Documents: Gonzales OK’d firing attorneys

[cal04]

Source: NBC News and news services

Attorney general had been said not to have been closely involved
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales approved plans to fire several U.S. attorneys in a November meeting, according to documents released Friday that contradict earlier claims that he was not closely involved in the dismissals.

The Nov. 27 meeting, in which the attorney general and at least five top Justice Department officials participated, focused on a five-step plan for carrying out the firings of the prosecutors, Justice Department officials said late Friday.

There, Gonzales signed off on the plan, which was crafted by his chief of staff, Kyle Sampson. Sampson resigned last week in the wake of the political firestorm surrounding the firings.

The Justice Department says Gonzales has ordered an internal investigation of the firings

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17763780/

[Doctor_J]

1. Does Al ever tell the truth?

He lies almost as much as Smirk does

[UpInArms]

60. guess Gonzo didn't sign the Standards of Official Conduct

Memorandum
January 20, 2001

MEMORANDUM FOR THE HEADS OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND
AGENCIES

SUBJECT: Standards of Official Conduct

Everyone who enters into public service for the United States has a duty to the American people to maintain the highest standards of integrity in Government. I ask you to ensure that all personnel within your departments and agencies are familiar with, and faithfully observe, applicable ethics laws and regulations, including the following general principles from the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch:

(1) Public service is a public trust, requiring employees to place loyalty to the Constitution, the laws, and ethical principles above private gain.

(2) Employees shall not hold financial interests that conflict with the conscientious performance of duty.

(3) Employees shall not engage in financial transactions using nonpublic Government information or allow the improper use of such information to further any private interest.

(4) An employee shall not, except as permitted by applicable law or regulation, solicit or accept any gift or other item of monetary value from any person or entity seeking official action from, doing business with, or conducting activities regulated by the employee's agency, or whose interests may be substantially affected by the performance or nonperformance of the employee's duties.

(5) Employees shall put forth honest effort in the performance of their duties.

(6) Employees shall not knowingly make unauthorized commitments or promises of any kind purporting to bind the Government.

(7) Employees shall not use public office for private gain.

(8) Employees shall act impartially and not give preferential treatment to any private organization or individual.

(9) Employees shall protect and conserve Federal property and shall not use it for other than authorized activities.

(10) Employees shall not engage in outside employment or activities, including seeking or negotiating for employment, that conflict with official Government duties and responsibilities.

(11) Employees shall disclose waste, fraud, abuse, and corruption to appropriate authorities.

(12) Employees shall satisfy in good faith their obligations as citizens, including all just financial obligations, especially those -- such as Federal, State, or local taxes -- that are imposed by law.

(13) Employees shall adhere to all laws and regulations that provide equal opportunity for all Americans regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or handicap.

(14) Employees shall endeavor to avoid any actions creating the appearance that they are violating applicable law or the ethical standards in applicable regulations.

Executive branch employees should also be fully aware that their post- employment activities with respect to lobbying and other forms of representation will be bound by the restrictions of 18 U.S.C. 207.

Please thank the personnel of your departments and agencies for their commitment to maintain the highest standards of integrity in Government as we serve the American people.

GEORGE W. BUSH

[SpiralHawk]

67. No. He's a republicon.

One thing the republicons have proved over and over and over to America: they lie.

A lot.

[Homer12]

2. I like how the Bush administration

..likes to hjang themsleves and lie about it the entire time.

[stevedeshazer]

3. He's done

Stick a fork in him.

Nice Friday news dump.

[Solly Mack]

4. going, going, going......

[wakeme2008]

5. It all depends on the meaning of CLOSE

:grr:

[Jacobin]

7. true. he probably meant the verb, not the adjective

:rofl:

[Jacobin]

6. HA. The bettin on In-Trade.com just went up five points!!

on Gonzo Being Gone by March 31!!!!!!!!!!!


:rofl:

[Fresh_Start]

8. LOL meeting was during the 18 day lull when

DOJ shut down for Thanksgiving

[Hepburn]

13. What a freaking surprise ~~~ NOT!!!!! n/t

[wordpix]

68. reminds me of another secret meeting, i.e. Cheney & his energy buds

[TankLV]

75. "when nothing was happening" of course, according the the repukes...

[williesgirl]

9. Surprise, surprise! Asshole lied again - emulating his boss, I guess. recommended

[IChing]

10. The pinata is starting to give gifts

readied to be broken open under oath
so that all the goodies he holds
will lead to impeachment and real justice.

