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HavenWorks.com/people/a-z/n/norton-gale-ann Gale Norton News |
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Gale Norton News. Colorado Republican Gale Ann Norton News. |
Gale
Ann Norton
GALE NORTON News:
 J
Steven Griles -  Jack
Abramoff
-  Dick
Cheney -  Government
-  Energy
-  Money
-  Politics
"Former Interior Official Gets Prison." ... "A federal judge chastised the Interior Department's former No. 2 official and doubled his proposed prison term to 10 months Tuesday for lying to senators in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal and making excuses about it in court." ... "J. Steven Griles was the department's deputy secretary and is the highest administration official sentenced in the probe. He pleaded guilty to obstructing a congressional investigation, but on Tuesday his lawyers tried to deflect blame for his faulty testimony." ... "Griles admitted to lying to Senate investigators about his relationship with Abramoff, the central figure in a corruption investigation that has led to convictions of a former congressman, legislative aides, lobbyists and officials in the [Republican President] Bush administration." ... "Second in rank only to then-Secretary Gale Norton, Griles effectively was Interior's chief operating officer between 2001 and 2005 and its top representative on [Republican] Vice President Dick Cheney's energy task force." -By Matt Apuzzo -AP
 Italia
Federici - Jack
Abramoff
- J
Steven Griles -  Grover
Norquist
-  Environmental
- Politics
"Federici pleads guilty, will assist in Abramoff probe." ... "Federici is the second person with ties to Norton to plead guilty in the Abramoff investigation. Former Deputy Interior Secretary J. Steven Griles pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about his relationship to Abramoff and Federici." ... "Federici is the president of the Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy (CREA), which evolved from a group Federici and Norton founded in 1997 with tax activist Grover Norquist to push for Republican environmental goals." -By Mike Soraghan -TheHill.com
Jack
Abramoff
- Italia
Federici - Steven
Griles - Environmental
- Money
- Politics
"Republican figure pleads guilty in Abramoff probe." ... "A Republican activist [Italia Federici] pleaded guilty on Friday to obstructing Congress and evading taxes in a deal with prosecutors probing the influence-peddling scandal involving former lobbyist Jack Abramoff." ... "As head of the Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy, Federici, 37, had close ties to senior Interior Department officials, including former Interior Secretary Gale Norton. Founded by Federici and Norton in 1997, CREA is a nonprofit group that touts Republicans' environmental accomplishments and criticizes established environmental groups like the Sierra Club." ... "According to the plea agreement, Federici introduced Abramoff to the Interior Department's No. 2 official, Steven Griles, in March 2001." ... "Federici's involvement masked the extent of Abramoff's influence over Griles, the agreement says, allowing the two to discuss how to block casinos that might compete with those owned by Abramoff clients, among other matters." ... "Griles pleaded guilty in March to obstructing Congress, becoming the highest-ranking [Republican President] Bush administration official convicted in the lobbying scandal." (1, 2) -By Andy Sullivan -Reuters
Italia
Federici - Jack
Abramoff
- Environment
- Money
- Politics
"GOP activist charged in Abramoff probe: Environmental group founder Italia Federici is accused of tax evasion and obstruction of justice in the lobbying case." ... "The founder of a Republican environmental organization was charged Wednesday with tax evasion and obstruction of justice as part of the continuing federal criminal investigation into lobbying practices in the Jack Abramoff corruption scandal." ... "Italia Federici, president of the Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy, allegedly failed to pay more than $77,000 in federal income taxes from 2001 to 2003. She was also cited for making "false and fictitious" statements before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee in 2005, which was investigating Abramoff's representation of Native American tribes." ... "According to the charges filed Wednesday, Federici founded the environmental council in 1997 in Colorado with the help of Gale A. Norton, who later became secretary of the Interior under President Bush." -By Richard A. Serrano -LAtimes
Italia
Federici - Jack
Abramoff
-Environment
- Money
- Politics-  Colorado
