Rove Invoved In Firing Of Attorneys General

[Ivan Seeking]

Apparently nothing short of impeachment will do. Gonzo only proved to Congress that this admin has no credibility.

The investigations are continuing. Immunity has been given.

 

[Skyhunter]

The attorney firings are part of the Rovian plan for a Republican century.

From http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2007/05/10/voting_rights/index.html (non members can view an ad)

One of the aims of the abortive purge of U.S. attorneys was to punish those who refused to toe the line on the new emphasis on alleged voter fraud. A few fired prosecutors would serve as examples to the rest –- either move to criminalize the election process or face dismissal.

But the assault on voter fraud was a solution looking for a problem. As part of the Help America Vote Act, Republicans insisted on creating the Election Assistance Commission, which commissioned studies of the asserted problem. When the studies failed to turn up evidence of fraud nationwide, appointed Republican officials on the EAC insisted that the language say only that "there is a great deal of debate on the pervasiveness of fraud in elections" -- the same approach to inconvenient evidence that's made the Bush global-warming policy the envy of the world.

If you couple this with Rove's caging lists, and the power of Choicepoint at their disposal:

The Spies Who Shag Us

The Times and USA Today have Missed the Bigger Story -- Again
A BUZZFLASH GUEST CONTRIBUTION
by Greg Palast

The leader in the field of what is called "data mining," is a company, formed in 1997, called, "ChoicePoint, Inc," which has sucked up over a billion dollars in national security contracts.

Worried about Dick Cheney listening in Sunday on your call to Mom? That ain't nothing. You should be more concerned that they are linking this info to your medical records, your bill purchases and your entire personal profile including, not incidentally, your voting registration. Five years ago, I discovered that ChoicePoint had already gathered 16 billion data files on Americans -- and I know they've expanded their ops at an explosive rate.

They are paid to keep an eye on you -- because the FBI can't. For the government to collect this stuff is against the law unless you're suspected of a crime. (The law in question is the Constitution.) But ChoicePoint can collect it for "commercial" purchases -- and under the Bush Administration's suspect reading of the Patriot Act -- our domestic spying apparatchiks can then BUY the info from ChoicePoint.

http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/06/05/con06189.html

Suddenly it becomes clear why Republican lawmakers are hesitant abandon Rove/Bush. The RNC is complicit.

And Greg Palast has the emails.

Key voters on Griffin’s hit list: Black soldiers and homeless men and women. Nice guy, eh? Naughty or nice, however, is not the issue. Targeting voters where race is a factor is a felony crime under the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

In October 2004, our investigations team at BBC Newsnight received a series of astonishing emails from Mr. Griffin, then Research Director for the Republican National Committee. He didn’t mean to send them to us. They were highly confidential memos meant only for RNC honchos.

However, Griffin made a wee mistake. Instead of sending the emails — potential evidence of a crime — to email addresses ending with the domain name “@GeorgeWBush.com” he sent them to “@GeorgeWBush.ORG.” A website run by prankster John Wooden who owns “GeorgeWBush.org.” When Wooden got the treasure trove of Rove-ian ravings, he sent them to us.

http://www.gregpalast.com/bushs-new-us-attorney-a-criminal/

I left the Republican party in Reagans first term.

I don't even recognize it anymore.

 

[edward]

ChoicePoint doesn't exactly have a great track record securing their data.

February 16, 2005
Criminals broke into a database that contains information on virtually every U.S. citizen, exposing as many as 100,000 consumers to identity theft and other crimes. The thefts occurred last October but are just being admitted by the company.

The database is operated by Georgia-based ChoicePoint, which has mailed letters to at least 35,000 Californians who have potentially been affected. The letters say that consumers' personal information, including bank account, credit card and Social Security numbers may have been accessed by unauthorized individuals.

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2005/choicepoint.html

That is just great , Now not only does ChoicePoint, the NSA and PNAC have all of our personal information, So does the Nigerian scammers.

http://www.insurancejournal.com/comments/?a=/news/national/2005/02/21/51790.htm&c=9064

Edit: Ironically it appears that after all of billions spent by the NSA to prevent terrorism through the use of intense data mining, the Ft. Dix incident info was turned over to authorities by an employee of Best Buy.

 

[Skyhunter]

Edit: Ironically it appears that after all of billions spent by the NSA to prevent terrorism through the use of intense data mining, the Ft. Dix incident info was turned over to authorities by an employee of Best Buy.

I had to laugh when I read that story and saw how hyped it was.

Six guys with paintball guns who couldn't afford an extra recorder to copy their video.

The way the media was hyping it I thought originally that Bush had prevented another 9/11.

Then I realized it was just a store clerk paying attention.

Won't stop the neo-right from declaring it a victory and justification for their policies though.

