Apparently, there's been some court papers filed in federal court in New York that dig into the dirty laundry inside the
Interior Department! Everyone grab some popcorn...
OK, so back in the day, Edith Blackwell, everyone's favorite Solicitor for Indian Affairs, hooked up with
Michael Rossetti, everyone's favorite
Sugar Daddy, when he was Counselor to
Gale Norton, who was the best woman ever to serve as Secretary of the Interior. We won't gross you out with the details but let's just say they got cozy while bonding over
negotiated rule-makings in exotic locales like Portland, Oregon, and Falls Church, Virginia. You can thank
Reenie for furthering their relationship.
Anyways, Rossetti left DOI and joined Akin Gump, everyone's favorite
Indian Law and Sacred Prayer Blogging Firm. But in case you forgot, he also
tattled on
Steve Griles, who ended up going to
prison and who ended up marrying former Solicitor
Sue Ellen Wooldridge. 1849 C Street NW sure is for lovers!
So with Edith working the halls of DOI and Mike working the wallets of Indian Country, what better way for the couple to assert their influence than by helping out the
Seneca Nation, one of Mike's biggest clients? The tribe benefited from an
eleventh-hour legal opinion from yet another Solicitor (David Bernhardt, who as far as we know hasn't married anyone at DOI) that said the
Indian gaming rules that the Bush administration spent so much time developing don't apply to an off-reservation casino in Buffalo, New York.
Yes, here is where the lawsuit comes in. It sounds like something we've heard before --
Edith helping one of Mike's clients -- so it must be true! According to
Artvoice:
At the time of these events, Edith Blackwell was living and sharing a residence with Michael Rosetti, a partner with Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP, which provides legal respresentation to the SNI [Seneca Nation of Indians] and was receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars from the SNI for that legal representation and for lobbying the federal government on issues affecting Indian sovereignty, among others. The SNI, which holds the Buffalo Parcel in restricted fee, was the sole tribe that stood to benefit from the DOI’s reversal of its position. Edith Blackwell was recused, presumably due to her relationship with Michael Rosetti, from all matters involving the SNI. Yet when the SNI pressed the DOI to reverse is position on the applicability of Section 2719, Edith Blackwell un-recused herself and orchestrated the change.
Well, there you have it folks. From the courthouse to the outhouse -- Edith Blackwell and Michael Rossetti! We wish every Friday was this fun.
Powered by
Movable Type 3.33
Copyright © Indianz.Com