Outrage against Indians
The Seattle Times
By: Editorial
December 3, 2001
In America, there is nothing quite like a free, independent and ticked-off judiciary. An exasperated and angry federal judge is expected to let loose contempt-of-court proceedings next week against Interior Secretary Gale Norton for her agency’s behavior on the scandalous Indian trust-fund case. The government’s management failures on $500 million held on behalf of 300,000 Native Americans is well established. No one even musters an argument that trust responsibilities have not been a disgrace since the end of the 19th century.
All of that has been established by a class-action lawsuit artfully stalled by both the Clinton and Bush administrations since 1996. In theory, Norton and others have been reporting back to the judge on their progress in reconciling accounts and replacing a faulty accounting system. But a federal court monitor uncovered what is basically a sham. The Interior and Treasury departments had no system to back up their numbers, raising the question of where the officials were getting the information they reported to court.
Earlier this month, Norton tried a feinting move, indignantly stripping the Bureau of Indian Affairs of jurisdiction. But the replacement agency was equally clueless. This sordid case will cost taxpayers a bundle, and the government ought to be prepared to pay every nickel. Two Clinton administration Cabinet officers were cited for contempt. Norton deserves the same honor. Basic fiduciary responsibilities were violated. We are all shamed by the behavior.
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