The six year-old landmark lawsuit, Cobell v. Norton, filed against the Bureau of Indian Affairs, accusing it of mishandling money held in trust for Native Americans, might be obstructed by new legislation developed by the Secretary of Interior and the Attorney General. This will be a setback for the 500,000 individual Indian beneficiaries whose assets are held in trust. Native leaders have accused government officials of betraying their fiduciary commitments by destroying tens of thousands of boxes of documents and electronic trust records. Despite the alleged misdeeds, these officials are being supported by the White House, according to Lead Plaintiff Elouise Cobell. She stated that “It is very strange that the President acts aggressively to prosecute chief executive officers of public companies for their corrupt activities at the same time the President attempts to protect government officials who engage in precisely the same misconduct. If the President is correct that this behavior is criminal and must be stopped now, and he is, why is cooking the books and cover-up acceptable when done by officials inhis Administration? Congress should send a clear message to the White House that this will not be tolerated. And, the public should be outraged by this naked abuse the power.”
