Another Abramoff Casualty? Gale Norton Announces Resignation
Another Abramoff Casualty? Gale Norton Announces Resignation
The Denver Post reports that Interior Secretary Gale Norton will announce her resignation today. The paper notes:
Norton’s tenure was also marked by repeated ethical controversies. Norton cleared her top deputy, former lobbyist J. Steven Griles, after her inspector general said his conduct showed that the department’s ethics system was “a train wreck waiting to happen.” Griles is now under investigation for allegations that he did the bidding of convicted Indian casino lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Norton is still supporting him.
Recall, Norton received $50,000 from Jack Abramoff, and Abramoff also funneled more than $500,000 to one of Norton’s former political aides, Italia Federici, to gain access to her department.
Here’s a photo to remember her by (note Abramoff on the far right):
UPDATE: A copy of Norton’s resignation letter is available here.
Topic Cloud
ArchivesBlog Roll
Bout’ time “Gail the imp” gets her due.
March 10th, 2006 at 12:43 pmSooo I’ll get excited when bush/cheney/rice/rumsfeld resign or rather carted off to jail.
March 10th, 2006 at 12:46 pmGot to love those Abramoff photos.
Memories, like the corners of my mind…
March 10th, 2006 at 12:47 pmWhat goes up must come down and the greedier you are, the worse it will be when you lose your ill-gotten gains.
Karma wins again!!
March 10th, 2006 at 12:54 pmI believe this is called “take the money and run”.
If this current group of republicans were any more slimy they would slide right off the planet. Hmmm, maybe there is hope after all.
March 10th, 2006 at 12:55 pmDoes Darth Cheney hear the war drums beating in the distance?
They’re getting closer every day. Why don’t I feel bad for him?
March 10th, 2006 at 12:57 pmWhat a shame. Gail was doing a heck of a job protecting our environment.
March 10th, 2006 at 12:58 pmGetting close to Bush.
That’d be a durned shame, now wouldn’t it?
March 10th, 2006 at 1:00 pmCome on, she probably just wants to spend more time with her family, or more time with her dogs, or more time sitting on her front porch spraying little critters with a hose gushing raw crude. “I love watching how they flap around and gasp for air, look at that one…”
March 10th, 2006 at 1:00 pmReally getting into the Red Light District now.
March 10th, 2006 at 1:03 pmWho’s the guy immediately to Gail’s right from our view of the picture? The fellow with the stripey tie? He looks really familiar.
March 10th, 2006 at 1:06 pmTrain wreck ready to happen, isn’t she is an Energy executive waiting to happen? The President will refer to her as quite a lady. She and Sec. Chertoff are going to run the new division of Halliburton ready to assume management of our Ports.I mean look at what Lisa Meyers got and that’s just hand me down nepotism, this should be full gold carpet, thank you for not needing a pardon, croynism. Remember all these folks with National Security related Cabinet positions have very good security clearances, and access to the Justice Dept. to help them find new jobs for being loyal.
March 10th, 2006 at 1:08 pmThe press should be all over this. it is going to be like a house of cards.
March 10th, 2006 at 1:11 pmBye, Gale. Don’t let the door hit your blah, blah, blah.
March 10th, 2006 at 1:12 pmDon’t you just love Abramoff’s sh*t-eating grin? Maybe they can be pen pals.
Bad Riddance! Selling off American resourses to Big Business at Bargain Basement prices while helping to wreak environmental havoc…may she burn in Hell in an open pit mine filled and fueled by crude oil ablaze.
March 10th, 2006 at 1:13 pmHell ya!! Todays a great day for our environment!! This woman was a key player in Bush’s agenda to allow his corporate buddies to reek havack on our environment. This is from msnbc.com……
Let’s hope the media puts a spotlight on this. Let’s also hope they cover Bush’s replacement nominee and senate conformation hearings. We can’t let Bush put in another crook like her!!
March 10th, 2006 at 1:14 pmShe did a heckuva job.
March 10th, 2006 at 1:14 pmAbramoff also funneled money to Harry Reid – who has yet to return it.
Abramoff is a NON-issue. IT will be like Enron. You know that big scandal that was supposed to be the death of the GOP in the 2002 midterms. IT wasn’t. We picked up seats.
March 10th, 2006 at 1:16 pmI’m sure she just wants to spend more time with her children.
March 10th, 2006 at 1:19 pmBut I suspect she’s gonna get a lot more time with Greta in the next jail cell.
Every time another one of these pigs gets indicted, another set of eyes get opened. Gradually, the GOP is sliding down into the slime it is based on; greed and fascism.
Norton; Secretary of the Department of the Ulterior (Motive).
