Intriguing story from WaPo.
Bottom line: Abramoff gives a cool QUARTER MILLION DOLLARS to this chick named Italia who is shagging the deputy secretary of Interior, in hopes of influencing Indian casino approval decisions.
Should be on its Web site soon.
WASHINGTON--The former deputy secretary of the Interior Department had numerous meetings, telephone calls and other contacts with Jack Abramoff concerning the lobbyist's tribal clients, e-mails released by congressional investigators show.
J. Steven Griles, who held the No. 2 job at Interior from 2001 to 2004, testified Wednesday before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee that he never tried to intercede on behalf of Abramoff's clients and that he had no special relationship with him. He said he had rejected a job offer from Abramoff in 2003.
The e-mails suggest a much closer relationship than Griles acknowledged in his testimony.
it gets better ...
The kicker. A woman named Italia ... finally, it gets juicy. Maybe there is a stained dress and media will pay attention:
They reflect more than a half-dozen contacts Griles had with Abramoff or with a woman working as the lobbyist's go-between. The contacts concerned gambling-related issues affecting four tribal clients who were paying Abramoff tens of millions of dollars to represent them.
E-mails show Abramoff tried to influence Griles through Italia Federici, head of the Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy, a group co-founded by Interior Secretary Gale Norton. Griles had a personal relationship with Federici. Abramoff's tribal clients donated at least $250,000 to Federici's group. When Louisiana took action that moved the Jena plan along, Abramoff messaged Federici: ``Can you make sure Steve knows about this and puts the kibosh on it? Thanks.''
What a clusterfuck.
But Abramoff soon told colleagues that Griles was ``upset'' at him for mobilizing Ralph Reed and Christian groups to put grass-roots pressure on Norton to kill the Jena's plan. ``I got a call from Griles basically accusing Ralph and me of having our finger prints on an anti-Norton effort. I denied it, of course, but it is clear that I have taken a hit here,'' he wrote to a colleague.
All that's missing is the e-mail from Abramoff saying THAT BITCH BETTA' HAVE MY MONEY!!!
and even More from WaPo:
E-mails from March 2003 show Griles's involvement in Abramoff's efforts to get Interior money for a school for the wealthy Saginaw Chippewa tribe, even though Congress had barred any such grants for new construction.
Griles ``just called me,'' Abramoff wrote. ``He said we have to get the Members of the House to respond to their letter that this should be funded and then it will be done. ... Griles will get me the letter once it is drafted so we have a head start.''
The Washington Post has reported that Abramoff's team got the $3 million grant for the tribe later that year after Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., pressured the Bureau of Indian Affairs to release the funds. Burns received $137,000 in contributions from Abramoff lobbyists and their tribal clients.
Of course all this brings up a question: Is there no law prohibiting officials such as the Deputy Secretary of Interior from having a sexual relationship with a lobbyist involved in Interior matters under which he has influence?
I presume not. Exchange cash and gifts, a no-no. Exchange bodily fluids, well, nudge nudge, wink wink
