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Sex-for-Oil Scandal Rocks Interior Department
Well, not exactly. But something's rotten in the Interior Department's Minerals Management Service (MMS), and if you bury your nose in it, you can detect at least a whiff of a sex scandal.
We've kept an eye on the debacles at MMS, which sells off the country's oil and gas resources to energy companies like Shell Oil and ExxonMobil. With revenues around the tune of some $60 billion annually, it generates the nation's largest source of income, behind taxes.
In recent months, reports have exposed fraudulent contracts, lax audits, and loopholes big enough to drive a tanker ship through, which are collectively thought to cost the United States billions annually.
At last count there are six active inquiries into the program being conducted by the Justice Department, the FBI, the Interior Inspector General, the Government Accountability Office, or some combination of the four. Two other investigations have already been completed which have blasted the operation for losing the government billions in dollars and being about as dysfunctional as one can imagine.
We watched all this from a distance, not sure what it all added up to. But then, buried in the 16th paragraph of a Dec. 30 New York Times article, was this:
One person familiar with the [Justice Department] investigation [into MMS] said it originally had focused on potentially improper social ties between some of Mr. Smith's subordinates and executives at companies vying for contracts.
And we thought to ourselves, we gotta get in on this.
Now, "potentially improper social ties" is pretty euphemistic. But the phrase implies we're not talking about a lot of other types of improper relationships between a government official and an industry executive. Accepting dinners or concert tickets? Those are gift violations. Going into business together? That's an improper financial tie. Attending an executive's wedding? That's social, but it's not improper.
Of course, we really don't know. But what we do know about improper ties between MMS officials and Big Oil is enough to set one's head to spinning.
According to the Times, federal investigators suspect several officials of MMS of having "consulting arrangements" with oil companies. That is, they're taking money from the companies who are supposed to be paying the United States the highest price possible for extracting oil and gas from underneath federal land. Investigators worry that such payments might induce the officials to cut deals with the oil companies that lose the country billions of dollars.
This investigation into possible favors-for-favors (monetary or otherwise) is just part of a much larger scandal that's emerging from MMS. Through bad contracting, lax auditing and nonexistent -- possibly criminal -- oversight, a picture is emerging of Interior officials either colluding with big oil companies to defraud the country on a massive scale, or dispatching their responsibilities in an abysmally negligent fashion.
So stay tuned. In the meantime, we're looking for a good name for this scandal. Can you think of one?
Comments (77)
Mike Stern wrote on January 4, 2007 12:07 PM:Teapot Dame? Sexpot Dome?
Gary Pool wrote on January 4, 2007 12:08 PM:Sexxon
John wrote on January 4, 2007 12:09 PM:So stay tuned. In the meantime, we're looking for a good name for this scandal. Can you think of one?
Michael wrote on January 4, 2007 12:09 PM:Gas for ass??
Lubrigate.
Redshift wrote on January 4, 2007 12:12 PM:"Drilling"-for-Oil?
Kevin wrote on January 4, 2007 12:12 PM:How about Drilling for Oil?
Frank Starr wrote on January 4, 2007 12:13 PM:Crude Oil Scandel?
Kevin wrote on January 4, 2007 12:13 PM:Hey Redshift - great minds think alike! Same post at the same time.
Frank Starr wrote on January 4, 2007 12:13 PM:Crude Oil Scandal?
Larry Epke wrote on January 4, 2007 12:13 PM:What else? Oilgate - just the "Oil and Water" contrast with Watergate will go over in the media.
jhupp wrote on January 4, 2007 12:14 PM:I'm usually 100% against using "-gate" in a scandal, but I think Michael wins.
whomever1 wrote on January 4, 2007 12:15 PM:Grease
goldberry wrote on January 4, 2007 12:17 PM:Lubrigate?
Anonymous wrote on January 4, 2007 12:27 PM:'Slick City'??
Mike Conwell wrote on January 4, 2007 12:27 PM:The photo added to the article a little later really adds to the overall tone of the article. It does get lonely on those rigs.
How about "Well Head"?
jrw wrote on January 4, 2007 12:31 PM:Lewd & Crude
The Spoils of Oil
ajcole wrote on January 4, 2007 12:38 PM:oil-for-wood scandal
Carol wrote on January 4, 2007 12:56 PM:Gushergate
nellieh wrote on January 4, 2007 1:01 PM:I'm sure there will be better names for this than I can conjure but I would like to suggest Ken Starr for the investigative teams. He REALLY likes to get his nose right ninto the smell of other peoples sex acts. Even if they are consenting adults. And his reports are lascivious and titillating.
