Did Gonzales and Card try to manipulate a sick Ashcroft for NSA wiretapping?

[Skyhunter]

Here is the http://www.salon.com/news/primary_sources/2007/05/15/comey_testimony/index.html of yesterdays congressional testimony of former Deputy Attorney General James Comey.

During Ashcroft's hospital stay Comey was acting Attorney General. He refused to sign off NSA wiretapping, since the Justice Department had determined it to be illegal. Gonzales and Andrew Card tried to get Ashcroft to sign off on the NSA spying scheme while he was recovering from pancreatitis

I sat down in an armchair by the head of the attorney general's bed. The two other Justice Department people stood behind me. And Mrs. Ashcroft stood by the bed holding her husband's arm. And we waited.

And it was only a matter of minutes that the door opened and in walked Mr. Gonzales, carrying an envelope, and Mr. Card. They came over and stood by the bed. They greeted the attorney general very briefly. And then Mr. Gonzales began to discuss why they were there -- to seek his approval for a matter, and explained what the matter was -- which I will not do.

And Attorney General Ashcroft then stunned me. He lifted his head off the pillow and in very strong terms expressed his view of the matter, rich in both substance and fact, which stunned me -- drawn from the hour-long meeting we'd had a week earlier -- and in very strong terms expressed himself, and then laid his head back down on the pillow, seemed spent, and said to them, "But that doesn't matter, because I'm not the attorney general."

SCHUMER: But he expressed his reluctance or he would not sign the statement that they -- give the authorization that they had asked, is that right?

COMEY: Yes. And as he laid back down, he said, "But that doesn't matter, because I'm not the attorney general. There is the attorney general," and he pointed to me, and I was just to his left. The two men did not acknowledge me. They turned and walked from the room. And within just a few moments after that, Director Mueller arrived. I told him quickly what had happened. He had a brief -- a memorable brief exchange with the attorney general and then we went outside in the hallway.

SCHUMER: OK. Now, just a few more points on that meeting. First, am I correct that it was Mr. Gonzales who did just about all of the talking, Mr. Card said very little?

COMEY: Yes, sir.

SCHUMER: OK. And they made it clear that there was in this envelope an authorization that they hoped Mr. Ashcroft -- Attorney General Ashcroft would sign.

COMEY: In substance. I don't know exactly the words, but it was clear that's what the envelope was.

SCHUMER: And the attorney general was -- what was his condition? I mean, he had -- as I understand it, he had pancreatitis. He was very, very ill; in critical condition, in fact.

COMEY: He was very ill. I don't know how the doctors graded his condition. This was -- this would have been his sixth day in intensive care. And as I said, I was shocked when I walked in the room and very concerned as I tried to get him to focus.

Is there any doubt that these people will stoop to any level to achieve their objectives.

 

[Astronuc]

I heard about this yesterday - that Gonzales went to Ashcroft, who was in hospital.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10192754

. . .

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, where for the first time, he publicly told the story of a dramatic confrontation at a hospital bedside between some of the most powerful men in Washington.

"I thought I had just witnessed an effort to take advantage of a very sick man, who did not have the powers of the attorney general because they had been transferred to me," Comey testified.

The sick man was John Ashcroft, who was in the hospital with acute pancreatitis. Hours before his hospitalization, Ashcroft and Comey had decided not to reauthorize the president's secret, controversial, domestic-surveillance program.

The night after the Justice Department told the White House, Comey received a phone call. The president's chief of staff, Andy Card, and then-White House counsel Alberto Gonzales were on their way to Ashcroft's hospital room.

"I told my security detail that I needed to get to George Washington Hospital immediately," Comey testified. "They turned on the emergency equipment and drove very quickly to the hospital. I got out of the car and literally ran up the stairs."

The room was dark. Mrs. Ashcroft was standing by the bed. Comey said that Ashcroft, in his sixth day in intensive care, was not in good shape. He was unfocused, disoriented.

"And it was only a matter of minutes that the door opened and in walked Mr. Gonzales, carrying an envelope, and Mr. Card," Comey said. "They came over and stood by the bed, greeted the attorney general very briefly, and then Mr. Gonzales began to discuss why they were there — to seek his approval for a matter."

Then, Ashcroft did something that stunned Comey. He lifted his head off the pillow and explained in strong, detailed terms why he would not sign the paper.

"And as he laid back down, he said, 'But that doesn't matter because I'm not the attorney general. There is the attorney general.' And he pointed to me," Comey testified. "I was just to his left. The two men did not acknowledge me. They turned and walked from the room."

That was not the end of it. Before Comey left the hospital, he received an urgent call from White House Chief of Staff Andy Card.

. . . .

Unbelieveable. These people have no shame.

Good thing there was a witness.

Arlen Specter has had enough of Gonzalez.

 

[Skyhunter]

I heard about this yesterday - that Gonzales went to Ashcroft, who was in hospital.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10192754 Unbelieveable. These people have no shame.

Good thing there was a witness.

Arlen Specter has had enough of Gonzalez.

It is human nature to see others as a reflection of ones self.

They have no shame because they believe that all people are bad by nature.

They are their own bad example.

But they have an ace in the hole.

All they have to do is believe in Jesus and all their sins will be washed away.

 

[edward]

It is human nature to see others as a reflection of ones self.

They have no shame because they believe that all people are bad by nature.

They are their own bad example.

But they have an ace in the hole.

All they have to do is believe in Jesus and all their sins will be washed away.

They don't have to believe in anything. All they have to do is claim that they believe and the religious right will forgive their transgressions.

