“Nine months before agreeing to let ConocoPhillips delay a half-billion-dollar pollution cleanup, the government’s top environmental prosecutor [Sue Ellen Wooldridge] bought a $1 million vacation home with the company’s top lobbyist,” the AP reports. “Also in on the Kiawah Island, S.C., house deal was former Deputy Interior Secretary J. Steven Griles, the highest-ranking Bush administration official targeted for criminal prosecution in the Jack Abramoff corruption probe.”
UPDATE: The happy couple:


Griles, now an oil and gas lobbyist, began dating Wooldridge while he was her boss at Interior. He was the department’s No. 2 official from July 2001 to January 2005, behind only former Secretary Gale Norton. He and Duncan, a ConocoPhillips vice president who runs the company’s Washington office, both served on President Bush’s presidential transition team, Griles for the Interior Department, Duncan for the Energy Department.
Duncan has played a major role in getting the Bush administration’s backing for a proposed $25 billion natural gas pipeline reaching from Alaska to Midwest markets.
Beeeeznesss as usual for BushCo.
February 14th, 2007 at 10:06 pmIt stinks....
February 14th, 2007 at 10:08 pmWill someone please kill.......the desire I have to make this man die.......in a bed of roses. I wish I could be honest out loud.
February 14th, 2007 at 10:15 pmIn a normal world that combo just wouldn't work. But this is BushWorld.
February 14th, 2007 at 10:22 pmBut, but Bill Clinton and the Lincoln bedroom......
Eeeeeyyaagh...........
-GSD
February 14th, 2007 at 10:28 pmOil lobbyist and Bush enviro lawyer share vacation home.
And Jeff Gannon.
February 14th, 2007 at 10:33 pmThe money only stays with the rich.
February 14th, 2007 at 10:38 pmThe average person is just a looser!
Bush and Cheney are only trying to protect their friends!
Tell me something new!
Pure scum.....
February 14th, 2007 at 10:43 pmFreedomFascism is on the march.But it was all done for the good of the
countrywallet, of course.maybe these guys will become more aware of "global warming" when the ocean creeps up to the porch... or the next hurricane comes by...
just looking for a silver lining...
February 14th, 2007 at 10:43 pm[...] in Business, Environment, Government, GOP, Bush Administration at 8:00 pm by LeisureGuy From ThinkProgress: “Nine months before agreeing to let ConocoPhillips delay a half-billion-dollar pollution [...]
February 14th, 2007 at 10:52 pmFrankly, if the Democrats do not start actually fixing things, this may have to be our next step.
February 14th, 2007 at 11:16 pm
Now this is interesting. From the article:
The lawyer may be off the hook, but there may be a systemic problem in the Justice Department.
This sort of thing is what happens when the inherent system of checks and balances gets tossed out the window. For 6 years there was only a Rubber-Stamp Republican Congress with little to no oversight.
This is also what happens when Corporations control the politicians through their vast wealth.
The government we have is illusory. The Princes and Kings run the country from behind the scenes. Remember Cheney's secret Energy meetings? Only industry (ie. $$$) was invited.
February 14th, 2007 at 11:24 pmhttp://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/february2007/140207Criminal.htm Lou Dobbs
February 15th, 2007 at 12:03 am''There appears to be a breakdown of ethics at the Justice Department, said the committee's chairman, Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif. ''Senior Justice Department officials should not be handling cases that affect their close friends and investment partners.''
ain't OVERSIGHT grand...
February 15th, 2007 at 12:20 amlike minds, BnF... but you are so much better with words...
February 15th, 2007 at 12:25 amEthics, we don't need any stinking ethics.
February 15th, 2007 at 12:49 amLOL what a creepy GOP couple. I bet they invite Jeff Gannon over to have threesome sex orgies!
February 15th, 2007 at 1:09 amAll of those phony amerikan flag lapel pins worn by the bush administration fascists should be torn off and pounded pin first into their foreheads.
i LOATHE seeing these anti-amerikan fascists degrading the flag.
bunch of pukes
February 15th, 2007 at 3:34 ama million did not buy them much at all around Kiawah SC. They needed more than that to compete with the Jones' in that neck of teh woods. Look up The Santuary on Kiawah.... it's the newest place for vacationing , golf and living on the island....... and I mean it, one million is CHEAP ( CHEAPSAKES!!!!!!!!!!!)
February 15th, 2007 at 6:32 amIt would be interesting to know if Mr. Griles was married when the affair began.
February 15th, 2007 at 6:38 amIt's a man baby!
February 15th, 2007 at 6:58 amHang em!
February 15th, 2007 at 7:05 amAnd that is how to serve the public...buy a 1 million dollar vacation home with lobbyist, then date the lobbyist. All ,of course ,was approved by the Ethics Committee . !!!
February 15th, 2007 at 8:09 amwow
February 15th, 2007 at 8:27 am"Bed Buddies" on the take! So what else is new? The phrase "thick as thieves" has taken on a new meaning.