C in NM wrote on January 4, 2007 1:09 PM:How about, 'Oil Wrestling'?, nudge nudge wink wink
Cat Simril Ishikawa wrote on January 4, 2007 1:11 PM:Label for this scandal? How about Lubrigate.
Curt wrote on January 4, 2007 1:46 PM:Petroleum Jelly
Big House wrote on January 4, 2007 2:02 PM:Lubrigate.
Big House wrote on January 4, 2007 2:03 PM:Drat! Two people beat me to it!
t disante wrote on January 4, 2007 2:11 PM:LubeJob
ncnygirl wrote on January 4, 2007 2:14 PM:icKYgate
Steven Rumbalski wrote on January 4, 2007 2:28 PM:oil-for-sex scandal.
Lame Man wrote on January 4, 2007 2:36 PM:Gives new meaning to the term "greasing the palm."
*Ba-dum-bum*
mask wrote on January 4, 2007 2:43 PM:Pay to Pump-gate
djangone wrote on January 4, 2007 2:53 PM:Heavy Pet-roleum
Hump at the Pump scandal
The Drilling and the Willing
Oil, Gas and Ass
All lame compared with the good stuff that's come before. But it's not just oil, is it? So we have
Sex with Miners
Shawnee Jim wrote on January 4, 2007 2:57 PM:Indian Oil AKA non-Indian Oil scam!
Big Ahwl wrote on January 4, 2007 3:21 PM:Operation sump-pump (for sumptuous pumping).
Vancouverite wrote on January 4, 2007 3:26 PM:How about "Petroscam"? We haven't had a good "scam" scandal since Abscam.
PonyBoy wrote on January 4, 2007 3:34 PM:I am disappointed by the use of the headline. This is something I would expect of the Mainstream Media, I would hope that in our quest to do things better we would find honest and respectful ways to communicate truth.
arthur dent wrote on January 4, 2007 3:38 PM:I have noticed this kind of thing happening more and more often here. There have been a couple of instances that had me thinking to myself that this site was no longer worth my time. I visit less often, and when I find something like this, it encourages less frequency.
Department of the Interior "Sex for Oil Scandal"
Will Stahl wrote on January 4, 2007 3:55 PM:How about "Lubrigate"?
x-doi wrote on January 4, 2007 3:57 PM:Norton goes to prison Gate
Mark wrote on January 4, 2007 4:12 PM:I like the "lubrigate" suggestions. But "LubeGate" is easier to say and, therefor, a bit more catchy.
Anonymous wrote on January 4, 2007 4:28 PM:Operation Get Yer Rocks Off
david wrote on January 4, 2007 4:29 PM:Jiffy-Lube Gate?
Anonymous wrote on January 4, 2007 4:31 PM:This is actually a breakthrough. The American people have been taking it in the bootie WITHOUT lube for the last 6 years. What a relief to be finally oiled up.
Eureka Springs, AR wrote on January 4, 2007 4:32 PM:I vote for lubrigate..
anyway, just for kicks..
S & MMS scandal
interior a**tricks
Interior Sinistry
Interior lube job
Interior porn stars
Royals Gush
pornzoil
10W-Porn
national velveteen
oilagra
pAnti-TaXXX evasion
Giant sucking sounds
interior panty waste
XXX ON America
Interior Screw loose
pimp and oilers
XXX-treason gate
mike wrote on January 4, 2007 4:43 PM:val does exxon
BBG wrote on January 4, 2007 5:05 PM:how about "ass for gas"
Rob wrote on January 4, 2007 5:10 PM:P.I.S.T.
Hardy Haberman wrote on January 4, 2007 5:15 PM:Petropimps!
sponson wrote on January 4, 2007 5:23 PM:I agree with those who criticize the misleading headline, it is carried over onto the other TPM pages as a link. I don't encourage this practice either, but at the least it should have a question mark in it somewhere. Much better practice would have been to say, for example, "Reporting hints at potential sex scandal in Interior Department oil program."
kent williams wrote on January 4, 2007 5:25 PM:I don't know why anyone would be shocked by anything the big energy companies does at this late date. I was amazed to hear a commentary on public radio's Marketplace -- not an anti-business show by any measure -- about how the oil companies manipulated gasoline prices in the run up to the 2006 election:
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/shows/2007/01/02/PM200701026.html
Ereshkigal wrote on January 4, 2007 5:46 PM:Grease Ball
MB Williams wrote on January 4, 2007 6:02 PM:"Improper social ties"? How about a private dinner, organized by one of Washington's top socialites, where Congressmen, Interior Department top dogs, oil, gas and mining CEO, lobbyists and their clients (including high paying tribal leaders) came together to hear purported 501(c)3s, financed by oil, gas and gaming cash, present their latest poll research, aimed at promoting the Cheney Engergy Plan and drilling in ANWR? I'd call those pretty improper social ties, especially when some of those Interior Department officials were former partners in those lobbying firms or top execs in those industries.
