: : Allan P Stayman Will he hang for Lies,Fraud and Disinformation About EnenKio or will Akaka,Inouye,State Dept. X Pres. Bush or Gore : From: Robert Moore -- www.enenkio.org : Contact: Steve Hansen ( Steve.Hansen@mail.house.gov) (202) 225-7749 or Arturo Silva ( Arturo.Silva@mail.house.gov) (202) 225-4063 To: National Desk/Environmental Reporter July 12, 2000 Inspector General Testifies About Illegal Political & Lobbying Activity At Department Of Interior "Most Egregious Example I've Seen" In 30 Years Of Law Enforcement Washington, D.C. - The Inspector General for the U.S. Department of the Interior today outlined numerous examples of illegal political and lobbying activity at the Department which led him to refer the matter for possible criminal prosecution against an agency employee. Earl E. Devaney, Inspector General for the Department of the Interior, testified before the U.S. House Committee on Resources that former Interior official David North's political activities were "the most egregious example I've seen" in 30 years of law enforcement. North "retired" last year immediately after the Resources Committee began an investigation into North's political activities. Devaney testified that North conducted political activity from his federal office during work hours against Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-TX), Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-TX), and U.S. Reps. Phil English (R-PA), Brian Bilbray (R-CA) and Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA). In addition, Devaney testified that North sought to assist Democrat Congressional candidates and had contact with the Democrat National Committee and the Democrat Congressional Campaign Committee. Clinton's Department Of Justice Refuses To Prosecute Case Inspector General Devaney also stated that he was disappointed that the Department of Justice declined to prosecute North for criminal actions. U.S. Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), the Chairman of the Committee, responded that he wasn't surprised "considering the Clinton-Gore Administration's well-documented manipulation of the Justice Department to protect illegal activity by its political appointees." "This is the most partisan and politically-motivated Justice Department in the history of the nation," Young said. Another Clinton Political Appointee Is Under Investigation By Government Devaney also explained to the Committee that Allen Stayman, the former Director of the Office of Insular Affairs, was under investigation by the Office of Special Counsel for possible illegal political and lobbying activities. Devaney said his investigation uncovered evidence that Stayman was aware of some of North's political and lobbying activities. The Resources Committee is also investigating actions by Ferdinand "Danny" Aranza, the current Director of the Office of Insular Affairs. Both Aranza and Stayman testified under oath at today's hearing under subpoena. "I've never high-ranking officials suffer such convenient memory lapses in my 27 years in Congress," Young said. "Despite the denials and all of the 'I-can't-recalls', we will continue to pursue to this issue." Inspector General Devaney also testified that North assisted organizations like the Global Survival Network and helped prepare a "report" that questioned connections between Members of Congress and garment executives. The organization later submitted the report to Congress. Devaney also testified that North provided confidential information about private individuals to a reporter. Chairman Young's Opening Statement "After a year-long oversight review, this Committee has unearthed overwhelming documentation of numerous highly unethical and improper actions by federal employees of the Office of Insular Affairs, or OIA. "We have been able to substantiate multiple acts of partisan political activity, lobbying with appropriated funds, producing materials and collecting information under false pretenses, and violations of the privacy of individuals and businesses - all courtesy of the U.S. taxpayer. "In short, we have found massive waste, fraud, and abuse at the Office of Insular Affairs. This is what Congressional oversight is supposed to be all about. "OIA's highly questionable activities, at taxpayer expense, include: researching and writing political campaign press releases and candidate position papers for candidates to present as campaign materials; researching and drafting partisan memos and press releases for Democratic party offices, including the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic National Congressional Committee, The House Democratic Caucus, and state party organizations, to present as their own campaign materials; editing, researching and writing reports, position papers, and press releases for lobbying organizations to use to influence the outcome of legislation before Congress; hiring private investigators to nose around Saipan and even Hong Kong to dig up information on the garment industry; digging