Probe of lobbyist turns to Interior chief (Gale Norton)

[deminks]

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_3158230?rss

Washington - An investigation of Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his dealings with tribal gambling interests is turning to Gale Norton's Interior Department.

In the Coushatta case, Abramoff focused on the Interior Department, allegedly turning to those with access to Norton to try to persuade her to block the casino proposal of the rival Jena Band of Choctaw Indians.

One of those people was a former Colorado political operative, Italia Federici, who is expected to testify before the McCain committee next week.

Federici worked to arrange meetings with Norton for the Coushatta chairman and warned Interior officials about Christian conservatives' displeasure with the Jena casino proposal. It later turned out that Abramoff had helped whip up the Christian opposition to the casino.

[aquart]

1. Abramoff thought he was just the cleverest thing...

[maddezmom]

2. kick to combine

[WhiteTara]

3. Probe of lobbyist turns to Interior dept.(Hearings this week)

Okay, this is really good timing. The Abramoff trial can now take center stage for awhile.

http://www.denverpost.com/nationworld/ci_3158230

Washington - An investigation of Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his dealings with tribal gambling interests is turning to Gale Norton's Interior Department.

Senate Indian Affairs Committee chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., will hold a hearing next week to delve into Abramoff's dealings with the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana.

snip

After she restarted the organization in Washington in 2000 as the Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy, or CREA, Federici became a link between Abramoff and Interior Department officials on gambling issues, according to documents obtained by The Denver Post.

Oh for a complete house cleaning.

Abramoff directed his tribal clients to donate $250,000 to CREA, and Federici helped set up meetings for Abramoff's clients with key Interior Department officials, documents show.

[napi21]

4. Good for John McCain. I'm glad to see at least ONE Pub do

his job! I'm also thrilled to see that Abramoff seems to have touched almost EVERY Pub in the Country! I hope he brings them ALL down with him!!!!

[babylonsister]

5. OK, this might alter my opinion of McCain

if he follows through and goes for the whole house cleaning.

I just don't see it from him; he has aspirations and made decisions that translate to selling his soul. Why stop now?

[badgervan]

6. Norton

The one individual most responsible for the weakening of our environmental laws over the past 5 years is Gale Norton. It is way past time to put the brakes on her and the Interior Dept. These types have to be exposed, and put out of power.

[newyawker99]

12. Hi badgervan!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[WhiteTara]

7. maybe he'll be so angry over the misadmin's

torture stance that he will see them all for the blood suckers they are and will stand up for humans. But he has disappointed me before.

[babylonsister]

8. It would be lovely if a whole bunch of our representatives

stopped spieling their or any party's platform and admit that this current admin sucks lemons and are ruining our country.
What the hell is it going to take?
I'm very hopeful w/Fitz. Now I want Congress to get off their collective asses and call for an inquiry regarding how and WHY we got into this war.

[Jackpine Radical]

11. Torture has been going on for 3 years now, at Gitmo & elsewhere.

Only lately do we get a little whimper of protest from McCain. I keep seeing him hugging up to Shrub at the '04 Convention. Bullshit. Screw McCain. He's as bad as the rest.

[Straight Shooter]

9. The Abramoff investigation is the real boot on the GOP's neck.

Now that the Fitzgerald investigation is on slow simmer, now that bush and cheney are being eyed more suspiciously by the American public, perhaps the media will puh-leeze do its job and thoroughly cover the Abramoff scandal.

Lies, bribes, coercion, money laundering, gangland slaying, it's all just another day at the office for the GOP.

[Robert Oak]

10. Domino theory

But can we get the corrupt Senators and House Reps?

Everyday they pass yet another corpocrat bill and screw the american people. They are seriously doing damage and most is not reported
in the media...

[radfringe]

14. he's connected

to Delay and "Official A" (rove?) :popcorn:

[yellowcanine]

13. Good. Gale Norton is one of the gaggle of kleptocrats that populates the

Bush maladministration. She "serves" in the fine tradition of James Watt, the best friend the environmental rapists ever had at Interior.