WaPo: Interior #2 Target in Abramoff ProbeFrom The Washington Post:
Federal prosecutors have notified a former deputy secretary of the interior, J. Steven Griles, that he is a target in the public corruption investigation of Jack Abramoff’s lobbying activities, sources knowledgeable about the probe said.The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that among the possible criminal charges being investigated is whether Griles made false statements to the Senate Indian Affairs Committee in 2005 about job discussions Abramoff initiated while Griles was deputy secretary.
So Griles, the former #2 at the Interior Department, is on the hook for being Jack Abramoff’s inside man at the Interior Department, and then lying about it to Senate investigators.
Even though Griles’ colleagues testified to the Indian Affairs Committee that Griles was oddly interested in Abramoff’s clients while at Interior, and that he turned “purple” when challenged as to why, Griles told Senate investigators that he didn’t have any particular involvement with Abramoff’s clients. And even though Abramoff boasted to his fellow lobbyists in a 2003 email that Griles was cashing in and leaving Interior to join Abramoff’s team, Griles told the committee that there had never been any such understanding. (For whatever reason, Griles ultimately did not join Abramoff, although he did land a lobbying gig elsewhere).
Griles is the most senior agency official known to be a target of the investigation so far. Other senior officials, like White House aides including Karl Rove, Ken Mehlman, and Susan Ralston, have come under scrutiny, but Griles is the first to be in real danger of indictment. Of course, he wouldn’t be the first administration official to go down in the Abramoff scandal for lying to investigators.
The Post adds another tantalizing tidbit: Griles’ girlfriend, who used to be former Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton’s chief of staff, has abruptly resigned from her new post at the Justice Department.