Gonzales On TX Redistricting: "It’s Senate’s Fault"

[kpete]

Gonzales On Texas Redistricting: It’s The Senate’s Fault For Confirming Ashcroft

A document obtained by the Washington Post reveal that career lawyers in the Justice Department unanimously concluded that Tom DeLay’s plan to redistrict Texas violated the Voting Rights Act:

The memo, unanimously endorsed by six lawyers and two analysts in the department’s voting section, said the redistricting plan illegally diluted black and Hispanic voting power in two congressional districts.


Nevertheless, then-Attorney General John Ashcroft and other partisan political appointees overruled them and approved DeLay’s plan anyway. This morning, Gonzales made little effort to defend the substance of the decision and passed blame to the Senate who confirmed Ashcroft and other top officials:

Gonzales said the plan was approved by people “confirmed by the Senate to exercise their own independent judgment” and their disagreement with other agency employees doesn’t mean the final decision was wrong.
http://thinkprogress.org/2005/12/02/gonzales-defense/

[central scrutinizer]

1. that's insane

we are truly on bizarro world if that illogical piece of bullshit reasoning is accepted by anybody

[Supersedeas]

2. once appointed nominees have the freedom to defy logic

[sdfernando]

3. I am ashamed!

I am ashamed to have that guy as a member of my race.

[newscott]

4. This Gonzales guy is good. He can prove that torture is not torture too!