[Hepburn]

11. F/N lying POS!!!

Geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez, he's a freaking lawyer....is he so STUPID to think this would NEVER come out????

OK, I am a lawyer, too...and when I was a new admitee, a very wise older lawyer gave me a great piece of advice: "Assume that anything you write will end up in court one day."

Seems like Alberto NEVER learned that rule. Not only did he break it ~~ he freaking lied about it. One should NEVER, EVER pull dishonest shit and then lie about it. It WILL come out eventually.

Gonzales really ticks me off ~~ for a lot of reasons besides the following ~~ but one of the major ones is that he gives ALL attys a bad name and we really, really do not need this and do not need lying azzholes like him in the profession.

:mad:

[robinlynne]

Remember, Al never argued a court case in his life....

[Hepburn]

20. Well, that goes along with the fact...

...that it looks like he NEVER freaking read the Rules of Professional Conduct either!

And if he did read them, he sure as hell did not get a clue about what they mean!

IMO, the bastard NEEDS to be disbarred. PERIOD. His conduct is totally disgraceful.

[Straight Shooter]

18. Gonzales doesn't give all lawyers a bad name, just Republican lawyers.

:evilgrin:

On a more serious side, what a disgrace he has been as a symbol of Hispanic success. He rises to the level of Attorney General and then ignores the Constitution and the rule of law. It's kind of the way I feel about Fat Tony Scalia, a disgrace to Italians everywhere.

[Patsy Stone]

12. I can't recommend this enough

I hope he catches himself in his investigation.

[seafan]

14. Found this one earlier this week re Carol Lam and AG's involvement:

(I added bold type, and this is a word for word replication of the e-mail.)



From Kyle Sampson to Bill Mercer on June 1, 2006 at 5:25 pm, and copied to Michael Elston

Subject: San Diego Immigration Enforcement
Importance High


Bill, this relates (certainly in the AG's mind) to the e-mail I just sent to Elston (cc to you) re our pressing need to, in the very short term, generate some deliverables on immigration enforcement, and in the long term, insulate the Department from criticism by improving our numbers. AG has given additional thought to the SD situation and now believes that we should adopt a plan-- something like the following:

--Have a heart-to-heart with Lam about the urgent need to improve immigration enforcement in SD;

--Work with her to develop a plan for addressing the problem-- to include alteration of prosecution thresholds; additional DOJ prosecutors; additional DHS SAUSA resources, etc.

--Put her on a very short leash;

--If she balks on any of the foregoing or otherwise does not perform in a measurable way by July 15 (my date), remove her.

--AG then appoints new USA from outside the office.


This seems to me the sort of thing for ODAG and EOUSA to execute. Can you think about how to so this right, tune up my plan/lost of bullets, and be prepared to (1) present such plan to the AG tomorrow or early next week for his approval and (2) execute the plan next week?


From this thread

[spindrifter]

23. This one, in concert with the current

posting show that this was a "common scheme or plan" in the DOJ.

[wordpix]

69. "the sort of thing for ODAG and EOUSA to execute"---what are these acronyms?

[seafan]

86. ODAG: Office of the Deputy Attorney General and EOUSA: Executive Office for United States Attorneys

[HootieMcBoob]

15. Breaking: Fat Lady Sings

For Gonzo at least. :dunce: I think we might hear a lot more from the fat lady in the near future.

[Hepburn]

17. IIRC....

...he was UNDER OATH when he LIED his ass off to the Judiciary committee. LOL...wonder if the Fitz has time for another perjury case!?!?!?!

:evilgrin:

[nadinbrzezinski]

31. Only if they charge

but yep, there is a case here... lying to Congress, Gonzo may even loose that law licence I doubt he ever used

[Thor_MN]

63. Hopefully, the Fat Lady is going to get a workout...

[SlowDownFast]

16. ABC News: Documents Show Gonzales Approved Firings

Documents Show Attorney General Alberto Gonzales Approved Firings of Several U.S. Attorneys

By LARA JAKES JORDAN

WASHINGTON Mar 23, 2007 (AP)— Attorney General Alberto Gonzales approved plans to fire several U.S. attorneys in a November meeting, according to documents released Friday that contradict earlier claims that he was not closely involved in the dismissals.

The Nov. 27 meeting, in which the attorney general and at least five top Justice Department officials participated, focused on a five-step plan for carrying out the firings of the prosecutors, Justice Department officials said late Friday.

There, Gonzales signed off on the plan, which was crafted by his chief of staff, Kyle Sampson. Sampson resigned last week amid a political firestorm surrounding the firings.

