Mother Jones: Pennies on the dollar for Cobell

"Here’s the latest in the continuation of the epic Cobell v. Kempthorne lawsuit—a veritable Odyssey for our times, chronicled in Mother Jones (Sept-Oct 2005) "Accounting Coup." Ten years and three Secretaries of the Interior have passed since Elouise Cobell, a Blackfeet banker and MacArthur “genius grant” recipient, filed suit against the government, in pursuit of money long overdue her and 500,000 Indians.

Now the government has proposed paying $7 billion. Seems like a lot, right? But with those monies Interior hopes to settle Cobell’s lawsuit on behalf of the Individual Indian Trust and a whole lot more. Hey, this is the kind of accounting we should all get to practise when it comes time to pay our taxes."

Get the Story:
Bush Administration Proposes Pennies On the Dollar In Settlement To Indians (Mother Jones Blog 3/9)

Settlement Letter:
Kempthorne-Gonzales to SCIA (March 1, 2007)

Elouise Cobell Statement:
NO THANKS, WE’LL TAKE THE ACCOUNTING, INDIAN PLAINTIFFS SAY (March 8, 2007)

Sen. Dorgan Statement:
DORGAN SAYS BUSH ADMINISTRATION OFFERS $7 BILLION TO SETTLE SUIT OVER MISMANAGEMENT OF INDIAN TRUST FUNDS (March 6, 2007)

Other Documents:
Alberto Gonzales Testimony (March 1, 2005) | SCIA Views and Estimates (March 1, 2007)

Relevant Links:
Indian Trust: Cobell v. Kempthorne - http://www.indiantrust.com
Cobell v. Norton, Department of Justice - http://www.usdoj.gov/civil/cases/cobell/index.htm

Related Stories:
Editorial: Bush 'settlement' settles nothing (3/9)
Interior Department still in denial over Cobell (3/9)
Bush proposes $7B trust fund settlement (3/8)
Dorgan and Thomas disagree on Cobell settlement (1/22)
Jodi Rave: Cobell sees hope for case in new year (1/20)
NewStandard: Tribes turn to court over trust funds (01/08)
Jodi Rave: Interior mum on class action tribal suit (01/05)
Tribes file class action trust accounting lawsuit (01/04)
Cobell honored by AARP Magazine for trust work (12/19)
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Letter: Nearly $1B wasted on Swimmer's trust reform (8/7)
Editorial: Stop delaying settlement to Cobell (8/4)
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Editorial: It's time for settlement on Cobell (7/28)
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Cobell issues statement on settlement talks (7/25)
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Editorial: Dirk Kempthorne arrives in Washington (6/13)
Swimmer calls Cobell settlement 'reparations' (5/8)
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Kempthorne faces hot issues at Interior Department (3/21)
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