Iglesias Might Get His Wish, Goodling Gets Immunity

You can see here that one of the victims of U.S. Attorney-gate, David Iglesias discussed that the key to breaking the scandal wide open is to get Monica Goodling to talk. She pleaded the 5th a few weeks ago so she wouldn't expose herself to her actions that violated the law concerning the White House and the Justice Department. What she knows is extremely important.



Now Goodling was given immunity by Congress today. A few Republicans on the House Justice Committee tried to deny the immunity grant, but more than two-thirds of the committee allowed it to pass. With her testimony given under oath, she can finally come clean without fear of being held in contempt by Congress. She does indeed hold the keys to kingdom, and hopefully, to Alberto Gonzales' demise along with anyone in the White House who was connected to the scandal.

Alberto Gonzales: A Primer

In case you haven't been around much lately, the Daily Show provides some detail on Gonzales' testimony in the Senate yesterday and a little bit of background on what he has said, what he thinks he said and what he wants you to think about what he said. Confused? Stewart will straighten you out. Even if you celebrated National Meth Day with the Attorney General.

Not A Grilling, A "Reconfirmation Hearing"

Today the Attorney General finally got to face the music at the Senate Judiciary Committee meeting meant to examine his role in the political power play that is the U.S. Attorney scandal. Gonzales took fire from all sides, regardless of party affiliation Everyone from Jeff Sessions to Patrick Leahy accused him of being dishonest in his testimony and that his story did not add up with the facts.

From The Associated Press:

WASHINGTON — His job in jeopardy, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales insisted Thursday he played only a minor role in the dismissal of eight federal prosecutors. Skeptical senators reacted with disbelief.

"We have to evaluate whether you are really being forthright," Sen. Arlen Specter bluntly informed the nation's chief law enforcement officer.

The Pennsylvania Republican said Gonzales' description was "significantly if not totally at variance with the facts."

In a long turn in the witness chair, Gonzales said that despite initial administration claims that the prosecutors had been fired for inadequate performance, he approved their dismissals without looking at their job evaluations.

The facts are that Gonzales was heavily involved in the process as the memos note, particularly the one where he attended a meeting in November about the matter. Then there is that thing about Monica Goodling. If she pled the fifth and ended her political career, there must be something to hide that not only protects her but the people she worked with in the White House and the Attorney General's office.

No matter how many lies the principals in the scandal tell, the facts will come together to paint a vivid picture of what actually happened. It is only a matter of time, what with the media frenzy and commitment of the investigating Senators who want to get to the bottom of this.

Gonzales Gets Contradicted Again

Damn the truth for coming to the surface, if only people would take Alberto Gonzales' statements at face value, he wouldn't be in so much trouble. Unfortunately for the embattled Attorney General, things are not looking to good when it comes to his believability. Over the last few weeks he has changed his story numerous times and each new version gets contradicted by the statements or testimony of others who have had a part in this scandal.

The latest story from Alberto is that he was informed about the selection process of potential replacement Attorneys but had no knowledge of who or how the current U.S. Attorneys were to be fired. He still claims that he did nothing wrong but his constantly changing detail of events suggests otherwise. Now there is a new twist in the saga, an ex-Justice official alleges that Gonzales did indeed know about the firing process.

From The Washington Post:

The former Justice Department official who carried out the firings of eight U.S. attorneys last year told Congress that several of the prosecutors had no performance problems and that a memo on the firings was distributed at a Nov. 27 meeting attended by Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, a Democratic senator said yesterday.

The statements to House and Senate investigators by Michael A. Battle, former director of the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, represent another potential challenge to the credibility of Gonzales, who has said that he never saw any documents about the firings and that he had "lost confidence" in the prosecutors because of performance problems.

Gonzales is trying so hard to hold onto his job that he will stop at nothing to do so. One lie has turned into several and some of those were told under oath to Congress a couple weeks ago. Now on Thursday he will be back in front of the Judiciary Committee to explain his prior testimony and the Senators will scrutinize every word in order to catch him lying in the act. The line he must walk is a thin one, but under his enormous weight, he seems destined to fall.

Leahy Uses The "L" Word On The White House

I am proud to say that Senator Patrick Leahy is fighting on our side. Today on the floor of the Senate he slammed the Bush Administration over 'lost' emails and made it crystal clear what Bush and his friends are up to at 1600 Pennsylvania.

