Former Interior Secretary Gale Norton is focus of corruption probe

[Heidi]

Source: Los Angeles Times

The Justice Department investigation centers on a 2006 decision to award oil shale leases in Colorado to a Royal Dutch Shell subsidiary. Months later, the oil giant hired Norton as a legal counsel.

September 16, 2009 | 7:01 p.m.

Reporting from Washington - The Justice Department is investigating whether former Interior Secretary Gale A. Norton illegally used her position to benefit Royal Dutch Shell PLC, the company that later hired her, according to officials in federal law enforcement and the Interior Department.

The criminal investigation centers on the Interior Department's 2006 decision to award three lucrative oil shale leases on federal land in Colorado to a Shell subsidiary. Over the years it would take to extract the oil, according to calculations from Shell and a Rand Corp. expert, the deal could net the company hundreds of billions of dollars.

The investigation's main focus is whether Norton violated a law that prohibits federal employees from discussing employment with a company if they are involved in dealings with the government that could benefit the firm, law enforcement and Interior officials said.

They said investigators also were trying to determine if Norton broke a broader federal "denial of honest services" law, which says a government official can be prosecuted for violating the public trust by, for example, steering government business to favored firms or friends.


Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-norton17-2009sep17,0,6215749.story

[BeyondGeography]

1. This should be interesting

Here's an article announcing her hiring at Shell: http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_4910177

[eppur_se_muova]

2. WooHoo! Couldn't happen to a more deserving myrmidon. nt

[Oldtimeralso]

3. K & R and proud to be # 5 n/t

[DCKit]

4. 'Bout freakin' time.

And if her weekly violations of the Hatch act should come to light during the course of the investigation, it would be a real shame. Especially when they get tracked back to Dick and Kkkarl.

[Hawkeye-X]

5. Please indict her, throw her in jail

That woman is poor excuse of a Coloradan.

Thanks!

Hawkeye-X

[Nostradammit]

6. And a poor excuse of a Coloradoan, too!

;)

[NecklyTyler]

7. Give her a fair trial, then lock her up. n/t

[NecklyTyler]

8. K&R

[dennis4868]

9. Since Hannity and Beck

have been going after corruption in the government I am sure that they will be covering this story and slamming the Bush administration for allowing this to occur.....NOT!

[groundloop]

12. Don't forget Lou Dobbs

I'm sure he'll be all over it as well

[SpiralHawk]

10. Typical Republicon

Perverted Pharisee Family Values.

[Lasher]

11. So why not go after Wendy and Phil Gramm?

The statute of limitations has probably exempted Wendy but Phil should still be fair game.

[BCCM]

13. Former Interior Secretary Gale Norton is focus of corruption probe

Now I know what the Interior Department more specifically the USGS was doing in 2004, when they called me to say they could not investigate scientific misconduct and fraud, because all their investigators and attorneys had been shifted to over to fight the war on terrorism. We knew it was BS from the get go.

http://www.bccmeteorites.com/misconduct-planetary.html

[MountainLaurel]

14. Terrific news n/t

[Hotler]

15. Good! n/t

[SpartanDem]

16. Former Interior Secretary Gale Norton is focus of corruption probe

Source: LA Times

Reporting from Washington - The Justice Department is investigating whether former Interior Secretary Gale A. Norton illegally used her position to benefit Royal Dutch Shell PLC, the company that later hired her, according to officials in federal law enforcement and the Interior Department.

The criminal investigation centers on the Interior Department's 2006 decision to award three lucrative oil shale leases on federal land in Colorado to a Shell subsidiary. Over the years it would take to extract the oil, according to calculations from Shell and a Rand Corp. expert, the deal could net the company hundreds of billions of dollars.

The investigation's main focus is whether Norton violated a law that prohibits federal employees from discussing employment with a company if they are involved in dealings with the government that could benefit the firm, law enforcement and Interior officials said.

They said investigators also were trying to determine if Norton broke a broader federal "denial of honest services" law, which says a government official can be prosecuted for violating the public trust by, for example, steering government business to favored firms or friends.



Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-norton17-2009sep17,0,6215749.story

[The Last Democratic]

17. Gale A. Norton !!!!!!!

Gale got her own Oil Slick. 

[bertman]

18. Let's hope that Gale is just the first of many. The revolving door from gov't to industry is

killing our democracy.

Rec.

[lib_wit_it]

22. +100! And K&R for the OP!

[Blandocyte]

19. Another W era greedhead

Let's hope they'll all squirm under serious scrutiny.

[Mr. Sparkle]

20. After they are done with her, i hope they investiage these crooks:

Former Congressman Billy Tauzin, R-La., who steered the Medicare Part D bill through the House, retired soon after and took a $2 million a year job as president of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), the main industry lobbying group. Medicare boss Thomas Scully, who threatened to fire Medicare Chief Actuary Richard Foster if he reported how much the bill would actually cost, was negotiating for a new job as a pharmaceutical lobbyist as the bill was working through Congress. A total of 14 congressional aides quit their jobs to work for the drug and medical lobbies immediately after the bill's passage.

all those sob's should be locked up.

* apologizes for the semi thread hijack

[DebbieCDC]

21. Good -- couldn't happen to a more deserving corpwhore