Gale Norton to leave Bush cabinet — because of Abramoff?

March 10, 2006

The Abramoff scandal has already taken its toll on Bush’s Department of the Interior, but the controversy may have claimed its most notable political victim today.

Interior Secretary Gale Norton resigned Friday after five years in President Bush’s Cabinet and at a time when her agency is part of a lobbying scandal over Indian gaming licenses.

In a letter to Bush, Norton said she the resignation would be effective at the end of March.

“Now I feel it is time for me to leave this mountain you gave me to climb, catch my breath, then set my sights on new goals to achieve in the private sector,” she said in the two-page resignation letter.

Just to be clear, Norton hasn’t been tied directly to the Abramoff scandal, but her cabinet agency and top staffers have. The leading Republican and Democrat on the Senate Indian Affairs Committee have said that e-mails uncovered by the committee show that Steven Griles, Norton’s former deputy, had a close relationship with Abramoff. Another one-time Norton associate, Italia Federici, helped Abramoff gain access to Griles in exchange for contributions from Abramoff’s Indian tribe clients, Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., the committee chairman, and Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., have said.

Norton was also the founder of the Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy, a group that has become embroiled in the Abramoff scandal.

It’s speculation — Norton hasn’t been specifically accused of anything — but chances are we haven’t heard the last about Abramoff’s role in today’s resignation.

i love how these hardball type players come out with the granola sounding crap when it comes to their resignation speech. Good riddance. However, this wont be the last we hear of her. Hopefully the next time we have to hear FROM her is when she is giving testimony.

  • The first resignation of many to come, I hope.
    as for Gale Norton; don’t let the door hit you…

  • this wont be the last we hear of her-G2000

    “then set my sights on new goals to achieve in the private sector,”

    With all her whitehouse contacts,She is ready for hire to lobby for corporate interests. So much wilderness to destroy and so much money to be made, but the clock is ticking on the Bush Presidency.

    I wonder if there will be a stampede of corporations with their hooks into the white house to cash in while there is still time, or caution in that democratic investigations may be around the corner.
    Greed vs. Fear……. always the question which is stronger.

  • in the current case, greed rules, and fear is the guiding hand. When you know you have but three years to cash in, you take your crack at it now. She’ll need a big signing bonus to pay for her lawyers…

  • I expect the corporate teat will be extended for her continued nourishment but at some point, with hope, her transgressions will redound to her in a very negative way…

  • A quote from Gale on the DOI website.

    “I am firmly committed to a process called the Four C’s: they are communication, consultation, and cooperation – all in the service of conservation.”

    I think she could have amended this as follows:

    “I am firmly committed to a process called the Four C’s: Cash Contributions Collected – all in the service of Conservative Corruption.”

    Ooops. That’s 5 C’s.

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