From RawStory:

The top Senate Democrat leading investigations into the dismissal of 8 U.S. Attorneys by the Justice Department is comparing e-mails lost by the Republican National Committee to President Richard Nixon's famous "18-minute gap" in White House tape recordings.

"Now we are learning that the 'off book' communications they were having about these actions, by using Republican political email addresses, have not been preserved," Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said on the Senate floor.

He added, "Like the famous 18-minute gap in the Nixon White House tapes, it appears likely that key documentation has been erased or misplaced. This sounds like the Administration's version of 'the dog ate my homework.'

Too bad Barney the dog wasn't around to eat all those emails. He couldn't chew on that vile taste of lies and decceipt regardless. So here we have another stark comparison to Richard Nixon. As tricky Dick oversaw the last half of the Vietnam War, Bush is presiding over the disastrous mess in Iraq. Nixon lied and covered up many things and so does George. As Nixon went, so must George Bush.

After Sampson Talks, Gonzales Does A "D'Oh"

The Washington Post aptly described Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' reply to yesterday's testimony by Kyle Sampson as the "Homer Simpson " defense. Sampson's answers to the Senate inquiry were damning to Gonzales and directly contradicted Alberto's earlier statements. Now that the AG is caught lying he will have to make up new lies to cover the ones he has already uttered. He is trying to scam the Senate and the American people into believing that he didn't do anything seriously wrong. Yet, once a liar is caught, it is hard to be seen as believable anymore.

From The Washington Post:

You just cannot make this stuff up. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' former chief of staff, D. Kyle Sampson, spends much of his Thursday deflating his former boss' story about the eight fired U.S. Attorneys and how does the Attorney General respond? By issuing a written statement late in the day that essentially says this: Yes, Sampson may have been keeping me in the loop on the firings after all but I wasn't really paying attention ("never focused" was the exact phrase) to what he was saying. It's the Homer Simpson defense to the Kyle Sampson story and if this were a Little League game they would have invoked the 10-run rule by now and sent Gonzales go home to Texas to once again become a lucrative private attorney.

But, alas, the Attorney General is still with us, at least for today, his credibility and reputation tattered and the wolves-- not just Democrats, mind you, but increasingly creeped-out Republicans-- howling at the door. Even if Gonzales is now telling the truth about his role in Firegate, even if somehow his story can be synched up with Sampson's, we all deserve so much more from our Attorney General that the next 18 days or so-- leading up to Gonzales' testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee-- will be excruiating. How badly does an Attorney General have to behave, how badly does he have to lead, how much prestige and trust does he have to lose, before he is forced, by his own conscience if nothing else, to make way for someone else? You tell me.

The only one doing the howling is going to be Gonzales. He'll be begging for mercy soon enough, but for now he will continuing lying his ass off until he is firmly pressed into the corner with nowhere to go. Until then he'll blame anyone, do anything and say whatever it takes to shield himself from the responsibility of his actions. Just like everyone else in the Bush Administration.

Sing Louder Mr. Sampson

The former Chief of Staff to Alberto Gonzales spent a grueling day in the Senate today. Here's a clip of him admitting to Senator Specter that he abused the U.S. Attorney's office procedures concerning the termination of the eight prosecutors and the means of replacing them. Check out the grilling:

Now Firing U.S. Attorneys For Political Reasons Is Okay

After vehemently denying that eight U.S. Attorneys were canned for political reasons, Kyle Sampson, the former Chief of Staff to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is saying that it is perfectly fine. Obviously the 'job-performance issues' approach didn't work so well, now they are going down a different and what looks like to me a more dangerous road. Kyle Sampson will go in front of Congress to testify voluntarily to say that it was a political decisions, but, um, not what you think constitutes a political decision, or something like that.

More on the confusion from Rawstory:

"The distinction between 'political' and 'performance-related' reasons for removing a United States Attorney is, in my view, largely artificial," Sampson said in his prepared remarks, which were posted by the McClatchy-Tribune News Service and are now available at this link.