The documents indicated that the hour-long morning discussion, held in the attorney general's conference room, was the only time Gonzales met with top aides who decided which prosecutors to fire and how to do it.

more:
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=2978026

[Hepburn]

19. Well, since Kyle is gonna testify next week....

....guess it was about time to have this bomb come out BEFORE that testimony.

What a freaking bombshell. Not unexpected from Gonzo ~~ just unexpected that it came out.

[spindrifter]

25. It was critical to get this

out before Sampson testifies. First, it produces a baseline in his very own words, that he cannot retreat from or obfuscate. I am very happy that he will be tethered to the truth by these two incidents, as I did not trust him, otherwise. I wonder how he will look in a blue vest?

[IChing]

27. Both Leahy and Schumer have hinted they have stuff on these guys

and that the administration would be wiser to come out now
and talk instead being inflicted by a thousand cuts.

This also proves with the Senate Judiciary committee
that lying now has been proven and they must testify under oath.

[Hepburn]

62. IMO, you are spot on about why they are insisting that...

...the testimony be done under oath and with a transcript. Leahy's background as a prosecutor is sure serving all of us well. He knows the ropes. And while, yeah, like with Scooter Libby, making a false statement while not under oath can be the grounds for a criminal complaint, so much better to nail someone when there is an oath and a transcript. IMO, Leahy smells blood in the water.

[wordpix]

71. no hints here---they came out and said people in Justice are ready to out the dirty deeds

[wordpix]

70. seems that Sampson is spilling his guts about Gonzo to get a lighter penalty

[cal04]

21. Transcript of Gonzales: Was not involved

Transcript of Media Availability with Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales

ATTORNEY GENERAL GONZALES: What I know is that there began a process of evaluating strong performers, not-as-strong performers, and weak performers. And so far as I knew my chief of staff was involved in the process of determining who were the weak performers. Where were the districts around the country where we could do better for the people in that district, and that's what I knew. But again, with respect to this whole process, like every CEO, I am ultimately accountable and responsible for what happens within the department. But that is in essence what I knew about the process; was not involved in seeing any memos, was not involved in any discussions about what was going on. That's basically what I knew as the Attorney General.

http://www.usdoj.gov/ag/speeches/2007/ag_speech_070313.html

[rodeodance]

35. umm...Fried Gonzo!!

[Hepburn]

22. Can everyone say: "Fox in the Hen House?"

The Justice Department says Gonzales has ordered an internal investigation of the firings

GMAFB!!!! :mad:

What the hell did he have to investigate??? HE IS THE GUILTY PARTY!! It's like Nixon investigating who broke into the Watergate!

[aquart]

24. I thought only Bush has the power to fire them.

[havocmom]

28. Thinkin you thought right.

a havocmom post on that subject from this morning,
from this thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x482710#482807

Somebody tell the damn fool this is his ticket out...

He can be the whistle-blower on the whole lot of 'em.

He doesn't do anything but trot out onto the lawn and do dog tricks, and we all know it. He does not decide anything, and we all know it. THEY do it all. THEY decide everything. But THEY don't have the authority, so... He can come clean and announce THEY acted illegally or he can come clean and admit he is their patsy and the force/trick him to sign orders they don't let him read.

I am not fool enough nor vindictive enough to just want his hide. I want the REAL power out. I want the REAL criminals behind bars. I want the King Pins, not just the corner pusher-man. Show DimSon a way out and nail the real problems.

Let the sot retire to what ever hidey-hole he wants to drink himself to death in. He doesn't look like he is enjoying this presidentin' gig. Give the schmuck a ticket to an early retirement and hang the brain(s) for their crimes.

Get the impaired patsy to turn evidence that STAFF is running the nation illegally.

Toss the lot of them on the street.

[rodeodance]

50. Jr was 'out of the loop" (if Gonzo, Harriet or Rove did it)

[wordpix]

72. Lord Pissypants doesn't want his fingerprints on anything but we'll see who outs him this time

[mhatrw]

26. Al_B_Gon n/t

[redacted]

29. Texas Legal Ethics Materials from Cornell Law School

http://www.law.cornell.edu/ethics/texas.html

[nadinbrzezinski]

30. Ok where is the beting pool?

I say during the weekend, probably after the sunday shows, he's ass is canned

[burrowowl]

32. Gonzales did this without the Bu$hCo Maladministration

knowning about this!?!
IMPEACH!

