In what may be the latest addition to Jack Abramoff's Republican body count, Interior Secretary Gale Norton announced her resignation today. With Abramoff's legal team threatening to tell all about the "friends of Jack" throughout Congress and the Bush White House, Norton preemptively ended her career in government.
As the Denver Post, ThinkProgress, Atrios and others report, Norton certainly has a lot of explaining to do. Norton protected her deputy and former energy industry lobbyist Steven Griles even after her inspector general described him as an ethical "train wreck waiting to happen." Griles is also currently under investigation for allegations that he aided Jack Abramoff and his tribal casino clients. Norton, too, has been implicated in Abramoff's schemes, including charges that she received $50,000 (and one her aides $500,000) from Abramoff to provide access.
Today's additions to Abramoff's conservative casualty list do not end with Secretary Norton. The New York Times reports that conservative consigliere and anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist took $25,000 from Abramoff's tribal clients to set up White House meetings with President Bush back in 2001. Meanwhile in Georgia, one-time Christian coalition wunderkind and candidate for Lt. Governor Ralph Reed has become radioactive due to his Abramoff misdeeds. At a major GOP fundraiser yesterday, President Bush largely ignored Reed, his 2000 southeastern U.S. campaign chairman.
When it comes to potentially career-ending corruption scandals in Republican Washington, Abramoff isn't the only game in town. Only days after San Diego Congressman Duke Cunningham was sentenced to eight years for accepting $2.4 million in bribes and gifts from defense contractor MZM, Florida's Katherine Harris saw her 2006 Senate campaign begin to unravel thanks to her MZM taint. The web of MZM corruption may ensnare yet more Republicans on Capitol Hill, including Duncan Hunter, John Doolittle, Jerry Lewis, and, of course, Tom Delay.
As for Norton's resignation, it is in the words of the old joke, a good start.