Another Ethics Brush Fire Flares Along Potomac

Abramoff strikes again. This guy gets around. This time his tribal clients were working J. Steven Griles, a former deputy Interior secretary. In return, Griles worked Interior Secretary Gale A. Norton on behalf of the lobbiest. What makes this less speculative that just trial by association is that former Interior Department Counsel Michael Rosetti, a colleague, was doing the accusing...

Sigh. Has Abramoff and his GOP cronies left nothing scared and untouched?

Griles' efforts to insinuate himself into Norton's decision-making sessions on behalf of an Indian tribe Abramoff represented so worried him, Rosetti told senators, that he confronted the deputy secretary before two other officials and asked, "What was he doing? Whose water was he carrying?"

The public dispute between the two offered a dramatic close to hearings that had explored the complex web of influence, money and access Abramoff wove as one of Washington's best-connected lobbyists.

Wednesday's hearing focused on whether Abramoff, when working for the Coushatta tribe of Louisiana, relied on Griles to influence the Interior Department to block a rival tribe from opening a casino that would compete with the Coushattas' gaming business.

Rosetti recounted an incident in which, he said, Griles gave him a binder filled with letters and documents critical of the bid by the Jenna Band of the Choctaw tribe to build a casino one hour from the Coushattas' $300-million-a-year casino. Griles, Rosetti said, wanted him to make sure Norton saw the file.

BushCo can't seem to be unglued from Abramoff, who is connected to several high level officials and congressmen, including David Safavian (former head of procurement for the General Services Administration), Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio), and Rep. Tom DeLay, former GOP Majority Leader - all leading to a culture of corruption for this administration.