February 15th, 2007 at 9:52 amPerhaps a thorough investigation needs to take place on these two "trysters" - who was married when the trysts began...lemme see....you KNOW at least one of them was and not to the other. How much did their little "love nest" actually cost?? And on what salaries did they purchase it? Follow the money trail.......tralalalala
February 15th, 2007 at 9:53 amSomehow their mug shots make them look like they deserve each other...yuk!
February 15th, 2007 at 9:54 amThose two are gross. I hope they each get what they deserve.
February 15th, 2007 at 10:06 amIf anyone watched the McCain hearings last year that brought out the Abramoff/Ralph Reed scam against the Native American casinos, you would have seen this guy Griles being grilled by McCain like a hot dog. I wonder what John would do now, given that he is running for President and his love is for sale? Maybe someone should call him and see if he wants a piece of this time share too--just for insurance.
February 15th, 2007 at 10:15 amthis just shows the typical CROOKS that run for office... obama, clinton,
who else is there
rah rah vote for me, i'll be your public servant to provide all the valuable
services you desperately need implanting the utmost integrity in appointed public servants.......... i won, i won!!!
NOW for all the wonderful services you earn half at your job and we get
half (or more).... oh ya, all the wonderful services... bet ya don't get
a nickel back on a dollar..... m3 hidden, dollar crashin, iraq, iran... corrupt
as hell
and bush appoints CROOKS like this..... cheney, corrupt as hell, 109th
a disaster, ... wonder why don't nothin get done :) ... dracula holds
votes open, to many crooks campaigning from thursday thru tuesday...
FINALLY at the wee wee hours in the morning arm twisting
that vacation home and direct conflict of intrest go on ALL THE TIME :(
it's corrupt as hell and enough to make everything PUKE them right
out of office.. but that can't happen EITHER because the joo hoo bees
all CROOKS
but because lord all mighty knows they know better than you do,
February 15th, 2007 at 10:16 amwhatever God lets crooks like De Lay and Hastert continue their
political LEECHING, infact all of them are a bunch of political leeches and
guess who they leech from :(
oh.... forgot... yeh while 109th and probably 110th seeks political
contributions from thursday thru monday, to serve the people, when
dracula voting came on wednesday during the WEE hours of the
morning... it was SO RIGGED, bought out, totally corrupted..
and now the same thing is happeneing in the 110th... yes sir ree...
a loophole so the lobbyists can continue RIGGING them and leeching
from the poor to the rich and particularly hard hit is the middle class
PUKE*PUKE*PUKE them ALL out of office... oh no couldn't impeach
February 15th, 2007 at 10:21 amBush/Cheney, but we serve the people all right..... i small a RAT!!!!
Sweep out a couple more cells. Company's comin'.
February 15th, 2007 at 11:03 amSo, when do they start on the $.5billion clean up? They need to take some responsibility for "we the people" who pay (underline) them. Or might they get a pass on tis as well. Having it their way. bottomsuckers.
February 15th, 2007 at 11:17 amPrecious and cozy.....what nice, nice people. It would be too bad if a bunch of hippies decided to camp out in that vicinity and pay them a nice, prolonged visit. Kind of a Camp Casey East - if it's good for Dubbie to spend time at the ranch, it should be good for protesters to get out in the fresh air of beautiful natural places too, dontcha think?
February 15th, 2007 at 12:38 pmGriles SHOULD BE GRILLED FOR THE CROOK THAT HE IS AND THE BOOK THROWN AT HIM!!!!! Bushland Uber Allies MUST BE ATTACKED AT EVERY JUNCTURE AND EVERY CHANCE WE GET TO GET ONE OF THEIR MINIONS SHOULD BE FULLY EXPLOITED AND FOLLOWED THROUGH TO GET TO THEIR SOFT UNDERBELLY FOR THE FATAL THRUST WITH THE SWORD OF VENGEANCE!!!!!
February 15th, 2007 at 8:21 pmBush Environment Prosecutor, Top Oil Lobbyist Share Vacation Home...
The Bush Administration is literally in bed with the petroleum companies....
February 16th, 2007 at 1:08 amI am from Canada. We don't have this problem of government corruption up here.
That's why EVERYBODY loves us, and we LOVE everybody.
Nobody tries to bribe or 'sweeten the deal' with anybody up here because we have really strong beer. This tends to make everything a little fuzzy, and everyone concentrates on hockey, strippers and good times.
If someone DOES try to gain favour or bribe someone, we have our checks and balances. Our mounties all carry hockey sticks. One swing of the stick will get rid of any but the staunchest of lobbyists.
If the mounties can't do it, we stuff a beaver or two in their shorts. that usually fixes them.
Besides, there's currently no lobbyists in Canada because lobbyists can't live in igloos.
February 23rd, 2007 at 3:20 pmSometimes I really feel like the world situation is hopeless. But, I believe in a higher power, even if it is simply just nature itself. The world can only sustain so much abuse before it begins to break down. Although science has proved pole shifts and the like, how do we know they weren't caused by humans actions? Because nature is drastically changing, not for the better, and this time it is being caused by humans.
February 26th, 2007 at 2:26 am