 

[Skyhunter]

DBT/Choicepoint was the company that Jeb Bush and Kathleen Harris hired to create their Democratic purge lists for the 2000 Presidential election. The lists that disenfranchised 55,000 registered voters in Florida.

What was the margin of victory in 2000, 400+?

Florida Voter File Contract
In 1998, the state of Florida signed a $4 million contract with Database Technologies (DBT Online), which later merged into ChoicePoint, for the purposes of providing a central voter file listing those barred from voting. As of 2002, Florida is the only state which hires a private firm for these purposes. Prior to contracting with Database Technologies, Florida contracted with a smaller operator for $5,700 per year. The state of Florida contracted with DBT in November 1998, following the controversial Miami mayoral race of 1997. The 1998 contracting process involved no bidding and was worth $2,317,800.

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ChoicePoint

Here is Choicepoints official statement.

I like the part about the list being 99.9% accurate using a 90% match criteria.

Here is the piece that BBC newsnight did.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/events/newsnight/1174115.stm

The "liberal" American media ignored it.

BBC has never retracted a word of it.

My thoughts are;

The attorney firings are part of a larger election fraud scheme implemented very effectively by the RNC. They plan to shave about 3 million votes in 2008 while keeping the American people distracted by high profile investigations and allegations of voter fraud.

Accuse individuals voters of fraud, wrong precinct, felony record, immigration status, etc. At the same time the RNC commits election fraud, while the media hypes the individual "investigations".

In the end there will be no significant convictions, yet it will stir a flurry of legislation further restricting access to suffrage by the "wrong type" of voter.

Welcome to Neo-America.

 

[edward]

ChoicePoint's Florida scrub list is very troubling. This is all very Rovian.

One elections supervisor, Linda Howell of Madison County, was so upset by the errors that she refused to use the Harris/ChoicePoint list. How could she be so sure the new list identified innocent people as felons? Because her own name was on it, 'and I assure you, I am not a felon'.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,6903,409137,00.html

 

[Astronuc]

New Evidence that Administration Withheld Emails About Rove
http://www.motherjones.com/mojoblog/archives/2007/05/4406_new_evidence_th_1.html


Administration Withheld E-Mails About Rove
http://news.nationaljournal.com/articles/070510nj1.htm

The Bush administration has withheld a series of e-mails from Congress showing that senior White House and Justice Department officials worked together to conceal the role of Karl Rove in installing Timothy Griffin, a protégé of Rove's, as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas.

The withheld records show that D. Kyle Sampson, who was then-chief of staff to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, consulted with White House officials in drafting two letters to Congress that appear to have misrepresented the circumstances of Griffin's appointment as U.S. attorney and of Rove's role in supporting Griffin.

In one of the letters that Sampson drafted, dated February 23, 2007, the Justice Department told four Senate Democrats it was not aware of any role played by senior White House adviser Rove in attempting to name Griffin to the U.S. attorney post. A month later, the Justice Department apologized in writing to the Senate Democrats for the earlier letter, saying it had been inaccurate in denying that Rove had played a role.

Seems like obstruction of justice, and conspiracy to violate federal law.

And then

Secret Order By Gonzales Delegated Extraordinary Powers To Aides
http://news.nationaljournal.com/articles/070430nj1.htm

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales signed a highly confidential order in March 2006 delegating to two of his top aides -- who have since resigned because of their central roles in the firings of eight U.S. attorneys -- extraordinary authority over the hiring and firing of most non-civil-service employees of the Justice Department. A copy of the order and other Justice Department records related to the conception and implementation of the order were provided to National Journal.

In the order, Gonzales delegated to his then-chief of staff, D. Kyle Sampson, and his White House liaison "the authority, with the approval of the Attorney General, to take final action in matters pertaining to the appointment, employment, pay, separation, and general administration" of virtually all non-civil-service employees of the Justice Department, including all of the department's political appointees who do not require Senate confirmation. Monica Goodling became White House liaison in April 2006, the month after Gonzales signed the order.

Confidential or secret orders pertaining to domestic affairs - which have nothing to do with a criminal matter or national security.

Sounds like they are trying to hide something - something like illegal activity.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Watch the "recent video" titled "House AG" and dated 5/14/07
http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/the_daily_show/index.jhtml

 

[Skyhunter]

Watch the "recent video" titled "House AG" and dated 5/14/07
http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/the_daily_show/index.jhtml

I have to laugh at the absurdity, when I want to cry for the stupidity.

Is it the shows or the candidates? Both IMO.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Feinstein and Schumer are calling for a "no confidence" vote on Gonzales.

If the republicans don't publicly insist that Gonzales be removed, they have made an enemy for life. What have these idiots done to my party and my country? UNBELIEVABLE!

