Teno keeps hands off Schorr’s case

Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio is keeping his hands off moves in the Legislature to oust Jeffrey Schorr as Office of Insular Affairs liaison officer in the CNMI following discovery of his role in the alleged partisan political activities and smear campaign against the Commonwealth.

He told reporters yesterday that he will just let an ongoing investigation by the U.S. House Resources Committee take its course on whatever will be the consequence for some OIA officials and employees involved in the case.

The local chief executive earlier has expressed hope for appropriate actions against these federal officials and employees who have been found engaging in on-the-job political campaign and attack against the CNMI based on evidence gathered by committee chair Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska).

In separate actions, the CNMI Senate and House of Representatives have introduced resolutions that will express the island’s outrage over OIA’s alleged illegal activities, while calling for drastic measures.

The House resolution, offered by Speaker Benigno R. Fitial, will move to declare Mr. Schorr persona non grata in the Commonwealth who deserves “the censure and condemnation” of the people.

Senate Floor Leader Pete P. Reyes, in his resolution, will ask OIA Director Ferdinand Aranza to remove its liaison officer here and replace him with someone that the island government can trust.

The two resolutions are expected to be adopted as soon as a planned oversight by the House Judiciary and Government Operations as well as Federal and Foreign Relations Committees gets underway in the next few weeks.

Local lawmakers are hoping to uncover activities by some government officials on the island who might have provided confidential information, such as memoranda between the CNMI and its lobbying firm Preston Gates, to Mr. Schorr or to any OIA officials.

Mr. Young has cited these confidential memo as source of the smear campaign against the CNMI — and some Republican leaders in the U.S. Congress who are sympathetic to the island’s conditions — in an attempt by these OIA officials to press the federal takeover agenda of the Clinton administration towards the Commonwealth.

OIA has not come out with official statement on the report. A call made to its chief information officer Keith A. Parsky in his Washington D.C. office has yet been returned.
Mr. Schorr has said he would not be able to make any comment. (BS)