Comments (71)

steve duncan wrote on March 23, 2007 9:10 AM:

They have him dead to rights on demonstrable lies to a Senate committee. He gets an agreement allowing him to protect any other guilty parties by not having to divulge further details to the grand jury. Why? He's guilty and they can prove it. What leverage did he have? Who benefits from him keeping his secrets and only sitting in jail 5 months? Maybe the U.S. attorney prosecuting the case is in Rove's back pocket?

TheraP wrote on March 23, 2007 9:13 AM:

Thanks to our Department of Injustice!

Andrew Foland wrote on March 23, 2007 9:19 AM:

I assume this is the US Attorney for DC. Senate Judiciary might find it interesting to ask him under oath the question, "Mr. Taylor, did you ever receive guidance on this prosecution from your superiors?" and "Mr. Taylor, did any member of Congress ever contact you concerning this investigation?"

Candide wrote on March 23, 2007 9:24 AM:

This is a travesty of justice.
steve duncan above may be on to something here: A Rove prosecutor going easy on a loyal Bushevik.
As for our scandale du jour, I'm hoping Sampson will become the John Dean of attorneygate and rat out the lot of 'em.
Maybe we can recruit some of those interrogators from Gitmo and turn them loose on Rove et al.
Can anyone imagine any one of these little pansies in a prison cell?

Mrs Panstreppon wrote on March 23, 2007 9:30 AM:

Darn. Now how am I going to find out who else was financing Italia Federici, president of the Council of Republicans For Environmental Advocacy (CREA)besides Abramoff?

When Federici testified before McCain and the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, it seemed like all of the CREA money was coming from Abramoff and the Indian tribes. But when I analyzed CREA's 990s filed with the IRS, I realized that Federici and her partner, Jared Carpenter, were on someone else's payroll.

Federici had access to Gale Norton during Norton's tenure at the DOI. She is logged in Norton's calendar (online at CREW) has having spoken to Norton via phone at least once and meeting with Norton at least twice.

I posted several comments about Federici, CREA and its predecessor, the Coalition of Republican Environmental Advocates in February of this year.

dono wrote on March 23, 2007 9:35 AM:

Lied five times to the Senate - he should have demanded to talk only if it was not under oath and without a transcript.

After all, I am sure they all had the same goal - just to 'find out the truth; find out what was going on.'

dzman49 wrote on March 23, 2007 9:37 AM:

"Bushevik"

I love it!

kozmik wrote on March 23, 2007 9:39 AM:

10 months? No cooperation even asked for? WTF.

Gee, you'd think the DoJ really doesn't want to get to the bottom, or top, of anything.

Guess I'll put on my Jay Carney tinfoil hat, because the DoJ is known for such impartiality and honest pursuit of justice under Gonzo. right.

Anonymous wrote on March 23, 2007 9:40 AM:

Considering Griles' property/real estate buying spree in DC of very expensive pieces of land, I suspect he got a REALLY sweet deal!

damn busheviks! wrote on March 23, 2007 9:43 AM:

" They have him dead to rights on demonstrable lies to a Senate committee. He gets an agreement allowing him to protect any other guilty parties by not having to divulge further details to the grand jury. Why? He's guilty and they can prove it. What leverage did he have? Who benefits from him keeping his secrets and only sitting in jail 5 months? Maybe the U.S. attorney prosecuting the case is in Rove's back pocket? "

That was so dead-on correct, and concise, it deserved quoting in full.

Ian wrote on March 23, 2007 9:51 AM:

Can these investigations be re-opened after the Bush Administration leaves office? Or is there some sort of gentleman's agreement that you don't go after wrongdoing in the previous administration?

John B. wrote on March 23, 2007 9:52 AM:

>

As a matter of course, now, the media (and TPM) should be reporting the NAME and DISTRICT for every U.S. Attorney overseeing corruption prosecutions.

Richard L. Adlof wrote on March 23, 2007 10:02 AM:

On one hand Abrahamoff is like the clap . . . a gift that keeps on giving.