Getting screwed is not always about actual screwing.
makani wrote on January 4, 2007 6:52 PM:Ga$oHaul
Ron Russell wrote on January 4, 2007 7:39 PM:GaSCAM
Screwed for Crude?
Slicky for Quickie?
Prosta Lubing?
Oil do anything?
Gale does Dallas? Exxon does America?
Flow for Ho?
Octane 69?
Oil-Gasm's? Oil-Bangers?
Well Oiled?
Tex-skank?
Texas T & A?
w wrote on January 4, 2007 11:27 PM:Drilling for money.
Dano wrote on January 5, 2007 3:08 AM:Dang, Ron Russell....you got on a roll there. Hee. My first thought was "Lubrigate", like about six other people. But "Flow for Ho" is brilliant. Right on.
Boraxo wrote on January 5, 2007 4:45 AM:XXXon
b in pp wrote on January 5, 2007 8:14 AM:SCREWED FOR CRUDE??
David in Burbank wrote on January 5, 2007 10:00 AM:Giant Sucking Sound
(Someone else's idea, but I like it as a lead for a news stories, Lou Dobbs could say ... "That giant sucking sound you hear from your national parks is the sound of billions of dollars of revenue owed to the american people being stolen by big oil with the help of some ethically challenged Bush administration officals at the Interior Department's Minerals Management Service.")
Can imply a sex scandle, doesn't come right out and say it.
tom baker wrote on January 5, 2007 1:17 PM:Sheds some light on the mystery of how Condi rose to power in the ranks of the oil industry, got a tanker named after her, and ended up SoS. Good old fashioned ho-in'
Dale wrote on January 5, 2007 2:09 PM:I can understand people not being able to get sex. And I can understand people buying sex. But what kind of loser has to have someone else buy sex for them?
Boraxo wrote on January 5, 2007 3:23 PM:Dale asks: "I can understand people not being able to get sex. And I can understand people buying sex. But what kind of loser has to have someone else buy sex for them?"
Answer: The aptly named Randy Conningham, among others.
See: http://thinkprogress.org/2006/04/28/prostitutes-six-members/
Another name for this scandal: Sexxon
Lee wrote on January 5, 2007 4:51 PM:How about Royalty Rangers
Crust wrote on January 5, 2007 5:03 PM:Gotta agree with others that the headline is out of line. The sex angle is highly speculative and the headline gives no clue.
Don Davis wrote on January 5, 2007 5:49 PM:How about oil for piece?
Joeb wrote on January 7, 2007 7:56 AM:Not much of a story here. Isn't "an official familiar with..." related to "a high ranking government..."?
Bryce wrote on January 30, 2007 2:00 PM:Grear site!
loriG wrote on March 25, 2007 5:21 PM:Sounds Familiar, doesn't it?
Sten85218 wrote on April 15, 2007 8:20 PM:"Hitler's war in Russia illustrated his total confidence in the occult powers which owned him and his willingness to sacrifice human lives. Hitler believed that his covenant with the occult powers (Pseudo - Christianity) enabled him to control the weather. He felt that the Russian winter would melt away before him as his forces invaded Russia. This belief was based on the occult theory of fire and ice. Hitler would be fire. Russia would be ice (delusional). He boldly sent his armies into Russia with no winter clothes (body armour) and against the advice of his general staff. When the German offensive began to falter and young Germans began to die by the thousands, his generals begged him to order a retreat. Instead Hitler said 'Attack! As to the cold, I will see to that.' When the German offensive was halted within sight of Moscow, Hitler saw it only as a test, requiring more human sacrifice. He saw Stalingrad, however, as the true test, recognizing Stalingrad as the sacred city of the ancient Aryans. He felt that no amount of human suffering or death was too high a price to pay for its conquest, that if he were faithful to Satan at Stalingrad, he would be given final victory".
They're a members of the same cult, mind controlled, bought paid for with sex, drugs and $, All targets for blackmail. Our entire govt. is paralyzed because of it and will remain so.
Best, lori
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