March 10th, 2006 at 1:20 pm#18 …
that is soooooooooo tired … let’s see … Reid is from Nevada where their biggest cash crop is … oh, waitaminnit, it’s on the tip of my tongue … GAMBLING!!! that’s right … Abramoff NEVER gave Reid money. In fact, he instructed Indian casinos to give Dems LESS money than they had in the past. This is a GOP scandal, no matter how much you twist and turn to make it appear bi-parmesan.
learn it. love it. live it.
March 10th, 2006 at 1:21 pm…the press should be all over this. it is going to be like a house of cards.
Hardy Haberman — March 10, 2006 @ 1:11 pm
my my my my…when did you fall of the turnip wagon? such a waif-like naivete…
March 10th, 2006 at 1:24 pm.
.
This must be why Abramoff’s attourny keeps seeking further postponements; so that every one in the Administration who’s going to be implicated can parachute out.
Except for the President. Can he pardon himself? Would the Supreme Court allow it?
March 10th, 2006 at 1:24 pm#21 – the keyword is “funneled”
March 10th, 2006 at 1:25 pmWho is the insane Bushie going to put in? Another incompetent idiot.
March 10th, 2006 at 1:26 pmLet’s hope the media puts a spotlight on this. Let’s also hope they cover Bush’s replacement nominee and senate conformation hearings. We can’t let Bush put in another crook like her!!
Comment by Neal — March 10, 2006 @ 1:14 pm
you go ahead and wish in one while i pee in the other, then see which one gets damp…
March 10th, 2006 at 1:26 pmjeezis…
#18 – Abramoff funneled no money to Reid. The tribes gave him money (although less than they did before Abramoff). But if you’re trying to influence gambling legislation, Reid’s exactly the guy you want to give money to. Reid is answerable to his constituents on gambling issues, and didn’t change his position or invent a new position just because he got money.
Influence peddling is when Bob Ney takes money from Abramoff and then tries to influence a casino deal in Florida. That’s illegal, unethical, and typical Republican behavior.
March 10th, 2006 at 1:27 pmWhoops!
March 10th, 2006 at 1:28 pmAfter seeing all these people in pictures with Abramhoff routinely resigning, being indicted, etc., if I had a picture of myself with Abramhoff on my wall I would try and get myself some real good juju from the local witchdoctor right about now.
March 10th, 2006 at 1:30 pmOh, this is just delicious.
March 10th, 2006 at 1:33 pmThe implosion of the DeLay-Abramoff K Street GOP slush fund project is turning into a vast whirlpool of a black hole that will suck down a lot more Republicans before it’s done.
March 10th, 2006 at 1:36 pmAnd let us not forget that Abramoff was a “member” of the Interior Department “transition team”, when Bush took over. Perhaps she “resigned” before she could be indicted?!?
March 10th, 2006 at 1:39 pm[...] Interior Secretary Gale Norton is stepping down. Gale Norton is linked to Jack Abramoff in several cases. Think Progress has a great write up about her and Jack Off. [...]
March 10th, 2006 at 1:39 pm#26…..Pessimism will get you no where in life.
March 10th, 2006 at 1:41 pmSounds like Norton is the latest addition to the body count from “Jack Abramoff and the Banana Republicans.
March 10th, 2006 at 1:44 pm#35 – Sounds like Norton is the latest addition to the body count from “Jack Abramoff and the Banana Republicans.
Indeed. I’m wondering how many more will fall before all the shooting stops? :)
While we can count the political dead from the Abramoff affair, the US just can’t seem to count the civilian dead in Iraq.
Three years into the war, one grim measure of its impact on Iraqis can be seen at Baghdad’s morgue: There, the staff has photographed and catalogued more than 24,000 bodies from the Baghdad area alone since 2003, almost all killed in violence.
… no one knows the exact toll.
President Bush has said he thinks violence claimed at least 30,000 Iraqi dead as of December, while some researchers have cited numbers of 50,000, 75,000 or beyond.
The Pentagon has carefully counted the number of American military dead — now more than 2,300 — but declines to release its tally of Iraqi civilian or insurgent deaths…
[AP News - see top page on Yahoo.com]
March 10th, 2006 at 2:18 pmEvery member of the GOP in DC should resign from their positions and a few traitor Dems like Lieberman and Byrd!
March 10th, 2006 at 2:19 pm#18 – Yeah, go ahead and praise your corrupt party. When mid-terms come around, and you find that you’ve lost seats, come back here and cry like a partisan Republican who didn’t get a hand-out from the special interests to whom you’ve sold your souls.
We’ll be patient while we wait for you to admit you’re incorrect!
PS – Remember the whole “rule of law” that was parroted during the impeachment of Pres. Clinton?!?!? Remember how it was THE reason he was impeached? Keep that in mind, fella.
