A federal appeals court is wrestling with whether the Bush administration's former top procurement official got a fair trial the second time around in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal.
On Friday, a Justice Department lawyer and an attorney for David Safavian (suh-FAY'-vee-uhn) underwent intense questioning by two of three judges hearing the former White House official's appeal.
Safavian's lawyers say he was the victim of vindictive prosecution at his second trial, in which he was convicted of obstructing justice and making false statements to investigators.
Safavian's convictions rest in part on new charges that the government added after Safavian's successful appeal following conviction at his first trial in 2006.
