WASHINGTON, Nov. 21, 2008
Employees Fired Over Sex-For-Oil Scandal
Interior Dept. Terminates, Demotes Workers Linked To Reports Of Promiscuous Sex, Lavish Gifts
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The actions announced Friday range from a warning letter to termination. The Interior Department would not confirm how many employees were fired, citing privacy.
The eight employees at one time worked in a Denver Minerals Management Service office in charge of collecting billions of dollars in federal oil royalties.
An Interior Department Inspector General investigation issued in September referred to a "culture of substance abuse and promiscuity" in the office from 2002 through 2006. During that time, the report found that some employees were getting drunk and having sex with oil company personnel. The report also highlights instances where co-workers in the office used cocaine and marijuana.
Much more widespread were the golf and ski trips, snowboarding lessons and concert tickets workers in the office accepted from oil companies. Nearly a third of the 55-person staff in the Denver office had accepted gifts, but only nine workers had exceeded the $20-per-gift limit or $50-a-year threshold on outside gifts.
MMS Director Randall Luthi said in a statement Friday that "the behavior of some MMS employees prior to 2007 was clearly inappropriate and warranted strong administrative action."
Eight of those workers were still employed with the agency when the scandal broke, but not in the same office.
Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne had vowed to take swift action to squelch what he called an "ethics storm." But disciplinary procedures for civil servants prevented him from taking action for at least a month.
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If so, termination and criminal prosecution are the only appropriate actions. Reprimands or demotions are for lesser offenses that didn''t cheat the taxpayers out of cash.
When the Interior Dept. cites privacy as a reason not to say how many (let alone names) were terminated, what they really mean is bureaucratic secrecy to cover up their embarassment. I.E. they did not really fire as many as deserved it.
Posted by CoolCont at 04:17 PM : Nov 21, 2008
Bush didn''t even know gasoline was skyrocketing up to $5.00...
Hold on to my wallet...what wallet...with Republicans in control the last 8 years...
Interior Dept person: "And now I want a sloppy BJ."
Oil w-h-o-r-e: "What''s in it for me?"
IDp: "That can of Valvoline on the nightstand."
And Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne (R-ID) vowed to take swift action? It happened more than 2 years ago!
- by antoniof123 November 21, 2008 5:09 PM EST
- The scandles of this administration are amazing. Did they do any work I mean lets be realistic the Republicans came to power in 1994 and for the next 12 years never completed a full budget (talk about irresponisble). Then George Bush is appointed President by the Courts (talk about stealing an election). Then we remove them from power and the filth just keeps coming out from the carpet.
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See all 13 CommentsMan I don''t know how much more garbage is out there but it must be a lot.
And think they impeached Clinton for a BJ.
Conservatives at their best!