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MONDAY, AUGUST 5, 2002

Tom Slonaker was ousted from the Department of Interior because he told Secretary Gale Norton "things she didn't want to hear," The Denver Post says in an editorial.

"Norton may not have liked Slonaker's criticism, but she should bear in mind that people who tell you things you'd rather not hear aren't necessarily enemies - and those who tell you what you want to hear aren't always your friends," the paper writes.

Slonaker was the Special Trustee for American Indians, a position created by Congress in 1994 to oversee and ensure the century-old Indian trust system is fixed. But he had no true independence and was told by the Bush administration he could not monitor and implement reform at the same time.

Sen. John McCain has asked the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs to hold a hearing on Slonaker's resignation. McCain is a committee member and a former chairman.

Get the Story:
Editorial: Killing the messenger (The Denver Post 8/4)
Beltway Notebook: Ouster of Indian Affairs trustee seen as setback (The Denver Post 8/4)
McCain demands hearing into aide's dismissal (The Farmington Daily News-Miner 8/3)
Editorial: Indian trust accounts (The Durango Herald 8/1)

McCain Letters on Slonaker Resignation:
McCain to Norton (8/2) | McCain to Inouye (8/2)

Relevant Links:
Indian Trust, Department of Interior - http://www.doi.gov/indiantrust
Indian Trust: Cobell v. Norton - http://www.indiantrust.com
Trust Reform, NCAI - http://www.ncai.org/main/pages/
issues/other_issues/trust_reform.asp

Related Stories:
Slonaker: Gale Norton 'has no clothes' (8/1)
Slonaker cites White House pressure (7/31)
'He did the best he could' (7/31)
Slonaker leaves Bush administration (7/30)