The Latest Bush Scandal Continues... And Grows
DOJ Considered Politics in Evaluating US Attorneys: Documents
When Monica Goodling, a senior legal counselor to AG Alberto "Gonzo" Gonzalez and the White House, refused to voluntarily appear before Congress without a subpoena, a hint of the same odor that filled DC during the Nixon Watergate Era wafted through my computer and wandered about my home office. Then when Goodling indicated that she would exercise her Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate herself should she be summoned by a subpoena, that hint became an outright stink.
Then when a top DOJ official, in fact the DOJ Chief of Staff Kyle Sampson, testified before Congress that AG Gonzalez had all but lied to Congress and the nation when he stated he played no role in determining which US attorneys were on the chopping block, and that there was no political agenda prompting the selection of these attorneys, that stink became an overwhelming stench. That stench became disgustingly more foul when shortly after revealing this information Sampson resigned, smacking more of being pressured to resign as retaliation for telling the truth.
But now we are talking about a stench so bad it good "knock a buzzard off a shit wagon" (c.f. George Carlin). Not only do we have all the stink from an apparent cover up, and the original secrecy in which these firings originally occurred, but now we find out that there are missing e-mails going right into the White House and right next to the Oval Office. Karl Rove's lost e-mails raises the stench to garbage scow proportions. Hmmm... sort of reminds me of 18 minutes of missing recordings on the Nixon tapes, the secrecy surrounding the entire Watergate affair, the cover up efforts involving White House and administration officials, and the political motivations that began the entire affair, doesn't it? The only thing missing is a group of former CIA employees committing a burglary.
But the stench has now surpassed the odoriferous emissions that are often experienced by those using the Dan Ryan expressway in the summer as they pass the humongous poorly managed garbage landfill. Those of us who have driven in and around Chicago can attest that the stench coming from this garbage landfill covered miles of surrounding territory with repulsive odors of sulphur, methane, rotting garbage and sea gull excrement.
Of course, both Sampson's and Goodling's resignation points to the hypocrisy of the Religious and Political Right. Sampson is both an ultra-conservative Mormon and a member of the ultra-conservative wing of the GOP. Goodling is a member of the Religious Right, even to the point of obtaining her JD from Pat Robertson's own personal gateway to ultra-conservative education, Regent University. What does it say when two folks who are supposed to be staunch and devoted Christians, educated by Christian parents and attending Christian schools, colleges and universities, find themselves so immersed in a political controversy that they have to lie (even if it is a lie by omission or public relations spin) and resign because of the scandal?
While some people see this as a small scandal--and I have to admit I have not given enough attention to this one until lately--it has now reached Watergate proportions. Similar to Watergate, this story started as a minor story that most people shrugged off. Since then, it has unraveled like a poorly knitted sweater, revealing a depth of political corruption and manipulation that has affected how justice is--or is not--administered in our nation.
REFERENCES:
Gonzales Aide Floated Replacements Early On
Prosecutors' Politics Were Weighed
Under Flood of Criticism, Looking to Plug a Leak
Gingrich: Gonzales Should Weigh Quitting
Justice's Holy Hires
The Department of Chaos
The Case Against Alberto Gonzales - Part I: Alberto Gonzales: A Willing Accessory at Justice
The Case Against Alberto Gonzales - Part II: Alberto Gonzales, Presidential Enabler
The Case Against Alberto Gonzales - Part III: Alberto Gonzales - The "Empty Suit" AG
The Case Against Alberto Gonzales - Part IV: The Case for Attorney General Patrick Fitzgerald
McKinney Discusses Her Bush Impeachment Bill
Rove E-Mail Sought by Congress May Be Missing
E-Mail Identified G.O.P. Candidates for Justice Jobs
The Fantasy Behind the Scandal
E-Mail Identified G.O.P. Candidates for Justice Jobs
Lawyer Says Rove Assumed E-Mail Was Kept
Leahy Demands 'Lost' Administration Emails in US Attorney Firing Probe
Senate Panel Wants Gonzales Statement on US Attorney Firings Before Hearing
Bush Defends Gonzales' Role in US Attorney Firings
Gonzales Defends Firing Prosecutors
Gonzales, Miers Driving Force in US Attorney Firings: Ex-Aide
When Monica Goodling, a senior legal counselor to AG Alberto "Gonzo" Gonzalez and the White House, refused to voluntarily appear before Congress without a subpoena, a hint of the same odor that filled DC during the Nixon Watergate Era wafted through my computer and wandered about my home office. Then when Goodling indicated that she would exercise her Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate herself should she be summoned by a subpoena, that hint became an outright stink.
