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MONDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2001

On the job for nine months, is it Secretary of Interior Gale Norton's fault that the trust fund is royal(t)ly messed up?

Not if you ask Colorado resident Lon McCarthy. McCarthy tells Denver Post bureau chief Bill McAllister that it's the Democratic-led Senate's doing for not confirming Norton's aides sooner.

But McAllister, author of the weekly "Beltway Notebook" column, dispels the notion quickly. Not only was Assistant Secretary Neal McCaleb the first to be confirmed, none of the pending have direct interaction with the trust fund.

Bssides, McCaleb has been hush-hush about the trust fund. He likes to refer everything back to the Special Trustee, for some reason his staff will not explain despite repeated requests to do so.

And of the group that has been confirmed, Solicitor Bill Myers has found no trouble getting immersed in hot water. He allegedly tried to intimidate BIA managers into verifying a court report, but they turned him down.

Additionaly, as McAllister notes, some of the persons cited for their questionable behavior by court monitor Joseph S. Kieffer III are Norton's personal staff who were put in place long ago. Norton's chief of staff and chief counsel didn't need to be confirmed to put their hands in the Individual Indian Money (IIM) cookie jar.

Get the Story:
The Beltway Notebook: Norton blame shared (The Denver Post 10/28)

Today on Indianz.Com:
Action against Norton urged 'on all fronts' (10/29)

Relevant Links:
Office of the Special Trustee - http://www.ost.doi.gov
Trust Management Improvement Project - http://www.doi.gov/bia/trust/tmip.htm
Indian Trust: Cobell v. Norton - http://www.indiantrust.com

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