J. Steven Griles, the former deputy secretary of the Interior Department, has been told that he will likely be indicted for lying about his relationship with convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Griles was told of possible charges by letter and by a meeting with federal prosecutors last Friday. "We are shocked and disappointed at this turn of events," his lawyer said.
The charges center over Griles' testimony to the Senate Indian Affairs Committee in November 2005. He denied doing any favors for Abramoff's tribal clients but was contradicted by a former colleague and by other evidence that suggested he was overly concerned about gaming, land-into-trust and federal recognition issues.
Griles left Interior in December 2004 and started a lobbying firm whose clients include the Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma. He has been dating Sue Ellen Wooldridge, a Justice Department official who oversaw the defense of the tribe's trust mismanagement case and a settlement.
At Interior, Griles said in a court declaration that he was in "charge" of all Indian trust matters. Wooldridge, who used to be the top lawyer at Interior, suddenly resigned on Monday.
Get the Story:Former Official Is Said to Be a Focus of Lobbyist Inquiry (The New York Times 1/11)
pwnyt Senate Finance Committee Democratic Report:
Text Only | Response to Democratic Staff | Investigation of Jack Abramoff�s Use of Tax-Exempt Organizations (October 12, 2006) Note: 18.3MB file may be slow to load. Senate Finance Committee Materials:
Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy | Americans for Tax Reform | National Center for Public Policy Research | Citizens Against Government Waste | Toward Tradition | News Article Clippings House Government Reform Committee Documents:
Report | Billing Records Spreadsheet | Attachment 1 | Attachment 2 | Press Release Senate Indian Affairs Committee Abramoff Report:
�GIMME FIVE�� INVESTIGATION OF TRIBAL LOBBYING MATTERS (June 2006) Exhibits:
Pre-2001 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | Undated | Finance Related Stories:
Griles a target of Abramoff investigation (1/10)
Griles said to be under scrutiny in Abramoff probe (11/15)
Abramoff to report to prison as probe gets hotter (11/14)
Norton protected Griles after $1M investigation (09/14)
Wayne Smith fingers Griles as Abramoff 'point man' (6/22)
Abramoff White House visit coincides with Griles meeting (05/11)
Tribes, states weigh lawsuits against oil companies (5/8)
Norton denies fraud or major problem with trust (3/29)
GAO report warns of billions in lost oil, gas royalties (3/29)
Norton denies Abramoff played a role in resignation (03/13)
Tribes, states object to Interior's lack of audits (03/01)
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Bush, Democrats oppose $7B royalty giveaway (2/15)
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Griles trying hard to avoid Abramoff indictment (02/08)
Griles arranged for Norton photo with Abramoff (01/30)
Griles denies doing favors for Abramoff, tribes (01/09)
In the Loop: Griles attended DOI's Christmas party (12/16)
Norton refutes alleged influence of Abramoff (12/15)
Watchdog group sues DOI over Abramoff documents (12/07)
McCain expects 'lots' of indictments in Abramoff case (12/05)
Dorgan vows to continue Abramoff lobbying probe (11/29)
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Inside the BIA, according to Jack Abramoff (11/23)
Plea deal cites members of Congress and another tribe (11/22)
Scanlon free after guilty plea in tribal lobbying scheme (11/22)
Charges laid against Scanlon in tribal lobbying probe (11/21)
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Salon: Italia Federici a 'minor' Republican player (11/18)
Campbell denies relationship with Italia Federici (11/18)
Audio: Italia Federici testifies before Senate panel (11/17)
Opinion: Something creepy about Federici's CREA (11/16)
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C-SPAN Moment: Putting the screws to Steve Griles (11/11)
Senate panel sets hearing for Italia Federici (11/09)
Column: Where in the world is Italia Federici? (11/07)
Editorial: Steve Griles and the revolving door (11/04)
Griles, Rossetti to testify on Coushatta Tribe (11/02)
Griles called to testify on Abramoff scandal (11/01)
Norton associate to testify at Abramoff hearing (10/28)
Interior drawn into Senate committee's lobbying probe (10/26)
Abramoff tried to hire Griles at lobbying firm (08/29)
Gaming leads to new concerns about lobbyists (05/26)
Meskwakis gave $50K to group founded by Norton (04/22)
Griles fought casino opposed by Abramoff's clients (03/14)
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Tribes gave $175K to group founded by Norton (2/28)
Bush nominates replacement for Griles at Interior (02/09)
In the Loop: Griles forms new lobbying partnership (01/31)
Editorial: Good riddance to J. Steven Griles (12/20)
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Top Interior official resigns from Bush administration (12/08)
Griles blames controversies on Bush opponents (12/08)
Report blames lax culture for Griles ethical 'train wreck' (03/17)
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Court challenges move to 'extinguish' rights (11/04)
Judge rejects Norton's 'absurd' accounting claim (09/23)
Griles nearly perjured himself (9/18)
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House clears DOI budget bill (7/18)
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Norton's accounting funds limited (6/28)
Griles can't explain trust standards (6/27)
Recusal didn't bar Griles involvement (5/27)
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