"Federici linked to Abramoff case." ... "A one-time Colorado political activist and ex-girlfriend of a convicted Interior Department official has been informed by the Justice Department that there is "substantial evidence" linking her to criminal activity in the Jack Abramoff scandal." ... "In a January 2007 letter obtained by the publication Legal Times, a federal prosecutor urged Italia Federici to hire an attorney to defend against allegations she illegally used a tax-exempt organization to lobby for Abramoff's clients and lied about the organization's activities to Congress." ... ""The investigation is focused on the allegedly illegal manner in which you operated the Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy, commonly known as CREA," wrote Justice Department tax division attorney Stephanie D. Evans to Federici, an ex-aide and Colorado fundraiser for former Interior Secretary Gale Norton." ... "Founded by Federici and Norton in 1997, CREA became ensnared in scandal after evidence emerged that Abramoff's Indian casino clients gave the conservative environmental group almost $500,000 to gain influence with the Interior Department." -By Christa Marshall -DenverPost.com
Italia
Federici - Jack
Abramoff
- J
Steven Griles - Environmental
- Politics
"Ex-Interior Secretary's Former Girlfriend Is Latest Target in Abramoff Probe." ... "Italia Federici, the one-time girlfriend of a convicted former senior official at the Interior Department, is a target of the ongoing federal influence-peddling investigation into the activities of former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, according to court documents obtained by Legal Times." ... ""The investigation is focused on the allegedly illegal manner in which you operated the Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy," wrote Stephanie Evans, a trial attorney in the department's Tax Division. Federici co-founded CREA, a conservative-leaning environmental-advocacy group, in 1997 with Gale Norton, who became secretary of the Interior Department in 2001." ... "Federici was central to the charges against J. Steven Griles, the former deputy secretary of the Interior Department who pleaded guilty March 23 to misleading Senate investigators about his relationship with Abramoff, the infamous then-Greenberg Traurig lobbyist who pleaded guilty to several felonies last year." ... "According to the Jan. 19 target letter filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, investigators are looking at whether Federici violated five statutes in connection with running the group: conspiracy to defraud the United States, tax evasion, impeding the Internal Revenue Service, and obstructing proceedings and making false statements before the Senate." ... "Federal officials also informed Federici that they believe she "may have assisted others in depriving the American Public of honest services of at least one administration official," the letter states." -By Emma Schwartz -LegalTimes.com via -Law.com
J
Steven Griles - Jack
Abramoff
- Italia
Federici - Money
- Government
- Environmental-Energy- Companies
- Politics
-  Law
"Ex-Official At Interior Hid His Ties To Abramoff: Griles Pleads Guilty To Lying to Senate." ... "The former No. 2 official in the Interior Department yesterday admitted lying to the Senate about his relationship with convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who gained the official's intervention at the agency for his Indian tribal clients." ... "J. Steven Griles pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to a felony for making false statements in testimony before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee in November 2005 and in an earlier interview with panel investigators. He is the 10th person -- and the second high-level [Republican President] Bush administration official -- to face criminal charges in the continuing Justice Department investigation into Abramoff's lobbying activities." ... "Griles, 59, a gregarious former mining lobbyist, drew the wrath of environmentalists and his department's inspector general during a stormy four-year tenure at Interior." ... "Griles told the Senate panel and its investigators that his relationship with Abramoff was no different from that with any lobbyist. Griles's then-girlfriend, however, had introduced him to the lobbyist and then acted as a go-between. The woman, Italia Federici -- identified as "Person A" in court papers -- ran an advocacy group to which Abramoff and his clients donated $500,000." ... ""Abramoff occasionally sought and received -- both directly and through Person A -- defendant James Steven Griles' advice and intervention on issues within DOI that directly affected Abramoff and his clients," said the government's charging document. Griles was not accused of accepting anything of value in exchange." ... "Griles was a controversial political appointee from the start of his tenure at Interior under then-Secretary Gale A. Norton. Environmentalists and the department's inspector general faulted him for keeping ties to energy and mining companies that were once his lobbying clients." (1, 2) -By Susan Schmidt and James V. Grimaldi -WashingtonPost 
 Pete
Sessions -  Jack
Abramoff -  John
Ashcroft - Gale
Norton -  Dana
Rohrabacher -  Curt
Weldon -  Tony
Rudy - Michael
Scanlon - Money
- Politics
- Law
-  Military
-  Technology
-  TX
- San
Francisco -  CA
-  Louisiana
-  NY
-  PA
-  US
-  Malaysia