[leveymg]

83. That's what they want us to believe.

Yet another lie -- within a deception meant to cover up a crime and to thwart an investigation of a much bigger criminal conspiracy -- to fund the GOP with foreign, dirty money. The Abramoff and MZM/Cerberus-Gabriel funding scandals and the CIA/ Foggo/Wilkes bribery cases are all part of an enormous crime to subvert the American political process and profit from a series of illegal wars. See, http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/3/10/21556/5045

That's the bigger picture they don't want us to comprehend. Gonzalez's approval is only part of it -- Mier's e-mails show Bush approved the firings after he returned on December 4. See, http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=489954&mesg_id=492575

[bobthedrummer]

85. Yep-we can even take this back to Mr. Cheney's National Energy Policy Development Group

(NEPDG) which continuously refused requests for documents. The GAO did open a case against Mr. Cheney and his NEPDG in US District Court in DC less than a week before the September 11, 2001 attacks.

There are some useful links to other corruption issues that you mentioned in this parent thread about the NEPDG case (now archived) from a week ago.

NEPDG: A DU collaborative investigation thread
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x440721

[SlowDownFast]

33. UPDATE: Another Email Provides Evidence of White House Involvement

Gonzales Was Briefed on Prosecutors Before Firings (Update2)

By Robert Schmidt and James Rowley

March 23 (Bloomberg) -- Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was briefed on plans for the firings of federal prosecutors 11 days before the dismissals, the U.S. Justice Department disclosed as it began its own investigation into the matter.

Two Justice Department watchdog units will conduct a joint probe to determine why eight U.S. attorneys were removed and if Congress was misled by agency officials' testimony.

``The department needs a thorough and complete investigation into this matter,'' spokesman Brian Roehrkasse told reporters.

Several documents released by the Justice Department tonight, including Gonzales's appointment calendar, show that the attorney general and his deputy, Paul McNulty, participated in an hour-long meeting about the firings on Nov. 27. Another e-mail provided new evidence the White House was involved in the firings.

more:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aHi4czdqtVFo&refer=home

[IChing]

34. another piece of candy falls from the pinata

"Another e-mail provided new evidence the White House was involved in the firings. "

I want the Harriet Miers meatloaf.

[rodeodance]

37. ho ho, things are getting good.

[rodeodance]

38. but your link is not clickable. Did they mention names? (other that 'WH")

[IChing]

41. NAMES; here from the NYT

The latest e-mail shows preparations for the Nov. 27 meeting at 9 a.m. to discuss “U.S. Attorney Appointments.”

Department officials said that the participants at the only formal meeting known to have been held to discuss the firings included
Mr. Gonzales;
Paul J. McNulty, the deputy attorney general;
Mr. Sampson; Monica Goodling, the department liaison to the White House;
William Moschella, the assistant attorney general for legislative affairs;
and Michael A. Battle, then head of the Executive Office of U.S. Attorneys.

Mr. Battle has since resigned, and Ms. Goodling has taken a temporary leave of absence.

[rodeodance]

52. thanks.

[SlowDownFast]

42. the link works

I just tested it.

No names, that last sentence is all that is mentioned about White House involvement.

[wordpix]

73. ahahaaha, looks like AG/WH have no control over what DOJ doing now

DOJ pros are outing their bosses, LOVE IT!!! :woohoo: :yourock: :applause:

[wordpix]

74. "White House political affairs office was closely tracking the firings," aka Rover

snip: Another newly released e-mail indicated that the White House political affairs office was closely tracking the firings. In a Dec. 3, 2006, message, deputy political director J. Scott Jennings asked Sampson: ``Does a list of all vacant, or about-to- be vacant, U.S. attorney slots exist anywhere?''

Sampson provided the list the next day, according to another e-mail previously turned over to Congress. That memo listed ``vacancies expected shortly'' and named seven judicial districts where the soon-to-be-fired U.S. attorneys worked.

Also on Dec. 4 Deputy White House Counsel William Kelley sent an e-mail to Sampson that said, ``We're a go for the U.S. Atty plan.''

[Chomskyite]

36. Does Gonzales' Congressional testimony contradict this?

if so, when?

