TPM Cafe: Sen. McCain Staged 11/17/05 Fake Senate Indian Affairs Committee Meeting?

[Hissyspit]

http://www.tpmcafe.com/blog/mrs_panstreppon/2007/mar/31/senator_john_mccain_staged_11_17_05_fake_indian_affairs_committee_hearing

mrs panstreppon's Blog
Senator John McCain Staged 11/17/05 Fake Senate Indian Affairs Committee Hearing

By mrs panstreppon | bio
When Italia Federici and former Department of the Interior Deputy Secretary J. Steven Griles testified before Senator John McCain's famous Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing on November 17, 2005, Senator McCain knew Federici and Griles had had a long term romantic relationship and Senator McCain knew Griles and Federici were lying even as they testified.

From the 11/17/05 Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing transcript:

Senator Dorgan: Ms. Federici, you are under oath and the chairman has asked you a question. You are suggesting that somehow someone was trying to smear you, and you have indicated----

Ms. Federici: I was told that there was a narrative of a very personal nature that was being put forward from committee staff. You know, it sort of fits with----

Federici referring to her romantic relationship with Griles which began in 1998, according to the 3/21/07 United States District Court - District of Columbia record of the Griles conviction

From the court record:

Section 10: During both the October 20, 2005 investigative interview and the November 2, 2005 public hearing, the defendant, JAMES STEVEN GRILES, was questoned about, among other things: the true nature and extent of the defendant GRILES' relationship with Person A, the person who introduced Abramoff to the defendant; how and why the defendant's relationship with Abramoff thereafter developed; and the nature and extent of Abramoff's access to the defendant. It was material to the Senate Committee's investigation that the Senators and the Senate investigators who questioned defendant GRILES learned the truth out these issues.

The is total and absolute bullshit. Again, Senator John McCain and every other senator on the Senate Indian Affairs Committee knew about the romantic relationship between Griles and Federici before they testified. But so did Secretary Gale Norton, Karl Rove, Julie Finley, Grover Norquist, the Washington Post and most of Washington DC. Griles and Federici are single and had no reason to hide their romantic relationship.

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[karynnj]

1. Here's a salon.com article from Nov 2005 on that hearing that made

McCain seem a good guy. Norton and Federici both seem to be worthless political hacks and possibly criminals.
http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2005/11/18/federici/index.html