Griles shares two homes with former DOJ official

Thursday, February 15, 2007  

J. Steven Griles, the former deputy secretary of the Interior Department who is facing charges as part of the Jack Abramoff scandal, shares ownership of two homes with a former Justice Department official.

Griles and Sue Ellen Wooldridge, the former assistant attorney general in charge of environment and natural resources, share a condo in the Washington, D.C. area. They also share a $980,000 vacation home in Kiawah Island, South Carolina, with an oil industry lobbyist.

Wooldridge received approval to buy the home from the Justice Department, a spokesperson said. Wooldridge and Griles have been dating since they worked for former Interior Secretary Gale Norton.

Wooldridge abruptly resigned her Justice position after Griles was told by federal prosecutors that he is facing charges for lying to the Senate Indian Affairs Committee about his role in the Abramof scandal. She has testified before a grand jury, according to news reports, but is not facing charges, according to her lawyer.

Get the Story:
Justice Official Bought Vacation Home With Oil Lobbyist (The Washington Post 2/15)
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Ex-Official Is Not Target of Abramoff Inquiry (The New York Times 2/15)
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Lobbyist, Fed Lawyer Share Vacation Home (AP 2/14)

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