[rodeodance]

53. Gonzo sent his aides up (he did not testify himself)--also see post 21

[rodeodance]

54. 3/23 DOJ Doc Dump - Here they are

Forum Name General Discussion: Politics
Topic subject 3/23 DOJ Doc Dump - Here they are
Topic URL http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3179041#3179041
3179041,



3/23 DOJ Doc Dump - Here they are
Posted by dotcosm on Sat Mar-24-07 12:27 AM

http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/news/nation/16964237.htm

[rodeodance]

39. last week he said lots of decisions are 'delegated: see here

From IP:

..."I knew my chief of staff was involved in the process of determining who were the weak performers — where were the districts around the country where we could do better for the people in that district, and that's what I knew," Gonzales said last week. "But that is in essence what I knew about the process; was not involved in seeing any memos, was not involved in any discussions about what was going on. That's basically what I knew as the attorney general."

Later, he added: "I accept responsibility for everything that happens here within this department. But when you have 110,000 people working in the department, obviously there are going to be decisions that I'm not aware of in real time. Many decisions are delegated."

The documents were released Friday night, a few hours after Sampson agreed to testify at a Senate inquiry next week into the firings of eight U.S. attorneys last year.

Asked to explain the difference between Gonzales' comments and his schedule, Justice spokesman Brian Roehrkasse said the attorney general had relied on Sampson to draw up the plans on the firings.

"The attorney general has made clear that he charged Mr. Sampson with directing a plan to replace U.S. attorneys where for one reason or another the department believed that we could do better," Roehrkasse said. "He was not, however, involved at the levels of selecting the particular U.S. attorneys who would be replaced."

[rodeodance]

40. It says here that the WH has not seen these docs!----Is the WH not concerned

about what goes out??? odd. ODD

....Nonetheless Democrats pounced late Friday.

"Clearly the attorney general was not telling the whole truth, but what is he trying to hide?" said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (news, bio, voting record), D-Nev.

"If the facts bear out that Attorney General Gonzales knew much more about the plan than he has previously admitted, then he can no longer serve as Attorney General," said Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, who is heading the Senate's investigation into the firings.

Added
House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (news, bio, voting record):

"This puts the Attorney General front and center in these matters, contrary to information that had previously been provided to the public and Congress."

Presidential spokesman Trey Bohn referred questions to the Justice Department, saying White House officials had not seen the documents.

[wordpix]

77. oh, bullshit the WH hasn't seen the docs. Rover is poring over them right now,

trying to figure out his next spin job to get himself and King George out of Gonzogate.

[rodeodance]

43. NYT: DoJ claims this batch of e-mails was "overlooked" in past searches

Forum Name General Discussion
Topic subject NYT: DoJ claims this batch of e-mails was "overlooked" in past searches
Topic URL http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x490901#490901
490901,

NYT: DoJ claims this batch of e-mails was "overlooked" in past searches
Posted by blitzen on Fri Mar-23-07 11:16 PM

Translation: the huge document dump earlier this week was a head fake



http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/24/washington/24attorney.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

Department officials said there had not been an intentional effort to delay the release of the new material. Instead, they said, the e-mail messages were overlooked in past searches of office files and computers. Many, they said, were copies of e-mail that had already been disclosed. The latest batch of documents shows just how completely the department misjudged what the reaction would be to the dismissals.

[rodeodance]

44. ABC: DOJ released......recovered from a Justice official who had been on vacation

Forum Name General Discussion
Topic subject ABC: DOJ released 283 more docs largely recovered from a Justice official who had been on vacation
Topic URL http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x490890#490890
490890,

ABC: DOJ released 283 more docs largely recovered from a Justice official who had been on vacation
Posted by sabra on Fri Mar-23-07 11:13 PM


http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2007/03/internal_justic.html

<snip>

In addition, the department released 283 more pages of documents largely recovered from a Justice official who had been on vacation when the paper hunt began last week. The most interesting document points to a Nov. 27 meeting involving Attorney General Gonzales and Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty--other senior justice officials and Kyle Sampson, Gonzales' former chief of staff. This so far is the only documented meeting where it is known that the AG discused the termination plan, which resulted in seven U.S. attorneys being fired on Dec. 7th. Gonzales has maintained he was not involved in developing the list ---but did approve it.



:crazy:

Um, aren't all messages stored on the email server?

[rodeodance]

45. abc speculated this is how Gonzo will explain:

..officials and Kyle Sampson, Gonzales' former chief of staff. This so far is the only documented meeting where it is known that the AG discused the termination plan, which resulted in seven U.S. attorneys being fired on Dec. 7th. Gonzales has maintained he was not involved in developing the list ---but did approve it.

In his March 13, 2007 press conference, Gonzales said, "I am ultimately accountable and responsible for what happens within the department, but that is in essence what I knew about the process, was not involved in seeing any memos, was not involved in any discussions about what was going on. That's basically what I knew as the attorney general."

