When critics talk about regulatory officials being in bed with those they regulate, the phrase is typically used metaphorically. At the Department of the Interior, however, it should be taken literally.
WP: A Department of Interior IG report that people may actually read: " Government officials handling billions of dollars in oil royalties engaged in illicit sex with employees of energy companies they were dealing with and received numerous gifts from them, federal investigators said Wednesday. The alleged transgressions involve 13 Interior Department employees in Denver and Washington. Their alleged improprieties include rigging contracts, working part-time as private oil consultants, and having sexual relationships with _ and accepting golf and ski trips and dinners from _ oil company employees, according to three reports released Wednesday by the Interior Department's inspector general. The investigations reveal a 'culture of substance abuse and promiscuity' by a small group of individuals 'wholly lacking in acceptance of or adherence to government ethical standards,' wrote Inspector General Earl E. Devaney.
Devaney said the former head of the Denver Royalty-in-Kind office, Gregory W. Smith, used illegal drugs and had sex with subordinates. The report said Smith also steered government contracts to a consulting business that was employing him part-time."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/10/AR2008091001829.html?hpid=moreheadlineshttp://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5993877.htmlhttp://www.talkleft.com/story/2008/9/10/16641/4848
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