On other other hand Jack is like the clap . . . cuz his nastiness can be cured with a shot of penicillin.

I argue again for a day for a buck sentencing guideline OR sentences in line with less dangerous crimes like dealling crack.

Anonymous wrote on March 23, 2007 10:52 AM:

"...but they will agree to let him serve half that in home confinement..."

Which home will Griles be confined to? The beach house in SC he bought with a energy lobbyist? One of Sue Ellen Wooldridge's two houses in VA? His condo in DC?

JPT wrote on March 23, 2007 10:55 AM:

Something of a sweetheart deal there.

MediaFreeze wrote on March 23, 2007 10:56 AM:

For more on the beach house...

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/2/16/121233/691

chimpeach wrote on March 23, 2007 11:07 AM:

The suspicions about this deal are valid and they point out exactly why the DoJ and White House attempts to put loyal political operatives in U.S. attorney seats is so serious. We simply can't trust them to do a proper investigation and prosecution anymore. This has to get fixed right now.

mbbsdphil wrote on March 23, 2007 11:15 AM:

Remind me again, what was the politicization of the US Attorneys' offices meant to achieve?

Pymalion wrote on March 23, 2007 11:49 AM:

How much of the US Attorney firings was to enusre that the very guilty Repug operative could plead guilty to a minor offense, plea bargain with a Bush Toadie USA and get off with hand slap instead of spending hard time with Bubba?? Is this why Hammer Delay was pushing the WH to not backdown??? Is his own butt on the line?

It's already apparent that the DOJ was transformed into a political enforcement arm of the Bush Administration.

Ron Byers wrote on March 23, 2007 12:19 PM:

Not only does he get to serve his sentence at home, he gets to sleep with a former Deputy Attorney General. I bet she lights his pipe and fluffs his pillow every night.

Talk about being soft on crime.

If there isn't something in this for John Stewart, he isn't trying.

Alana wrote on March 23, 2007 12:35 PM:

this steven griles was such a tool. I recall this testimony and Federici's, they kept saying, I don't know what so and so what thinking. "I don't recall". Griles had a look like he soiled his huggies.

I guess there is so much corruption going on (6years worth), that even the DOJ can't rein in all of it. Afterall, they have to SHOW at least for now they "protect the interests of the people" and to uphold the rule of law. The Indians aren't a priority and they aren't big donors to the GOP like tobacco so its likely that the DOJ has to choose their battles....and sacrifice some...Steven Griles just took a soft one for the team//snark//

jdw wrote on March 23, 2007 12:43 PM:

Someone needs to get this infront of Waxie and Schumer pronto. Along with the earlier post that Abramoff might be getting time off. This is ridiculous.

Xan wrote on March 23, 2007 12:55 PM:

Dammit, I come here for the important facts on these cases, not trivial sh*t about the guy's sex life. WHO WAS THE US ATTORNEY ON THIS CASE? Just like the wretched AP and WaPo and NYT you are just sliding with "Prosecutors dropped earlier allegations..." and "In exchange for the plea, federal prosecutors will seek no more..." blah blah blah.

Although that last sentence is exactly right as edited here: Federal (unnamed) prosecutors are not seeking nearly as much as they should be here. I don't mean in terms of sentencing, I mean in terms of information.

For chrissakes, the guy is copping to a felony charge and we're not even getting a statement in open court outlining the details of the crime(s)? "Lying to Congress" is the coverup--how about the story on what he was lying about?

Paul Krugman nailed it the other day, folks. Every United States Attorney who did not get fired in Abu Al's Purge is now known, proven and on the record as being a "loyal Bushie" and must be treated as such. They kept their jobs when others were losing theirs for radical things like putting the Rule of Law ahead of Bush-supplicating utterly Republican-promoting partisan politics.

That's the story here. It would sure be nice if somebody would report it.

Cal Damage wrote on March 23, 2007 3:07 PM:

For years I've said every federal ruling needs to include the judge's appointing president and Federalist Society standing.
Now we need to include every US Attorney's name and Federalist Society standing on every federal prosecution.