Critics in Congress will suggest that this may be the first evidence the attorney general was involved in developing the plan. He and his staff will deny it, noting that work on the project had begun weeks earlier and that the November 27 meeting comes only about 10 days before the pink slips were given. The documents have been provided to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees.

[Spazito]

46. LOL, yep, it is just "coincidence" the newly found e-mails

at least the pivotal ones, are from the time of the "gap" found in the previous dump. I am sure they would have released these if the "gap" had not been discovered, not!

[wordpix]

78. my guess is DOJ employees are searching their files, ignoring all Gonzo directives

[rodeodance]

47. so, there will be an 'internal probe" also (in addition to Congress)

[rodeodance]

48. LOL! msnbc.com headline on Gonzo: "Triggerman"

Forum Name General Discussion
Topic subject LOL! msnbc.com headline on Gonzo: "Triggerman"
Topic URL http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x491015#491015
491015,


LOL! msnbc.com headline on Gonzo: "Triggerman"
Posted by blitzen on Fri Mar-23-07 11:33 PM

http://www.msnbc.msn.com /


Go check it out while you can...Before the WH goons make 'em change it.


on edit: I guess that means there's a "smoking gun"

[Judi Lynn]

61. You're right: it's gone, now! Someone got to them quickly, apparently. n/t

[wordpix]

79. Gonzo delegated firings of 8 USAs to Sampson & didn't know about it, yeah right

:crazy:

[wordpix]

81. "Triggerman" headline gone, thanks DU for the original screenshot

The WH has a hot line to MSNBC for sure

[Canuckistanian]

49. To be fair, he never really denied it

All the more reason to string him up, though.

Metaphorically speaking, of course.

[rodeodance]

51. see post # 21

[Canuckistanian]

55. OK, I will n/t

[rodeodance]

56. ROVE IDENTIFIED 11 PIVOTAL STATES FOR '08; BUSH HAS APPOINTED NEW U.S. ATTORNEYS IN NINE OF THEM

Forum Name General Discussion
Topic subject ROVE IDENTIFIED 11 PIVOTAL STATES FOR '08; BUSH HAS APPOINTED NEW U.S. ATTORNEYS IN NINE OF THEM
Topic URL http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x491130#491130
491130,

ROVE IDENTIFIED 11 PIVOTAL STATES FOR '08; BUSH HAS APPOINTED NEW U.S. ATTORNEYS IN NINE OF THEM
Posted by DeepModem Mom on Fri Mar-23-07 11:47 PM

McClatchy Newspapers: New U.S. attorneys seem to have partisan records
By Greg Gordon, Margaret Talev and Marisa Taylor
McClatchy Newspapers

....Last April, while the Justice Department and the White House were planning the firings, Rove gave a speech in Washington to the Republican National Lawyers Association. He ticked off 11 states that he said could be pivotal in the 2008 elections. Bush has appointed new U.S. attorneys in nine of them since 2005: Florida, Colorado, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Arkansas, Michigan, Nevada and New Mexico. U.S. attorneys in the latter four were among those fired.

Rove thanked the audience for "all that you are doing in those hot spots around the country to ensure that the integrity of the ballot is protected." He added, "A lot in American politics is up for grabs."

The department's civil rights division, for example, supported a Georgia voter identification law that a court later said discriminated against poor, minority voters. It also declined to oppose an unusual Texas redistricting plan that helped expand the Republican majority in the House of Representatives. That plan was partially reversed by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Frank DiMarino, a former federal prosecutor who served six U.S. attorneys in Florida and Georgia during an 18-year Justice Department career, said that too much emphasis on voter fraud investigations "smacks of trying to use prosecutorial power to investigate and potentially indict political enemies."

Several former voting rights lawyers, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of antagonizing the administration, said the division's political appointees reversed the recommendations of career lawyers in key cases and transferred or drove out most of the unit's veteran attorneys....

http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/16962753.htm

[underpants]

66. Boom!

:rofl::bounce::nuke:

[wordpix]

76. get bushies into AG spots in key states and steal the elections! Shocked, I tell you

How typically Rovian, Gonzon, and Bushian. :grr:

[rodeodance]

57. The "smoking gun" on Gonzo was from the infamous "gap" in records in the initial doc. dump

Forum Name General Discussion
Topic subject COVER-UP: The "smoking gun" on Gonzo was from the infamous "gap" in records in the initial doc. dump
Topic URL http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x491011#491011
491011,

COVER-UP: The "smoking gun" on Gonzo was from the infamous "gap" in records in the initial doc. dump
Posted by jefferson_dem on Fri Mar-23-07 11:32 PM

Gap in Justice, White House e-mails raises questions

From Kevin Bohn
CNN Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A 16-day gap in e-mail records between the Justice Department and the White House concerning the firing of U.S. attorneys last year has attracted the attention of congressional investigators.

