Legal Times: Griles hid romance from investigators
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Filed Under:
Abramoff Scandal
|
Politics
"When Sue Ellen Wooldridge stepped down last month from her job as the Justice Department's top environmental prosecutor, it wasn't her desire to return to the private sector that was notable, it was her timing.
Days earlier, Wooldridge's boyfriend -- oil and energy lobbyist J. Steven Griles -- had been put on notice that he was a target of the federal public-corruption investigation involving convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
The romance between Wooldridge, 46, and Griles, 60, is significant and has had an impact beyond the Justice Department's Abramoff probe. Both previously held high-ranking jobs at the Interior Department -- Griles was deputy secretary there, while Wooldridge was deputy chief of staff to then-Secretary Gale Norton and later the agency's top lawyer.
At Interior, they concealed their relationship from multiple department investigators looking into Griles' contacts with former lobbying clients -- even as Wooldridge responded to the investigators on Griles' behalf and, later, as solicitor, oversaw Interior's ethics office, according to two current government officials with knowledge of the investigation and one former Interior official. These sources say the romance between Wooldridge and Griles was going on as early as February 2004.
Details of their relationship raise questions about the vetting process for presidential nominees at both the Justice and Interior departments, in addition to Wooldridge's candor with those who examined her credentials.
According to a transcript of her March 11, 2004, Senate confirmation hearing for the Interior solicitor job, as well as her written answers to Senate questions, Wooldridge did not disclose her relationship with Griles, despite being asked about Interior's investigation of Griles in a written question from Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and despite the fact that, as solicitor, Wooldridge would oversee the department's ethics office, which had been monitoring Griles.
Nor was the relationship disclosed to Interior Department Inspector General Earl Devaney, who conducted an 18-month investigation into numerous ethical allegations against Griles. Upon learning of the relationship after Griles left Interior in December 2004, Devaney, according to two sources, was furious."
Get the Story:
Official's Romance Raises Conflict Questions
(The Legal Times 2/5)
Related Stories:
Abramoff's old law firm defending Griles
(1/25)
Facing charges, Griles
resigns from lobbying firm (1/18)
Facing
charges, Griles steps down from federal panel (1/16)
Griles told of likely prosecution over Abramoff
(1/11)
Griles a target of Abramoff
investigation (1/10)
Griles said to be
under scrutiny in Abramoff probe (11/15)
Abramoff to report to prison as probe gets hotter
(11/14)
Norton protected Griles after
$1M investigation (09/14)
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 © Indianz.Com
Subscribe