March 10th, 2006 at 2:36 pm“The truth is still the truth, and a lie is still a lie, and the rule of law should apply to everyone, no matter what excuses are made by the president’s defenders. The news media characterizes the managers as 13 angry men. They are right that we are angry, but they are dead wrong about what we are angry about. We have not spent long hours poring through the evidence, sacrificed time with our families, and subjected ourselves to intense political criticism to further a political vendetta. We have done so because of our love for this country and respect for the office of the presidency, regardless of who may hold it. We have done so because of our devotion to the rule of law and our fear that if the president does not suffer the legal consequences of his actions, the impact of allowing the president to stand above the law will be felt for generations to come.†–Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI).
March 10th, 2006 at 2:40 pm#11
Is it Grover? Am I right? Grover?
What do I win if it’s Grover?
March 10th, 2006 at 2:53 pm#24 – IS THAT ALL YOU GOT?
March 10th, 2006 at 2:56 pm#41 – Yes, that’s the best “spin” he can come up with.
Abramoff didn’t direct ANY money to Democrats, he tried to direct money AWAY from Democrats. Abramoff’s clients used to send money to Democrats, but Abramoff said “Don’t do it! Send the money to Republicans!” All you have to look at are the amounts that the Indian Tribes used to send to Democrats before Abramoff, and then after Abramoff started his relationship with them. The money going to Democrats went DOWN.
Now, THAT’S a fact that “I hate liberals because I was TOLD to hate them” never quite gets around to exposing. He’s still stuck on his “spin” to try and make it seem like Abramoff gave to Democrats. Unfortunately for him, the facts aren’t working out like he would wish.
March 10th, 2006 at 3:02 pmgreat, now how about some people we want to resign, like Bush, Rove, Condi, Rummy and Cheney?
March 10th, 2006 at 3:06 pm#24 “#21 – the keyword is “funneledâ€
Comment by Liberals are Lying Bigots — March 10, 2006 @ 1:25 pm”
No, the keyword is “lying,” as in, “how much lying can I do here in two sentences?”
Your motive is either (a) to get money, probably “funnelled” by the Olin or Scaife Foundations via the RNC, or (b) because you think that by defending the Neocons you’re somehow going to be a member of that little exclusive club. Well, I have a news tip for you: It takes a village to support one billionaire’s tax cuts. They’ll take your defense of them anytime but don’t think for a minute they want you to do anything other than continue paying the taxes that support their tax breaks.
You’re a paid stooge or a fool.
March 10th, 2006 at 3:18 pmWell, Pete, I want ALL of the Republican administration players out. Only way to do that is throw them out on their big soft butts. The only way to do that is to bring to light their greed, their hypocrisy, their bigotry, their incompetence, their lack of patriotism. There are not just 5 neo-cons in this country, there are many, and they have been placed throughout our government. It takes many to mess things up this badly. We will have to find each and every one of them and drag their dirty laundry into the press to rid our country of this pestilence. I see no other way. As the press regains their courage, I think that it will happen…in spite of the owners of the papers and networks being neo-cons themselves. The people are having a hard time with the Dubai Ports Deal… why aren’t they upset that about 50% of our media is owned by a foreign man, Rupert Murdoch, who has backed Bush from jump?
March 10th, 2006 at 3:25 pmI think, after Bush takes the perp walk, Murdoch should be right in back of him for twisting the concept of journalism into political-hackism.
I think LLB is really NeD because he offers the same erroneous comments.
March 10th, 2006 at 3:30 pmReid is a Senator in Nevada — American Indians are among his constituents – they donated money toward his campaign. The fact that they also were conned by Abramoff is irrelevant.
NeD used to make the same comments at every opportunity.
Does LLB think changing his moniker means this is a different audience?
Today’s additions to Abramoff’s conservative casualty list do not end with Secretary Norton. For the full story, see:
March 10th, 2006 at 3:32 pm“Norton, Norquist and the Abramoff Body Count.”
Good Riddance to Gail Norton!
March 10th, 2006 at 3:34 pm#46 – I think it would be better written like this:
Reid is a Senator in Nevada — American Indians are among his constituents – they have ALWAYS donated money toward his campaign, and this was well before Abramoff began ’snookering’ them.
I might add: Due to Abramoff, the American Indian Tribes actually donated LESS money to Sen. Reid than they did in the past.
So much for the lie “Abramoff gave money to Democrats too!” that Republicans and trolls are repeating at every opportunity.
March 10th, 2006 at 3:34 pmThanks, #49 — that IS better. I went off on my rant against NeD instead of completing my train of thought.
March 10th, 2006 at 3:37 pm#39 Gerald Gibson Sensenbrenner is my representative I have told him we need to impeach old Bushie but he gaves me one of his spins as usual. He is nothing but a Republican lover.
March 10th, 2006 at 3:50 pm#51… Good one! That should open some more eyes! That guy is as arrogant in his criminality as Cunnilingham. May he share the same cell.
