Under Clinton, discussion of sensitive DOJ cases was restricted to six people; under Bush, 459

[DeepModem Mom]

NYT/AP: Gonzales Rapped as President's 'Yes Man'
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: May 19, 2007

....Probably not since Watergate has an attorney general been so closely bound to the White House's bidding. In pushing counterterror programs that courts found unconstitutional and in stacking the ranks of federal prosecutors with Republican loyalists, Gonzales has put Bush's stamp on an institution that is supposed to operate largely free of the White House and beyond the reach of politics....

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An ever-growing cadre of critics says Gonzales has repeatedly sought to shape the normally independent Justice Department to the White House's ends. The department has long resisted political influences that could threaten its ability to fairly and impartially uphold the law.

Among examples they cite of White House meddling at the Justice Department....

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--The administration changed policy to allow more Justice Department officials to be in touch with the White House about some of the government's most sensitive criminal and civil cases. During the tenure of Democrat Bill Clinton, such discussions were restricted to six people -- two at Justice and four at the White House.

In 2002, a year after Bush took office, the number of people was greatly expanded. By Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse's estimates, 417 White House staff members and 42 Justice Department employees can discuss sensitive cases.

''It creates a partisan atmosphere, and that creates issues of confidence in the administering of justice,'' said Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat who previously served as U.S. attorney there....

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Justice-White-House.html?pagewanted=all

[DeepModem Mom]

1. a.m. kick