"Oh Ms. Gale Norton, Ms. Norton? Some People want to talk to you."

[Botany]

http://stygius.typepad.com/stygius/2005/11/delay_abramoff_.html

From November of 2005

Some DeLay staff e-mails are emerging, making for interesting reading. Associated Press:

Rep. Tom DeLay's staff tried to help lobbyist Jack Abramoff win access to Interior Secretary Gale Norton, an effort that succeeded after Abramoff's Indian tribe clients began funneling a quarter-million dollars to an environmental group founded by Norton.

Although I can't find it online now, in mid-March, the Arizona Republic did a piece on Norton's ties to this dodgy gaming PAC. Anyone -- say, a journalist -- with Lexis-Nexis handy might want to go dig it up. (However, see also this, this, and this for starters.) Back to the AP piece:

Within months, Abramoff clients donated heavily to the Norton-founded group and the lobbyist and one of the tribes he represented won face-to-face time with the secretary during a Sept. 24, 2001, dinner sponsored by the group she had founded.

:popcorn:

[acmejack]

1. Coalition of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy?

and the infamous Italia Federici?
snip>
Today the Senate Indian Affairs Committee convened for its fifth hearing on tribal lobbying practices concerning indicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff’s duplicitous work for tribal clients. Italia Federici, President of the Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy (CREA), was the only witness called to testify.

Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Byron Dorgan (D-ND) aggressively questioned Federici regarding her and her tax-exempt organization’s role in working as a conduit between Abramoff and high ranking Department of Interior officials, including Deputy Secretary J. Steven Griles. Based on the stark contrast between Federici’s sworn testimony and her email correspondence with Abramoff, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington’s (CREW) Executive Director Melanie Sloan called on the Committee to refer Federici to the Department of Justice for investigation on potential perjury charges. As evidence, Sloan pointed to Federici’s repeated claims that she provided Abramoff with assistance only with issues pertaining to CREA’s mission.

In reality, email correspondence reveals that Federici assisted Abramoff with Indian gaming issues. One email, dated December 13, 2002, from Abramoff to Federici bears the subject line, “Michigan Indian gambling expansion” and asked Federici to pass an attachment on to Steve directly. Similarly, in a March 17 to March 18, 2003 email exchange between Federici and Abramoff, Abramoff asked Federici to raise an issue regarding a Massachusetts Indian tribe with Griles. Federici replied “I’ll call Steve tonight . . .” and asked for further information on the matter. Abramoff responded by saying he would fax over documents.

“The Department of Justice should investigate Federici because lying to congressional committees is a federal criminal offense that merits prosecution,” said Sloan.

http://www.citizensforethics.org/press/newsrelease.php?view=90

[donsu]

2. Norton needs to be brought down because of her many crimes

against americans and america

may she trip and fall soon