March 10th, 2006 at 3:53 pmThanks for the link, Plunger. Santorum is such a scumbag!
March 10th, 2006 at 3:56 pmIt’s so pathetic that we’re happy when we see ONE real investigative news story. Hopefully this one will be noticed and shouted out across the country.
I sent the link to Bill Borders of the NYT. He will probably ignore it, but all I can do is try.
March 10th, 2006 at 4:01 pmYeah, but I’m sure the Chimp will find another “friend” or someone who doesn’t know squat about the environment to get the position.
He’ll probably hire someone from an (drum roll)………………………………………………………AN OIL COMPANY!
March 10th, 2006 at 4:02 pm#56, Jimbo, is that an Oil Drum Roll?
March 10th, 2006 at 4:15 pmTimberrrrrrr…
March 10th, 2006 at 4:18 pmThe media isn’t covering this for sh**. They must have some special interests in timber, oil, coal, and the like. The media’s coverage of environmental issues have been non-existant for quite a while now. It’s a shame because environmental issues affect us all.
March 10th, 2006 at 4:47 pmCould this be a sign of indictments to come. It sure would be nice.
Jamie
March 10th, 2006 at 5:09 pmhttp://www.intoxination.net
Republicans stand for corruption, cronyism, wars without end, domestic spying, toture and sexual humiliation, racist attacks on black congressmen like Harold Ford, unfettered capitalism at the expense of the nations good, Christianm Jewish and Muslime welfare in the form of faith based initiatives, intrusion on personal rights, rule by fear, chicanery and intimidation and the avoiding all responsibility.
-GSD
March 10th, 2006 at 5:45 pmThis Reichwing crew is like combining the worst aspects of musolini and the mafia! They got the worst of both groups, and only managed to produce a government of corruption, incompetence, cronyism, superstition and idiocy.
March 10th, 2006 at 6:10 pmdon’t they just look lovely, happy and proud. but noone knows jack, how did i forget.
March 10th, 2006 at 6:32 pmGee, with $50,000, you’d think Norton would have
March 10th, 2006 at 6:36 pmbought some cream rinse. That haystack of hair
looks like a fire just waiting to happen.
IN ANY OTHER ADMINISTRATION, A CABINET SECRETARY LEAVING UNDER A CLOUD WOULD BE A BIG DEAL.
IN BUSH’S ADMINISTRATION, IT’S JUST ANOTHER CROOK. NOBODY EVEN NOTICES.
March 10th, 2006 at 7:43 pmThe obvious next choice for U.S. Interior Secretary would be Captain Joseph Hazelwood who previously turned down the stewardship of the EPA. With this person with an in-depth experience in spill avoidance, the ANWR would be safe forever.
March 10th, 2006 at 8:49 pmI want to reword that one (#67)-
March 10th, 2006 at 8:53 pmThe obvious next choice for U.S. Interior Secretary would be Captain Joseph Hazelwood who previously turned down the stewardship of the EPA. With this person with an in-depth experience in oil spills, the ANWR would be safe forever.
A bush crony taking a bribe? The shock, the horror, the surprise – why do I feel like I’ve seen this plot before? I think I’m getting inept, corrupt crony fatigue. Enough already, just fire them all.
March 10th, 2006 at 9:12 pm#’S 67 AND 68
yes indeedy, didn’t you just love Anthony Hopkins in “Waterworld”?
What with the news of the (month old) spill on the North Slope, there can only be hope…..
ANWAR is all about global warming and the fact of that particular piece of shoreline up there becoming a PORT………..
March 10th, 2006 at 10:38 pm#70 – Howdy Neighbor,
March 10th, 2006 at 11:19 pmI was only attempting to evaluate the competance of the current administration’s appointments. Heck, it started with Cheney’s choice for President. Next Vladimir Putin will replace Rumsfeld as Secretary of Defense, second choice – Kim Jong-il.
The rate of increasing speed of rover rat ship escapism is simply mahhvalous.
Hey. You Rats want some Cheese with your Whine?
March 11th, 2006 at 2:30 amToday we havethe “Gale Norton Memorial Northshore Oil Spill” What a legacy.
March 11th, 2006 at 12:28 pmShe should “resign” herself to a jail cell. ..along with the rest of her pack.
March 15th, 2006 at 6:19 pmI am glad to see her resign but whoever takes her place will still have been nominated by the Bush administration. And from what I can tell they aren’t going to put anyone in who will do anything different. I want to be optomistic but find it very hard with the people in charge.
March 26th, 2006 at 12:52 pmanthony andersen
I Googled for something completely different, but found your page…and have to say thanks. nice read.
March 17th, 2008 at 7:36 amresignation letter
This is similar to comment spam but avoids some of the safeguards designed to stop the latter practice.A Trackback is one of three
April 6th, 2008 at 5:37 am