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THURSDAY, MARCH 20, 2003

A court investigator for the Indian trust fund lawsuit is recommending the release of a document that contributed to the forced resignation of a Department of Interior official.

In a March 17 report, special master-monitor Joseph S. Kieffer III said the Bush administration raised valid objections to the disclosure of "Attachment C." But he said the government, as trustee to more than 300,000 American Indian beneficiaries, is obligated to make the information known.

"Plaintiffs," Kieffer wrote, "are entitled under the common law of trusts to receive all relevant information on the status of their trust resources and assets. . ."

Although the document is currently under seal, it has been identified as Congressional testimony prepared by former special trustee Tom Slonaker. In an interview after his forced ouster last July, Slonaker confirmed this but declined to give Indianz.Com a copy.

Slonaker prepared the testimony at the request of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. But due to objections from the White House and the Department of Justice, he never submitted it.

He testified before the panel anyway and said an accurate historical accouting of the Individual Indian Money (IIM) trust was impossible. Five days later, he was fired.

Separately, Kieffer is recommending the release of "Attachments IV and V," two documents the Bush administration is seeking to keep private. The exact contents have not been disclosed but they relate to an alleged historical accounting of funds owed to members of the White Mountain Apache Tribe of Arizona. Slonaker questioned whether the alleged accounting was accurate.

Relevant Documents:
Special Master-Monitor Report on Attachment C (March 17, 2003) | Special Master-Monitor Report on Attachments IV and V (March 17, 2003)

Relevant Links:
Indian Trust: Cobell v. Norton - http://www.indiantrust.com
Indian Trust, Department of Interior - http://www.doi.gov/indiantrust
Cobell v. Norton, Department of Justice - http://www.usdoj.gov/civil/cases/cobell/index.htm

Related Stories:
Norton 'incapable' of reform, say trust experts (09/25)
Trust fund monitor has secret document (08/08)
White House embroiled in trust fund mess (07/31)
Feathers ruffled in and out of Indian Country (07/31)
Historical accounting plan comes under fire (07/26)