So much for Justice...

Chase wrote on March 24, 2007 10:00 AM:

TPM should start its investigation of the 'loyal bushies' among the USAs...the ones who did not get fired...with the USA for DC, Jeffrey A. Taylor, who presumably approved this deal. Wampum and Kos have started putting stuff out on this guy. He has all the markings of a crony...former advisor to AG Gonzales and a former Orrin Hatch aide along with Kyle Sampson. This is a big big case. Griles was the head dirtbag at Interior. He is one of these messianic James Watt guys who thinks God wants more mineral development in the West, and one of the greasiest sleazoids ever to inhabit the federal government. He was Norton's #2: he ran the whole roost. This guy should be kept under pressure until he gives up the whole conspiracy. This plea deal is a catastrophe. It is time to escalate the DOJ firings and starting looking at areas where the politicization of DOJ was successful. Start here.

kirk murphy wrote on March 24, 2007 1:39 PM:

Follow the money.

The subtext is the multi HUNDREDS of billions owed to Native American tribes and individuals for oil, gas, coal, and minerals extracted from US Indian lands. Neither DOI (nor Bureau of Indian Affairs) ever bothered the energy/mineral megacorps to pay up - even Abu Ginzales admits the net liablity may be $200 billion - and Abu is lowballing.

In July 2002 Tom Slonaker, Special Trustee for Indian Affairs, testified before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. Kyle Sampson (the one who will testify next Thursday) at the White House, Griles at DOI, and two DOJ attorneys conpired to direct Slonaker to falsify his testimony before Congress. Slonaker showed up and testified truthfully in person: Griles and Sampson fired him.

The DOJ plea deal allows Griles to walk away without ever revealing the obstruction of justice he and Sampson engaged in to protect energy/ming megacorps - the same megacorps Griles had represented before he entered DOI under Bush.

Full details of the Griles/Indian Trust Scandal at Wampum, where MB Williams has been on this story for years.

"So let's talk about who approved the deal, and, well, is there any chance there's a link to the burgeoning US Attorney scandal?

"Well, according to the AP, the judge in the case was U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle. Ms. Segal Huvelle was a 1999 appointee to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Hence, one would assume the prosecutors on the case to be from the US Attorney's office in the District of Columbia. The newly appointed (September 2006) USA is one Jeffrey A. Taylor. Mr. Taylor previously worked as a close advisor to AG Alberto Gonzales, as well as an aide to Senator Orrin Hatch (hey, just like Kyle Sampson.)

"Taylor was obviously a political appointment, at a time that more and more former Bush Administration official corruption cases were coming home to roost. Coincidence?"

"Update1: More on Taylor's close relationship to Gonzales:

WASHINGTON - Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales has appointed U.S. Attorney Leura G. Canary of the Middle District of Alabama; U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein of the District of Maryland; and U.S. Attorney Amul R. Thapar of the Eastern District of Kentucky to serve three-year terms on his 2007 Attorney General's Advisory Committee of United States Attorneys. He has also appointed Jeffrey A. Taylor, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, to serve as an ex officio member. The Committee provides advice and counsel to the Attorney General."

"(Note: Not to be bitter curmudgeonly or anything, but I'm already noticing as people start to "discover" Griles for the first time, that my extensive research on the cretin is overwhelmingly ignored. Well, I guess anyone is welcome to reinvent the wheel over and over again... But then, perhaps only the white viewpoint on this really matters.)"

kirk murphy wrote on March 24, 2007 1:44 PM:

note to mods: I'm unfamiliar with this comment system. The URL I entered points to Wampum (source of the quoted text and much more on Griles), but it links to my name.

I'm concerned that is unfair to Wmapum. If's there's any way to change that so the URL stands on its own, I'd e grateful

In the mean time, the url for text quoted above is:

http://wampum.wabanaki.net/vault/2007/03/003518.html

URL for a whole series of Griles posts on Wampum is:

http://wampum.wabanaki.net/vault/2007/03/003518.html

Thanks!

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