up private, sensitive information about private citizens they don't like, and then releasing that information - full names, Social Security numbers, Alien registration information - to investigative journalists. The Committee has subpoenaed and reviewed the contents of hundreds of thousands of documents, as well as the contents of six agency computers and dozens of computer diskettes. At the same time as these materials were being provided to the Committee, the Department was also providing them to the Interior Department Inspector General, Earl Devaney. Interior's own documents show that one purpose of this referral was the hope that an ongoing IG investigation might be a successful excuse to stop producing materials to the Committee. In fact, this excuse was attempted. It did not work then, and it will not work now. This Committee must not - and will not - turn its back on its duty to oversee that activities of officials at the Interior Department - particularly when there are specific and credible allegations they are using the resources authorized by this Committee, for partisan and inappropriate purposes. Nevertheless, I'm sure you will hear the same old song and dance from the Democrat minority: this has been a witch-hunt, this is partisan, there is an active criminal investigation, so we should just drop it. We've seen this defense tactic used so many times from the Minority in this Administration, and in this Committee, that it amazes even me. But let me remind the Democrats that if it weren't for the inquiry being conducted by this Committee, there would be no criminal investigation anywhere. It was only after - and as a direct result of - the opening of this inquiry and the issuance of the initial subpoenas, that the Interior Department forwarded the information to the Office of Special Counsel and the Inspector General. At each step of the inquiry, as this Committee has gathered more information from the Administration, they have had to forward it also to the Inspector General and the OSC. That is how Mr. Devaney learned about the abuses going on at OIA. So now we will hear from the Inspector General, a career law enforcement professional, and a Clinton Appointee. Mr. Devaney delivered a copy of his final report to the Committee on Monday, and appears to have found the same level of waste, fraud, and abuse at OIA that the Committee has found. So, unless you believe in a grand conspiracy involving the Congress and the entire office of the IG appointed by Clinton, this is not a partisan witch hunt. This is about doing our job: protecting the taxpayer, protecting privacy, protecting against waste, fraud, and abuse. You'll also hear from my friends in the Democrat minority that the improper activities were only carried out by one rogue operator, David North, and that he's now off the payroll, so let's just drop it. But Mr. North's "retirement" doesn't absolve this Committee of its duty to get to the bottom of things, and to find out who else may have been involved. That's why we're here today, and that's why we have subpoenaed Mr. North's two superiors, former OIA Director Allen Stayman, and former Deputy Director Danny Aranza, the current Director. They had the duty to monitor what Mr. North was up to. Lastly - and most loudly - you'll hear from the Democrats that what was going on in the garment industry in the CNMI1 was so bad that it justified what North and others were up to. Let me be clear: This hearing is NOT about allegations of worker abuse on the CNMI. We have had a CODEL2 to the CNMI, and we have held a hearing on the CNMI, but THIS hearing is about abuses in the OIA, which this Committee has a duty to oversee. And we will NOT be de-railed. If federal officials are allowed to break any laws they want, to violate people's rights, just because they believe their cause is just, then Katie bar the door. The message to all federal employees would be that constitutional and statutory rights don't matter, as long as big brother in the government thinks the cause is just. If the Democrat minority gets its way, then who gets to draw the line? What would my colleagues say if it was a Republican Administration abusing people's privacy and conducting partisan political activity, because they thought the cause was just? If the Minority thinks what went on here was OK, and that we should just ignore the partisan activity and the lobbying and the privacy violations, then they should go on the record and say so. Then the next Administration, and the American people, will know where they stand." 1. CNMI - Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands. 2. CODEL - Congressional Delegation. For more information, please check the House Committee on Resources Home Page at http://resourcescommittee.house.gov : AMERCIA REMOVE IT OR PROVE IT ! www.enenkio.org - Robert Moore, Minister Plenipotentiary, Kingdom of EnenKio Foreign Trade Mission DO-MO-CO Manager, Remios Hermios Eleemosynary Trust, Majuro, Marshall Islands http://www.enenkio.org