 

[Skyhunter]

Feinstein and Schumer are calling for a "no confidence" vote on Gonzales.

Isn't it nice to have an opposition majority so that such votes can now actually be scheduled.

Could you imagine Bill Frist allowing such a thing.

 

[Astronuc]

Thomas Friedman's column - Failing by example -

“Two years ago, Robin C. Ashton, a seasoned criminal prosecutor at the Department of Justice, learned from her boss that a promised promotion was no longer hers. ‘You have a Monica problem,’ Ms. Ashton was told. Referring to Monica M. Goodling, a 31-year-old, relatively inexperienced lawyer who had only recently arrived in the office, the boss added, ‘She believes you’re a Democrat and doesn’t feel you can be trusted.’ Ms. Ashton’s ouster — she left for another Justice Department post two weeks later — was a critical early step in a plan that would later culminate in the ouster of nine United States attorneys last year.

“Ms. Goodling would soon be quizzing applicants for civil service jobs at Justice Department headquarters with questions that several United States attorneys said were inappropriate, like who was their favorite president and Supreme Court justice. One department official said an applicant was even asked, ‘Have you ever cheated on your wife?’ Ms. Goodling also moved to block the hiring of prosecutors with résumés that suggested they might be Democrats, even though they were seeking posts that were supposed to be nonpartisan.”

. . . .

But while the Bush team has been lecturing the Iraqi Shiites to limit de-Baathification in Baghdad, it was carrying out its own de-Democratization in the Justice Department in Washington. . . .

. . . But this degree of partisanship — loyalty over competence — was destructive in a much bigger way. It also deprived the Bush team of the support it needed when things in Iraq didn’t turn out to be as easy as it expected.

. . . Democrats need to be careful, though, that they don’t let their rage with the hypocrisy of Mr. Bush make them totally crazy, and blind them to the fact that they — we — still need a credible plan

. . . . After all, who can ask more soldiers to sacrifice their lives in Iraq for an administration that wouldn’t even sacrifice its politics?

The last line sums it up pretty well. Bush has abused his role as commander in chief, and has squandered the lives of US soldiers for a his bizarre personal goals.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Last night on The News Hour, on PBS, Mark Shields made an interesting point. If Gonzo goes, there is no way that a loyal bushie is going to replace him. Congress would only approve someone with a long reputation for honesty and integrity. But if someone like this is made AG and has unfeterred access to inside and classified information, it could be very bad for Bush.

I think he makes an excellent point. Bush may indeed face certain impeachment and prosecution if an honest man was AG.

 

[edward]

Has anyone mentioned that Monica Gooding is a graduate of Pat Roberson's Regency University Law School. Graduates of Regency hold 150 jobs in the Bush administrati0on.

Bill Moyers talks about her starting at about the 8 Minute point on this video.

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/05112007/watch.html

EDIT

"It used to be that high-level DOJ jobs were generally reserved for the best of the legal profession," wrote a contributor to The New Republic website . ". . . That a recent graduate of one of the very worst (and sketchiest) law schools with virtually no relevant experience could ascend to this position is a sure sign that there is something seriously wrong at the DOJ."

http://www.boston.com/news/educatio...andal_puts_spotlight_on_christian_law_school/

 

[BobG]

Last night on The News Hour, on PBS, Mark Shields made an interesting point. If Gonzo goes, there is no way that a loyal bushie is going to replace him. Congress would only approve someone with a long reputation for honesty and integrity. But if someone like this is made AG and has unfeterred access to inside and classified information, it could be very bad for Bush.

I think he makes an excellent point. Bush may indeed face certain impeachment and prosecution if an honest man was AG.

It's hard not to believe the Ashcroft-Comey-Gonzalez-Card incident played at least some part in making sure Ashcroft would be replaced with someone who wouldn't think of saying no. I would assume any replacement for Gonzalez would be similarly disposed to support Bush policies on wiretaps, surveillance.

Congress may not approve an AG nominee like that, but another Congressional recess is just around the corner (regardless of when the nominee is submitted). Bush will get a supportive Attorney General regardless of whether Gonzalez resigns or not.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Bush will get a supportive Attorney General

With a democratically controlled Congress, I think the chances of that are exactly zero. This may be the achilles heel that they're after.

 

[turbo]

I think that BobG is right. Bush will "regretfully" accept Gonzales' resignation when Congress adjourns for Memorial Day, and he will appoint a loyal Republican Senator or Congressman using a recess appointment - one who is popular enough to quell complaints. Look for senior members of House and Senate who are ready to retire and who have held positions on committees overseeing law-enforcement.

