A ‘culture of corruption’ soap opera

February 23, 2007

This one’s been percolating for about a week now, but with Speaker Pelosi’s office weighing in yesterday, it’s a good time to review one of the Bush administration’s more embarrassing new scandals (not to be confused with the multitude of old ones).

It starts with Steven Griles, a former lobbyist who’s due to be indicted in the Abramoff scandal any minute now, who was hired to be Bush’s Deputy Secretary of the Interior. Shortly after taking office, Griles was accused of doing what he does best — arranging favors for his former clients. As ethics complaints started mounting, the Interior Department assigned an official to keep an eye on Griles, to make sure he didn’t get into too much trouble, while Interior’s inspector general looked into his activities. The official was Sue Ellen Wooldridge, then the deputy chief of staff to Interior Secretary Gale Norton.

Shortly thereafter, Wooldridge started secretly dating the guy she was supposed to be monitoring for ethical lapses. As Paul Kiel explained, that’s when things got really interesting.

The relationship began in February, 2003, according to The Washington Post. And during that year, they gave each other “thousands of dollars in gifts and trips” — only they didn’t report them on their disclosure statements (required of federal appointees) until they filed amendments late last year as investigators were bearing down on them.

While the two kept their relationship under wraps, they did what they could to help one another.

In February of 2004, Wooldridge wrote a letter to the Inspector General siding with Griles. And the IG’s report, which finally came out in March of that year, harshly criticized Griles, but stopped short of saying he’d broken any ethics rules.

At about the same time, Wooldridge was promoted to be the Solicitor of the Interior Department. Griles recommended her for the spot, according to The Legal Times.

Even then, she continued to conceal the relationship. At her confirmation hearing before the Senate, Wooldridge was asked about any possible conflicts of interest, as she would now be overseeing all ethics matters at Interior. She said no.

Wait, it gets better.

About a year after Wooldridge became Solicitor of the Interior Department, she was nominated for another promotion: top environmental prosecutor for the Justice Department. By this point, her secret boyfriend, Griles, whom she was living with, had returned to full-time lobbying on behalf of energy interests, some of whom may face prosecution from Wooldridge, including the American Petroleum Institute, Consol Energy Inc., and Newmont Mining Corp.

Once again, Wooldridge appeared before the Senate and told lawmakers she had no conflicts of interest.

About a year after that, Griles and Wooldridge bought a $1 million vacation home with ConocoPhillips’ top lobbyist. And wouldn’t you know it, Wooldridge soon after let ConnoPhillips “delay a half-billion-dollar pollution cleanup.”

And now, Wooldridge has resigned and Griles is under an FBI investigation.

Sometimes, it’s almost as if the entire administration is a Carl Hiaasen novel come to life.

I enjoy Hiaasen’s novels and your comparison could not be more spot on.

  • Actually, CB, this is better than a soap opera.

    It’s farcical. The amount of corruption that characterizes the Bush administration is unbelievable. Was it part of the interview? So, do you tend to pad your accounts, slip a little to your friends, lie with a smile? You do? Great. You’re hired.

    I guess the old saying, “It takes one to know one” holds true here. How else would all these cheats and liars be assembled in one place?

  • I still don’t understand why Gale Norton was allowed to quietly resign last year, as opposed to facing trial for taking in $225,000 from Jack Abramoff???

    OR is Wooldridge protecting Norton/Norquist, much like Libby is protecting Cheney? Arggghhh this is too confusing!

  • Oh, the bad puns that issue forth from this affair. The Solicitor of the Interior Department was embedded with her watch. The investigator was in bed with her suspect. … I thought only James Bond seduced his way out of trouble.

    And CB, I wince every post that you write, “Wait, it gets better.” It usually forbodes depressingly criminal behavior by this administration that the MSM will look the other way on.

  • Once again, Wooldridge appeared before the Senate and told lawmakers she had no conflicts of interest.

    That’s a violation of legal ethics and also perjury.

    It’s not too comforting to find out that whether half-billion dollar pollution clean-ups are delayed or not may depend on whether some lobbyist for the responisble company and some official the company is overseen by purchase a vacation home together, eh?

    Was it some kind of pollution that people can get sick from? Maybe there’s a lawsuit.

  • Apologies to John Cougar Mellencamp:

    Little ditty about Sue and Steven
    Two American kids movin on in the Dept of the Interior
    Sue Ellen’s gonna be a hot shot lawyer
    Steven’s influence peddling at Jack A’s bar

    Suckin’ on chili dogs inside the Beltway
    Steven’s sittin’ on Sue Ellens lap
    He’s got his hand between her knees
    Steven say, “Hey Sue Ellen let’s run off
    Behind a shady scheme
    Dribble off that Brooks Brothers Suit
    Let me steal what I please.”
    And Steven say

    Oh yeah theft goes on
    Long after the thrill of lobbyin is gone
    Oh yeay say theft goes on
    Long after the thrill of lobbying is gone, they lawyer on

    Steven sits back reflects his thoughts for the moment
    Scratches his head and does his best Dick Cheney
    “Well you know Sue, we oughta cover up this scheme
    Sue Ellen says “Baby, hope you don’t miss nuth-in”
    Steven say-a

    Chorus

    Gonna let it rock
    Let it roll
    Let the Oil Companies come and
    Steal your soul
    Hold on to lobbying as long as you can
    Charges come around real soon
    Make them bitches in jail

    Little ditty about Sue and Steven
    Two American shits done the best they can

  • By legal ethics I meant the rules governing lawyers conduct- violation of which can result in public reprimand, suspension of license to practice law, or disbarrment- just to be clear.

  • Greed, unethical behavior and disregard for the law are by no means limited to members of the Republic party, but they certainly are concentrated at that end of the political spectrum.

    Forget culture of corruption, these people just run amok. And although this particular case is rather entertaining, it’s further proof that the “more for me, to hell with you” ideology of the right makes it unfit to govern.

    Somehow, that needs to be how Ds frame these past 6 years — a costly lesson to all Americans and the world that the right is unfit to govern.

  • Sometimes, it’s almost as if the entire administration is a Carl Hiaasen novel come to life.

    Nah, even a writer as brilliant as Hiassen couldn’t invent this sort of stuff. These people are way beyond a novelist’s imagination.

  • When will we ever see justice for these power criminals. Until we see fines, penalties, and jail sentences then this behavior will continue with others in power because we do nothing. These two should be stripped of licenses, pay back all monies received while corrupting their jobs, and sent to prison. Until then they are laughing at the American public for being fools who deserve to be separated from their monies. So much oversight that congress needs to double their investigative committees.

  • “Since this case does have a sex angle to it, perhaps the MSM can be bothered to mention it?” – libra

    Unless Ms. Wooldridge was built like Anna Nicole Smith and Griles was an 89-year-old billionaire, it’s not likely. The MSM knows which master it serves. 😉

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