EnenKio

[Robert Moore]

:  

:        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 at mail.house.gov) (202) 225-7749 or
Arturo Silva ( Arturo.Silva at 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