High Moral Standard

Another is a series of reasons why one might understand the Senate insisting that Karl Rove and Harriet Miers testify in public, under oath, with a transcript came today in the guilty plea of former #2 man at the Interior Department, Steven Griles.

The filing reveals that Griles was romantically involved with Italia Federici (identified as Person A) from 1998 through 2003, and that it was that relationship which led to Jack Abramoff's access to Griles while he was deputy secretary of the Interior. It also says that Griles lied to the committee to cover all that up.

Here's how it worked. Federici runs a nonprofit called Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy (CREA), a conservative think tank. Since Federici was a former aide to then-Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton and was well connected in the Interior Department, Abramoff found her very useful. His clients pumped $500,00 into her organization; in return, she ensured that people inside the department knew about his clients' concerns. The person inside who was particularly helpful was Griles, the #2 there.

But Griles didn't want the Senate to know any of this. So he lied.

Perhaps, if the administration had a reputation as a bunch of stand-up folks who'd never bent the truth about WMDs, and if it didn't feature a number of upper-level officers actually convicted or indicted for perjury, obstruction of justice, fraud and lying to committees of Congress (Griles, Libby, Foggo, Safavian, etc.) their credibility might be a little higher.

With this administration, even appearing under oath in public is no guarantee that they will tell the truth, so it does seem like the minimum that can reasonably be expected. It seems odd that the man who came into office promising us that he would hold to a higher standard than the Clinton administration seems to have a problem with it.

Update: James C. Moore, author of a book on Rove, writes about Rove's personal credibility in the LA Times:

Rove has testified under oath before investigative bodies twice, and in neither case was the truth well served.

Details here.