A slip of the pen marker
As I continue my slog through the Abramoff documents this morning, yet another glaring concern, though one which somehow got past the redactors.
Why was Shawn Vasell meeting with Department of Energy, House Judicial and Cheney staff? Although it was billed to Choctaw, a quick glance at their lobbying filings for 2001 indicate they were not cleared to lobby on DoE on energy issues (tribal lands are Interior's jurisdiction.) In fact, none of Vasell's clients were registered to lobby DoE.
Prior to joining Abramoff at Preston Gates (and later, Greenberg Traurig), Vasell was a senior legislative aide to Senator Spencer Abraham (R-MI). In 2001, Abraham was nominated by Bush to be Energy Secretary. In late 2001, Vasell ostensibly left Greenberg Traurig to work as Senator Conrad Burn's state director, a job he left a year later to return (full-time) to Greenberg Traurig.
Perhaps the redactors mistook the initials S.R. for Susan Ralston, and so let the meeting escape their black markers. I'm still on the hunt for a House Judiciary Committee aide with the initials S.R. Any help is welcome.
Update: C. Hutto is F. Chase Hutto, III.