Sierra Club RAW: Griles Gone Wild

		Issue #205 April 12, 2007 Griles Gone Wild Josh Dorner, RAW Contributor We all know that Steve Griles, the recently-convicted corrupt former Deputy Secretary of the Interior, has been cavorting with Sue Ellen Wooldridge, a similarly corrupt former DOJ environmental lawyer (and his former subordinate). And that the happy couple owns a million-dollar vacation home with a leading lobbyist for Big Oil. Seems that Ms. Wooldridge is not the only woman with a loose sense of ethics that Mr. Griles has taken a fancy to. The latest of his lovers to be ensnared in the ongoing Abramoff corruption probe is Italia Federici, the founder of the Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy (CREA) (which despite its name is a c3 tax-exempt organization largely prohibited from lobbying). It seems that in return for approximately a half-million bucks in contributions to CREA from Abramoff, Federici used her, um, connections at Interior to take care of Abramoff's clients. (Don't forget that much of Abramoff's fraudulent behavior concerned his dealings with Indian tribes and that the Bureau of Indian Affairs is part of the Department of the Interior.) Seems that Ms. Federici is due to be charged with violating five statutes: conspiracy to defraud the United States, tax evasion, impeding the Internal Revenue Service, and obstructing proceedings and making false statements before the Senate. Sounds like it's time to lawyer up! The best part is that in addition to dating Griles, Ms. Federici could also count on the substantial influence of the other co-founder of CREA to help her help Abramoff. Who is the other co-founder of CREA you ask? None other than former Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton herself. The same Gale Norton who now holds a lucrative position with Shell Oil. Who knew that corruption was such an aphrodisiac? RAW is the Sierra Club's weekly e-mail update in which our team of Sierra Club correspondents bring you humorous insights about environmental stories you won't want to believe. Subscribe to RAW. Unsubscribe from RAW. Tell a Friend about RAW. View previous editions of RAW. Become a Sierra Club Member. Want to keep up with the Sierra Club's latest activities and news? Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the Sierra Club's flagship e-newsletter sent out twice a month. The Insider provides everything from information on new reports and issues to planning great hiking trips to how you can help change environmental policy. View recent editions of the Insider. Sierra Club | 85 Second St., San Francisco, CA 94105 | sierraclub.org | w.watch@sierraclub.org