Oct. 7 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush's former top procurement official, David H. Safavian, pleaded not guilty to charges of obstruction and making false statements in an investigation of his dealings with lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Safavian, 38, entered the plea today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Deborah A. Robinson in federal court in Washington. He is accused of concealing the fact that Abramoff had business before the General Services Administration when Safavian sought permission to accept a paid golf trip in August 2002 to Scotland from him. Safavian was chief of staff to the GSA administrator at the time.

Safavian's lawyer, Barbara Van Gelder, said the government may want him to cooperate with other investigations into Abramoff. The lobbyist has been indicted on fraud charges in Florida, and his relationships with lawmakers including former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay have come under scrutiny. U.S. investigators are also probing whether Abramoff overbilled Indian tribes for lobbying work.

``If it wasn't for the open, active investigation into Mr. Abramoff, Mr. Safavian would not have had to enter a not-guilty plea today,'' Van Gelder, of Wiley, Rein & Fielding LLP in Washington, told reporters following the hearing. ``I think it is a leveraging maneuver.''

Washington Property

Safavian stepped down last month from his job as head of the White House's federal procurement policy office. He was chief of staff at GSA from May 16, 2002, until Jan. 10, 2004.

According to the indictment, Safavian knew Abramoff sought to buy GSA-controlled property around Washington at the time of the golf trip. Van Gelder said Safavian did nothing wrong and will fight the charges.

Safavian got approval from the GSA's ethics office for the golf trip with Abramoff, but decided to pay for the trip himself, using a check, Van Gelder said.

``In his mind, the trip was all about golf,'' she said.

If convicted, Safavian would face a maximum punishment of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each of five counts, the Justice Department said two days ago.

The case is U.S. v. Safavian, 05cr370, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

To contact the reporter on this story: Cary O'Reilly in Atlantic City at caryoreilly@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: October 7, 2005 11:41 EDT