And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Wed, 17 Mar 1999 10:20:42 EST from Victor's pechanga.net Martha Grand jury convened in Babbitt casino investigation Statewire PHOENIX (AP) -- A federal grand jury has convened to investigate Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt and whether the White House improperly influenced the decision to reject a proposed Wisconsin Indian casino, a newspaper reported Tuesday. The Arizona Republic reported that a grand jury secretly heard for more than four hours from Loretta Avent, a former deputy assistant to the president. Avent, who is not a subject of the investigation according to her attorney John Frank, served as the White House liaison to the nation' s tribes in 1995 when lobbyists sought to pressure the Clinton administration to reject a proposed casino in Hudson, Wis. Avent counseled her colleagues not to succumb to the lobbyists' requests. An independent counsel is now investigating, among other things, whether the White House took her advice and steered clear of the lobbyists' influence. The Republic also said the grand jury issued a subpoena for Interior Department records of a Midwestern tribe, the Shakopee Sioux. The tribe attracted attention during congressional hearings on the issue because it opposed the casino application and because two of Babbitt' s former Interior aides represented the Shakopees after leaving the department. Independent Counsel Carol Elder Bruce was appointed a year ago to find out whether Babbitt lied to Congress in his account of the Interior Department' s rejection of an application by three bands of the Chippewa tribe for the Wisconsin casino. Babbitt' s congressional critics allege the Interior Department denied the application because of pressure generated by rival tribes that were donating heavily to Democrats. Babbitt has said that his staff based its decision on the merits of the application and that he was not personally involved. Bruce' s spokesman, Cary Feldman, declined comment, as did Babbitt' s lawyers. Copyright 1999 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. � Copyright 1999. All rights reserved. http://www2.startribune.com/stOnLine/cgi-bin/article?thisStory=70798050 <<<< To remove your name from this list send a message to "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" with the message "unsubscribe triballaw" >>>> &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