In an investigation into whether seven U.S. attorneys were fired for political rather than professional reasons, the Justice Department on Monday handed over 3,000 pages of documents to the House and Senate Judiciary committees.

But the documents included no correspondence about the firings in the critical time period between November 15, 2006, and December 2, 2006, right before the attorneys were asked for their resignations.

<SNIP>

On November 15 -- the last day before the e-mail gap -- Kyle Sampson, who was then chief of staff to Gonzales, e-mailed Miers and her deputy an outline of the plan to fire the prosecutors and wrote, "The plan, by its terms, would commence this week."

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/03/21/attorneys.email.gap /

...

Documents Show Gonzales Approved Plans to Fire Several U.S. Attorneys
Friday, March 23, 2007

WASHINGTON — Attorney General Alberto Gonzales approved plans to fire several U.S. attorneys in a November meeting, according to newly released documents that contradict earlier claims that he was not closely involved in the dismissals.

The Nov. 27 meeting, in which the attorney general and at least five top Justice Department officials participated, focused on a five-step plan for carrying out the firings of the prosecutors, Justice Department officials said late Friday.

There, Gonzales signed off on the plan, which was crafted by his chief of staff, Kyle Sampson. Sampson resigned last week amid a political firestorm surrounding the firings.

Can't resist linking to FAUXnews ---> http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,260801,00.html

[rodeodance]

58. Reframe Backfire?? White House Calls for Vigorous Prosecution of "Election Fraud"!!

Forum Name Election Reform
Topic subject Reframe Backfire?? White House Calls for Vigorous Prosecution of "Election Fraud"!!
Topic URL http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x469651#469651
469651,

Reframe Backfire?? White House Calls for Vigorous Prosecution of "Election Fraud"!!
Posted by Land Shark on Fri Mar-23-07 11:09 PM

Voter Fraud happens, but is relatively rare because it only typically gains you one lousy vote, its a felony and leaves evidence. (dead voters, double voting, illegal registrations). When the US Attorney scandal broke, it was clear that Republicans and the White House were pushing for frivolous voter fraud charges mostly against Democrats that study after study shows are rare to nonexistent.

On the other hand, ELECTION FRAUD is the proper name when insiders (typically) get involved, it is a lot more interesting since they have the capability, often, to deliver the desired result: THE ELECTION RESULT. Particularly in this day and age when the first counts announced on election night for both optical scan systems and touch screen systems feature trade secret software and their completely secret counts (even elections officials don't know the counts or have access to the internal workings of the software) the magic numbers are just taken on faith. THis ought to be a form of Election Fraud all by itself, not showing your work. I used to get in trouble for that in high school math class, and election math is only 1 plus 1 equals 2. Any election insider could easily sell the election. Luckily controlling all or part of the the world's greatest country is of so little attraction that nobody would be tempted to cheat on computers where it would leave essentially no evidence, right?

But anyway, the rhetoric is now changing and the Bush Administration and others are referring to ELECTION FRAUD and trying to steer clear of VOTER FRAUD. The Missouri Star gives some good examples, note how Dems and the press use "voter fraud" but Rove and Bush use "election fraud":

WASHINGTON - Under President Bush, the Justice Department has backed laws that narrow minority voting rights and pressed U.S. attorneys to investigate voter fraud - policies that critics say have been intended to suppress Democratic votes. Bush, his deputy chief of staff, Karl Rove, and other Republican political advisers have highlighted voting rights issues and what Rove has called the "growing problem" of election fraud by Democrats since Bush took power in the tumultuous election of 2000, a race ultimately decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Bush administration's emphasis on voter fraud is drawing scrutiny from the Democratic Congress, which has begun investigating the firings of eight U.S. attorneys - two of whom say that their ousters may have been prompted by the Bush administration's dissatisfaction with their investigations of alleged Democratic voter fraud.

Bush has said he's heard complaints from Republicans about some U.S. attorneys' "lack of vigorous prosecution of election fraud cases," and administration e-mails have shown that Rove and other White House officials were involved in the dismissals and in selecting a Rove aide to replace one of the U.S. attorneys. Nonetheless, Bush has refused to permit congressional investigators to question Rove and others under oath.

