DOI officials may be avoiding court

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2002

A federal judge has scheduled a hearing this morning to address an apparent attempt by a senior Department of Interior official to avoid questioning about efforts to fix the broken Indian trust.

U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth ordered the official, acting Special Trustee Donna Erwin, to testify about her role in the process. Acknowledging her busy schedule, he said the deposition could take place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where Erwin works full-time.

But yesterday afternoon, Erwin showed up in Washington, D.C., for a meeting with tribal leaders. Her appearance contradicted a direct exchange Lamberth had with a government attorney about Erwin's upcoming schedule.

"Will Erwin be in Washington, D.C.?" Lamberth asked.

"She does not expect to be in Washington at all," responded Department of Justice attorney Michael J. Quinn.

Erwin had intended to arrive in Washington, D.C., on Sunday night in advance of the final meeting of the tribal-federal task force on trust reform. But her flight was canceled and she departed early yesterday morning.

Erwin stayed at the meeting for about an hour or so, after which she was whisked away by Associate Deputy Secretary Jim Cason. Both officials did not return.

Lamberth also ordered Bert T. Edwards, the director of the Office of Historical Trust Accounting, to appear for questioning this morning. But there were indications that he may not appear either.

Today's hearing takes place at the federal district court house in Washington, D.C., at 9:30 a.m.

Relevant Links:
Indian Trust, Department of Interior - http://www.doi.gov/indiantrust
Indian Trust: Cobell v. Norton - http://www.indiantrust.com
Cobell v. Norton, Department of Justice - http://www.usdoj.gov/civil/cases/cobell/index.htm
Trust Reform, NCAI - http://www.ncai.org/main/pages/
issues/other_issues/trust_reform.asp

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