J. Steven Griles
Steven Griles served as Deputy Secretary at the Interior Department from July 12, 2001, until his resignation on Dec. 7, 2004. He left to set up his own lobbying firm, Lundquist, Nethercutt and Griles.
Griles worked in the Reagan administration as deputy director of the Office of Surface Mining, Department of the Interior from 1981 to 1983, and as assistant secretary and deputy assistant secretary of the Interior for Lands and Minerals Management (1983-1989). He was subsequently employed by National Environmental Strategies, Inc., a lobbying firm that continued to pay Griles while he was employed in the Bush administration.
Griles testified to the Senate Indian Affairs Committee on Nov. 2, 2005 that Jack Abramoff offered him a position at Greenberg Traurig while Griles had the authority in his position at the Interior Department to make decisions effecting Abramoff's Indian clients. He also told the Committee that he did not have a close relationship with Abramoff and never tried to help an Abramoff client during his tenure at the Interior Department, though the Committee Report noted that Griles' testimony was inconsistent with other testimonies that came before the committee.
Key Points:
Having received a job offer from Abramoff, Griles may have helped Abramoff's Indian clients engaged in negotiations with the Interior Department.
Abramoff offered Griles a job in September 2003; Griles says he simply rejected the offer. But an Abramoff email shows a more extensive conversation: in it, Abramoff wrote that he had met with Mr. Griles that evening, that Mr. Griles was "ready to leave Interior and will most likely be coming to join us" and that "I expect he will be with us in 90-120 days." NY Times, 11/3/05.
At the time, Abramoff had a number of concerns before the Interior Department related to his tribal clients.
Griles provided Abramoff with inside information on how to successfully lobby the Interior Department on behalf of his clients.
In apparent contradiction to his Senate testimony regarding the extent of Griles' relationship with Abramoff, emails released by Senate investigators show that "the former deputy secretary of the Interior Department had numerous meetings, telephone calls and other contacts with Jack Abramoff concerning the lobbyist's tribal clients." The emails also suggest that Griles "advised Abramoff how to get members of Congress to pressure the department and provided him information about Interior decision-making."
Research by Asheesh Siddique
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