Interiority

The sex and drugs and kickbacks scandal currently breaking out at the Minerals Management Service of the Interior Department--which collects oil and gas royalties--suggests a culture of corruption breathtaking even by Bush administration standards. Take, the former program director of the royalty-in-kind program:

The report said that from April 2002 to June 2003, Mr. Smithimproperly used his position with the royalty program to help atechnical services firm seek deals with the same oil and gas companies.The services firm paid Mr. Smith more than $30,000 for asking the oilcompanies to hire it, the report said....

The report accuses Mr. Smith ofimproperly accepting gifts from the oil and gas industry, of engagingin sex with two subordinates, and of using cocaine that he purchasedfrom his secretary or her boyfriend several times a year between 2002and 2005. He sometimes asked for the drugs and received them in hisoffice during work hours, the report alleges.

The report alsosays that Mr. Smith lied to investigators about these and otherincidents, and that he urged the two women subordinates to mislead theinvestigators as well.

In discussions with investigators, the report said, Mr. Smithacknowledged buying cocaine from his secretary and having a sexualencounter with her at her home, but denied discussing drugs at work. Healso denied telling anyone to lie, saying that he only told people that“no one has a right to know what I do on my personal time.”

And this is one of the officials the Justice Department isn't prosecuting. Read the whole thing.

--Christopher Orr

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