{...}

Frank DiMarino, a former federal prosecutor who served six U.S. attorneys in Florida and Georgia during an 18-year Justice Department career, said that too much emphasis on voter fraud investigations "smacks of trying to use prosecutorial power to investigate and potentially indict political enemies." http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/nation/16963344.htm



You heard it here first: Bush complains about lack of vigorous prosecution of ELECTION FRAUD cases!
The voter fraud pressure is the scandal, the lack of vigorous election fraud investigation is a REAL ISSUE. In fact, following up on several convictions for felonies for rigging the presidential recount in Ohio in 2004, an Ohio criminal prosecutor is looking deeper. http://www.freepress.org/departments/display/19/2007/2506


Let's not forget, Bush wants to be "fully cooperative" with and vigorously prosecute "election fraud"!
==============================

ANNOUNCING: THE NEW ELECTIONS ORGANIZATION: PSEPHOS Psephos Means Elections (in Greek) www.psephos-us.com (under construction).

PSEPHOS will engage on behalf of democracy in Deliberation first, Education Second, and Litigation, if the first two fail.


"The compromise of the voting right IS the violation of the voting right."

[TankLV]

82. So, an ADDING MACHINE is "propriatary" computer code info?

How can a simple ADDING MACHINE program be "propriatory" and why does it need to be so COMPLICATED?

I mean you take a vote from all the different ballots and COUNT THEM UP ONE BY ONE. Period.

Nothing more.

Don't need no fancy fonts, fancy formatting, NOTHING.

WHAT'S SO FUCKING HARD TO UNDERSTAND?

If these goddamn programming codes are so fucking "propriatary" - then I'm sure there are plenty of UPSTANDING and smaller NON-REPUKE companies out there who would JUMP at the chance to provide the ADDING MACHINE codes to count the votes - for even a FRACTION of the cost...

If these REPUKE companies don't want to comply - GET RID OF THEM AND REOPEN THE BIDDING PROCESS!

[UpInArms]

59. flashback to 2002: WP:Perhaps He Doesn't Want to Be a Justice .

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A42891-2002May6?language=printer

Tuesday, May 7, 2002; Page A19


For a man often mentioned as a future Supreme Court nominee, White House Counsel Alberto R. Gonzales has a novel way of dealing with those whose confirmation vote he would need.

There he was Friday, beaming and introducing President Bush, who excoriated senators for "endangering the administration of justice in America" by not confirming his appointees faster. He has also been a key figure in the White House dispute with the Senate Appropriations Committee about whether Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge should testify.

The latest showdown comes today. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.), the Government Affairs Committee chairman, has given Gonzales, under threat of subpoena, until this afternoon to explain what information Lieberman's committee will get about administration contacts with Enron Corp. Gonzales said Lieberman's request is "not well-defined" and "threatens important executive branch prerogatives." Lieberman branded Gonzales's response "unacceptable" and said it lacked "common sense."

Few expect Gonzales to surrender. As the president's top lawyer, the former Texas state judge is the manager of the White House's long-standing effort to build executive strength in the balance of power with Congress.

Letters between the two men, and interviews with officials involved, show just how hard Gonzales and his team are working to resist what they view as congressional meddling. Since March 27, when Lieberman first requested White House records relating to Enron's influence on the White House energy task force and various regulatory matters, the two men and their staffs have been in an elaborate, backstage tangle.

...more...

[gasperc]

64. Bullshit, Bush was the decider

the 16 day gap was when he was on vacation in Europe, got back decemeber 4th and told Gonzales his decision

[Princess Turandot]

65. Another thing that boggles my mind about this..

is that even if he had not lied about his involvement with this, isn't the simultaneous removal of a substantial number of US Attorneys worthy of the attention of the Attorney General? The removal of six of the most important people in the American judicial system occured without any input or interest from him? His original response makes him sound like an idiot as well as a liar.

This makes me think of the Libby trial when, after hearing testimony about how poor Scooter had so much work to do that he often forgot things, a juror asked through the judge whether Libby had the faculties to do his stressful job. I guess Gonzalez doesn't need to worry about too many responsibilities.

[DrZeeLit]

80. He just made the case for oaths and transcripts. Thanks, Gone-zales.

Say anything.
Repeat the talking points.
And keep screwing the people.
Yeah, that's the ticket.

[truthisfreedom]

84. "Uhh... well yeah, I signed off on the firings, but it was just a document in a pile of papers I was

signing that day. Things just get so busy over there in the War on Terror department."