Critics have defined some of the firings as "political" since, based on many of the documents released, they appear to be based partially on objections by Republican lawmakers. But Sampson, who resigned from his post earlier this month and agreed to testify voluntarily without being subpoenaed, will argue that a U.S. Attorney not being able to "work constructively" with governmental constituencies cannot be "successful" in his or her position.

"A U.S. Attorney who is unsuccessful from a political perspective, either because he or she has alienated the leadership of the Department in Washington or cannot work constructively with law enforcement or other governmental constituencies in the district important to effective leadership of the office, is unsuccessful," Sampson will say.

He added, "If he or she...is resistant to the President's or the Attorney General's constitutional authority...then that U.S. Attorney is not performing at a high level."

So what Sampson really means is that if the U.S. Attorney does not perform his political obligations to the President and the welfare of the Republican party, then they are clearly not doing their job. Prosecuting criminals is not enough, they have to be criminals that the President approves of. So Carol Lam, Duke Cunningham was not a criminal, he was just a victim. So David Iglesias, you should have gone after that obscure Democrat down in New Mexico. Who cares if the American people want the Justice Department to work outside of partisan lenses?

The Department of Justice is part of the Adminstration and those that work there serve at the pleasure of the President. It isn't about blind justice, it is about serving the President. The question is, who exactly is the President serving? It certainly isn't the American people. It is time for Gonzales and the President, to be forced out of office, for this and so many other reasons.

Colbert Tortures Gonzales

Colbert covers Hagel's beating of the President's increasingly monarchial stands and the twists and turns of Gonzales and the Department of Justice:

It Was Against The Law

Those words aren't just a line in a Simon and Garfunkel song, they are the actions of the Bush Adminstration in the U.S. Attorney scandal that is plaguing our nation. The Department of Justice and consequently the White House continues to boast that the firing of eight U.S. Attorneys was perfectly justifiable because they serve at the 'pleasure of the President.'

The only problem with that statement is in how they were removed. Most people know by now that these attorneys were looking into cases of corruption perpetrated by Republicans in office or not looking at certain Democrats that Republicans like Pete Domenici and Heather Wilson slyly asked U.S. Atty David Iglesias about.

A New York Times editorial looks into the matter:

The Bush administration has done a terrible job of explaining its decision to fire eight United States attorneys. Story after story has proved to be untrue: that the prosecutors who were fired were poor performers; that the White House was not involved in the purge. But the administration has been strangely successful in pushing its message that the scandal is at worst a political misdeed, not a criminal matter.

It is true, as the White House keeps saying, that United States attorneys serve “at the pleasure of the president,” which means he can dismiss them whenever he wants. But if the attorneys were fired to interfere with a valid prosecution, or to punish them for not misusing their offices, that may well have been illegal.

In law schools, it is common to give an exam called the “issue spotter,” in which students are given a set of facts and asked to identify all the legal issues and possible crimes. The facts about the purge are still emerging. But based on what is known — and with some help from Congressional staff members and Stephen Gillers, a law professor at New York University — it was not hard to spot that White House and Justice Department officials, and members of Congress, may have violated 18 U.S.C. §§ 1501-1520, the federal obstruction of justice statute.

As we continue to hear snippets of information about the scandal, it seems that as more details come out, the evidence becomes increasingly damning against the DoJ and their superiors in the White House. Ultimately, we should not only call for the impeachment of Alberto Gonzales, but for the heads of all the perpetrators inside and out of the White House who tried to stop justice from coming to their 'friends.'

Republicans Run From Gonzales...Will Bush Follow Suit?

The U.S. Attorney scandal is the story that won't die, yet Gonzales is still in office. Bush continues to support his crooked Attorney General as the calls for his departure increase. Over the last week Republicans have increasingly joined their Democratic counterparts in advocating for his removal. Apparently George hasn't gotten the message so far. Nevertheless, that message continueto be jammed down the White House's throat.

From the Associated Press:

Specter, R-Pa., said he would wait until Gonzales' scheduled April 17 testimony to the committee on the dismissals before deciding whether he could continue to support the attorney general. He called it a "make or break" appearance.

To Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., Gonzales "does have a credibility problem. ... We govern with one currency, and that's trust. And that trust is all important. And when you lose or debase that currency, then you can't govern. And I think he's going to have some difficulties."

