the dispute surrounding the use of statistical sampling in the 2000 census. Prior to government service, Ms. Safavian was in private law practice at Plunkett & Cooney in Detroit, Michigan and Dombroff & Gilmore in Washington, D.C. [http://www.oic-starr.gov/p000306.htm]

In March 2000, she joined the Office of the Independent Counsel as Associate Independent Counsel under Robert W. Ray (the successor to Kenneth Starr). Later she returned to Congress, as counsel for the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and currently as one of about 12 counsels on the [http://www.congress.org/congressorg/directory/committees.tt?commid=hgove staff] of the House Government Reform Committee for oversight and investigations.

External links

* [http://www.law.msu.edu/amicus/su_2002/current_media/Safavian-Jennifer-002.jpgPhoto: Jennifer Safavian]
* [http://www.voanews.com/english/images/apDavidSafavian20Jun06210.jpgPhoto: Jennifer Safavian]
* [http://www.oic-starr.gov/p000306.htm Appointment of Jennifer Safavian as Associate Independent Counsel] , United States Office of the Independent Counsel, March 6, 2000.
*Linda Norlock. [http://www.law.msu.edu/amicus/su_2002/safavian.html David & Jennifer Safavian apply legal knowledge to public service] , "Amicus Online", Michigan State University College of Law's magazine, Summer 2002.
*Jonathan Kaplan. [http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/092105/bush.html Arrest of top Bush official makes wife a political issue for Democrats] , "The Hill", September 21, 2005.
* [http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:pf4uoBtyJtsJ:www.waynemadsenreport.com/jan21-2606.htm+Jennifer+Safavian&hl=en&gl=ca&ct=clnk&cd=42 Tom Davis, Abramoff, Jennifer, and David Safavian] , "Wayne Madsen Report", January 25, 2006.