"Calling for a thorough review of past ethical problems at the Interior Department, new secretary Ken Salazar pledged today a "long term-effort to enact comprehensive, top-to-bottom reforms."

Salazar, a former Democratic senator from Colorado, told a group of reporters at the White House that the agency "has been tarnished by ethical lapses and criminal behavior that has extended to the very highest levels of government."

He specifically referred to two scandals: the conviction of J. Steven Griles, the former deputy Interior secretary who pleaded guilty in 2007 to lying about his connections to disgraced uber-lobbyist Jack Abramoff; and the sex-and-drugs scandal that surfaced this summer involving more than a dozen employees at the Minerals Management Service, which handles domestic drilling revenues.

The new Interior chief also said he wants his own review of the scandals that have plagued the department in recent years, including what's been done to fix them."

Get the Story:
Interior Department Tarnished, New Chief Says (The Washington Post 1/18)

Relevant Documents:
Cleaning house (January 28, 2009)