Norton protected Griles after $1M investigation
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Former Interior secretary Gale Norton refused to rebuke her top deputy, J. Steven Griles, despite his questionable behaviors, a top official said on Wednesday.
In striking testimony to a House subcommittee, Interior Inspector General Earl E. Devaney described an ethical void at the department. "Simply stated, short of a crime, anything goes at the
highest levels of the Department of the Interior," he told lawmakers.
That characterization apparently included Norton and Griles, both of whom have left the Bush administration. Griles admitted to Norton that he "exercised bad judgment" when he made decisions that affected his former lobbying clients, Devaney said.
Yet Norton was "unwilling to take any action against him," Devaney recalled. The reason: Griles made a "promise not to do so again," Devaney testified.
"Ethics failures on the part of senior department officials –- taking the form of appearances of impropriety, favoritism, and bias -– have been routinely dismissed with a promise 'not to do it again,'" Devaney said of his seven years serving through the Clinton and Bush administrations.
That wasn't the only startling revelation Devaney made in his testimony. He disclosed that his office spent "well over $1 million" on the investigation into Griles, who represented oil and gas companies before joining the Bush administration in July 2001.
The figure is alarming considering that Griles continued to receive $284,000 a year from his former
lobbying firm on top of his federal government salary. His outside payments totaled more than $1 million over four years, about the same cost of the investigation.
Griles is now back at work in the lobbying field. His clients include mining companies and two tribes -- the Quapaw of Oklahoma and the Colville of Washington -- with mining-related issues.
The revolving door culture was a prime target of Devaney's testimony. "I have watched a number of high-level Interior officials leave the Department under the cloud of OIG investigations into bad judgment and misconduct," he said.
"Absent criminal charges, however, they are sent off in usual fashion, with a party paying tribute to their good service; wishing them well, to spend more time with their family or seek new opportunities in the private sector," he continued.
Griles resigned nine months after Devaney released the results of his 18-month investigation in March 2004. He soon came under more scrutiny after a former colleague accused him of making decisions to benefit the clients of Jack Abramoff, a convicted lobbyist.
Griles has denied any wrongdoing in that scandal and Norton continued to defend him even after she resigned from her post in March of this year. "I was in a position to see whether Steve influenced any decisions to favor Abramoff -- and I did not see Steve take any step in that direction," she told The Denver Rocky Mountain News.
Griles is said to be a part of the Justice Department's ongoing investigation into Abramoff, according to various news reports.
Devaney was asked to testify before a subcommittee of the House Committee on Government Reform on royalty leases. Taxpayers stand to lose out on billions because the Interior Department forgot to include certain provisions in more than 1,000 leases with oil and gas companies.
The leases only affect drilling on federal land. Indian lands are not at issue based on information on the record.
The hearing continues today with testimony from P. Lynn Scarlett, the current deputy secretary at Interior, and Johnnie Burton, the director of the Minerals Management Service.
Relevant Documents::
Devaney Testimony |
Hearing Information
Interior Department Profile:
Deputy
Secretary: J. Steven Griles (March 9, 2001)
Relevant Links:
House Committee on Government Reform -
http://reform.house.gov
Related Stories:
House committee to consider DOI
'irresponsibility' (9/12)
MMS reduces role of tribal-state royalty panel
(9/12)
DOI accused of hindering probe into oil and gas
royalties (08/04)
Accounting firm
defends social relations with OST (7/27)
OST contract tied to favors to top officials
(7/25)
OST officials awarded $6.6M
contract to friends (7/24)
Wayne Smith fingers Griles
as Abramoff 'point man' (6/22)
Abramoff
White House visit coincides with Griles meeting (05/11)
Tribes, states weigh lawsuits against oil
companies (5/8)
Norton denies fraud or
major problem with trust (3/29)
GAO
report warns of billions in lost oil, gas royalties (3/29)
Norton denies Abramoff played a role in
resignation (03/13)
Tribes, states object to Interior's lack of
audits (03/01)
Pombo starts investigation of DOI royalty
program (2/16)
Bush, Democrats oppose
$7B royalty giveaway (2/15)
Interior to
give away $7B in oil and gas royalties (2/14)
Oil companies fall behind on royalty payments
(2/10)
Griles trying hard to avoid Abramoff
indictment (02/08)
Griles arranged for
Norton photo with Abramoff (01/30)
Griles denies doing favors for Abramoff,
tribes (01/09)
In the Loop: Griles attended DOI's Christmas
party (12/16)
Norton refutes alleged
influence of Abramoff (12/15)
Watchdog
group sues DOI over Abramoff documents (12/07)
McCain expects 'lots' of indictments in Abramoff
case (12/05)
Dorgan vows to continue
Abramoff lobbying probe (11/29)
Griles
intervened in Coushatta leadership dispute (11/29)
Inside the BIA, according to Jack Abramoff
(11/23)
Plea deal cites members of Congress
and another tribe (11/22)
Scanlon free
after guilty plea in tribal lobbying scheme (11/22)
Charges laid against Scanlon in tribal lobbying
probe (11/21)
Senate committee to
continue Abramoff investigation (11/18)
Salon: Italia Federici a 'minor' Republican
player (11/18)
Campbell denies
relationship with Italia Federici (11/18)
Audio: Italia Federici testifies before Senate
panel (11/17)
Opinion: Something creepy
about Federici's CREA (11/16)
Opinion:
Griles' role in lobbying scandal still a mystery (11/14)
C-SPAN Moment: Putting the screws to Steve
Griles (11/11)
Senate panel sets hearing
for Italia Federici (11/09)
Column:
Where in the world is Italia Federici? (11/07)
Editorial: Steve Griles and the revolving door
(11/04)
Griles, Rossetti to testify on
Coushatta Tribe (11/02)
Griles called to
testify on Abramoff scandal (11/01)
Norton associate to testify at Abramoff hearing
(10/28)
Interior drawn into Senate
committee's lobbying probe (10/26)
Abramoff tried to hire Griles at lobbying firm
(08/29)
Gaming leads to new concerns about
lobbyists (05/26)
Meskwakis gave $50K to
group founded by Norton (04/22)
Griles
fought casino opposed by Abramoff's clients (03/14)
Tribe gave $75K to group founded by Norton
(03/14)
DOI investigates contacts with group
started by Norton (03/03)
Report: Former
Norton organization subpoenaed (3/1)
Tribes gave $175K to group founded by Norton
(2/28)
Bush nominates replacement for Griles at
Interior (02/09)
In the Loop: Griles
forms new lobbying partnership (01/31)
Editorial: Good riddance to J. Steven Griles
(12/20)
Norton to remain on job for second
Bush term (12/10)
Top Interior official
resigns from Bush administration (12/08)
Griles blames controversies on Bush opponents
(12/08)
Report blames lax culture for Griles
ethical 'train wreck' (03/17)
Bush strategy assumes no trust
mismanagement (11/05)
Court
challenges move to 'extinguish' rights (11/04)
Judge rejects Norton's 'absurd'
accounting claim (09/23)
Griles nearly perjured himself
(9/18)
White House
embroiled in trust fund mess (07/31)
House clears DOI budget bill
(7/18)
Griles slammed for
ignorance (7/12)
Norton's
accounting funds limited (6/28)
Griles can't explain trust standards
(6/27)
Recusal didn't bar
Griles involvement (5/27)
Bush administration bets on
accounting (3/18)
Copyright © 2000-2006 Indianz.Com
Subscribe