 

[Skyhunter]

I think that BobG is right. Bush will "regretfully" accept Gonzales' resignation when Congress adjourns for Memorial Day, and he will appoint a loyal Republican Senator or Congressman using a recess appointment - one who is popular enough to quell complaints. Look for senior members of House and Senate who are ready to retire and who have held positions on committees overseeing law-enforcement.

Arlen Specter?

 

[turbo]

Arlen Specter?

He'd be perfect, but no.

 

[BobG]

With a democratically controlled Congress, I think the chances of that are exactly zero. This may be the achilles heel that they're after.

Both John Bolton and Sam Fox were appointed via recess appointment. Bolton was at least being filibustered. Fox would have been rejected in a vote, so was withdrawn as a candidate just hours before the Senate could vote on him.

The only 'silver lining' is that a recess appointment only stands until the end of Congress's current term, which in this case expires about 3 weeks prior to the end of Bush's term. The only thing he risks is the wrath of Democrats (vs risking the wrath of Republicans, Independents, and Democrats if Gonzalez stays). Bush is despised by Democrats regardless of what he does.

Arlen Specter?

Specter wouldn't need a recess appointment. He'd easily be approved by the Senate. He'd also have a nearly zero chance of being nominated.

 

[edward]

Do you suppose that Bush will then make Gonzo the new Justice Czar?

 

[turbo]

Do you suppose that Bush will then make Gonzo the new Justice Czar?

To make war on Justice? Seems a good fit.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Congress may not approve an AG nominee like that, but another Congressional recess is just around the corner (regardless of when the nominee is submitted). Bush will get a supportive Attorney General regardless of whether Gonzalez resigns or not.

I didn't quite read this right the first time. Ugh! I wasn't thinking that Bush could do this as a recess appointment.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I get such a kick out of listening to Bush and his supporters talk about Gonzo: They insist that he did nothing wrong, but he didn't answer something like 100 questions, they can't produce the missing emails, he has been caught lying several times, and in a couple of cases it sure looks to me that he lied to Congress while under oath.

 

[Gokul43201]

New investigation into Gonzales' Justice Dept:

WASHINGTON, April 2 (UPI) -- Federal investigators are looking into claims that a U.S. Justice Department official fired a career attorney because of sexual orientation, officials said.
...
Numerous people questioned by the inspector general's office told NPR they thought the attorney general's office dismissed Hagen due to rumors that she was a lesbian.

In a Feb. 1, 2007, evaluation Hagen received outstanding ratings for her job performance. The evaluation came several months after she was informed the department was not renewing her contract, NPR said.
...
Officials reportedly have said Hagen's contract was not renewed because her position is a privilege and more people should have an opportunity to fill it.

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2008/04/02/inspector_general_probes_lawyers_firing/7762/

Will I be surprised to find that Monica Goodling, a graduate of Messiah College and Pat Robertson's Regent University, is behind this?

 

[Gokul43201]

Another glimpse into the workings of the "Justice" Department:

Memo linked to warrantless surveillance
By PAMELA HESS and LARA JAKES JORDAN Associated Press Writers
Article Launched: 04/02/2008 04:48:21 PM PDT

WASHINGTON—For at least 16 months after the Sept. 11 terror attacks in 2001, the Bush administration believed that the Constitution's protection against unreasonable searches and seizures on U.S. soil didn't apply to its efforts to protect against terrorism.

That view was expressed in a Justice Department legal memo dated Oct. 23, 2001. The administration on Wednesday stressed that it now disavows that view.

The October 2001 memo was written at the request of the White House by John Yoo, then the deputy assistant attorney general, and addressed to Alberto Gonzales, the White House counsel at the time. The administration had asked the department for an opinion on the legality of potential responses to terrorist activity.

The 37-page memo has not been released. Its existence was disclosed Tuesday in a footnote of a separate secret memo, dated March 14, 2003, released by the Pentagon in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union.

"Our office recently concluded that the Fourth Amendment had no application to domestic military operations," the footnote states, referring to a document titled "Authority for Use of Military Force to Combat Terrorist Activities Within the United States."

Exactly what domestic military action was covered by the October memo is unclear. But federal documents indicate that the memo relates to the National Security Agency's Terrorist Surveillance Program, or TSP.

http://www.mercurynews.com/politics/ci_8786382?nclick_check=1

Of course, the JD is refusing to release the October memo.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove was deposed Tuesday by attorneys for the House Judiciary Committee, according to Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), the panel’s chairman.

Rove’s deposition began at 10 a.m. and ended around 6:30 p.m, with several breaks, Conyers said.

Conyers would not comment on what Rove told congressional investigators, what the next step in the long-running Judiciary Committee investigation would be or whether Rove would face additional questioning.

“He was deposed today,” Conyers said in an interview. “That’s all I can tell you.”...

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/24668.html#ixzz0Kcfx7iQU&C