 

[Skyhunter]

They don't have to believe in anything. All they have to do is claim that they believe and the religious right will forgive their transgressions.

That is sadly true.

BTW is the reverend Ted Haggard still a good hetrosexual?

 

[Ivan Seeking]

What gets me is that Bush authorized the wire taps even though his AG [Ashcroft and the acting AG, Comey] said it was illegal.

Is it any wonder why we now have Gonzales as AG?

 

[Tsu]

BTW is the reverend Ted Haggard still a good hetrosexual?

Oh, YES! He's had THREE WEEKS of counselling!

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_5164921

 

[edward]

Oh, YES! He's had THREE WEEKS of counselling!

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_5164921

It was a miracle. The thought of losing his mansion scared him straight.

 

[Skyhunter]

It appears that Gonzales and Card have broken the law.

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1622832,00.html

"Executive branch rules require sensitive classified information to be discussed in specialized facilities that are designed to guard against the possibility that officials are being targeted for surveillance outside of the workplace," says Georgetown Law Professor Neal Katyal, who was National Security Advisor to the Deputy Attorney General under Bill Clinton. "The hospital room of a cabinet official is exactly the type of target ripe for surveillance by a foreign power," Katyal says. This particular information could have been highly sensitive. Says one government official familiar with the Terrorist Surveillance Program: "Since it's that program, it may involve cryptographic information," some of the most highly protected information in the intelligence community.

 

[BobG]

It appears that Gonzales and Card have broken the law.

You should quote the more relevant portion of the article:

Comey, who during Ashcroft's stay in the hospital was acting Attorney General, has told Congressional investigators that when he arrived at the room and began explaining to Ashcroft why he was there, he was intentionally "very circumspect" so as not to disclose classified information in an unsecure setting and in front of Ashcroft's wife, Janet, who was at his bedside and was apparently not authorized to know about the program.

Comey described what happened next: "The door opened and in walked Mr. Gonzales, carrying an envelope, and Mr. Card. They came over and stood by the bed. They greeted the Attorney General very briefly. And then Mr. Gonzales began to discuss why they were there — to seek his approval for a matter, and explained what the matter was — which I will not do." Ashcroft bluntly rebuffed Gonzales, but Comey's unwillingness publicly to say what Gonzales said in the hospital room has raised questions about whether Gonzales may have violated executive branch rules regarding the handling of highly classified information, and possibly the law preventing intentional disclosure of national secrets.

Initially only eight members of Congress were informed of the program's existence

The program was classified at a level where the program's very existence was classified. I'm not sure how you can discuss it very circumspectly when you can't even mention the program exists, let alone whatever Gonzales and Card may have said about it. Using creative methods to 'talk around' classified info is a disaster waiting to happen.

I wouldn't find it hard to believe that whatever they may have said was a security violation - one serious enough to have some repercussions for the average person. I doubt it would fall under "intentional disclosure", though.

I'm also a little confused by Parker's comments, considering she has worked in the NSA.

 

[Astronuc]

I'm not sure how you can discuss it very circumspectly when you can't even mention the program exists

Well I guess one can refer to "the program which cannot be named" involving "he who must not be named" with a lot of nod, nod, . Say no more.

 

[Skyhunter]

You should quote the more relevant portion of the article:




The program was classified at a level where the program's very existence was classified. I'm not sure how you can discuss it very circumspectly when you can't even mention the program exists, let alone whatever Gonzales and Card may have said about it. Using creative methods to 'talk around' classified info is a disaster waiting to happen.

I wouldn't find it hard to believe that whatever they may have said was a security violation - one serious enough to have some repercussions for the average person. I doubt it would fall under "intentional disclosure", though.

I'm also a little confused by Parker's comments, considering she has worked in the NSA.

I don't see a problem there. He could simply say:

"Remember the subject of our last meeting?

Gonzales and Card are on their way here to discuss it with you inappropriately."

[edit] A nods as good as a to a blind man eh Astronuc.

 

[Skyhunter]

The Whitehouse is having a hard time talking about it.

From yesterdays press gaggle with Tony Fratto:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/05/20070518.html


MR. FRATTO: Talking about senators of both parties, and we understand that they have concerns and questions. We think that the Attorney General has been honest and forthright in addressing those questions; and as I said earlier, most importantly, has the full confidence of the President.

Jim.

Q But, Tony, when you say he has the full confidence of the President, and when you say you feel he's been a strong Attorney General, doesn't this erode the President's credibility when it seems like the entire rest of the political universe is on the other side of that?

MR. FRATTO: No, I don't think that's where everyone is. Look --

Q How is -- who's on his side? <snip>

<snip>
Q It's not about -- in some ways this is really not about whether the program is classified or not, it's about the bypass of a chain of command, and why that would be appropriate.

MR. FRATTO: No, there is no -- without talking -- go ahead.

Q Does the White House deny that this incident occurred, where --

MR. FRATTO: We're not --

Q -- in relation to some unnamed, unspecified program, these two White House aides sought out the Attorney General -- who was ill and had passed his powers over to his acting -- sought him out instead of going to the Attorney General. Do you guys deny that took place?

MR. FRATTO: Let me say very clearly: I am not addressing any particular report, okay. But I will say that ultimate authority rests with the President of the United States.

Yes, the ultimate authority and responsibility rests with the President of the United States, and it is well past time he and his cabal were held accountable!

 

[Skyhunter]

The Daily show has a great take on the Monica Goodling testimony.

http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/the_daily_show/index.jhtml