"CREW Files DOJ Complaint Against Texas Rep. Pete Sessions." ... "Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) today filed a Department of Justice (DOJ) complaint against [Texas Republican Representative] Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX [Republican-Texas]) for official actions he may have taken on behalf of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, as well as possible bribes he may have accepted from a San Francisco [California] defense technology company. The complaint asks for the DOJ to immediately begin an investigation into Rep. Sessions." ... "Abramoff Ties" ... "CREW’s complaint alleges that Rep. Sessions co-signed two letters, one to former Attorney General John Ashcroft in 2001 and another to former Interior Secretary Gale Norton in 2002, which benefitted Mr. Abramoff’s client, the Louisiana Coushatta. One month after his 2002 letter was sent, Rep. Sessions’ political action committee, PETE PAC, received $3,500 from the Louisiana Coushatta and another $3,500 from other tribes with casinos. Within 18 months, PETE PAC received $20,500 from tribes associated with Abramoff." ... "Rep. Sessions also traveled to Malaysia on an Abramoff-arranged trip with indicted public relations executive Michael Scanlon, two lobbyists from Abramoff’s firm Greenberg Traurig, one of which, Tony Rudy has been indicted, and two other Members of Congress, [California Republican Representative] Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA [Republican-California]) and [New York Democratic Representative] Gregory Meeks (D-NY [Democratic-New York]). Prior to the trip, Rep. Sessions had shown no public interest in Malaysia, but four months after the trip, Rep. Sessions became an advocate for Malaysia by forming the Malaysia Trade, Security and Economic Cooperation in the House with trip-mate Rep. Meeks." ... "Promia Ties" ... "Additionally, Rep. Sessions promoted the interests of Promia, a firm based in San Francisco that hired Session’s former communications director, Adrian Plesha, as vice president and director of its Washington office. Mr. Plesha pleaded guilty to felony charges related to FEC [Federal Election Commission] offences shortly after he began working for Promia." ... "Promia was able to garner a nearly $800,000 Navy research and development contract in May, 2000 and Rep. Sessions, along with [Pennsylvania Republican Representative] Rep. Curt Weldon (R-PA [Republican-Pennsylvania ]), publicly worked to get an additional $8 million for Promia through a Department of Defense grant." ... "In October 2000, the same month that Promia received $2 million from Trautman Wasserman & Co., a New York venture capital firm, Rep. Sessions received the maximum allowed — $1,000 each, from eight Promia executives for his re-election campaign. In 2002, Promia gave $30,000 to PETE PAC. In total Promia and its executives have contributed nearly $55,000 to Rep. Sessions since 2000 – by far the largest contribution Promia has made to any Member of Congress." ... "“Why would Rep. Sessions, who represents a northern Texas district, work so hard for and receive so much cash from a San Francisco firm?” Melanie Sloan, executive director of CREW asked today. “The Department of Justice should open a criminal investigation to determine whether the campaign contributions Rep. Sessions received from Abramoff, the tribes and from Promia executives were a quid pro quo for official actions.”" -CitizensForEthics.org
 Karl
Rove -  Gordon
Smith - Environmental
- Science
- Politics
-  River
-  Animals
-  Agricultural
- Corporation
- Government
- Hatch
Act - Law
-  2002
Election -  WVa
- California
- Portland
-  Oregon
"Oregon Water Saga Illuminates Rove's Methods With Agencies." ... "In a darkened conference room, [Republican President Bush] White House political strategist Karl Rove was making an unusual address to 50 top managers at the U.S. [United States] Interior Department. Flashing color slides, he spoke of poll results, critical constituencies -- and water levels in the Klamath River basin." [The Klamath River runs from Oregon into California] ... "At the time of the meeting, in January 2002, Mr. Rove had just returned from accompanying [Republican] President Bush on a trip to Oregon, where they visited with a Republican senator facing re-election [2002]. Republican leaders there wanted to support their agricultural base by diverting water from the river basin to nearby farms, and Mr. Rove signaled that the administration did, too." ... "Three months later, Interior Secretary Gale Norton stood with [Oregon Republican Senator] Sen. Gordon Smith in Klamath Falls and opened the irrigation-system head gates that increased the water supply to 220,000 acres of farmland -- a policy shift that continues to stir bitter criticism from environmentalists and Indian tribes." ... "Though Mr. Rove's clout within the administration often is celebrated, this episode offers a rare window into how he works behind the scenes to get things done. One of them is with periodic visits to cabinet departments. Over the past