Then when a top DOJ official, in fact the DOJ Chief of Staff Kyle Sampson, testified before Congress that AG Gonzalez had all but lied to Congress and the nation when he stated he played no role in determining which US attorneys were on the chopping block, and that there was no political agenda prompting the selection of these attorneys, that stink became an overwhelming stench. That stench became disgustingly more foul when shortly after revealing this information Sampson resigned, smacking more of being pressured to resign as retaliation for telling the truth.
But now we are talking about a stench so bad it good "knock a buzzard off a shit wagon" (c.f. George Carlin). Not only do we have all the stink from an apparent cover up, and the original secrecy in which these firings originally occurred, but now we find out that there are missing e-mails going right into the White House and right next to the Oval Office. Karl Rove's lost e-mails raises the stench to garbage scow proportions. Hmmm... sort of reminds me of 18 minutes of missing recordings on the Nixon tapes, the secrecy surrounding the entire Watergate affair, the cover up efforts involving White House and administration officials, and the political motivations that began the entire affair, doesn't it? The only thing missing is a group of former CIA employees committing a burglary.
But the stench has now surpassed the odoriferous emissions that are often experienced by those using the Dan Ryan expressway in the summer as they pass the humongous poorly managed garbage landfill. Those of us who have driven in and around Chicago can attest that the stench coming from this garbage landfill covered miles of surrounding territory with repulsive odors of sulphur, methane, rotting garbage and sea gull excrement.
Of course, both Sampson's and Goodling's resignation points to the hypocrisy of the Religious and Political Right. Sampson is both an ultra-conservative Mormon and a member of the ultra-conservative wing of the GOP. Goodling is a member of the Religious Right, even to the point of obtaining her JD from Pat Robertson's own personal gateway to ultra-conservative education, Regent University. What does it say when two folks who are supposed to be staunch and devoted Christians, educated by Christian parents and attending Christian schools, colleges and universities, find themselves so immersed in a political controversy that they have to lie (even if it is a lie by omission or public relations spin) and resign because of the scandal?
While some people see this as a small scandal--and I have to admit I have not given enough attention to this one until lately--it has now reached Watergate proportions. Similar to Watergate, this story started as a minor story that most people shrugged off. Since then, it has unraveled like a poorly knitted sweater, revealing a depth of political corruption and manipulation that has affected how justice is--or is not--administered in our nation.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) took federal prosecutors' political activities and connections to the conservative Federalist Society into account in deciding whether to retain or dismiss them, according to documents released Friday by the DOJ to the US House Judiciary Committee. Among the 2394 newly released pages of e-mails, schedules and memos were a chart detailing the politics of all 124 US Attorneys appointed since 2001 and hand-written notes by former aide to US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales Monica Goodling, explaining reasons why some of the eight dismissed US Attorneys were let go. Goodling wrote that Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM)said dismissed New Mexico US Attorney David Iglesias "doesn't move cases." Domenici is accused of pressuring Iglesias to speed up indictments of local Democrats under investigation for a kickback scheme in time for the November elections. Goodling resigned last week, refusing to testify to Congress about her part in the firings under her constitutional right against self-incrimination. Several of the 124 prosecutors on the list were also members of the conservative Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies, but it is unclear how this information was used by the DOJ. The documents also suggest that, contrary to previous testimony by DOJ officials, replacements for the fired attorneys had already been picked nearly a year before the dismissals.
On Tuesday, the US House Judiciary Committee issued a subpoena to Gonzales for DOJ documents relating to the firings.
REFERENCES:
Gonzales Aide Floated Replacements Early On
Prosecutors' Politics Were Weighed
Under Flood of Criticism, Looking to Plug a Leak
Gingrich: Gonzales Should Weigh Quitting
Justice's Holy Hires
The Department of Chaos
The Case Against Alberto Gonzales - Part I: Alberto Gonzales: A Willing Accessory at Justice
The Case Against Alberto Gonzales - Part II: Alberto Gonzales, Presidential Enabler
The Case Against Alberto Gonzales - Part III: Alberto Gonzales - The "Empty Suit" AG
The Case Against Alberto Gonzales - Part IV: The Case for Attorney General Patrick Fitzgerald
McKinney Discusses Her Bush Impeachment Bill
Rove E-Mail Sought by Congress May Be Missing
E-Mail Identified G.O.P. Candidates for Justice Jobs
The Fantasy Behind the Scandal
E-Mail Identified G.O.P. Candidates for Justice Jobs
Lawyer Says Rove Assumed E-Mail Was Kept
Leahy Demands 'Lost' Administration Emails in US Attorney Firing Probe
Senate Panel Wants Gonzales Statement on US Attorney Firings Before Hearing
Bush Defends Gonzales' Role in US Attorney Firings
Gonzales Defends Firing Prosecutors
Gonzales, Miers Driving Force in US Attorney Firings: Ex-Aide
posted by Jim Downey at 9:30 AM
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