Hagel cited changing stories from the Justice Department about the circumstances for firing the eight U.S. attorneys. "I don't know if he got bad advice or if he was not involved in the day-to-day management. I don't know what the problem is, but he's got a problem. You cannot have the nation's chief law enforcement officer with a cloud hanging over his credibility," Hagel said.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Gonzales has been "wounded" by the firings. `He has said some things that just don't add up," said Graham, who is on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

It is always hard for Republicans to change their views, especially when a decision can hurt their beloved Bush Adminstration. They are naturally opposed to change, it is the essential definition of 'conservative' in the political sense of the word. However when the political climate is a volitaile over the issue as it is now, Bush and especially Alberto Gonzales will continue to lose their friends in support of keeping the Attorney General on board, loyalty or no loyalty.

When It Rains On Gonzales, It Pours

Keith Olbermann puts the spotlight on an already embattled Attorney General. How many scandals does this guy have under his belt and will there be even more? Only time will tell.

The Cast Of Characters

Imagine NBC makes a made-for-TV movie about the drama surrounding the U.S. Attorney scandal and politics in general. Who would play who? So many actors to choose from. Well Conan O'Brien takes a stab at it last night and the cast certainly stacks up against real-life:

When Backed Into A Corner....

They say that is when the dog is most vicious. With its teeth bared and the growl growing in ferocity ever so slightly, the Bush Adminstration is getting pinned from the U.S. Attorney scandal. It isn't pretty to watch, this dog is threatening our constitution after having thrown dignity and accountability out the window long, long ago.

From the Huffington Post:

WASHINGTON — A defiant President Bush warned Democrats Tuesday to accept his offer to have top aides testify about the firings of federal prosecutors only privately and not under oath or risk a constitutional showdown from which he would not back down.

Democrats' response to his proposal was swift and firm: They said they would start authorizing subpoenas as soon as Wednesday for the White House aides.

"Testimony should be on the record and under oath. That's the formula for true accountability," said Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Bush is offering less than nothing. If you won't submit your statements under oath, there is no way to be held accountable in a court of law. If you are afraid of the law, there must be a lie buried in the actions of Karl Rove and other White House operatives. The Democratic Senate must stand firm and issue those subpoenas and let justice prevail. Bush will go kicking and screaming, but he must not win against a nation founded on laws.

So far the Senate is handling itself well in this matter. Stripping Alberto Gonzales of the ability to appoint U.S. Attorneys without Senate confirmation is a good start. It seems that Senators Leahy and Schumer are staying steadfast in their commitment to see this through. It is already a new day over here in Tel Aviv, I hope to see a new one over in Washington as well.

Karl Rove Et. Al. Served Subpoenas

It is about time someone makes Bush's Brain talk under oath. He may give a lot of poisonous speeches to his blind and dimwitted followers but he is no match for John Conyers and Company. There are so many things to investigate Karl Rove over but Conyers picked just one. Rove has been fingered as a major facilitator in the firing of eight U.S. Attorneys for political purposes. So far Alberto Gonzales has lied under oath, I wonder if Karl Rove will as well.

From RawStory:

According to a release, "The Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law (CAL) will meet TOMORROW, March 21st at 10:15 am in 2141 Rayburn House Office Building to consider subpoenas for Kyle Sampson, Karl Rove, Harriet Miers, William Kelley, and Scott Jennings, as well as White House and Justice Department documents, which have not been provided to date."

WHO: House Judiciary CAL Subcommittee

WHAT: Authorizing Subpoenas for White House, Justice Officials and Documents

WHEN: TOMORROW, March 21st, 10:15 am

WHERE: 2141 Rayburn HOB

Thank goodness for Nancy Pelosi's vlog, I can't wait to watch that hearing, even if I am 5500 miles away.

Are You Smarter Than Alberto Gonzales?

Still not sure? Check out his latest movie:

Gonzales' Days Are Numbered

It is hard to tell exactly when we will hear the words of resignation and Bush's dismay at his boy leaving the Attorney General's post, but it now seems like fate. When the netroots clamors for his impeachment, we know that his actions warrant punishment. When the media talks about it, politicians ears' perk up and begin strategizing. And when Republicans call for one of their own to step down, major action is imminent.