two years Mr. Rove or his top aide, Kenneth Mehlman -- now manager of Mr. Bush's re-election campaign -- have visited nearly every agency to outline White House campaign priorities, review polling data and, on occasion, call attention to tight House, Senate and gubernatorial races that could be affected by regulatory action." ... "On [January] Jan. 5, Mr. Rove accompanied the president to an appearance in Portland [Oregon] with Mr. Smith. The president signaled his desire to accommodate agricultural interests, saying "We'll do everything we can to make sure water is available for those who farm."" ... "The next day, Mr. Rove made sure that commitment didn't fall through the cracks. He visited the 50 Interior managers attending a department retreat at a Fish and Wildlife Service conference center in Shepherdstown, W.Va. [West Virginia] In a PowerPoint presentation Mr. Rove also uses when soliciting Republican donors, he brought up the Klamath and made clear that the administration was siding with agricultural interests." ... "His remarks weren't entirely welcome -- especially by officials grappling with the competing arguments made by environmentalists, who wanted river levels high to protect endangered salmon, and Indian tribes, who depend on the salmon for their livelihoods. Neil McCaleb, then an assistant Interior secretary, recalls the "chilling effect" of Mr. Rove's remarks. Wayne Smith, then with the department's Bureau of Indian Affairs, says Mr. Rove reminded the managers of the need to "support our base."" [note: the Hatch Act prohibits political activities in federal offices.] ... "A National Marine Fisheries Service biologist, Michael Kelly, has asked for protection under federal "whistle-blower" laws, saying he was subjected to political pressure to go along with the low-water plan and ordered to ignore scientific evidence casting doubt on the plan. This month, a federal judge ruled the administration violated the Endangered Species Act in the way it justified the water diversion." -By Tom Hamburger -WallStreetJournal via -OregonWild.org
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"Time Runs Out For Calif. Water Plan; Cuts Likely: State Misses Deadline on River-Use Limit." ... "Under pressure from the Bush administration and other western states, California water agencies did not meet a federal deadline tonight [20021231] to create a plan to limit their use of the Colorado River. Soon, California consumers and farmers may see their flow from the river slashed." ... "For decades, California has taken more than its legal allotment of water from the river, which it shares with six other western states -- all now getting thirstier. California is allowed by law to take about 4.4 million acre feet of water from the Colorado, but in many years it uses about 5.2 million acre feet from the river. States like Arizona and Nevada want their water back." ... ""We no longer have abundant surpluses and full reservoirs," Interior Secretary Gale A. Norton said earlier this month. "The era of limits is upon us. The future of the Colorado River will be shaped by drought and population growth."" -By William Booth -WashingtonPost
"Judge holds top US aides in contempt: Interior officials cited on trust fund." ... "US District Court Judge Royce Lamberth.... found four instances in which [Interior Secretary Gale] Norton and Neal McCaleb, assistant secretary for Indian affairs, had committed fraud on the court, and the judge also held them in contempt for failing to abide by a three-year-old court order to begin major reform of the trust." ... "Lamberth's rulings are the only ones in modern history to hold Cabinet-level officials in contempt of court. President Clinton's treasury secretary, Robert Rubin, and interior secretary, Bruce Babbitt, were held in contempt in 1999." -By Helen Rumbelow and Neely Tucker-WashingtonPost via -Boston/Globe
"Federal judge holds Norton in contempt for failing to fix Indian trust." ... "Interior Secretary Gale Norton said she may appeal a judge's decision holding her in contempt of court for failing to fix her department's mismanagement of hundreds of millions of dollars of royalties from Indian land." ... "U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth ruled Tuesday that Norton not only failed to comply with his order to account for the money in the Indian accounts but committed fraud by misrepresenting the department's efforts to repair the trust and protect Indian money." -By Robert Gehrke -AP via -Boston/Globe
"Interior Secretary Norton Ruled in Contempt." ... "An angry federal judge on Tuesday found Interior Secretary Gale Norton in contempt for failing to comply with his orders to fix oversight problems with and produce records of American Indian trust funds." ... "He also ordered the Interior Department to pay the attorneys' fees incurred in the contempt trials by the group of Indians who sued the department in 1996." -By Deborah Charles -Reuters via /Politics DOI.gov / indiantrust |
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