Originally published July 28, 2007 at 12:00 AM | Page modified October 26, 2007 at 2:12 PM
Letter from Washington | Alicia Mundy
Bush appointee "burrows in" at the Interior Department
Let the burrowing begin. "Burrowing in" is slang for what happens in D. C. toward the end of a presidential administration when political...
![]() |
Seattle Times Washington bureau
WASHINGTON — Let the burrowing begin.
"Burrowing in" is slang for what happens in D.C. toward the end of a presidential administration when political appointees destined for the dust bin become full-fledged career government officials. Once embedded and untouchable, they are like moles in one of John le Carré's spy novels, left behind to quietly stand guard over the outgoing administration's turf.
The practice is legal, and a 2006 government report suggests it has increased in recent years.
On July 23, Matthew McKeown, a political appointee under the Bush White House, began a new job as a high-ranking civil-service employee at the Department of the Interior.
A Department of the Interior spokesman said in a statement that McKeown was "exceptionally well qualified" for his new job.
The department did not make McKeown available for an interview, but Interior spokesman Chris Paolino said the department followed all the normal procedures for civil-service hiring when changing his status.
McKeown was a deputy attorney general in Idaho during the tenure of then-Gov. Dirk Kempthorne, who is now the Secretary of the Interior.
In 2001, the Bush White House appointed McKeown to a job in the Office of the Solicitor, the legal adviser for the Interior Department.
In October 2004, McKeown called the Endangered Species Act a form of "permanent hospice care" at an annual conference of the Property Rights Foundation. He also pushed the Healthy Forest Initiative, which environmental proponents say would let loggers cut more trees.
McKeown was part of the group surrounding two controversial Interior officials, former Solicitor William Myers and former Deputy Secretary Steven Griles.
Myers came under fire in 2003 for urging two congressmen to introduce a bill to give $1 million in public land north of Sacramento to a private company.
McKeown defended Myers to the media.
![]()
McKeown, who knew Griles, worked for Griles' girlfriend, a lead lawyer in the solicitor's office. Griles became part of the scandal involving lobbyist Jack Abramoff in 2006. He pleaded guilty to lying to Congress this year and was sentenced to 10 months in prison.
Griles' girlfriend, now his wife, moved to the Justice Department in 2005 and McKeown later followed. Until July 13, he was acting assistant attorney general for the Environment and Natural Resources Division.
Now he's back at the Interior as deputy associate solicitor.
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., has criticized recent actions at the Interior Department.
"As a close associate of Mr. Griles, I think that Mr. McKeown's conversion from political appointee to career lawyer in the solicitor's office raises some real questions about whether the ethical climate at the Interior Department is really changing," Wyden said in a statement.
Letter from Washington is an examination of the culture of politics and power in the nation's capital. Alicia Mundy can be reached at 202-622-7457 or at amundy@seattletimes.com.
Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company
Local retailers change strategies for this year's holiday-shopping season
Jerry Large: Objects of upgrade envy
UPDATE - 10:49 PM
Police investigate videotaped arrest
Hundreds show up at Seattle pharmacy for shot at flu vaccine
Ivar's undersea billboards a hoax devised as marketing ploy

Video shows violent arrest by SPD
The SPD has opened an internal investigation into the violent arrest of a suspect.
nwjobs

Post a comment

Michelle Goodman blogs about work/life balance.
How to tell your office you're gravely ill
Post a comment
nwautos

Choosing a new sedan? Weigh the impact of your choice on your wallet and on the planet.
Post a comment
- Ivar's undersea billboards a hoax devised as marketing ploy
- Ichiro thrilled that Ken Griffey Jr. is back for another Mariners season
- Man charged with killing police officer is paralyzed
- Seattle 'Jon Doe' shows up in New Mexico with amnesia
- State Democrats facing revolt by labor
- Russell Branyan passes on Mariners' offer
- Huskies sign California prep forward Desmond Simmons
- Capitol Hill's War Room for sale
- The Hot Stone League | Ken Griffey Jr. will be a Mariner in 2010
- Costco Wholesale opens first Manhattan store
- State Democrats facing revolt by labor
490 - Ivar's undersea billboards a hoax devised as marketing ploy
262 - Do not slander Islam after Fort Hood
216 - Aggravated murder charge filed against man accused of killing officer
214 - U.S. envoy in Kabul isn't sold on adding to forces
126 - Salute those Muslim-Americans who stand up for their country
116 - Lou Dobbs says he is leaving CNN
96 - Obama announces summit in December on finding jobs
59 - City Light rate increase of 13.8 percent proposed
54 - Scouting Oregon State
50
- Ivar's undersea billboards a hoax devised as marketing ploy
- Ichiro thrilled that Ken Griffey Jr. is back for another Mariners season
- Costco Wholesale opens first Manhattan store
- State Democrats facing revolt by labor
- Chefs offer holiday recipes and preparation tips
- The Hot Stone League | Ken Griffey Jr. will be a Mariner in 2010
- Ski areas opening early, here and B.C.
- Kayak on Kitsap Peninsula's Miller Bay to get friendly with the chum (salmon)
- Capitol Hill's War Room for sale
- Evergreen Bank given a deadline to fix capital shortage






