MB over at Wampum has connected some pretty interesting dots from Kyle Sampson (the Gonzales aide who just resigned after news of the politically-motivated firings got out) to a few other familiar names:

I knew I ran across Kyle Sampson’s name in my Cobell v. Norton (now Kempthorne) research. A year ago, I posted this, on the promotion of one of Sampson’s partners in crime:

While at the DoJ, Johnson apparently was up to her knees in the DoI tribal trust fund fiasco:

Although Norton won’t testify in court, she may be forced to answer to Congress. The Senate Indian Affairs Committee and the House Resources Committee are considering opening their own investigations into Slonaker’s ouster.

In addition to Norton, attorneys for Indian account holders want to depose Deputy Secretary J. Steven Griles and Indian Trust Transition Director Ross Swimmer. Three government attorneys — Kyle Sampson of the White House and Kelly Johnson and Jeffrey Clark of the Department of Justice — have been subpoenaed.

Johnson, along with Clark and Sampson, participated via teleconference in the interrogation and subsequent firing of special trustee for American Indians, Tom Slonaker. Slonaker testified before the Senate that Norton’s handling of Trust fund matters was not the rosy picture she and her cronies were painting.

I was always intrigued that someone from the White House was directly involved in Slonaker’s termination. It made it clear to me that the White House was much, much more concerned about the outcome of the Indian Trust case than the disinterested facade it put forth.

I guess it’s time for me to get back on the case.

In case you haven’t followed the story, John McCain figured prominently in the investigation of the Indian Trust Fund - and then suddenly backed off. Hmmm….