With the prosecutor purge scandal staying in broad daylight for many days now Gonzales is starting to sweat bullets. He already changed his story from trying to dismiss the matter as being overblown to 'taking responsibility.' Now that Republicans are echoing Democratic calls for his resignation (I'd rather hear about impeachment) Bush is going to have to find a replacement for Alberto.

From the Huffington Post:

Two more Republican congressmen called for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales's replacement on Thursday. Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR) "suggested that it would be helpful to have an attorney general that Congress could have more confidence in," his spokesman said. Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) said, "Even for Republicans this is a warning sign ... saying there needs to be a change. Maybe the president should have an attorney general who is less a personal friend and more professional in his approach."

Senator John Sununu called for President Bush to fire Gonzales on Wednesday.

Read the entire Smith article here.

Read the entire Rohrabacher article here.

While the list of Gonzales' critics grow, he may not stay alone inside the ring of fire. There are growing reports that Karl Rove is more involved in this debacle than the White House lets on. Fortunately there are plenty of people that are willing to sing the tunes of justice that makes George Bush and his Adminstration cringe.

Leahy To Go After Gonzales

Finally the day has come where the checks and balances in our government are being put back into place. After Gonzales denied and testified under oath to Congress that there was no politics involved when the DoJ fired 8 attorneys, it seems there will be payback. That payback will be in the form of Congressional oversight and subpoenas from the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

From Senator Leahy:

“The White House and the Attorney General have dodged Congress’s questions and ducked accountability as if they still were dealing with a rubberstamp Congress. They are discovering that those days are gone.

“I am outraged that the Attorney General was less than forthcoming with the Senate while under oath before the Judiciary Committee. It is deeply disturbing that this plan appears to have originated from high-ranking officials at the White House and executed in secret with a complicit Department of Justice.

“This is not how justice is served, nor is it how our system of checks and balances is designed to work. It is an abuse of power committed in secret to steer certain outcomes in our justice system, and then to dust over the tracks. The President of the United States and the Attorney General are responsible for setting the moral standard for this Administration. Apparently this matter does not bother them but it does bother me, and we will summon whoever we need in our hearings to get to the bottom of this.”

That is exactly what we need to hear from the Democratic majority. You know that Arlen Specter would have never acted in such a diligent matter and it is only because the Democrats are back in charge that we are seeing the possibility of justice being served on Gonzales and the Department of Justice.

Colbert Justifies The Prosecutor Purge

According to Colbert, the reason there were more Democrats under review by federal prosecutors by more than 4 to 1 was because its the party on the left that is more corrupt. Forget the criminals like Abramoff, Ney, Foley and Cunningham. Those were mere abnormalities. Dr. Donald Shields is a guest on the show to add a dose of reality to the show:

Rove Took Care Of The 'Problem'

In an interview with the McClatchy Newspapers, Allen Weh, the party chairman of the New Mexico GOP had asked Karl Rove to dispose of U.S. Attorney David Iglesias because he was not prosecuting Democrats over a possible voter fraud incident. This poses a big problem to the White House and the Justice Department because so far they have claimed no involvement in the purge other than selecting the new attorneys.

From McClatchy:

In an interview Saturday with McClatchy Newspapers, Allen Weh, the party chairman, said he complained in 2005 about then-U.S. Attorney David Iglesias to a White House liaison who worked for Rove and asked that he be removed. Weh said he followed up with Rove personally in late 2006 during a visit to the White House.

"Is anything ever going to happen to that guy?" Weh said he asked Rove at a White House holiday event that month.

"He's gone," Rove said, according to Weh.

"I probably said something close to 'Hallelujah,'" said Weh.

Weh's account calls into question the Justice Department's stance that the recent decision to fire Iglesias and seven U.S. attorneys in other states was a personnel matter - made without White House intervention. Justice Department officials have said the White House's involvement was limited to approving a list of the U.S. attorneys after the Justice Department made the decision to fire them.

Now we have more damning evidence that the White House was personally involved and that Gonzales, having known the full story of the matter, did in fact lie to Congress when he said that the firings were not political. On top of this confession, we also have Rep. Heather Wilson and Sen. Pete Dominici admitting to talking to Iglesias about prosecuting certain political cases last year right before the midterm elections. As the pieces of the puzzles continue to fall in place, it is becoming crystal clear that there was serious foul play involved, from the White House on down to the state party apparatus.